What Is A Wankel Engine And How Does It Work?

Wankel Engine And How Does It Work? Over several decades now the reciprocating; Internal combustion engine has become a ubiquitous rotational power source.It came with its own set of complexities,However, which made it very unsatisfactory for a certain gentleman;Who considered it wasted to use reciprocal motion to produce rotational motion.His frustration contributed to the Wankel engine developing. A Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine;That uses rotary motion to generate crank power instead of reciprocating motion.The engine is named in honor of its inventor,Felix Wankel, who had come up with this concept when he was just 17. The concept was intended to be a simple and more compact unit with less moving parts andGreater performance, though rotating in one direction as well.It was somewhat different from modern reciprocating engines,Which had many moving parts and meant the almost instantaneous reversal of these parts' motion. Construction of a Wankel Engine Any rotational motion occurring at a point other than the center of the body,Being rotated is known as eccentric motion. A Wankel engine is regarded as an eccentric motion engine, as the rotational forces produced at the crankshaft are due to the moving parts' excentric motion.It is simple in its design, in that as compared to an internal combustion engine it uses less moving parts. 1. Rotor A Wankel engine's most important component is a rotor. It is a loosely formed three-dimensional structure around the Releaux triangle which is an equilateral triangle with slightly rounded ends. The rotor is composed of chambers built into the sides for combustion. It also has sealing surfaces at the vertices and faces to prevent losses resulting from the energy leakage produced by combustion. 2. Housing The housing where the rotor travels is built in an oval shape which is approximately elongated, also known as an epitrochoid. The advantage of such a design is that all vertices of the rotor remain in constant contact with the casing. It's also important to remember that there is often a slight gap between the rotor's face and the housing's inner surface. The housing also has holes for the inlet and exhaust ports for the induction and discharge of gases. 3. Output shaft The output shaft is a crucial component whose design is essential to the movement of the rotors during combustion within the housing. This is composed of circular lobes that fit into the rotor and are offset from the main shaft axis. Those circular lobes transform the rotors' excentric motion into the output shaft's pure rotational motion. Working of a Wankel Engine Every engine has a working medium, also known as a combustible charge. A combustible charge consists of air and fuel blended in a particular ratio to achieve optimal combustion. A Wankel engine works on a circuit known as the Otto circuit of thermodynamics. The cycle has the following steps, and the following diagram can be interpreted under: STEPWISE BREAKDOWN OF THE OTTO CYCLE IN A WANKEL ENGINE Assuming clockwise rotation of the rotor: 1. Intake (Drawing in of charge at atmospheric pressure) Since vertex 1 crosses the inlet port, while vertex 2 stays between the inlet port and the exhaust port, the fresh fuel charge is drawn into the chamber. 2. Compression (Reduction of charge volume at constant energy) The fuel charge between 1 and 2 is 'squeezed' between the rotor and the housing as vertex 2 reaches the inlet port, resulting in compression. 3. Ignition (Heat addition at constant volume) When the charge is compressed, it is ignited with the aid of a spark. Which results in constant volume heat generation. As a result, the pressure in the area surrounded by 1 and 2 also continues to increase, causing the rotor to push and to 'ease' out. 4. Exhaust (Expansion of volume at constant heat) The rotor shifts to allow for expansion because of the tremendous pressure resulting from the ignition. While 1 and 2 have shifted towards expansion, vertex 3 assumes an induction-fit role. In the meantime, the exhaust port between 1 and 2 allows the expulsion of spent gases, making this a process that must continue. Advantages and Drawbacks of a Wankel Engine With the invention of the Wankel engine, as many as 100 manufacturers raced to introduce their own variations of the concept. For several factors, the Wankel rotary engine had triumphed over the reciprocating engine. Advantages 1.Less mechanical components which lead to less wear and tear. 2. At 1/3 the size of a reciprocating engine, a Wankel engine can produce equal power, while providing a better power-to-weight ratio. 3. Overlapping combustion cycles make power supply superior and smooth, thus enabling the engine to run at higher RPMs. 4. A Wankel engine is naturally balanced and faces no problems resulting from unbalanced forces, which is a big problem in engine reciprocation. 5. Like a reciprocating piston engine, a Wankel engine can not seize. Notwithstanding many mechanical superiorities, however, Wankel engines didn't become a mainstream choice. Disadvantages 1. The rotor in a Wankel engine has three zones operating at different temperatures, resulting in uneven expansion and ultimately poor energy isolation, unlike reciprocating engines, where one piston tackles only one loop. 2. The combustion chamber does not have a uniform cross-section but is instead spread out between two surfaces. This results in a slow and incomplete operation, which raises inefficiencies due to the expulsion of unburnt charge from the system. 3. Unlike reciprocating engines, which are sealed by circular piston rings, sealing rotors are difficult since sealing components on the vertices can not withstand immense pressure for extended periods. Applications of a Wankel Engine 1. Motorsports In the past, multi-rotor Wankel engines were used with great success in car and motorcycle racing. Manufacturers such as Mazda, Citroen, Rolls Royce, Norton, and MZ had used them prominently. 2. Aviation They are suitable for light aircraft because of their high operating power and compactness at RPM. Wankel engines do not require much time to idle and warm-up and during their pre-flight testing tests, they can eventually reduce waiting times for aircraft. What the future holds for Wankel engines Though Wankel engines have some inherent advantages over reciprocating engines, their inefficiencies linked to combustion render it unfavorable for automotive applications. Nevertheless, their compact nature makes them conducive in electric vehicles to auxiliary power support, should they run out of midway load. In addition to applications relating to combustion,Wankel engines are also being explored for use in compressors andPumps where sealing-related losses do not affect system performance. Read more: 3 Intake Manifold Leak Symptoms (and Replacement Cost)Gear Train -Uses & TypesHow Does A Supercharger Work? Otto cycle and its Processes

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What Is A Wankel Engine And How Does It Work?

Applications of a Wankel Engine

1. Motorsports

2. Aviation

What the future holds for Wankel engines

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Applications of a Wankel Engine

1. Motorsports

2. Aviation

What the future holds for Wankel engines

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