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TEI isn’t in the business of marketing technology, but we
recently had correspondence with Darwin Nunley, the Texas inventor of a
low-pollution internal combustion engine. Mr. Nunley offered TEI a
description of his invention, the Nunley engine, and we’re happy to
publish it as an example of the sort of ingenuity we’re
going to need to reduce our carbon footprint and get us beyond fossil
fuels.
Picture a side view of a steam locomotive common in the early 1900s. They have two cylinders on each side of the locomotive. Each cylinder
has a piston which moves from front to rear and back again by steam
pressure, produced by burning coal in a boiler. The power from that
comparatively small, four cylinder engine moves the locomotive, the
coal car, perhaps 20 freight cars and the always present caboose.
People see the black smoke, heat and steam spewing from the smokestack.
What they don’t see is the potential of the one piston steam cylinder.
Mr. Nunley’s invention consists of taking the one piston steam
cylinder, then recreating it as a very low-polluting, low-cost engine
for our time.
Here’s how it works:
First, water is poured into a holding tank through a water filter to block the most common impurities. Then either of two alcohols, methanol or ethanol, is poured into the water tank. This has one truly important function. Alcohol mixes with water, thus lowering the freezing point of the water. Sufficient alcohol allows the water to flow even in Siberia or at the South Pole. The engine never needs commercial antifreeze, external warming, or pre-heating.
Next, via a computer program, the alcohol/water mix is injected when the piston is at a predetermined distance from the front or rear of the cylinder. Then a proper amount of an explosive gas such as propane is also injected. The propane is exploded via conventional electrical spark. Propane explodes at a flash temperature of 800 degrees F. This converts the alcohol/ water mix to steam. Water expands by a factor of 1600 from liquid to steam. A very small amount of alcohol and propane facilitates a very large amount of power. The engine has a very small pollution signature. It is almost all water providing the power.
As the piston moves in opposition to the force of the steam flash, it passes over a closed electrical exhaust valve. As it moves toward the center engine, the compression rings at each end of the piston pass between an electronic lubricant injector on top of the cylinder and an electronic outflow valve at the bottom of the cylinder. A small amount of lubricant is thus applied to the piston and a small amount of lubricant is moved out of the cylinder, thus providing continuous fresh lubrication. The power rod coming from the piston out of the cylinder on either one end or both ends, if desired, may be lubricated in the same manner or by the well-established methods used on the hydraulic cylinders of large machines, such as bulldozers. The injector and valve close prior to the passage of the trailing compression ring.
As the piston nears the opposite end of the cylinder, it moves past a fresh air injector. The exhaust valve at the opposite end of the cylinder opens. Fresh air is thus injected in the cylinder, converting the steam to water and cooling the engine. Thus, no radiator of any type is needed. Cooling the engine internally also removes the need for a muffler (conventional engines expel very hot gasses in pulses that create external noise). An internally cooled engine passes cool gas and liquid water, eliminating most noise pollution. The air injector closes while the exhaust valve remains open.
Finally, at the opposite end of the cylinder, the power process repeats, the lubrication process repeats as the piston moves to the proper position, and the opposite exhaust valve closes at the approach of the piston. For vehicles, construction equipment, and marine uses the engine can power an hydraulic pump, powering an hydraulic engine with a shaft connected to a conventional transmission or directly to a conventional axle or shaft to a propeller. Tests have revealed a hydrostatic power assembly only loses about 5 percent of the power input with about 95 percent of the power input available for work.
Darwin Nunley is a former home builder and designer, who became interested in engine research and design after years of observing improvements, but not quantum leaps forward, in engine design from the major companies.
“Originally I designed an improved triple expansion steam engine based on marine engines of the late 1800’s,” he said. “This proved very expensive to manufacture, thus starting a five year process toward an affordable, heavy duty, low-pollution engine.”
Mr. Nunley has filed for a U.S. patent, which is pending. He is seeking dealers to sell trucks manufactured with his engine. If you want more information about the Nunley engine or the business plan, contact Darwin Nunley by email at nathangdad at yahoo dot com, or write to him at 2411 11th Avenue, Canyon, Texas 79015.
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