Rotary Diesel

[johnfireball]

Hi all,
Apparently these engines can run on diesel.
http://www.freedom-motors.com/
John.

[Sphere]

The power/weight ratio is to die for!

[CIDE]

I don't see anything on diesel....

Maybe I'm just blind.

[TedV]

If I remember correctly, somewhere there is a note the rotary can burn diesel but has to have glow plug to ignite the fuel even when the engine warms to operating temp.

[Sphere]

9. I see you have used diesel fuel in a Rotapower engine. Did you have to change the compression ratio to run on diesel? Can you tell me more about that effort?

Answer: We had a military contract to study the requirements of a diesel fueled rotary engine. We successfully completed this test, but had some difficulty starting on diesel. We used a variety of diesel types, but Type 1 was the most common. We are testing a new configuration on "bio-diesel" in the near future. Compression remains at 8:1, but we have run as high as 9:1.

[CIDE]

Thanks, my bad.

My only problem is that the rotary motor would at least ruin the entire reason I'm getting a diesel motor; economy. At least all that I've either messed with or heard of (a friend of mine has an RX-7) they were gas guzzlers by design. Be fun in a performance bike though.

[Sphere]

Thanks, my bad.

My only problem is that the rotary motor would at least ruin the entire reason I'm getting a diesel motor; economy. At least all that I've either messed with or heard of (a friend of mine has an RX-7) they were gas guzzlers by design. Be fun in a performance bike though.

If I convert Hatz's figures for fuel consumption to lb/hp*h, the 1b40 takes 0.49 and their (rotary engine) best scenario is 0.47. Most USA inhabitants wouldn't scoff at 1:50 (l/km), and apparently the rotary design is capable of .5 lbs/hp*h at 50hp, 5 times the horsepower, from only 530cc (Hatz 1B40 is 462cc).

I'm not commenting on the credibility of these figures.

[CIDE]

I would be really shocked if the motor got 115-120 mpg (assuming my conversion was correct). Granted, I won't knock those claims until I see it for myself. That would be really cool if it did work out that way.

[royaldragon]

Out of strong curiosity I decided to contact this company to see if I could get one of these engines and this was the reply I received. Just thought I would share it with you all.

Freedom Motors is the exclusive licensee of the Rotapower engine under an
agreement with Moller International (MI). Unfortunately, neither Freedom
Motors nor MI have engines immediately available. The beneficial attributes
of the Rotapower engine are numerous, but the most significant shortfall we
are currently dealing with is our inability to produced them in any
significant volume. We are currently working with firms interested in
setting up high-volume manufacturing capabilities. Once we have engine
production underway we will be contacting interested parties about
evaluating an initial "beta" engine. As soon as we have incorporated
feedback from these beta engine users into our final production processes we
will start high volume manufacturing and be able to provide accurate pricing
and availability.

Please keep in touch and as move forward with our production and licensing
efforts. Once we production plans formalized (as noted on our web site)
please contact us again. At that point I should be able to provide you with
meaningful numbers for an engine we can deliver.

Regards,

Bruce Calkins
General Manager
Freedom Motors
(530) 756-1230
www.freedom-motors.com

[CIDE]

Editting my post as I was able to answer my own question.

I like these external dimensions: 20"L x 21"W x 13"H
http://www.freedom-motors.com/index.php ... &Itemid=73

Granted, it doesn't say which displacement since the rated power is even higher than their 650cc motor.