BMW develops steam hybrid
12-15-2005, 12:02 PM
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BMW develops steam hybrid
http://www.gizmag.com/go/4936/
BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept
(link to this article)
December 14, 2005 A large percentage of the energy released when petroleum is burned disappears out the exhaust system as heat. This has always been the case but the amount of energy released looks set to be cut by more than 80% thanks to a new system devised by BMW. BMW’s announcement of the new technology is somewhat of a technological bombshell as it adds yet another form of hybrid automobile – a turbosteamer. The concept uses energy from the exhaust gasses of the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to power a steam engine which also contributes power to the automobile – an overall 15 per cent improvement for the combined drive system. Even bigger news is that the drive has been designed so that it can be installed in existing model series – meaning that every model in the BMW range could become 15% more efficient overnight if the company chose to make the reduced consumption accessible to as many people as possible.
Combining the innovative assistance drive with a 1.8 litre BMW four-cylinder engine on the test rig reduced consumption by up to 15 percent and generated 10 kilowatts more power and 20 Nm more torque. This increased power and efficiency comes for, well, … nothing. The energy is extracted exclusively from the heat in the exhaust gases and cooling water so it is essentially a quantum leap in efficiency.
The Turbosteamer is based on the same principle of the steam engine: liquid is heated to form steam in two circuits and this is used to power the engine. The primary energy supplier is the high-temperature circuit which uses exhaust heat from the internal combustion engine as an energy source via heat exchangers. More than 80 percent of the heat energy contained in the exhaust gases is recycled using this technology. The steam is then conducted directly into an expansion unit linked to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. Most of the remaining residual heat is absorbed by the cooling circuit of the engine, which acts as the second energy supply for the Turbosteamer.
The development of the assistance drive has reached the phase involving comprehensive tests on the test rig. The components for this drive have been designed so that they are capable of being installed in existing model series. Tests have been carried out on a number of sample packages to ensure that the BMW 3 Series provides adequate space. The engine compartment of a four-cylinder model offers enough space to allow the expansion units to be accommodated.
Ongoing development of the concept is focusing initially on making the components simpler and smaller. The long-term development goal is to have a system capable of volume production within ten years.
“This project resolves the apparent contradiction between consumption and emission reductions on one hand, and performance and agility on the other,” commented Professor Burkhard Göschel.
BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept
(link to this article)
December 14, 2005 A large percentage of the energy released when petroleum is burned disappears out the exhaust system as heat. This has always been the case but the amount of energy released looks set to be cut by more than 80% thanks to a new system devised by BMW. BMW’s announcement of the new technology is somewhat of a technological bombshell as it adds yet another form of hybrid automobile – a turbosteamer. The concept uses energy from the exhaust gasses of the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to power a steam engine which also contributes power to the automobile – an overall 15 per cent improvement for the combined drive system. Even bigger news is that the drive has been designed so that it can be installed in existing model series – meaning that every model in the BMW range could become 15% more efficient overnight if the company chose to make the reduced consumption accessible to as many people as possible.
Combining the innovative assistance drive with a 1.8 litre BMW four-cylinder engine on the test rig reduced consumption by up to 15 percent and generated 10 kilowatts more power and 20 Nm more torque. This increased power and efficiency comes for, well, … nothing. The energy is extracted exclusively from the heat in the exhaust gases and cooling water so it is essentially a quantum leap in efficiency.
The Turbosteamer is based on the same principle of the steam engine: liquid is heated to form steam in two circuits and this is used to power the engine. The primary energy supplier is the high-temperature circuit which uses exhaust heat from the internal combustion engine as an energy source via heat exchangers. More than 80 percent of the heat energy contained in the exhaust gases is recycled using this technology. The steam is then conducted directly into an expansion unit linked to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. Most of the remaining residual heat is absorbed by the cooling circuit of the engine, which acts as the second energy supply for the Turbosteamer.
The development of the assistance drive has reached the phase involving comprehensive tests on the test rig. The components for this drive have been designed so that they are capable of being installed in existing model series. Tests have been carried out on a number of sample packages to ensure that the BMW 3 Series provides adequate space. The engine compartment of a four-cylinder model offers enough space to allow the expansion units to be accommodated.
Ongoing development of the concept is focusing initially on making the components simpler and smaller. The long-term development goal is to have a system capable of volume production within ten years.
“This project resolves the apparent contradiction between consumption and emission reductions on one hand, and performance and agility on the other,” commented Professor Burkhard Göschel.
12-15-2005, 03:36 PM
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If you think turbo lag is bad, imagine stomping on the gas and waiting for:
1. The hot exhaust gases to wam up a heat exchanger in the exhaust
2. The heat exchanger to induce a phase transformation from water->steam
3. The steam to spool up a turbine connected to the driveshaft
Also, this 15% efficiency increase probably occurs at WOT, when you might be getting 7 MPG anyway. When you are cruising along on the highway, the exhaust gases aren't hot enough to extract much meaningful work from.
BMW needs to solve the simple problems first, like how to build a car that doesn't have electrical gremlins.
1. The hot exhaust gases to wam up a heat exchanger in the exhaust
2. The heat exchanger to induce a phase transformation from water->steam
3. The steam to spool up a turbine connected to the driveshaft
Also, this 15% efficiency increase probably occurs at WOT, when you might be getting 7 MPG anyway. When you are cruising along on the highway, the exhaust gases aren't hot enough to extract much meaningful work from.
BMW needs to solve the simple problems first, like how to build a car that doesn't have electrical gremlins.
02-18-2006, 04:33 PM
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BMW Turns to Steam to Boost Power, Improve Fuel Economy - - By FELIX BAUER | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS - - Source: AUtoweek
MUNICH, Germany -- BMW is applying steam-engine technology in an auxiliary drive that the automaker says can boost both power and fuel efficiency in ordinary piston-driven cars.
The automaker is testing a two-stage device called the Turbosteamer on a stationary conventional 1.8-liter engine at BMW headquarters here.
The device works entirely on the waste heat from the engine.
Turbosteamer converts more than 80 percent of the heat energy in the exhaust into usable power, says Raymond Freymann, head of BMW's advanced research and development subsidiary.
BMW could start building production vehicles with the system by the first half of the next decade, Burkhard Goeschel, BMW board member for r&d, said during a briefing.
The system can be used on any combustion engine.
In trials on a test rig, the system when attached to a regular BMW four-cylinder, 1.8-liter Valvetronic engine reduced fuel consumption by 15 percent. It also generated an extra 13 hp and 14.8 pounds-feet of torque.
The concept is hardly new. The first patent for a steam auxiliary drive harnessing exhaust heat was issued in 1914 to Wilhelm Schmidt of Germany.
The sheer size of a heat-recovery system had been the biggest problem. But the Turbosteamer fits in a regular 3-series body.
"All we lose is a bit of ground clearance," says Freymann.
BMW knows that a production version of the Turbosteamer system must provide enough benefit to justify the higher price tag.
Says Freymann: "The clients have to save more fuel than the system's extra cost."
How the system works
BMW's system uses two fluid-circulating systems to recover exhaust heat from the gasoline engine. The primary high-temperature circuit pumps water through a heat exchanger, surrounding the exhaust gases immediately behind the catalytic converter. Water is heated to 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit.
Steam is converted into mechanical energy in an expander and transferred by pulleys to the engine crankshaft.
The steam flows through another heat exchanger and transfers its remaining heat to a second circuit filled with ethanol. This lower temperature system replaces the engine's regular coolant system.
This system also collects heat in a heat exchanger in the exhaust-gas flow. It releases its energy in a second expander unit that transfers the energy to the crankshaft.
The automaker is testing a two-stage device called the Turbosteamer on a stationary conventional 1.8-liter engine at BMW headquarters here.
The device works entirely on the waste heat from the engine.
Turbosteamer converts more than 80 percent of the heat energy in the exhaust into usable power, says Raymond Freymann, head of BMW's advanced research and development subsidiary.
BMW could start building production vehicles with the system by the first half of the next decade, Burkhard Goeschel, BMW board member for r&d, said during a briefing.
The system can be used on any combustion engine.
In trials on a test rig, the system when attached to a regular BMW four-cylinder, 1.8-liter Valvetronic engine reduced fuel consumption by 15 percent. It also generated an extra 13 hp and 14.8 pounds-feet of torque.
The concept is hardly new. The first patent for a steam auxiliary drive harnessing exhaust heat was issued in 1914 to Wilhelm Schmidt of Germany.
The sheer size of a heat-recovery system had been the biggest problem. But the Turbosteamer fits in a regular 3-series body.
"All we lose is a bit of ground clearance," says Freymann.
BMW knows that a production version of the Turbosteamer system must provide enough benefit to justify the higher price tag.
Says Freymann: "The clients have to save more fuel than the system's extra cost."
How the system works
BMW's system uses two fluid-circulating systems to recover exhaust heat from the gasoline engine. The primary high-temperature circuit pumps water through a heat exchanger, surrounding the exhaust gases immediately behind the catalytic converter. Water is heated to 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit.
Steam is converted into mechanical energy in an expander and transferred by pulleys to the engine crankshaft.
The steam flows through another heat exchanger and transfers its remaining heat to a second circuit filled with ethanol. This lower temperature system replaces the engine's regular coolant system.
This system also collects heat in a heat exchanger in the exhaust-gas flow. It releases its energy in a second expander unit that transfers the energy to the crankshaft.
02-19-2006, 07:49 AM
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what an exciting time for automotive culture. So many innovations coming out. It's pretty exciting. It reminds of the 30's and 40's when people were inventing all kinds of crazy shit for cars.
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02-19-2006, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by einsatz
^^ Except now it's out of necessity, rather than out of "hey let's see what we can do!"
Its no longer about faster or bigger like it used to be. Some dinosaurs (GM) refuse to realize this.
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