Is the Wave Disk Generator the panacea for hybrids?

Putting things in a direct and concise perspective, the Wave Disk Generator is a small internal combustion engine that can produce 90% fewer emissions than a conventional engine and that weighs much less, is much smaller and cheaper to manufacture. It is probably what the brands that have started to venture down the path of hybrids were looking for in order to increase range.

This type of engine is nothing new, and its idea was born 61 years ago, but it remained anonymous until now, when the main US government energy agency has taken an interest in it. Let’s look at the basic concepts of this type of engine.

Broadly speaking, the Wave Disk Generator is simply a small disc, inside which a mixture of petrol and air can circulate. When the mixture ignites, it turns the engine through a series of slots, and when the mixture finally burns, the gases exit through an exhaust outlet; this outlet is not a valve, since this engine has no valves, pistons, cylinders or sensors of any kind.

And what’s the advantage of this engine? If it is estimated that a piston-based internal combustion engine burns only 15% of the fuel that passes through it, the Wave Disk Generator (which could be roughly translated as wave generator disc) uses 60% of the fuel efficiently, considerably reducing the pollution from unburned petrol of the engines we all know.

In principle these engines would have to be very small to fit perfectly into a hybrid or range-extended car that uses this type of engine as a electricity generator. The gains in weight and range await whoever decides to try an alternative solution using this technology.

Sources | MSNBC, Blog de Motor, Wikipedia