Thank you for visiting Scuderi’s Air Hybrid Blog. Here you will find the latest information on Scuderi’s breakthrough engine technology as well as frequently updated news, commentary and analysis of developments in hybrid technology and alternative energy.
The Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine
The Scuderi Air Hybrid Engine represents a quantum leap for the performance, efficiency and environmental impact of the internal combustion engine.
This design represents one of the most significant developments for internal combustion engine to come along in decades. Unlike other prior split-cycle designs, the Scuderi engine utilizes a cross-over chamber that allows for faster flame speed, and in turn a more powerful and fuel efficient engine.
Performance of this technology has been verified by a world renowned applied research and development laboratory.
• The Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine not only is more efficient, produces much fewer emissions but is also easy and less costly to build than today’s gas-electric hybrids.
• Because of its built-in supercharging capabilities, the Scuderi Engine produces significantly more power than an equivalent conventional engine. A four cylinder Scuderi engine provides the power of a six cylinder conventional engine but at the size, weight and cost of a four cylinder conventional engine.
• Because it produces more power in a smaller package, the Scuderi engine will also improve vehicle mileage simply because it is lighter. In addition, a smaller engine enables vehicle manufacturers to design a more aerodynamic car and again improve the mileage of the vehicle.
• One of the most innovative features of the Scuderi Engine is unique combination of an air compressor on one side and a combustion engine on the other. By having fuel enter the engine only at the power cylinder either through direct cylinder injection or port fuel injection, the compression cylinder becomes a dedicated air compressor that pumps only air.
• By simply adding a storage tank and some controls, the Scuderi Engine will have the ability to store energy normally lost during braking - similar to the current gas-electric hybrids. The big difference is in complexity. The Scuderi Air-Hybrid has a single drive system while the gas-electric hybrids require two separate drive systems.
o This feature of the engine has only recently been patented and is expected to have a huge impact on the market.
• Since the Scuderi Engine already uses compressed air in its combustion process, it can utilize the energy stored in the tank without modifying how it operates. The gains in efficiency come from eliminating the need for a compression cycle.
• Gains in mileage are much better than a gas-electric hybrid and there is no compromise to power and performance. However, the biggest benefit is the cost. To convert the Scuderi Engine to an air-hybrid, the cost is a few hundred dollars unlike an electric hybrid which adds thousands of dollars to the cost of the vehicle.
• A ready supply of compressed air has additional benefits. Engine accessories and components can now easily be pneumatic - camless valve design for example. As long as the engine is running, there is a source of compressed air. External accessories can be operated such as air tools or other devices. This has major significance, especially in military applications.
Validated by Research Business and Government Experts
• The Scuderi technology is patented worldwide with six patents issued and several pending in over 45 countries.
• The Scuderi Engine has been verified by a world-class independent laboratory that spent two man-years studying the engine using the most sophisticated computer modeling techniques available today.
• In January 2006, the Scuderi Group received a $1.2 million defense appropriations grant for development of the Scuderi Engine Technology for military applications.
• The Scuderi Group has raised more than $8 million in funding through private investments and is currently building both a gasoline and diesel version of the Scuderi Air Hybrid Engine that is expected to be completed by mid-2007.
To learn more about Scuderi’s breakthrough Air Hybrid Engine, check out the Scuderi Group’s web site.
RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI
April 25, 2006 at April 25, 2006 - 9:33 am
Compression will heat the air, and if this heat is lost the engine’s efficiency will be reduced. Do you envision the air tank will be thermally insulated, or do you intend to interpose a thermal store between the engine and the tank?
Also, I assume you are aware of the work Ford was doing with Prof. Tsao at UCLA on air hybrids. How does your design compare to theirs?
April 27, 2006 at April 27, 2006 - 10:11 am
Interesting stuff!! The concept of having a tank of compressed air under the hood might scare the general public a bit, despite the tank of flamable liquid they drive around with today. What kind of pressures and volume are you considering for for a mid-size passenger vehicle?
April 27, 2006 at April 27, 2006 - 6:25 pm
Sean,
The nice part about pneumatic systems is they have been around for decades and are very well developed in terms of both performance and safety. For example, today’s air tanks, if punctured, are designed to tear not to rupture. So even if there is a major puncture in the tank, what happens is a release of the air which will create a loud noise but will not cause injury.
Over pressurizing the tank is controlled by pressure relief valves. The pressures in the tank will be approximately 50 bar or 735 psi, and the tank size will be about 10 liters for each cylinder pair.
Also the tank does not have to be located under the hood it can be located anywhere in the vehicle. It most likely will be placed somewhere under the vehicle.
Thanks for your question.
Regards,
Sal Scuderi
President, The Scuderi Group
April 27, 2006 at April 27, 2006 - 11:06 pm
Paul,
You are correct that the compressed air will heat up and any losses through the tank walls will reduce the efficiency of the engine. The simplest solution is to insulate the tank. Several designs are currently being considered and they involve external insulation as well as the materials used to construct the tank. By utilizing the appropriate design, heat loss through the tank walls should not be a significant effect on the overall efficiency of a vehicle.
We are familiar with the UCLA study. In that study, a conventional engine was fitted with electrically actuated variably controlled valves. The valves are used to switch the operating modes of the engine between engine (or firing) mode, air compressor mode, and air motor mode. The firing mode is the normal operation of the engine using combustion to power the vehicle. In the compressor mode, the variable valves are actuated to make the engine operate like an air compressor - storing compressed air in a storage tank. In the air motoring mode, the valves are actuated so that the compressed air in the tank can be used to push on the pistons and move the vehicle without the assistance of combustion. The system works; however, the valve-control and mode switching is very complicated. In addition, because all cylinders need to handle combustion as well as compression, their ability to compress air and pump it into an external tank is limited by the clearance volumes that are required for the combustion process.
In the Scuderi Engine, the split-cycle arrangement separates the functions of compression and combustion. Compressed air is produced during the normal operation of the engine and is then used in the normal combustion process of the engine. This is ideal for an air-hybrid application because the normal operation of the engine does not need to change. In addition, since the compression cylinder is separated from the combustion process, its clearance volumes and compression ratios are better suited for pumping high pressure air into an external tank.
Best regards,
Sal Scuderi, President
The Scuderi Group