Rotating cylinder engines


The RCV rotating cylinder engine

rcv rotating cylinder engine

RCV 35cc UAV JP8 engine under dynamometer test, from http://www.rcvengines.com

Rotating cylinder engines: an introduction

rcv the concept rcv technical advantages

RCV rotating cylinder engines

RCV RCV60-SP engine

RCV engine information from http://rcvengines.com/rcv_modelhome.htm

capacity in cc power output in kWatts kW / kg J/ccfam
10 0.670 at 5,400 rpm 1.175 0.744
15 1.120 at 5,400 rpm 1.427 0.830
20 1.340 at 5,400 rpm 1.34 0.744

Notes

  • All RCV engines use "glow fuel" : methanol + 10 % nitromethane + 15% minimum synthetic castor oil lubricant.
  • J/ccfam = energy in Joules per cc of fuel-air mixture
  • For RCVxx-CD, J/ccfam = ( power_in_watts x 60 x 2 ) / (capacity_in_cc x rpm ) = measure of energy efficiency

New RCV engine

new rcv engine

from http://www.sae.org/aeromag/techupdate/09-2006/2-26-8-5.pdf

engine prototype

An engine prototype displayed at the AUVSI Conference 2008 in San Diego.

rac announces engine evaluation service for heavy fuel micro uav applications

RCV engines for UAV applications - Heavy Fuel, JP8, JP5

The RCV engine is particularly suited to UAV applications because it runs extremely well on heavy fuels, typically generating the same power levels that it does on gasoline. The excellent JP5/JP8 running characteristics, are due to the compact combustion chamber and high internal turbulence levels, generated by the large squish area, sharp valve edges and rotating cylinder.

RCV have developed and patented a reliable cold start system, for use with heavy fuels.

Benefits include:

  • High power density
  • Low BSFC for long endurance missions
  • Excellent JP8 performance
  • Ultra compact size
  • Suitable for ducted fan operation

These engines are designed to give low Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) at part throttle:

Observed on general RCV engines Fixed valve timing and compression engine (JP-8) Variable valve timing and compression engine (JP-8) Typical conventional automotive
82 KW / litre 82 KW / litre 82 KW / litre 75 KW / litre
630 g / KW < 350 g / KW < 400 g / KW 500 - 600 g / KW
290 g / KWhr 270 g / KWhr 270 g / KWhr 300 g / KWhr
396 g / KWhr 331 g / KWhr 440 g / KWhr

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