Back to the Steam Engine

By Sara Ferris

Cyclone Power Technologies (Pompano Beach, FL) will use SolidWorks software for development of its Green Revolution Engine. The startup company hopes to develop and commercialize a highly efficient, environmentally friendly external-combustion engine developed by its president and CEO, Harry Schoell.

In external combustion, the fuel is burned in a controlled environment, similar to home furnaces. Water is pumped through a coil around the exhaust port, where it’s preheated by exhaust steam. The water then enters a steam generator, where it’s heated by a combustion chamber to produce high-pressure steam. Preheated air is mixed with fuel from a fuel atomizer, then the mixture is burned as it spins in a centrifuge within the combustion chamber. Heavier particles are thrown to the outside, while lighter, cleaner gases escape through a central tube bundle to the exhaust. A rocker and cam arrangement controls a valve that allows the high-pressure steam into a cylinder with a piston. Exhaust steam is cooled and condensed for reuse in steam generation.

The engine recycles the heat it generates, which allows it to run more cleanly and coolly than traditional internal combustion engines. It is capable of running on any liquid or gaseous fuel, including ethanol and propane. The engine is lubricated with de-ionized water instead of motor oil thanks to the use of noncorrosive materials and high-temperature composite bearings. By eliminating subsystems such as oil pumps, radiators, and catalytic converters, Cyclone expects that its Green Revolution Engine will cost less to manufacture, operate, and maintain. The engine is highly scalable. The company says it will be suitable for applications ranging from lawn equipment and small home generators to cars, trucks, buses, RVs, boats, and ships.

Cyclone expects that SolidWorks will help expedite the development cycle of its revolutionary technology, thereby getting engines to the commercial market sooner. “Having the ability to create 3D model design in a much shorter period of time will allow us to move ahead at an accelerated rate, saving us valuable time and money,” said Cyclone’s chief design engineer, Michael Hodgson.

Cyclone has completed initial research and design for the engine and has successfully bench-tested single- and twin-cylinder engineers. It is currently assembling four six-cylinder engineers for bench testing.

The company recently tested its fuel injector with d-Limonene, a biofuel derived from orange peels. The fuel produced a clean flame and registered a BTU level almost 500 units greater than kerosene. “Our fuel injector is based on a technology known as High Turbulence Siphon-Type Air Atomization, which emits a small micron gasified particle,” said Hodgson. “We can ignite the bio-fuels on and off like a light switch and they are very clean to burn.”

“We’re very pleased with what these results tell us about our fuel injector,” stated CEO Harry Schoell. “We’re also pleased with d-Limonene, which burns hotter and cleaner than kerosene, and also makes the entire test area smell like oranges.”

The company plans to test other alternative fuels, including ethanol and bio-diesels produced from palm oil, cottonseed oil, and chicken fat.

Cyclone Power holds U.S. patent # 7,080,512 on its Green Revolution Engine and has filed for U.S. and worldwide patent protection on 11 major engine components, including the centrifugal condenser, steam exhaust port and preheater coils, multitube coils, and steam generator firebox

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.