2008 ConocoPhillips Energy Prize First Runner-Up
Corban Tillemann-Dick and Team for the Radial Expansion Engine |
The Radial Expansion Engine (RXE) is an internal combustion engine that proposes to be more fuel efficient, lighter and less expensive to build than current technologies. The RXE addresses the two largest sources of energy waste in an internal combustion engine – the small percentage of the combustion chamber reacting productively during combustion and the unused energy that flows out the exhaust pipe in the form of hot gases.
The RXE changes the combustion chamber’s design from one piston in a cylinder to four semi-cylindrical “chordons” which act as expanding walls. Existing chamber designsbecome longer during the combustion cycle, but the RXE chamber expands in radius. This design innovation allows the vast majority of the RXE’s chamber surface area to react productively to the forces of combustion by generating torque. In traditional engines, anaverage of less than 25 percent of the combustion chamber’s surface area is productive. In an RXE combustion chamber, that average skyrockets to more than 75 percent of the chamber’s surface area. Furthermore, because so much of the chamber is productive, gases can expand further than in an ordinary engine before their productive utility is exhaustedand they are pumped out through exhaust valves. This means an RXE captures significantquantities of energy that previously flowed out the exhaust pipe.The RXE would be compatible with existing infrastructure and with conventional materials, manufacturing practices and many off-the-shelf components. In the future, it can be adapted to run on alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, natural gas or hydrogen. |
| About the Team |
The Radial Expansion Engine team is committed to providing economical, efficient, low-carbon solutions for our energy future. They are developing an extensive portfolio of intellectual property focused on pumps, compressors and internal combustion engines.
Brent Johnson M.S., M.B.A. [MIT] is the project manager and chief technology officer. He has extensive experience in manufacturing, process management and design. Corban Tillemann-Dick is the assistant technology officer responsible for intellectual property development. He has studied engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy and currently studies economics at Johns Hopkins. Levi Tillemann-Dick Ph.D.* [Johns Hopkins] manages legal and business development for the team. He is currently writing his dissertation on clean energy policy in Japan and China. Tomicah Tillemann Ph.D.* [Johns Hopkins] is responsible for Web design and public relations and is a strategic adviser.
*ABD |
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