The basic design of the internal
combustion engine has not
changed much in the last 100-
something years. I think its time
for a change, and the disk wave
engine could be the answer to a
future free of combustion
engines.
To power any combustion engine
you need fuel, air, and either
compression or spark to cause
an explosion that provides the
moving power most of us rely
on. The wave disk engine is no
different, as it combines air, fuel,
and compression to produce
power. Developed by
researchers at the University of
Michigan (EDIT: It is Michigan
State University), this small
engine could be up to 3.5 times
more efficient than the piston-
driven engines found in most
cars. How? Well the engine does
away with those heavy pistons
and replaces them with a single
disk with small channels carved
out to carry air and fuel…any
fuel, from hydrogen to gas to
biodiesel. The inside and outside
edges of the disk alternately
open and close to combine the
air and fuel, and shockwaves
produced from the rotation of
the disk compress and ingite the
combination. By hooking the
engine up to a generator, you
can produce electricity to feed
the motor, while getting almost
four times better gas mileage
and producing 95% less carbon
dioxides.