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The Scuderi Cycle is a split-cycle design that divides the four strokes of a conventional combustion cycle over two paired cylinders: one intake/compression cylinder and one power/exhaust cylinder. By firing after top-dead center, it produces highly efficient, cleaner combustion with one cylinder and compressed air in the other. Unlike conventional engines that require two crankshaft revolutions to complete a single combustion cycle, the Scuderi Engine requires just one. Besides the improvements in efficiency and emissions, studies show that the Scuderi Cycle is capable of producing more torque than conventional gasoline and diesel engines.

The Scuderi engine is expected to produce up to 80 percent fewer toxins than a typical internal combustion engine. The current naturally aspirated gasoline prototype is expected to reach efficiency gains of 5-10 percent more than any conventional engine on the road today. And when fully developed with its turbocharged and Air-Hybrid components, the engine is expected to achieve efficiency levels of 25-50 percent higher.

According to Mr. Scuderi, the design is now complete on their first prototype engine, which is designed to run on virtually any liquid fuel with much higher efficiency than a traditional internal combustion engine. It does this with very high combustion pressures, generated from the built in compressor, driven by the same crankshaft as the combustion piston. The system relies on several vigorously designed elements like the pre-intake-valve mixing chamber, the lifting rocker arm which pulls the intake valve out of the compression chamber rather than pushing it in, the 2900 PSI fuel pump, and the compressed air transfer passages.

The novel post-top-dead-center ignition is made possible by incredibly high pressures and air cooled by the transfer passage with something similar to an in-block intercooler system, to adopt common lingo. The fuel is injected in to a carefully designed chamber ahead of the intake valve and the swirl effect creates a stratified charge injection, leaving a very controlled flame front and avoiding knock from high pressures.

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More info and some YouTube videos of the engine test at Jalopnik.

COOL!

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The unusual engine design unveiled on Monday by the Scuderi Group, a family-run start-up based in West Springfield, Mass., is the product of a uniquely American story--it came from a lone inventor, a first-generation American and a D-Day veteran, who struck on an unorthodox idea and was at first ignored.

Early on, the Scuderi Group had so little success in approaching auto engineers that it contacted Ford Motor Co. through a man who had been a prep-school advisor of William C. Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford.

The engine was conceived by Carmelo Scuderi, the son of Italian immigrants. Born in 1925, he got a job on a farm during the Depression and learned to tinker with engines. In 1943, he joined the Navy, wore his uniform to his high school graduation, and was put in charge of the giant engines powering a ship designed to land tanks and trucks on a beach. In the days after the Normandy invasion, it became a hospital ship and he helped tend the many wounded brought aboard.

After the war, he married, started a family, studied engineering on the G.I. Bill and landed at a defense contractor. Later he started his own engineering firm and developed test equipment and military fire trucks.

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How the Scuderi Engine Came to Be

It's so incredibly simple...this is leaps and bounds ahead of a rotary...

Im not an automotive engineer, but Im always leery of stuff like this.

Before I really knew what I was doing in electrical engineering, some of the magical "crap" that people try to sell us would also sound awesome .. but now I know that most of it is just crap .. anyhow yeah .. hopefully this isnt one of those kinds of things.

Interesting. My first thought is: Sure its one revolution per power stroke but you have twice the inertia.

What's even simpler is a typical two-stroke engine. No valves, 1 piston and rod, and 1 power stroke per revolution.

Balancing would be interesting, but could be overcome. Isn't the first compression cylinder somewhat taking the place of a turbo?

Mouth, I was thinking the same thing about balancing. Some interesting inertia torques will be present. Also looks like you would be limited to "inline" versions.

^ Exactly

Add even more compression via turbo/supercharger plus direct injection and this could be something very cool.

so do you get a v-8 with 4 power producing cylinders?

seems wildly inefficient to spin twice the number of cylinders.

And 3 cams per cylinder bank...

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seems wildly inefficient to spin twice the number of cylinders.

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As I very basically understand the concept, the second piston is powered by the exhaust of the first. Capturing some of that lost energy that usually gets dumped out of the tailpipe. There's no extra fuel or spark going to that second cylinder at all.

No the first piston is compressing the fuel/air mixture and letting it in the 2nd at the last minute ie so there can't be pre-detination.

These ideas have been around for a hundered years in various shapes and forms.

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seems wildly inefficient to spin twice the number of cylinders.

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So does firing a piston only once every two revolutions like our current four strokes. The pistons would fire just as many time on these, its just using the same ones every time.

Sounds like a great concept, I've always been a fan of two stroke power. I just wish they could design a more efficient basic two stroke engine, that would be viable for the street. This new engine would likely have similar power to the two stroke, but would likely weigh significantly more. Another question, how much of a weight gain would there be compared to a traditional four stroke? If your running super high pressures, then all of your internals will need to be forged and most likely a cast iron block and cylinder heads, much like a diesel. Would it be economically feasible to build on a large scale? Somehow I doubt it will ever end up in a production vehicle from a major manufacturer and that is a shame.

[This message has been edited by aggieforester05 (edited 10/6/2009 12:40p).]

Hey flaith, if you thought the single cylinder aprilia shook with a lot, this thing has the same frequency but more force. Since you have twice the mass moving inside, and they're seperated by a small phase angle, it would tear a weak frame to bits.

Interesting...just sounds like an air compressor when running...of course it is essentially just an air compressor...

What about the compressed air you lose in the transfer from 1 cylinder to the other?

You are running two cylinders and getting one power stroke per crankshaft rotation.

Pretty much like a normal 4 -stroke engine.

And what's the big deal about ATDC spark? You could do that in a normal engine.

Unless there is some amazing efficiency in having one cylinder designed just for the compression side and one designed just for the power side, I don't get it.

And that one cylinder firing every time is going to get pretty darn hot.

This may work with many (8-12) small cylinders to achieve more balance. The compressions per piston would be equivalent to any 4 stroke engine. The pistons doing the compression need not be the same size or shape as those doing the combustion.

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And that one cylinder firing every time is going to get pretty darn hot.

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Great point. You'll have 1 cylinder that is really hot and 1 right next to it that isn't. Could lead to warping or other issues.

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This new engine would likely have similar power to the two stroke, but would likely weigh significantly more

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this.

I think weight is your limiting factor. Balancing and mitigating those vibrations sounds like a nightmare

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I think weight is your limiting factor. Balancing and mitigating those vibrations sounds like a nightmare

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Watch the video...that think is shaking pretty good...

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What about the compressed air you lose in the transfer from 1 cylinder to the other?

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It's just used in the next cycle...nm

[This message has been edited by Grego2007 (edited 10/6/2009 1:41p).]

I really like the regenerative braking/hybrid setup. That is a GREAT idea.

a) all engines fire after TDC...

b) volatile fuel has a compression limit before auto-ignition...

I would hate to see the result of the intake/compression cylinder firing due to auto ignition...

c) why not make it more like a two stage air compressor? Or better yet, to put out GOBS of torque, have one compression cylider feed multiple smaller ignition cylinders that have long strokes...


d) the first piston is nothing more than an internal supercharger.

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What about the compressed air you lose in the transfer from 1 cylinder to the other?

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It's just used in the next cycle...nm

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according to the diagram in the OP, the compressed A/F mixture in the transfer chamber will be exposed to a flame when the valve is open... Unless they use a reed valve, the pressure from this should blow it back into the first piston...

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Unless they use a reed valve, the pressure from this should blow it back into the first piston...

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Since the engine runs for more than 0.5 seconds I think it's safe to say they got it figured out.

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a) all engines fire after TDC...

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Mmmmmm, gonna disagree a bit. Spark is certainly before TDC in most engines, even if it takes until after TDC for the fuel/air to combust.

I read the article as saying the spark is well after TDC in this engine.

By the way, while I am certainly among the doubters and those dissecting the whole concept, I'd still be thrilled if it were legitimate. Any more efficient engine is a good thing, and to see one come out of someone's "garage" is very cool. It would be nice to see that the little guys can still come up with great innovations and inventions.

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It would be nice to see that the little guys can still come up with great innovations and inventions.

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Agreed.
Good discussion too.

They claim that their extra power comes from the fact that the air has time to cool before going into the other cylinder. However, this will cause the pressure to decrease so is it a good thing?

After watching (and listening) to that video, I have a strange desire to go find an engine and give it a valve lash adjustment.

[This message has been edited by NeuroticAg (edited 10/6/2009 2:59p).]

Are you certain the gas in the crossover tube is really an A/F mixture? They imply it is just air. Fuel could enter the power cylinder via direct injection.

One of the scenarios drives the compression cylinder to "store" compressed air during regenerative braking.

When they talk about displacement - are they counting the displacement of both cylinders or just the power cylinder? If just the power cylinder it is a bit misleading. The engine will have no packaging advantage over a conventional engine.

It is still a very intersting design. I hope it advances into a usable car engine.

Looks to me that cylinder #1 (left) is pushing compressed air into cylinder #2 (right) at the last second right before detonation...and yes it is getting fuel via direct injection, according to the article.

I was under the impression that cylinder #1 took in both air and fuel, and compressed it through a reed valve into cylinder #2.

The .gif shows a cam operated valve allowing the A/F mixture to enter cylinder #2, but my idea is to put basically a type of pressure relief valve there instead, so your transfer chamber is always under a set pressure. Any additional pressure released into the second cylinder.

I'm surprsied that nobody has developed a type of slotted crankshaft yet... where the piston is pushed to TDC and allowed to stay there for around 12 degrees of crankshaft rotation, instead of instantly going back down...




directly injecting vaporized gasoline into a hot cylinder under pressure is a bad idea in my opinion... but what the hell do I know...


and if for some reason it works...

what is the advantage of this over just squirting gasoline into a hot, high pressure cylinder with no spark... like a diesel?