The Scuderi Split-Cycle Combustion Engine

I've mentioned on more than one occasion that I'm perpetually interested in alternative fuels and hybrid/ultra-efficient engine technologies. More than any other practical technology, the combustion engine literally drives our world, and improvements in efficiency are absolutely crucial to the future of automotive and industrial applications.

Traditional combustion engines as we know them are inefficient - grossly inefficient compared to other methods of generating power.

Today's dealership-floor, piston-driven gasoline engine can waste somewhere close to 50% of the fuel it ingests fighting the intake atmospheric vacuum depression caused by the injector manifold butterfly-valve (or carburetor in non-fuel-injected engines). That accounts for half the pollution generated by nearly every combustion engine in use right now.

Also, the contemporary engine cannot balance optimum specifications for multiple qualifiers into one efficient unit. It can't be light, generate minimal noise and vibrations, have a peak torque curve at low RPM and yet maintain substantial torque over a wide power band...all while producing low emissions and being adaptable to multiple fuel types.

There are more reasons, but I didn't set out to bore you with that crap. I just wanted to introduce you to a remarkable alternative engine design. It's the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine.

The Scuderi isn't the only alternative combustion engine design out there. Not by any stretch. But it is the only engine design to finally take an ages-old concept - the split-cylinder tandem engine - and make it work. I mean, really work.

Scuderi's design divides the four stages of combustion (intake, compression, power, exhaust) into two chambers separated by a pressurized air tank.

Basically, the first cylinder performs the intake and then compresses the fuel-air mixture into the air tank. Then the second cylinder draws in the mix just after top dead-center - right at combustion - to create the power and exhaust cycles.

Normally, all this takes place in a single cylinder with the help of multiple valves. Splitting it up creates a considerably more efficient combustion cycle with far less wasted fuel, and in turn, considerably lower emissions.

The whole idea of an engine that starts the power stroke after the piston head reaches top dead-center is totally contrary to the maxims of engine efficiency. Since Henry Ford, engineers have known that if you start combustion as the piston is on its down stroke, at high RPMs the piston wil outrun the combustion. That problem has never been overcome until the Scuderi.

The addition of high pressure compressed air solves the top dead-center problem by generating so much more power at combustion that the piston can't outrun it.

Anyhow, the Scuderi Group has a great little video explaining how the engine works. In fact, you probably didn't read this and are already watching it.

Actually, you probably didn't read this, then you clicked the video, realized it didn't have any Japanese guys getting wailed in the package, and skipped this whole post altogether.