Ceramic Rotary Engines, Inc

Higher Performance & Lower Heat Loss

Ceramic Engine Project

Internal Combustion Engines

http://ceramicrotaryengines.com/

For over a century internal combustion engines have been and still are one of the most successful comp autonomous power sources being used in the transport of people and goods over relatively long distanc quickly. It is also in many products such as chainsaws and Lawnmowers. Alternate power sources such as electric motors powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells or wind farm energy storage problems, high capital costs, possible environmental problems, irraticwinds affecting win lack of energy-delivering infrastructure. Substantial improvements in such technologies are arguably at least a decade away. A "Well-to-Wheel" analysis shows that efficiencycomparisons between electricity, f and gasoline are in reality more complex. And there are concerns about the green credentials and safety hybrid-technology, and hydrogen-fueled cars.

Moreover hydrocarbon fuels pack at least 10 to 20 times (i.e. 1000% to 2000%) more energy than batt lighter to carry around. For instance octane has a specific energy of 12.3 kWh/kg which is roughly 18 tim SOCl2 batteries (660 Wh/kg) and 33 times that of Li-S batteries (370 Wh/kg). So for the foreseeable future it is very likely that internal combustion engines will continue to be the dom portable autonomous power. As the worldwide engines market is huge, it was worth $235 billion in 2001 incentive to improve the performance and efficiency of the internal combustion engine or see it eclipsed sources. Also, as crude oil reserves are dwindling, more efficient use of this resource is required. To sus combustion engine for use in transportation well into the distant future, renewable fuels offer a possible

Why the Wankel Engine? Rotary vs Reciprocating

Reciprocating engines have been the choice of the automotive and allied industries for many many year converting reciprocating motion into rotary motion (e.g. to turn wheels) is not as mechanically efficient motion. Despite this disadvantage the reciprocating internal combustion has achieved legendary status century with no obvious competitor in sight.

The reciprocating engine powers our automobiles reliably and takes us over long distances mostly witho Thousands are made each day with precision and at reasonable cost. Its only possible competitor has be engine developed by Dr Felix Wankel in the 1950s. A variety of novel engines that have been developed have yet to topple the mighty reciprocating engine from its lofty perch.

Rotary engines have fewer moving parts than reciprocating engines. A high torque engine, rotary engine smoothly. The rotary engine and ceramic would be an ideal blending of technology andmaterial, and w justice to the exceptional properties of ceramics. We have chosen theWankel rotary engine to be made because it is a known, tried and tested design. In other words, CRE is NOT developing a new or novel en intention is to ceramicize the Wankel engine.

The metal Wankel engine is an elegant design with much to offer but development efforts to improve it For instance Mazda, with its cadre of highly qualified highly skilled automotive and mechanical engineer

to improve its Wankel engine since the 1970s. Debatable though the scale and scope of their improvem is certain - Mazda cars with their Wankel-powered engines have not penetrated the worldwide automob market significantly. Many other automobile companies have essentially abandoned efforts to improve t engine. Without the devoted and passionate support of diehard Wankel engine enthusiasts all over the w engine automobile market might have dwindled even more. Perhaps the last effort to significantly impro design is to make it out of ceramic. Suggested viewing. Two YouTube Mazda Videos: #1 and #2

Metal Engines

The choice of metal as the material from which heat engines are made is an unfortunate one. This is be relatively low temperature materials for heat engines and they are also good thermalconductors, two pr detrimental to efficient combustion. Historically, when the internal combustion engine was first being developed, it was an unavoidable choic were the only suitable material available at that time. Recognising this problem, development of new m engines is now being encouraged by the US Government. The maximum service temperature of many metals is less than 600 C, and thus metal engines are requ temperatures too low for fuel to be burnt completely. Also, as metals are good thermal conductors, the generated within the metallic combustion chamber is easily conducted through the metallic casing. Liqu thus required to prevent the metallic engine from overheating and this hastens heat loss (about 30% of is lost to the coolant or radiator water). Furthermore, resulting incomplete combustion products are dis exhaust adding to airborne pollution. These temperature trade-offs required of metallic internal combustion engines result in low combustion thermal efficiencies. Thus, metallic internal combustion engines suffer primarily from threeproblems: 1. efficiency (due to the lower operating temperatures of metals), 2. Substantial heat loss (due to the high conductivity of metals), and 3. Some wear (resulting in some limited metal component life).

Ceramic Engines

As ceramics are high temperature materials, a ceramic engine should be able to operate athigher tempe combustion of fuel to be more complete resulting in increased combustion efficiency. This should increase performance, decrease fuel consumption and reduce pollution. This should also enable various (i.e. multi-fuel capability).

What Ceramic to Choose

Silicon Nitride: Among the various engineering ceramics that have been developed over the decades,silicon nitride has recei use in internal combustion engines and turbines. It has good thermal shock resistance (T ~ 600 C) and good creep resistance. Tho engine material, their poor mechanical strength (low fracture toughness) has precluded their use in load-bearing applications. As t based ceramics is considered an intrinsic characteristicof such materials (ref 15) by virtue of their strong bonding, covalent and increases in the fracture toughness of silicon nitride is believed to be attainable. The development of ceramic matrix composites (C a more attractive alternative (ref 15), but success in this approach has been limited.

Although some progress has been made over the years, the processing of silicon nitride remains a problem (ref 20) and larger h nitride components have yet to be fabricated. Silicon nitride cannot be heated over 1850 C to densify because it dissociates into sili its covalent bonding does not allow it to easily sinter and fully densify.

Furthermore, silicon nitride ceramics in a hot, corrosive and humid oxidizing atmosphere (such as during fuel-air combustion in int turbine engines) are prone to degradation. When they are subject to oxidation, water vapour and high temperatures they grown silicon oxide layerwhich continually volatilises as hydroxide species affecting the integrity of the silicon-based ceram about silicon nitride and silicon carbide degradation see references 7-13and 17-18 below.

Despite the persistent and seemingly intractable problems of degradation and poor mechanical strength as well as the difficulties

in fabricating and processing larger higher-strength load-bearing components, silicon nitride ceramic remains surprisingly the temperature material for turbines.

With only a limited budget, Ceramic Rotary Engines Inc (CRE) simply cannot afford the very high costs that are required in develo engine given the length of time silicon nitride has been under development (i.e. since the 1960s) and given the great uncertainiti of durable and reliable silicon nitride components for our ceramic engine.

Silicon Carbide: A material with a very high hardness, silicon carbide has, in the last few years, been receiving some attention fro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) community in their quest to develop a miniature engine. However, the same problems that plague sil apply to silicon carbide, and the fracture toughness of silicon carbide is even lower than that of silicon nitride. Silicon carbide still h do not require mechanical integrity and strength.

Aluminas: A much used ceramic, mainly as electrical insulators, they have seldom been considered as suitable materials for engin their low fracture toughness and high thermal conductivity. However, there has been some recent interest in fabricating alumina co engines (ref 19).

Zirconias: These engineering ceramics were once dubbed "ceramic steels" (ref 21) because of their ve toughness among ceramics. Also, zirconia ceramics have one of the highest maximum service temperat C) among all of the ceramics (ref 25) and they retain some of their mechanical strength close to their m C). However, their low creep resistance and their low thermal shock resistance (T ~ 350 C) could pose

Zirconia ceramics have been used in heat engines because of two very notable properties they possess: capability and a low thermal conductivity. None of the other ceramics possess a thermal conductivity as zirconias. This means that engines made out of zirconia would retain much of the heat generated in the chamber instead of loosing it to the surroundings (approaching near adiabatic conditions). Thus the nee system could also be eliminated.

No wonder the Ford Motor Company used zirconia engineering ceramics for their ceramic engine develo the 1980s (see next section for more on this R&D program). Aircraft jet engines currently use a zirconia increase their turbine inlet temperatures to improve performance.

CRE's Choice: The choice of a ceramic is complicated by particular attributes that are present in some in others. Furthermore, our choice of ceramic is made more difficult by the dearth of uses, short history dataset of ceramic applications. In contrast, metals and alloys have an extensive and long history of act considerable amount of data to rely upon. On careful consideration we have decided on a ceria-based zi engineering ceramic for the following reasons: (1) its relatively good mechanical strength (i.e. combina toughness and high bend strength); (2) the twin properties of the zirconias that are clearly useful to he engines; (3)tests which show that CeTZP zirconia ceramic does not suffer from hydrothermal degradati several other ceramics; (4) being an oxide, zirconia is unlikely to be further oxidized. Considering that fuels contain chemically-active and corrosive substances, resistance against hydrothermal degradation a against oxidation are highly desirable attributes of a ceramic for an internal combustion engine.

Low Heat Rejection Engines

Approaching Adiabatic Conditions: About a third of the heat generated by an internal combustion engine surroundings. Insulating the combustion chamber with zirconia-based ceramics to reduce heat loss has some research for over thirty years but progress has been slow. An overview of such low heat rejection programs has been published by S.Jaichandar and P.Tamilporai(reference 16 given below). Some Useful LHR Engine Studies [A] During the 1980s, in a development program at Ford Motor Company USA led by Dr Arthur McLean, ceramic components have been successfully tested in reciprocating internal combustion engines. Dr McL their testing was conducted in a single cylinder, 80 mm bore by 80 mm stroke, high speed direct injecti full load conditions over the complete speed range and at speed/load conditions representative of the EP

cycle. His results showed that the fuel consumption of the uncooled ceramic insert engine was 5% to 9% baseline water-cooled engine generally confirming computer modelling predictions. Dr McLean also repo several design/material interations a zirconia ceramic cylinder head plate was successfully tested for 12 zirconia ceramic short cylinder liner survived over 500 hours. [reference 4 given below]. [B] A 1984 NASA SBIR Phase One study of an "Adiabatic Wankel-type Rotary Engine" by Dr Roy Kamo o indicated that progressive performance improvements in Wankel rotary engines could be achieved when chamber components were insulated. It was claimed that the advanced concepts of turbocompounding, ratio, reduced leakage and faster combustion could decrease specific fuel consumption by 25% and incr by 34%. Also eliminating the cooling system could produce another 5% reduction in fuel consumption. A NASA SBIR Phase Two study reported in 1988 that a thermal barrier coating (TBC) on the Wankel housi successful as the thermal stresses were excessive for a direct injection stratified charged Wankel engine concluded that the correct choice of a TBC material was of crucial concern. From a reading of this report that there is cause for some optimism for achieving a low heat rejection engine using TBCs. [C] In diesels, it has been reported that a 1 mm thick coating of ceramic on the cylinder head and a 2 m ceramic on the piston caps reduces the heat losses into the water coolant by 9%, while increasing the h oil by 3% for an overall reduction of 6%. [D] Dr Alan Bentz and Professor Andre Boehman of the Energy Institute at Pennsylvania State Universit only significant morphological and composition changes in particulate emissions but also total particulat when thin thermal barrier ceramic coatings were applied to the combustion chamber surfaces. They said barrier coating enhances the oxidation of condensable hydrocarbons that agglomerate with the diesel so [E] A NASA study by Dr Harold Sliney (1990) showed that a solid lubricant, designated PS212, can be u successfully in a metal Wankel engine at high temperatures. He reported that a plasma-sprayed compos metal-bonded chromium carbide with additions of silver and fluorides and used in combination with a zir ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC) on the inner surface of a metal Wankel engine provided sufficient temperatures up to 900 C. The zirconia ceramic TBC provided some insulation.

[F] Another NASA study by Drs DellaCorte & Wood (1994) reported that soft metals such as gold or silver, lubricants at high temperatures. They reported that thin gold-chromium films exhibited outstanding wea lasting more than 200,000 sliding passes, and these duplex metal films continued to lubricate even at te 1000 C.

Though not definitive, these studies show that insulating the combustion chamber of internal combustio ceramic thermal barrier coating could reduce heat loss and increase combustion efficiency. Furthermore studies showed that solid lubricants can be used to reduce wear between apex seals and the inner hous Wankel engines at high temperatures where liquid lubricants could not operate.

Making An All-Ceramic Wankel Engine

Pictured above is, we believe, the first of its kind an all-zirconia ceramic#Wankel engine. The photo of the CRE ceramic engine pictured above was deliberately made fuzzy because of intellectual property concerns. To all who have emailed us showing interest in our engine, Thank you. [#Please Note: The MEMS ceramic microWankel engine developed at the University of California at Berkeley is made from silicon

We are not developing a new or novel engine because of the lon ended nature of such projects. There are far too many novel an that have yet to see the light of day or be commercialized. Ove only three combustion engines have survived the commercial m turbine, the reciprocating and the Wankel rotary. We have chos rotary engine to ceramicize.

We are judiciously incorporating appropriately conceived ceram into the Wankel engine design only where necessary. Note tha one metal-ceramic substitution is not considered a prudent app concerns with contact stresses, thermal shock resistance misma

wafers and silicon carbide ceramic].

life and ceramic oxidation resistance (see e.g. Report of NASA/T Pg 6).

Metals are softer and more ductile than ceramics and thus easie precision components. As ceramics are harder and more difficul designing and fabricating the ceramic components for the ceram proved to be a major challenge. Similar fabrication problems we encountered in the MEMS Berkeleyproject for their micro-Wank from silicon carbide ceramic. However, by working closely with companies we contracted out the work to, they were able to pro ceramic components with the precision and shapes we required

Adequate sealing and lubrication at high temperatures are clear issues. One choice is to dispense with the apex seals. Instead, be invoked by introducing turbulence and thus eddy currents at studies of the choke flow effect are not encouraging. Applying t prove impracticable as thegap required between tip and housin small (probably < 2 microns) or the sealing could be inadequat to use apex seals but liquid lubrication is not an option at high 600 C).

Solid lubricants could be the solution. Following on the work of Wood (1994) in their NASA study soft metal (e.g. gold or silver) co surface of the ceramic housing with nickel-based apex seals, is

The CRE Team

The CRE team comprises engineers from various disciplines and expertise that have a common and abiding interest in meeting the challenges of developing a ceramic rotary engine. The CRE Team also includes technology executives with management expertise and with experience of getting start-up companies to market: Scott Webber* - Finance, Business Development & Marketing Kurt Wall - Investor Relations, Finance & Government Affairs Gordon Bennett, B.Sc & M.Sc (Birmingham), C.Eng (UK), M.Inst.Mat, M.Inst.RefEng Metallurgy, Materials & Minerals Processing Specialist Professor Les Henshall, BA & PhD (Cambridge), MA (Oxford), M.InstMat, MIRTE Ceramics & Materials Engineering Professor Raj Balendra, PhD (Strathclyde), C.Eng (UK) - Manufacturing Engineering & Component Design Ray Walker, C.Eng (UK), AIMechE - Engineering Design, Ceramic & Metal Machining Keith Smith - Engineering Machinist specialising in ceramics Dr Thevendra, PhD (Cambridge), Senior Member AIChE - Ceramics & Fluids

Environmentally Friendly Engine?

A Ceramic Engine is expected to be capable of using various fuels because of its high operating tempera fuels such as cellulosic bio-ethanol or straight vegetable oils (SVO) could be used in this engine. SVOs a unmodified vegetable oils. A Ceramic Engine as a portable power source using SVOs as fuel for rural com villages in the third world could enhance the quality of life of the citizens in these communities.

Ceramic engines could power water pumps for drinking and irrigation and could also power electricity ge lighting and cooking in rural communities (which should reduce the need for firewood, saving trees). Bio vegetable oils, has received the attention of various government agencies such as the Department of En the USA and the UK Department of Transport. B5 and B20BioDiesel is already being sold in some states USA. Experimental programs using biodiesels in cars are drawing a lot of public attention. However the alternative fuels presents a challenge for the present.

An excellent comparative study of the environmental impact of various fuels (including fossil fuels and b by Professor Mark Holtzapple in a video presentation* at Texas A&M University on Tuesday 25 April 200 their Distinguished Lecture Series on Sustainable Energy and Transportation Engineering The 21st Centu discusses the production of biofuels from the MixAlco Process and introduces the Star Rotor Engine (*cl slide presentation).

Engines As A Substitute for Batteries? According to Professor Alfred Pisano of the MEMS project at the University of California at Berkeley liqu

fuels like butane, kerosene and propane pack at least 10 times more energy, pound for pound, than bat taking into account how inefficiently a metal IC engine burns fuel. That means an engine could be 10 tim battery and still deliver the same amount of energy. Or the engine could be the same size as a battery a longer.

Decentralized Electrical & Heating Systems And Batteries

Electricity distribution over very large distances (e.g. the national electricity grid in the USA) is not as ef as distributed power generation produced near the point of use (e.g. micro-Combined Heat and Power, a combination of technologies). Engines currently being used in micro-CHP, including reciprocating engin for today's needs. They are noisy, requires too much maintenance, do not meet emissions standards, ne dampening, and are not sufficiently fuel efficient. A better engine is needed (1) in the range of 0.5 kW t micro-CHP market, and (2) in the range of 0.5 kW and less to replace battery power as, pound for poun hydrocarbon fuels like butane when used in metal IC engines pack at least 10 times more energy than b

Ray Walker

References & Useful Reading: [1] R.Kamo and W.Bryzik 1979 SAE Technical Publication Number 780068 "Adiabatic Turbocompound Prediction". [2] W.Bryzik and R.Kamo 1983 SAE Technical Publication Number 830314 "TACOM/Cummings Adiabat [3] R.Kamo, R.M.Kakawani and W.Hady 1986 SAE Technical Publication Number 960616 "Adiabatic W Engine". [4] W.Bunk and H.Hausner 1986 Proceedings of the Second International Symposium; 14 to 17 April, L Travemunde, Germany "Ceramic Materials and Components for Engines". [5] W.Dworak and D.Fingerle 1987 Journal of Materials Science; Volume 86, pages 170-178 "Ceramic Engines".

[6] R.Kamo 1991 Ceramic Acta, Volume 3, pages 49-65 "Ceramic Engine and their Cost Effectiveness" [7] B.J.Opila and R.B.Hann 1997 Journal of American Ceramic Society; Volume 80(1), pages 197-205. [8] B.J.Opila et alia 1999 Journal of American Ceramic Society; Volume 82(7), pages 1826-1834. [9] J.L.Smialek et alia 1999 Advances in Composite Materials; Volume 8(1), pages 33-45. [10] R.C.Robinson and J.L.Smialek 1999 Journal of American Ceramic Society; Volume 82(7), pages 1 [11] "The degradation of silicon carbide in hot humid environments" ORNL Review Volume 33 (#1) 2000 [12] H-S Rho,N.L.Hecht and G.A.Graves 2000 Journal of Materials Science; Volume 35, pages 3631-3 Behaviour of Hot-Isostatically Pressed Silicon Nitride Containing Yttria". [13] H.F.Eaton et alia 2001 "EBC Protection of SiC/SiC Composites in the Gas Turbine Combustion Env Continuing Evaluation and Refurbishment Considerations" Proceedings of ASME TURBOEXPO 2001, 4-7 J Orleans, LA, USA.

[14] by A.K.Shukla "Cars beyond Otto's internal combustion engines", November 2001, . [15] S.Dutta (NASA Glenn, Cleveland, OH) - Bulletin of Materials Science 2001 Volume 24(2), pages Toughness and Reliability in High Temperature Structural Ceramics and Composites: Prospects and Chal Century".

[16] S.Jaichandar and P.Tamilporai 2003 SAE Technical Paper Series 2003-01-0405 "Low Heat Rejectio Overview" .

[17] J.E.Lane and G.B.Merrill 2005 "Protective Overlayer for Silicon-based Ceramics" US Patent 69298 [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6929852.html]. [18] Fourth ORNL Annual Review of "Environmental Barrier Coatings (EBC) for Engine Applications"; 152005, Nashville, TN.

[19] P. Jin, Y.L. Gao, N. Liu, J.B. Tan & Kyle Jiang 2006 Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Volume 1475 "Design and Fabrication of Alumina Micro Reciprocating Engine". [20] N.Kondo et alia - Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan 2007 Volume 115 (4), pages 285-289 Thick Silicon Nitride by Reaction Bonding and Post-Sintering".

[21] R.C. Garvie, R.H. Hannink & R.T. Pascoe 1975 Nature, Volume 258, pages 703-704 "Ceramic Ste Material Properties Databases: [22] NIST Property Summaries for Advanced Materials. [23] Information on Ceramic Joining - The Welding Institute (TWI) UK. [24] Physical Sciences Information Gateway (PSIgate) - Materials Properties. [25] Granta Materials Selector UK. Texts on Engineering Ceramics: [26] M.M.Schwartz*+ 1990 "Ceramic Joining" ASM International Publishers, OH, USA. [27] M.M.Schwartz*+ 1992 "Handbook of Structural Ceramics" McGraw-Hill Publishers, USA.
*+Chief Engineer, Sikorsky Division, United Technologies Corporation. 1998/2004-2008 Ceramic Rotary Engines, Inc

Incorporated in Texas
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Disclaimer *Ceramic Rotary Engines Inc (CRE Inc) is an independent corporation incorporated in the State of Texas and is neither part of nor asso Holdings Inc. Also, CRE Inc is neither part of nor directly associated with any other company*.