Wave Disk Engine Could Be 3.5 Times More Efficient Than Combustion Engines

The HN headline for the article is terrible. The Wave Disk engine is a combustion engine, albiet one of novel design. It is a commonplace among engine designers that a combined turbine-electric system will be higher efficiency than a reciprocating engine is capable of; the Wave Disk appears to be a turbine engine with some slick combustion dynamics. That's great, but fuel is being combusted in any case.

An internal combustion engine based on rotation rather than reciprocation that reduces complexity for many advantages. I think I've heard this story before. Oh yeah:<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_combustion_engine" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_combustion_engine</a><p>The Wankel engine is by far the most mature of those, and it's a lot more complicated in 3d than in a 2d cross-section. Sealing and such are an issue. Mazda has really done a lot of good things with them, and their power-weight is way better than your average 4-stroke, but it is still a niche product.<p>I'm not saying the Wave Disk engine isn't going to be great, I'm saying you're not going to see one of these in your car in the next 20 years, and 20 years from now, who knows what the "average car engine" is going to be and how well the wave disk engine will compare to it.

...and combustion engines in the future "could be" 3.5 times more efficient than they are now, as well.<p>How efficient are current wave disk engines? Any claim about a future, non-existent engine is just hot air. (In fact, the current wave disk engines probably generate way too much hot air already, or their current efficiency would be featured more prominently in the article.)

I'm curious to see the real prototype engine they're getting out this year.<p>Basically: This is only appropriate for use in hybrid engines, as the range of efficiency is very narrow.<p>That said, if it works, this would be terrific for further upping the efficiency of hybrids.

sounds like a variation of gas turbine in disguise. Any implementation that is cheaper and simpler that existing gas turbines, yet reaches its high efficiency and power/weight ratio would be just great.<p>&#62;The resulting sudden build-up of pressure in the chamber generates a shock wave<p>that makes me doubtful about longevity of the engine if the shock wave touches the metal.

Fun fact: Otto cycle has been taken to ~30% efficiency, IIRC.<p>3.5 * .30 = ???

Anything can be anything, as long as it is purely conjecture.<p>To all of you voting up articles like this: you suck.