Scuderi Engine Fired Up

Scuderi Group reports it has successfully fired up its innovative split-cycle engine, using gasoline as a fuel.

Engineers at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, where the engine was assembled, will continue further testing and fine-tuning the engine over the next several weeks so that it reaches maximum efficiency, Scuderi says.

The naturally aspirated 1L prototype has the potential to cut oxide of nitrogen emissions 80%, compared with a conventional internal-combustion engine, the developer says.

The concept calls for the combustion process to begin after the piston reaches top-dead-center. Conventional engines fire before that point.

Key to the powerplant is the split-cycle design, which separates the intake and combustion processes into separate cylinders. Air compressed in the first cylinder (at a 100:1 ratio) is transferred via a crossover passage to the combustion cylinder, where fuel is indirectly injected by twin injectors.

It takes just one crankshaft revolution to complete a single combustion cycle, rather than the two revolutions required by conventional engines. Scuderi says it is possible to get 140 hp from a 1L displacement, using its design.

“This marks another great moment for the engine and our world-class team working on its development,” says Sal Scuderi, president of the Scuderi Group. “Now that we have reached this point, we strongly encourage auto makers to take advantage of the opportunity that the Scuderi engine presents to produce more fuel-efficient engines.”

A turbocharged version of the engine and a Scuderi Air Hybrid are expected to be completed for testing in 2010.