Fuel-Efficient-Vehicles.org

Star Rotor motor from Texas A&M Univ.

Not as good as electric motors but, double or triple the milage.
Proof that there are inventors and their inventions "out there"
Will they be ignored by Detroit?!

UPDATE: It is 2010 and they are being ignored by Detroit. (and Washington)

• June 2008 StarRotor is developing an expander for waste-heat recovery.
• June 2008 Biomedical company commissions StarRotor to develop compact compressor for portable breathing-assist device.
• May 2008 Contract received from a multi-billion dollar company to develop compact, efficient air conditioning / refrigeration compressor.
• May 2008 StarRotor will supply a 20-kW compressor for vapor-compression desalination system.

By Billy Baker - September 2006 POPULAR SCIENCE

The StarRotor, which began life as an air conditioner at Texas A&M University. Chemical-engineering professor Mark Holtzapple and his colleague Andrew Rabroker were attempting to build a better compressor for an air conditioner when they hit on the idea that became the StarRotor engine`s basic architecture. Once they made the connection to car engines, "we quickly forgot about air conditioners," Rabroker says. They have since formed a business (also called StarRotor) to commercialize the technology.

The StarRotor uses the same thermodynamic process as jet engines to recuperate some of the heat normally lost to exhaust, something that the design of a piston engine doesn`t allow. The exhaust heat warms the air that comes into the engine before the fuel is added [see illustration, below]. This hot air leads to more powerful combustion, which means the StarRotor can extract more energy from a given amount of fuel than a conventional engine could.

Based on data from compressor prototypes, Rabroker believes the StarRotor will convert between 45 and 65 percent of the chemical energy in its fuel to mechanical energy, irrespective of the engine`s operating speed or power. In contrast, a typical gasoline engine has a peak efficiency of about 30 percent at full throttle and operates at a much lower efficiency during typical driving conditions. "Double is a gimme," Rabroker says of the StarRotor`s potential. "I think we can ultimately triple the fuel mileage."

Double or triple, though, what`s important is that innovators are developing solutions to our oil predicament -solutions that could have a huge influence before the first hydrogen-powered car ever leaves the lot.

Integrated Motors/Generators

StarRotor is developing an integrated compressor/motor and expander/generator. Although many electrical devices can be integrated (e.g., induction, permanent magnet), the most promising technology is a switched reluctance (SR) motor/generator. Instead of using permanent magnets or windings on the rotating equipment, SR devices use iron laminate poles that address two issues that occur with integration: fluid compatibility and elevated temperatures.

Fluid compatibility - SR devices can have external windings that are isolated from potentially aggressive fluids, and the iron laminates can be appropriately coated.

Elevated temperatures - At high temperatures, permanent magnets lose magnetism and winding insulation degrades. In contrast, the iron laminates work at elevated temperatures.

see starRotor.com