INTRODUCTION

    The basic principle behind any internal combustion engine is simple: If you put a tiny amount of air and high-energy fuel (like gasoline) in a small, enclosed space and ignite it, the gas expands rapidly, releasing an incredible amount of energy. The ultimate goal of an engine is to convert the energy of this expanding gas into a rotary (spinning) motion. In the case of car engines, the specific goal is to rotate a driveshaft rapidly. The driveshaft is connected to various components that pass the rotating motion onto the car's wheels. To harness the energy of expanding gas in this way, an engine must cycle through a set of events that causes many tiny gas explosions. In this combustion cycle, the engine must:

  Let a mixture of fuel and air into a chamber  Compress the fuel and air  Ignite the fuel to create an explosion  Release the exhaust (think of it as the by-product of the explosion)

QUASITURBINE    

 2.1What is Quasiturbine?

The Quasiturbine (Qurbine) is a no crankshaft rotary engine having a 4 faces articulated rotor with a free and accessible center, rotating without vibration nor dead time, and producing a strong torque at low RPM under a variety of modes and fuels. The Quasiturbine design can also be used as an air motor, steam engine, gas compressor or pump. The Quasiturbine is also an optimization theory for extremely compact and efficient engine concepts2.2 Quasiturbine Basics:   The Saint-Hilaire family first patented the Quasiturbine combustion engine in 1996. The Quasiturbine concept resulted from research that began with an intense evaluation of all engine concepts to note advantages, disadvantages and opportunities for improvement. During this exploratory process, the Saint-Hilaire team came to realize that a unique engine solution would be one that made improvements to the standard Wankel, or rotary, engine.Like rotary engines, the Quasiturbine engine is based on a rotor-and-housing design. But instead of three blades, the Quasiturbine rotor has four elements chained together, with combustion chambers located between each element and the walls of the housing.

FIGURE 2.2  Simple Quasiturbine design

The four-sided rotor is what sets the Quasiturbine apart from the Wankel. There are actually two different ways to configure this design -- one with carriages and one without carriages. As we'll see, a carriage, in this case, is just a simple machine piece. First, let's look at the components of simpler Quasiturbine model -- the version without carriages.The simpler Quasiturbine model looks very much like a traditional rotary engine: A rotor turns inside a nearly oval-shaped housing. Notice, however, that the Quasiturbine rotor has four elements instead of three. The sides of the rotor seal against the sides of the housing, and the corners of the rotor seal against the inner periphery, dividing it into four chambers.

WORKING OF QUASITURBINE

3.1    How it WorksIn the Quasiturbine engine, the four strokes of a typical cycle de Beau de Rochas (Otto) cycle are arranged sequentially around a near oval, unlike the reciprocating motion of a piston engine. In the basic single rotor Quasiturbine engine, an oval housing surrounds a four-sided articulated rotor which turns and moves within the housing. The sides of the rotor seal against the sides of the housing, and the corners of the rotor seal against the inner periphery, dividing it into four chambers.

FIGURE 3.1 Simple Engine Configuration of Quasiturbine

In a piston engine, one complete four-stroke cycle produces two complete revolutions of the crankshaft. That means the power output of a piston engine is half a power stroke per one piston revolution. A Quasiturbine engine, on the other hand, doesn't need pistons. Instead, the four strokes of a typical piston engine are arranged sequentially around the oval housing. There's no need for the crankshaft to perform the rotary conversion.                                                            

                                               FIGURE: Simple Engine Cycle

In this basic model, it's very easy to see the four cycles of internal combustion:  Intake, which draws in a mixture of fuel and air  Compression, which squeezes the fuel-air mixture into a smaller volume  Combustion,  which uses a spark from a spark plug to ignite the fuel.  Exhaust, which expels waste gases (the byproducts of combustion) from the engine compartment

Quasiturbine engines with carriages work on the same basic idea as this simple design, with added design modifications that allow forphoto-detonation. Photo-detonation is a superior combustion mode that requires more compression and greater sturdiness than piston or rotary engines can provide. Now, let's see what this combustion mode is all about. Internal combustion engines fall into four categories based on how well air and fuel are mixed together in the combustion chamber and how the fuel is ignited. Type I includes engines in which the air and fuel mix thoroughly to form what is called a homogenous mixture. When a spark ignites the fuel, a hot flame sweeps through the mixture, burning the fuel as it goes. This, of course, is the gasoline engine.

Four Types of Internal Combustion Engines

Homogenous Fuel-air Mixture

Heterogeneous Fuel-air Mixture

Spark-ignition Type IGasoline Engine

Type IIGasoline Direct-injection (GDI) Engine

Pressure-heated Self-ignition

Type IVPhoto-detonation Engine

Type IIIDiesel Engine

                                                                           Table 3.1

Type II -- a gasoline-direct injection engine -- uses partially mixed fuel and air (i.e., a heterogeneous mixture) that is injected directly into the cylinder rather than into an intake port. A spark plug then ignites the mixture, burning more of the fuel and creating less waste.In Type III, air and fuel are only partially mixed in the combustion chamber. This heterogeneous mixture is then compressed, which causes the temperature to rise until self-ignition takes place. A diesel engine operates in this fashion.Finally, in Type IV, the best attributes of gasoline and diesel engines are combined. A premixed fuel-air charge undergoes tremendous compression until the fuel self-ignites. This is what happens in a photo-detonation engine, and because it employs a homogenous charge and compression ignition, it is often described as an HCCI engine. HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) combustion results in virtually no emissions and superior fuel efficiency. This is because photo-detonation engines completely combust the fuel, leaving behind no hydrocarbons to be treated by a catalytic converter or simply expelled into the air.

FIGURE: Engine Ignition Comparison

Of course, the high pressure required for photo-detonation puts a significant amount of stress on the engine itself. Piston engines can't withstand the violent force of the detonation. And traditional rotary engines such as the Wankel, which have longer combustion chambers that limit the amount of compression they can achieve, are incapable of producing the high-pressure environment necessary for photo-detonation to occur. Enter the Quasiturbine with carriages. Only this design is strong enough and compact enough to withstand the force of photo-detonation and allow for the higher compression ratio necessary for pressure-heated self-ignition.3.2 Quasiturbine with Carriages      Even with its added complexity, the Quasiturbine engine with carriages has a relatively simple design. Each part is described below. The housing (stator), which is a near oval known as the "Saint-Hilaire skating rink," forms the cavity in which the rotor rotates. The housing contains four ports: A port where the spark plug normally sits (the spark plug can also be placed in the housing cover -- see below).

         A port that is closed with a removable plug.         A port for the intake of air.         An exhaust port used to release the waste gases of combustion. 

                                                                    

FIGURE: Carriage Engine Housing

The housing is enclosed on each side by two covers. The covers have three ports of their own, allowing for maximum flexibility in how the engine is configured. For example, one port can serve as an intake from a conventional carburetor or be fitted with a gas or diesel injector, while another can serve as an alternate location for a spark plug. One of the three ports is a large outlet for exhaust gasses.

FIGURE: Carriage Engine Cover Ports

How the various ports are used depends on whether the automotive engineer wants a traditional internal combustion engine or one that delivers the super-high compression required of photo-detonation. The rotor, made of four blades, replaces the pistons of a typical internal combustion engine. Each blade has a filler tip and traction slots to receive the coupling arms. A pivot forms the end of each blade. The job of the pivot is to join one blade to the next and to form a connection between the blade and the rocking carriages. There are four rocking carriages total, one for each blade. Each carriage is free to rotate around the same pivot so that it remains in contact with the inner wall of the housing at all times.

                                                                   FIGURE: Carriage Engine Internal Mechanism

Each carriage works closely with two wheels, which means there are eight wheels altogether. The wheels enable the rotor to roll smoothly on the contoured surface of the housing wall and are made wide to reduce pressure at the point of contact. The Quasiturbine engine doesn't need a central shaft to operate; but of course, a car requires an output shaft to transfer power from the engine to the wheels. The output shaft is connected to the rotor by two coupling arms, which fit into traction slots, and four arm braces.

                                                                                FIGURE: Carriage Engine Output Mechanism

When you put all of the parts together, the engine looks like this:

FIGURE:  Quasiturbine engine with Carriages

Notice that the Quasiturbine engine has none of the intricate parts of a typical piston engine. It has no crankshaft, valves, pistons, push rods, rockers or cams. And because the rotor blades "ride" on the carriages and wheels, there is little friction, which means oil and an oil pan are

unnecessary. Now that we've looked at the major components of the Quasiturbine with carriages, let's see how everything comes together. The first thing you'll notice is how the rotor blades, as they turn, change the volume of the chambers. First the volume increases, which allows the fuel-air mixture to expand. Then the volume decreases, which compresses the mixture into a smaller space.The second thing you'll notice is how one combustion stroke is ending right when the next combustion stroke is ready to fire. By making a small channel along the internal housing wall next to the spark plug, a small amount of hot gas is allowed to flow back to the next ready-to-fire combustion chamber when each of the carriage seals passes over the channel. The result is continuous combustion, just like in the airplane gas turbine!What all this amounts to in the Quasiturbine engine is increased efficiency and performance. The four chambers produce two consecutive circuits. The first circuit is used to compress and expand during combustion. The second is used to expel exhaust and intake air. In one revolution of the rotor, four power strokes are created. That's eight times more than a typical piston engine! Even a Wankel engine, which produces three power strokes per rotor revolution, can't match the performance of a Quasiturbine.3.3 Quasiturbine Combustion Cycle 

   QuasiturbineCombustion Cycle

Intake (aqua),

            Compression (fuchsia),     Combustion (red),

   Exhaust (black).          A spark plug is located

    at the top (green)

As the rotor turns, its motion and the shape of the housing cause each side of the housing to get closer and farther from the rotor, compressing and expanding the chambers similarly to the "strokes" in a reciprocating engine. However, whereas a four stroke piston engine produces one combustion stroke per cylinder for every two revolutions, the chambers of the Quasiturbine rotor generate height combustion "strokes" per two rotor revolutions; this is eight times more than a four-strokes piston engine.Because the Quasiturbine has no crankshaft, the internal volume variations do not follow the usual sinusoidal engine movements, which provide very different characteristics from the piston or the Wankel engine. Contrary to the Wankel engine where the crankshaft moves the rotary piston face inward and outward, each Quasiturbine rotor face rocks back and forth in reference to the engine radius, but stays at a constant distance from the engine center at all time, producing only pure tangential rotational forces.The four strokes piston has such a long dead time, its average torque is about 1/8 of the peak torque, which dictate the robustness of the piston construction. Since the Quasiturbine has not dead time, average torque is only 30% lower than the peak torque, and for this reason, the relative robustness of the Quasiturbine need be only 1/5 of that of the piston, allowing for an additional engine weight saving...

TURNINR MOMENT OF QUASITURBINE

4.1 Why does it Turn ?

                                                                FIGURE 4.1  Quasiturbine turning

This diagram show the force vector in a Quasiturbine when one or two opposed chambers are pressurized either by fuel combustion, or by external pressure fluids. Because the pressure vectors are off center, the Quasiturbine rotor experiences a net rotational force. It is that simple!4.2 Quasiturbine as an Imminent SolutionMany researches are going on to increase energy efficiency on the long term with piston, hydrogen, fuel cell... Hybrid concepts are ways to harvest part of the "low power efficiency penalty" of the piston engine used in vehicle, but counter-productive measures limit the long term perspective until they could efficiently fuel from the electrical grid. None of these solutions are short term stable and competitive.

                         

FIGURE : Quasiturbine Comparison With the other EnginesThe Quasiturbine in Beau de Rocha (Otto) cycle (Model SC without carriages) is a relatively simple technology which could be widely used within a few years with substantial efficiency benefits over piston engines in many applications. Large utility plants convert energy more efficiently than small distributed units and should be favored when possible, but on the long term, the Quasiturbine detonation engine is one of the very few means to match utility efficiency the distributed way, while being as chemically clean as possible.

                                                                            

FIGURE: QT-AC (With carriages) is intended for detonation mode,where high surface-to-volume ratio 

is a factor attenuating the violence of detonation.

By opposition to dozens of new engine designs, the most important at this time about the Quasiturbine is the fact that it does unknot a new field of development and offers means to achieve what no other engine design has suggested or is able to, and specially for detonation where piston engine has failed for over 40

WHY IS THE QUASITURBINBE HYDROGEN ENGINE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONAL IC

ENGINES

5.1Piston DeficienciesPiston engine deserves respect and should not be arbitrary and globally condemns. However it has deficiencies that no one seems to be willing to list? Here is our list of the main conceptual piston engine deficiencies:

The 4 engine strokes should not be of equal duration.

The piston makes positive torque only 17 % of the time and drag 83 % of the time.

The gas flow is not unidirectional, but changes direction with the piston direction. 

While the piston descents, the ignition thermal wave front has hard time trying to catch the gas moving in that same direction.

The valves open only 20 % of the time, interrupting the flows at intake and at exhaust 80 % of the time.

The duration of the piston rest time at top and bottom are without necessity too long.

Long top dead center confinement time increase the heat transfer to the engine block reducing engine efficiency.

The non-ability of the piston to produce mechanical energy immediately after the top dead center.

The proximity of the intake valve and the exhaust valve prevents a good mixture filling of the chamber and the open overlap lets go some un-burnt mixture into the exhaust.

The non-ability of the piston to efficiently intakes mixture right after the top dead center.

The piston does not stand fuel pre-vaporization, but requires fuel pulverization detrimental to combustion quality and environment.

The instantaneous torque impulse is progressive, and would gain to have a plateau.

The components use factor is low, and those components would gain to be multifunctional.

The average torque is only 15 % of the peak torque, which imposes a construction robustness for the peak 7 times the average.

The flywheel is a serious handicap to accelerations and to the total engine weight.

The connecting rod gives an oblique push component to the piston, which then requires a lubrication of the piston wall.

The lubricant is also heat coolant, which requires a cumbersome pan, and imposes low engine angle orientations.

The need of complex set of valves, of came shaft and of interactive synchronization devices.

The valves inertia being a serious limitation to the engine revolution.

The heavy piston engines require some residual compressed gas before top dead center to cushion the piston return.

The internal engine accessories (like the came shaft) use a substantial power.

The poor homo-kinetic geometry imposes violent accelerations and stops to the piston.

Complete reversal of the flows from intake to exhaust.

Quite important noise level and vibration. 

At low load factor, the intake depressurization of the Otto cycle dissipates power from the engine (vacuum pump against the atmospheric pressure).

Without being pretentious, the fact is that the Quasiturbine corrects or improves each of these deficiencies.5.2 Side by SideLike the piston engine, the Quasiturbine is a volume modulator of high intensity, and acts as a positive displacement engine. Here is a diagram showing the Piston and the Quasiturbine side by side. 

FIGURE: Quasiturbine may compare 1 to 1 by displacement, but 1 to 8 by total intake fuel-mixture volume and power, 

.                                                          FIGURE: Rotary Engine work

Better torque continuity and acceleration (exceeds even the 2 strokes engines): The crankshaft and the flywheel are the main obstacle to engine acceleration, and since the flywheel are unable to store energy at low rpm, the engine torque at idle is highly handicapped by the engine dead times. The piston of a 4 strokes engine works in power mode about 120 degrees / 720 degrees (2 turns), and thus constitutes a drag 80 % of time, period during which the flywheel assumes a relative torque continuity. The Quasiturbine has jointed torque impulses, and presents a profile of almost flat torque characteristics, without the assistance of a flywheel (Quasiturbine torque continuity would compare to a 16 or more pistons conventional engine).Low revolution - Reduction of gearbox ratio: The gear boxes are evils necessary (expensive, complicated, delicate, and energy consuming). The RPM required by the human activity are generally lower that the performance optimum speed of the engines (e.g.: an automobile wheel generally does not rotate to more than 800 or 1000 RPM, which is 4 to 5 times less than the engine RPM). As the Quasiturbine turns 4 to 5 times less quickly than the other engines (including the Wankel), the gear boxes can often be removed (amongst other things in the field of transport) with an increase in efficiency. Continuous combustion with lower temperature: As the Quasiturbine strokes are jointed (what is not the case with the Wankel), the lighting is necessary only in launching, since the flame transfers itself from one chamber to the following. The thermalisation of the Quasiturbine by contacts with rollers (Model AC) is more effective, and prevents hot point. From the thermal point of view, the Quasiturbine does not contain any internal parts requiring coolant fluid (like oil). Better overlaps: The intake and exhaust ports being at different ends of the combustion chamber, it is possible to do a better filling of the chamber by having a simultaneous open overlapping of the two ports, without risking that a portion of the intake gas goes into the exhaust, as it is the case with

the piston engine.

5.3 Power DensityHere is a table comparing engines (order of magnitude only) on the basis of same combustion chamber volume and same rpm.

                                                   

Table: Quasiturbine model of series AC (with carriages)Same chamber displacement, same rpm.

High power density engine: The Wankel is already known as a high power density engine. At comparable power, the Quasiturbine presents an additional reduction of volume. Integrated into a use, the density factor is even more impressive (no flywheel, less gear box ratio, optional central shaft...). Because of its quasi-constant torque, the use factor of the intake and exhaust pipes is 100 % (still better than the Wankel), implying tubes of smaller dimension, etc. Same dynamic power range than piston engines: Just a word to recall that the conventional gas turbines are conceived for a precise aerodynamic flow, and do not offer a wide power range with reasonable efficiency. For its part, the Quasiturbine does not use aerodynamic flow characteristic on the blades, and keeps its excellent efficiency on a wide power range. It is the same when the Quasiturbine is propelled by steam, compressed air, or by fluid flow (Plastic Quasiturbine for hydro-electric centrals, etc).Same range of nominal power: As the piston engines, the Quasiturbines can be made tiny or huge. Due to concept simplicity and the absence of gears, the small units should be still more tiny than piston engines or Wankel. On the other hand, nothing limits the construction of huge Quasiturbines like for ship power, fix power plan stations, or large Quasiturbines for thermal power plan or nuclear, using steam or hydraulic.

5.4 EfficiencyMore effective conversion into mechanical energy: Engines that use crankshaft generate sinusoidal volume impulses during which the piston stays a relatively long time at the top while it decelerates and reverses direction, and stays briefly at mid-course, which is contrary to the logic of a better engine (Compression impulses should be as short as possible, and the stay at mid-courses the longest possible for a better mechanical energy extraction). On the other hand, the Quasiturbine is more effective because it has less engine accessories to operate (no valve, rocker, push rod, cam, oil pump...). In addition, the piston engine suffers from the symmetry of the back and forth piston movement. Ideally, the piston should have a longer displacement for the expansion (extracting the most possible mechanical energy), and smaller for the admission, without reduction of volume. The Quasiturbine has this asymmetry by compressing the mixture in a smaller angular zone, and by using a greater angular displacement for the expansion. The admission stroke of the piston presents also a major defect in the sense that it is taking-in little volume initially and most at mid course, which does not leave much time to the mixture to enter the cylinders (The role of turbo is essentially to correct this default); for its part the Quasiturbine admits a significant volume initially and leaves much more time to flow for a better effective filling which can even be extended in the next cycle without flow back (In this case, the turbo would be a real improvement, and not a default correction). At the time of the expansion, this same defect of the piston stroke does prevent the piston to extract mechanical energy at the beginning of the stroke, which the Quasiturbine manages to do. Also, with the Quasiturbine the gearbox can often be removed with an increase in efficiency, to which the reduction of weight can also contribute. An other fundamental improvement over the piston is the intake and expansion characteristics. Contrary to the piston which must release its residual pressure at the end of the expansion to avoid counter push, the Quasiturbine asymmetry defines a post-expansion confinement zone in which the residual pressure can be maintained without slowing down the rotation, and during which gas treatment can be done, and the residual energy can be extracted, either through a turbine or in building up a compress gas reserve. 

5.5 Multi-fuel and Multi-modeThe Quasiturbine can be fed (if adapted) by a whole fuel range going from methanol to Diesel oils, including the kerosene, natural gas and possibly hydrogen. The Quasiturbine shows characteristics superior than the 2 strokes engine, with a quality of the exhausts better than the 4 strokes engine. Not sensitive to the detonation: The piston stroke does not allow a rapid

increase in the volume of the expansion chamber in the vicinity of the T.D.C., and consequently badly supports the detonation. The Quasiturbine (specially the AC model with carriages) reacts better to the detonation thanks to an earlier expansion process (which means the end of additives to increase the octane rate of gasoline). Moreover, since the blow occurs at the time of the robust square configuration of the blades, and because there is no load transfer on a central shaft, the Quasiturbine is candidate with the detonation driving mode. Compatible with hydrogen: The high inflammability of hydrogen imposes on " hydrogen " engine (over 15 % hydrogen) a stratified admission chamber distinct from the combustion chamber (which disqualifies somewhat the piston engines). The Wankel engine success for direct hydrogen combustion comes from its intake and combustion stratification, which results mainly from early intake (like Quasiturbine) and its excessive volume during expansion (with an efficiency lost). The Quasiturbine engine offers the same hydrogen advantage without the lost of efficiency. The Quasiturbine meets the fundamental  criteria imposed by the "hydrogen" engine of the future (cold intake area, stratified intake, reduced confinement time, low sensitivity to detonation, less polluant, robust and energy efficiency), and even surpasses the Wankel in this respect, since the intakes are separated by 3 strokes instead of two. Frequent instabilities in the combustion of hydrogen should not appreciably affect the Quasiturbine as it is not sensitive to detonation.

5.6 MechanicalRobust and reliable construction: The Quasiturbine does not present the critical sealing problem of the Wankel where the 3 seals at the top of a triangle (Apex) meet the housing profile with a variable angle around the normal (-60 degrees with +60 degrees). As the seals of the Quasiturbine are assembled on a swivel carrier, they are almost normal (perpendiculars) to the perimeter profile in all time. The rotary engines are generally active between a robust external housing and a central shaft assembled mounted on good bearings, able to take the load on the shaft created by the pressure during combustion. For its part, the Quasiturbine requires only one robust external profile, on which is also applied the load created by the pressure during combustion; the central shaft is optional and is only needed to transfer the torque when necessary. Moreover, contrary to the Wankel, the Quasiturbine does not require any synchronization gears (fragile, complicated, expensive to build, and prone to lubrication and wear!), nor a lighting synchronization system (particularly if one makes use of the continuous combustion option). In addition, the average torque of a 4 strokes piston engine does not exceed 15 % of the maximum instantaneous torque (which dictates the required engine strength), while for the Quasiturbine the average torque is equal at 90 % of the maximum torque, thus illustrating the substantial internal stress reduction and the unique

homo-kinetic quality of the Quasiturbine.Submersible, because no crankcase or lubricant coolant: Lighting (piezo electric) is necessary only in launching, since the transfer of flame is done from one chamber to the following. Consequently, the Quasiturbine engine can be immersed without fearing an electric lighting breakdown, nor a water infiltration in the crankcase (the Quasiturbine does not have one). The Quasiturbine is thus an ideal engine for use in hostile environment (for example, in boat propulsion, the blades of the propeller could be directly welded to the rotor, and the whole engine immersed, which also has the advantage of lowering the center of gravity). The use of high technology (ceramic) seals makes it possible to conceive a Quasiturbine without any lubrication, and without maintenance. Electric integration: The Quasiturbine allows for the first time a real monolithic integration of the electric generator with fuel engines (highly in demand for the hybrid applications, and without vibration). Since the center of the Quasiturbine is free, the motionless electrical components can be located on the central core and the peripheral stator. Only the intermediate area is in rotation. Reciprocally, if the electrical components are part of a motor, the Quasiturbine becomes an integrated electric motor-driven pump, or a Bi-energy power group. 

ADVANTAGES OF QUASITURBINE

6.1 Matching Engine With ApplicationEngine efficiency is a large domain of activity which extends far beyond engines. For example, the presence of an engine in a vehicle adds accessories and weights which have to be carried by the power of that same engine (the net usable power is reduced by the presence of the engine itself). The presence of the engine is a necessity, but also a factor of inefficiency. The ideal vehicle would not bother to have an onboard engine! This is to show that not only engine efficiency is important on the bench test, but must also reduce to the minimum its self-inefficiency in application.It would be worthless to have a 70 % efficiency gas engine for mobile application, if such a 30 HP engine would weight 3 tons! However, this could still be valuable for stationary applications. Engine needs to be properly matched in all application, and the most versatile wins!

6.2 QT ParticularitiesQuasiturbine engines are simpler, and contain no gears and far fewer moving parts. For instance, because intake and exhaust are open ports into the walls of the rotor housing, there is no valve or valve trains. This simplicity, small size and weight allow also for a saving in construction costs. Because its center of mass is immobile during rotation, the Quasiturbine has very little or no

vibration. Due to the absence of dead time between strokes, the Quasiturbine can be driven by compressed air or steam without synchronized valve, and also with liquid as hydraulic motor or pump. Other advantages include high torque at low rpm, combustion of hydrogen, and compatibility with detonation mode in Quasiturbine with carriages. Pneumatic and steam optimum efficiency independent of the rpm and the load is also quite a unique characteristic.

6.3 Efficiency ConsiderationsNot all engines are or need to be equally efficient. A military strategic application may require an engine lifetime to be only few seconds, and not care about efficiency. At the opposite, a space craft Stirling engine may command for extremely high efficiency. Generally, economic considerations balance the value of the engine with the value of the energy flowing into it over its lifetime. This command substantial efficiency for automotive or stationary applications having high use factor over years.Since the efficiency is closely tied to the application and cannot be fully appreciated outside a specific integration, the efficiency criteria are not always obvious to apply. For example, one of the paradoxes of today hybrid vehicle concept is: How much additional equipment can be added to a vehicle to reach the point where this equipment has worthless net saving effect in actual application? In many applications, torque, rpm, or power modulation capability become a dominant criteria.

6.4 High Torque VersatilitySeveral engines may match in power, but not in rpm or torque. Gas or steam turbines may rotate over 10,000 rpm, but if the user needs the power at 900 rpm, an other kind of engine may be more suitable?Human need is generally low rpm. For example, a car wheel on the highway turns around 800 to 1400 rpm. Gearboxes are used to match torque and rpm with engine, but they are costly, sensitive, heavy, energy consuming and maintenance intensive... There is a strong demand for high torque at low rpm, a condition not easy to produce directly within an engine. The Quasiturbine is exceptional in this regard.

6.5 Power Modulation CapabilityContrary to the conventional turbine, pneumatic and steam Quasiturbine optimum efficiency is optimum in a large gap of rpm and load, which is also a quite unique characteristic highly in demand in the world of engine. For solar steam plant for example, the same Quasiturbine driven generator can work efficiently at peak power, as well as at overnight idle power, or at variable sunny conditions!

6.6 Light and Compact

Airplanes. Nowhere a high specific engine power is so welcome. Zero vibration is also a great advantage to reduce fatigue and instrument failure in airplanes. Compact engine also means a reduce drag cross-section and faster planes. The Quasiturbine is also most suitable for portable tools, generator. Vehicle also benefits from the light and compact characteristics of the Quasiturbine, which permits new innovative layouts and power train setup (Because the Quasiturbine can run in all orientation, it could be mounted straight on a differential shaft oriented upward, or better, concentric to the wheel shaft because the Quasiturbine center is free of any mechanism).

6.7 EnvironmentalWhere environmental conditions command a zero pollution engine, the pneumatic and steam Quasiturbine can provide a practical solution, like inside-shop, or in underground mines.Vibration is an important environmental factor for hand tools like chainsaws, which the Quasiturbine can reduce to zero.Multi-fuel is also an environmental consideration in countries where gas and diesel is not currently available, or where imports are out of price.

6.8 Hydrogen: Not Zero PollutionExcludes NOx and H2S environmental concerns. Fossil fuel contains carbon and hydrogen. Carbon combustion produces CO2 which the photosynthesis fixes the carbon into the biomass, and returns the O2 to the atmosphere. Hydrogen combustion fixes the O2 from the air into water, which oxygen is also liberated back in the atmosphere by photosynthesis. Since there is not enough photosynthesis to digest all the CO2, there is not enough either do process all this synthetic water. Massive hydrogen use has the net effect of removing oxygen from the atmosphere of our planet and fixing it into water. CO2 problem is not dissociable from Oxygen depletion. Hydrogen produced from water (avoiding electrolyses degradation of precious electricity) will do the same if the oxygen is not liberated to the atmosphere at the time of production, which is unlikely, considering that oxygen is precious for industrial process and will rather be fixed by other chemical process, unless we could not make use of all the massive quantity produced?As a result, unless oxygen is made free to the atmosphere when produce, we can not say that transforming hydrogen into water vapor (including by combustion or fuel cells) is pollution free, when 2H does definitively removed 1 precious oxygen atom form the surface of our planet! Both CO2 and oxygen depletion are concerns. Synthetic fuel made out of CO2 from the air or other environment would be more neutral and acceptable - However, where will the energy to do that come from?

6.9 Engine Pollution

Pneumatic, steam, Stirling and hydrogen engines may not produce much pollution at their level, but a critical look must nevertheless be given to the anterior stages of the energy cascade. Combustion engine pollution goes from liberating the CO2 by fossil fuel combustion (CO2 could be pollution free only if captured initially by synthetic fuel manufacturing process), nitrogen oxides production, particulates, lubrication, excess heat, noise, vibration, environmental recycling... Excess thermal pollution is also part of the concern.

6.10 Quasiturbine CO2reductionThe CO2 is the prime consequence of using fossil fuel, a by-product that even a perfect engine will not be able to circumvent (CO2 could be pollution free only if captured initially by synthetic fuel manufacturing process). For a given amount of net energy needed, a CO2 reduction can only be obtained by an increase in engine efficiency. The Quasiturbine increases the efficiency in several ways with substantial reduction in CO2: 

Because it does not have internal accessories to drive, like the piston cam shaft and valve train, less fuel is burn to satisfied the need of the end users.

Because of the shaping of the volume pressure pulse, the thermodynamic of the Quasiturbine can be far superior, and required less fuel.

Because the engine weight is about 1/4 that of a piston, less fuel is needed in many applications.

Because the Quasiturbine is a high torque low rpm engine, no fuel is needed and lost in the transmission gears.

Because the Quasiturbine can be made of large size and modulated in power, it could cut utilities fuel consumption or co-generation steam.

Because the Quasiturbine (AC model with carriages) has the potential to run in detonation mode, 50 % fuel saving in transportation application could be reach.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENFITS

The environmentally friendly Quasiturbine engine helps mitigate several user inconveniences:

Atmospheric gas pollution - Having a reduced combustion confinement time, the NOx are produced in lower concentration.

Thermal pollution - Having an early mechanical extraction capability, less thermal energy is released in the environment.

Noise pollution - Having 4 combustions per rotation, and due to a longer gas relaxation chamber, noise is reduced by a factor of 20 or more!

Vibration pollution - Vibrations are responsible for billions of $ of breakdown everywhere. Dr. Raynaud vibration syndrome is affecting thousands of wood workers and truck drivers. The Quasiturbine is a vibration free engine.

Oil free engine - Lubrication is source of pollution. The Quasiturbine has potential to be an oil free engine.

Steam and pneumatic power source - Where pollution free engine is suitable, the Quasiturbine is a superior and efficient gas expander. The Quasiturbine is also suitable for co-generation projects.

The Quasiturbine engine is ideal for solar thermal station using close liquid-vapor steam circuit.

         Hydrogen compatible - Hydrogen fragilises steel, and degrades all oils. The Quasiturbine has a cool and stratified intake area most suitable for pure hydrogen engine (lubricant free) combustion.

         Photo detonation compatible.The chemists prefer the detonation combustion, because it is faster and more complete. Short pressure pulse and fast pressure rising and falling ramp characteristics make the Quasiturbine ideal for detonation mode. This is the most important Quasiturbine revolution to expect on the long term.

7.1 An Immediate Environmental ToolEngines are at the end of the energy chain, and their pollutions are in the most immediate user’s environment. Better engines are keys to better environment, not only because of their own improved efficiencies, but also because any bit a improvement has directly amplified impacts on all anterior stages of the energy cascade and industry.A lot of researches are going on to reduce environmental concerns on the long term, like hydrogen, fuel cell, high temperature nuclear reactor, nuclear fusion... Hybrid concepts are ways to harvest part of the "low power efficiency penalty" of the piston engine used in vehicle, but counter-productive measures limit the long term perspective until they could efficiently fuel from

the electrical grid. None of these solutions are short term stable and competitive. The Quasiturbine in Beau de Rocha (Otto) cycle is a relatively simple technology which could be widely used within a few years with substantial environmental benefits over the piston engines in many applications.Large utility plants convert energy more efficiently than small distributed units and should be favored when possible. The detonation Quasiturbine engine is one of the few long term means to match utility efficiency the distributed way, while being as chemistry clean as possible7.2 Manufacturing costSeveral years ago, manufacturing cost was much higher for non flat or cylindrical components, which is not anymore the case with the today's modern digital tooling equipments. The Quasiturbine has much less components that any other engine concept (no gears, no valve...), and nowhere there is a higher requirement in material or manufacturing technology. Consequently, all the prerequisites are satisfied for lower production cost in comparable moderate or high series production lines.7.3 Global EconomicNot only the Quasiturbine is less expensive to manufacture and to sale, but because its numerous unique characteristics, it generates savings in:

         Application integration design and process;         In use, by direct efficiency improvement;         In co-lateral damages due to vibration;         In maintenance and expected engine lifetime;         In reducing weight and space;         Environmental measures and concerns.

As an example, in the automobile industry, a car fuel saving over the first 5 years is likely to exceed the cost of the Quasiturbine itself. This is essentially like offering consumers a car with a free engine!

                                                APPLICATIONS

         QT Steam Modes         Pressurized steam is very dangerous and for this reason is well regulated, which is one of the

main obstacle to distributed steam systems. However, the steam Quasiturbine offers alternative secure modes.

         I - Conventional mobile steam engine (including saturated steam). From the basic 75 cc per chamber engine bloc, a steam engine prototype has been built making use of 2 parallel expansion circuits of 300cc per revolution each, for a total of about 17 cubic feet intake per minute at 1000 rpm. The concept integration and originality come from the fact that the zero-vibration Quasiturbine is located inside the boiler!

                                          FIGURE 8.1: Conventional mobile compact Quasiturbine steam engine

         II - Hot water injection engine (in-situ evaporation). Because the Quasiturbine accepts saturated steam, a positive way to bypass the intake steam flow limitations is to use the Quasiturbine itself as evaporator. In this case, the remote boiler becomes a simple hot water tank without evaporator, and the pressurized hot water taken in a close loop at the base of the tank is brought to the engine intake, where droplets of water and oil are directly injected in the expansion chamber, and consequently evaporated inside the Quasiturbine itself. In this case, the latent heat of vaporization is also given to the engine by the close pressurized hot water loop via a pipe coil enclosing the Quasiturbine.  The exhaust steam goes to a conventional condenser and returns to

the boiler. This option also presents the advantage of requiring a much smaller boiler, pipes of small dimensions, miniature control valves, and permits potentially to reach higher rotational speed. In the case of thermal solar systems, if the internal liquid reserve is large enough for all the sunshine period, this operation mode needs only one unique fill up at night!

         III - Cold water injection engine. This mode would definitively be unimaginable with conventional turbine, since it reacts to the speed of steam flow, which must be pre-conditioned. In fact, if a burner heats the Quasiturbine engine bloc directly, there is no need of a boiler any more (The Quasiturbine acting simultaneously as the boiler, the over heater and the evaporator), and one can then inject cold water (which will be preheated in the injector) at a pressure superior to the internal maximum working pressure. Ideal mode for thermal solar concentrator heating directly the Quasiturbine engine bloc ! (This mode is equivalent of using the Quasiturbine engine bloc as a "flash steam generator") (Notice that a remote heat source could use an un-evaporating fluid like oil or liquid sodium to transfer heat to the engine bloc)

1.      vehicles2.      military applications3.      public utilities

                                    RESULT

Since quasi-experimental designs are used when randomization is impossible and/or impractical, they are typically easier to set up than true experimental designs; random assignment of subjects. Additionally, utilizing quasi-experimental designs minimizes threats to external validity as natural environments do not suffer the same problems of artificiality as compared to a well-controlled laboratory setting. Since quasi-experiments are natural experiments, findings in one may be applied to other subjects and settings, allowing for some generalizations to be made aboutpopulation. Also, this experimentation method is efficient in longitudinal research that involves longer time periods which can be followed up in different environments.

                   CONCLUSION

             The most important revolution of the Quasiturbine come from its characteristics (Model AC with carriages) permitting photo-detonation which occurs at slightly higher compression ratio than the thermal ignition, designated in the US as "Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition" HCCI

combustion, in Europe as "Controlled Auto Ignition" CAI combustion, and in Japan as "Active Thermo Atmosphere" ATA combustion. Even if the subject passionate the researchers, the thermal and photonic ignition control in the piston is still an unsolved problem, and possibly a dead-end that the Quasiturbine does overcome!           The Quasiturbine in Beau de Rocha (Otto) cycle (model SC without carriage) is a relatively simple technology which could be widely used within a few years with substantial efficiency benefits over piston engines in many applications. Large utility plants convert energy more efficiently than small distributed units and should be favored when possible, but on the long term, the Quasiturbine detonation engine is one of the very few means to match utility efficiency the distributed way, while being as chemically clean as possible.

                                                    REFERENCES

         www.quasiturbine.com         Diesel progress USA magazine         Eureka innovative engineering magazine         European automotive design         www.visionengineer.com         www.futureenergies.com          www.invention-europe.com/topx.htm

         www.gizmag.com/go/3501         www.visionengineer.com/mech/quasiturbine.php         www.Howstuffwork.com         www.quasiturbine.coms