How Opposed Piston Engines Work (In 60 Seconds)
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- Can Opposed Piston Diesel Engines Save The Combustion Engine?
Detailed Video Of Achates Power Engine - • Opposed Piston Diesel ...
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Opposed piston engines operate similarly to two-stoke engines. When the pistons reach their respective bottoms, fresh air flows in from ports at the bottom, while exhaust is rejected through ports at the top. That fresh air is squeezed into a small pocket in the center of the cylinder as both pistons come together, where finally diesel fuel is directly injected, igniting the mixture and creating the power stroke. This pushes the pistons out, and the cycle repeats itself. This all results in an engine that is small, power dense, and quite efficient.
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Obviously as they are currently still build and bought and usually last for around 20 years. In my home country market share is around 18% EV and 82% ICE. Having those percentages reversed would be better. Few fun ICEs many EV commuters.
@@kooooons fortunately that's unlikely to happen😉
I've been waiting over a decade for a great hybrid: 100-mile battery with a novel low-power generator. Your MX-30 video gave me hope until I saw Mazda gimped the battery.
This engine doesn't get me excited, though. Cut it in half, rotate each half into a common crankshaft, cap the ends with fuel injectors, and you've got a boxer engine with a different intake/exhaust system. Where's the revolution?
Hope the Astron Omega pans out...
Writing from EU, the supposed 2035 ICE ban that would simply mean "no private transportation for less wealthy masses" had been fortunately put on hold! Let's hope no politically driven bans but a natural electric replacement when they will be really a good alternative for ALL.
@@masina9447 First of all its not a revolution. This technology is over a hundred years old and it's just one of many. Then it has several advantages over a boxer: superior gas exchange, which among other effects gives a flat torque curve, and also the ports on these can go around the entire cylinder which prevents heat gradients in the material which can be a problem for fittings.
Not only seen them, I work on them. They’re used in emergency diesel generators at nuke plants.
Originally from ships and subs.
why are they not used in production cars?
@@adityapandey1329 i want to know too!!
@@adityapandey1329 They’re HUGE…
Yep diesel generator on an Ohio class submarine uses this for sure I can tell you that from experience
Big ol' Waukesha.
Him: "For a different opinion, just go read the comments."
Chat: "Yes yes, this engine is very good."
😂
Exactly 😂. Couldnt find anything about it either.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@polishpat95mosty it was not use in car is just probably because its too big. Youll only see this engine in a bigger maching like big generator or like ship etc
Its gonna be either too wide or too tall if you use it in a car
Because this opposed piston engine doesn't require cylinder heads, which tend to lose some of the energy by conduction. This makes the opposed piston engine more efficient, but the problem is that the air coming in one end cools the cylinder whereas the exhaust going out the other end heats the cylinder. So the cylinder has uneven heating which can cause other problems like piston ring wear and blow by gases
what if you somehow switch the exhaust and intake in each round? or switch after some time
@@Alirezarz62 no space for it=crucial advantage of this type (high power density to build space).
Basically it replaces the Cylinder head with yet another Engine. Overkill at its best❤
They could fix that problem by alternating the air flow with each cycle.
Because you can't just reverse the intake manifold and exhaust system on every rotation
A friend of mine had an old fishing boat with this kind of engine. Tons of low-end power and is also very efficient with fuel. The thing was a workhorse of an engine.
Diesel two strokes have a low end power band and gasoline two strokes have a high end
If you hate high rpm but love unlimited torque, this is the engine for you
So it’s gonna be the next engine in a new muscle car?
@@frazerblaze704no but it would be awesome in a van where torque is better than power
Old BMW motor bike engine was like this?
Comment on torque are wierd, torque is always unlimited. I use can always increase troque by increasing gear ratio
@@dougalzombiwrong
For starters these engines are HUGE, mostly used in submarines, tanks, trains, etc. and they’re mechanically complex so there’s usually a mechanic on standby that’s trained to run these too
Not all opposed piston engines are huge. A Spanish company called INNengine has a new opposed piston engine with four cylinders and 8 pistons, only 35 kg putting out 120 hp. You can find their channel here on CZcams, and at least two other CZcams channels have done analyses of the engine. One of them is driving 4 answers, "d4a".
That was the issue with the Fairbanks-Morse train engines of the 1950s. Strong as all get out, but required specific training and tools. Eventually FM went back to building marine engines which are still in use today.
They can be a real handful and problem if the fuel mixture goes ritch and they start to detonate.
There are 9 0p engines at the diesel electric power plant in Homestead Florida my best friend was the plant operator. In 1975 . Those engines were about 1.5 stories tall . Being in that plant was very loud and very cool to see and experience.
Got one on my old tractor
The Germans used this in aeronautical applications. The specific engine was the Junkers Jumo 205.
Yes, seen some of them at the Technik Museum in Berlin
Huh, they used these in the absolute gigantic flying boat BV 222
The Ju 86R-3 used this engine type, 6cylinder/12 piston diesel with supercharger and nitrous oxide injection to achieve the absolute altitude record of WW2.
57,000 '.
One of those Junkers flew non-stop from Germany to Brazil.
Love this configuration
Yes yes, this engine is very good
One benefit over a traditional two-stroke is that the two pistons can be phased slightly differently. For example, the Napier Deltic had it's crankshafts offset by 20°, so that it opened it's exhaust ports before the intake and closed the intake after the exhaust. This gives much better efficiency.
@@ielmosTTRit doesn't. A normal 2 stroke the exhaust is the first that opens and also the last thing that closes.
Well its the fresch blue smoke from the oil.,
The efficiency gain is mostly due to reduction in non work producing surface area.
@@ielmosTTR that's where the expansion chamber comes in
I would like to see more of this in the future, power valves and all that would be interesting.
Brilliant approach to save on video length. Just make the commenters explain it, as they always do
not to mention, it drives up his video engagement, and since youtube gives more money for engangement on YT SHORTS, it is making his wallet fatter.
Just like the above engine
Just like the above engine
I honestly genuinely love it🤓
@@baremetaltechtvI've almost never justify such acts for any content creator, but man he makes informative content with effective illustrations and doesn't say pt2 or anything that promotes his channel which he has right to do. So stop being a pain for good people.
Nice, saves effort by video creator too. I suppose if opinion goes too far afield of what Creator wants, can delete some comments (right?) or even the whole video.
Their biggest drawback is they are mechanically complex.
You need two pistons per cylinder, and then you need two crankshafts for those pistons, which need to go through a geartrain before you get your power.
You pretty much needed to take them to a dedicated workshop to get any repairs done on them.
It’s not the problem. This kind of engines can’t be controlled according to the driving conditions. Because this doesn’t have valves.
@@nagodavithanaamilalakmal662 are you talking about engine braking? Because that just can be fixed by a Jake brake mechanism beside the fuel injector.
@@nagodavithanaamilalakmal662 what exactly is difficult about controlling this engine? No engine is controlled by its valves. At best you have variable valve timing in other engines but the benefits of this motor outweigh that minor issue.
@@platinumsky845 I think he may be talking about the two-stroke mechanical configuration of these engines, which is why I mentioned engine braking in my reply. Diesel engines in general have that issue, which the Jake brakes fix by turning the engine into an air compressor.
The valvetrain can be simpler, no poppet valves cams etc.
Fairbanks Morse built them by the tons, used in marine application and during WW2. They also had a Locomotive market and were the most powerful of their day. They had a very interesting sound.
I used to work on these in the navy. Used them for generators
Do they run more on one gallon of diesel in comparison to the regular engines?
Thanks for your service!
Your country bombed my country 🥰🥰
Nice pf pic😂
@@IamAhmedMohammed Yes, but it's diesel, not gas.
Bard says: "Opposed-piston engines are not used in cars because they are more complex and expensive to manufacture than traditional piston engines. They also have a higher compression ratio, which makes them more susceptible to detonation.
However, opposed-piston engines have a number of advantages over traditional piston engines. They are more efficient and produce fewer emissions. They also have a longer lifespan and can withstand more wear and tear.
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in opposed-piston engines due to their potential to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. A number of companies, including Achates Power and Cummins, are developing opposed-piston engines for use in cars. It is possible that opposed-piston engines will become more common in cars in the future."
Imagining a hybrid EV with an opposed piston engine. The torque would be insane along with unseen fuel economy numbers. I would rather have that than a full EV truck like the rivian because the range of towing with EVS is atrocious due to battery pack weight and increased load on battery under towing conditions.
“More complex and expensive to manufacture”
That is the biggest load of bull I have ever heard in my entire life. No the real reason cars don’t have them is because auto makers don’t want you to be satisfied with owning 1 reliable, powerful and efficient car. They want to milk money out of the consumers as much as they can by using the same damn designs they’ve used for nearly a century and by adding a bunch of bells and whistles to jack up the prices, so what everyone ends up with is an over complicated car with too many unnecessary parts that isn’t gas efficient nor is powerful
@@slingshotnerd true that. you can keep 90s-2000s camrys running virtually forever for way cheaper than a 50k new car note. currently rocking an 04 camry with close to 300k miles and that's the camry known for burning oil and being less reliable too. granted i just had to replace wheelbearings and front CV axles so it does cost me money to drive sometimes, but it literally never stops driving.
How would detonation occur in a compression ignition engine?
@@mircomuntener4643 auto-ignition? Idk HAHAHA
if I remember right, these opoc engines had a lubrication issue at the crank that was still under development to figure out how to keep the lubricated
I assume they also have trouble to get the energy from two parallel cranks into one with as little wear and loss as possible. Lubrication might be a big part of that.
Hadn't considered that 🤔
Just use an electric oil pump.... technology is pretty good these days...
Could probably solve the lubrication with a horizontal mounting like the boxer engine. But I'm sure smarter men than me already though of it.
@@TheAKGunner78 your probably right but new patents get filed and bought out every day. Don't sell yourself short.
In 2018 Ford was funding a company developing a 3.0l opposed engine for the f150. The gasoline version was to get about 37 mpg and the diesel version about 15-20% better than that if memory serves. Power and torque numbers were decent too. They even had a prototype at the auto shows. To this date they have not actually put one into the production vehicles though. Likely because our governments are pushing electric so hard.
I'm doubtful that's the reason. Judging by the other comments, these engines have existed for quite some time, probably long enough for someone to think of putting one in a consumer vehicle before EV's took off. I'm guessing the reason is some combo of cost, complexity, and reliability.
F big Oil.
Here's hoping they realize series hybrids, with these running electric generators for electric motors, is a good idea
@@neohippe1What about small oil though?
Edison motors😅@@JoshRiolu
I was in charge of overhauling a Fairbanks-Morse 12-cylinder, 1900 HP, opposed piston engine in a Navy tugboat. It was quite an experience and an amazing engine.
That thing must’ve been huge
@@danparish1344
Yeah. The upper crank was about 14 feet. You have to place a set of brackets on the side with planks to work on the top.
It's not as big as ship engines, but the tug was only 110'.
@@lelandlewis7207 Watched a guy working on a tug, standing on top of a piston and riding it down as the crank was turned. That was some torque monster.
YTB?
@@paolabulgari6298 Wasn't even thought of in those days. lol
I used to work on opposed triple crank-shaft Napier Deltic engines, used in Royal Navy 'ton class minesweepers.
I will never forget the sound of a well tuned Deltic engine, particularly at start-up.
I always thought the most famous use of the Deltics was the locomotives.
@@JasperJanssenditto, and what a noise those things make
Wow you would have seen and know a lot, I was got to mention the commer knocker engines that I have dealt with in Aus but your history sounds amazing. I’ve always to know what compression ratios you use to run on those types of engines. Please let me know if you could.
Regards Ken
Hey m8 another stoker here RNZN
Napier took the concept outline in the video, and said "hold my beer."
It’s all fine and dandy until the forbidden kiss happens
These are not interference engines. The forbidden kiss is impossible.
@@daldisimobold of you to assume things will never wear out.
@@daldisimobut you know what is an interference engine?........ us 😘
@@metalavenger23sorry, but if something wears out it loses material, right? Now how would the pistons kiss with even less material to close the gap that already is non closeable
@@Crystalcluster easy if you fry the bearings on the piston rods badly enough that could have as much as a total of a 1/16 of an inch extra movement and considering diesel engines usually measure the distance between head and piston in thousandths of an inch and while this is piston to piston spacing rather than piston to head I don’t see those clearances changing much because that tight squeeze is crucial for for diesel ignition
Shop Owner: “How much oil do you need?”
Engine: “Yes.”
I love the part where he explains why we don't see these engines in today's cars
Love the part where you're too lazy to look it up
@@user-qy6bg5hq5pActually the video says the answers would be in the comments. Do you have an answer?
1. It is diesel
2. Although up to 25% more efficient, only at constant revs.
With cleaner fuel, it is a great way to charge electric hybrid trucks though.
@angrytedtalks its used in nuclear power plants
@@user-qy6bg5hq5p As a backup generator, not for making power for sale.
@@user-qy6bg5hq5p I love the part where you're complaining over me pointing something out, which is totally valid
T-64 tank uses 5TD engine, 5 opposed pistons cylinders. More than 700 HP in 14 litres with a huge amount of torque
Puls it is small and has an amazing sound
"Torque"
@@fubartotale3389 thanks, fixed
I'm curious, did it have five pistons or ten. Must be even to oppose. Just wondering. Appears to be a great set up for a motorcycle, like a BMW except that the pistons would be turned around. More complicated than that, but you get my drift.
@@tonydabaloney there are 5 cylinders with 10 opposing pistons
I've worked on them on several ships, and they used to be quite common in railroad locomotives
Early diesels on the railroads correct??
wasn't there a british triangle train engine with opposing piston engine
@pingviini pelaa it was called the Napier Deltic, very cool design from the Second World War. Was originally design for torpedo boats I believe, it then went on to be used quite notably in the British Railways Class 55 'Deltic' locomotive.
@Ye Old Geezer yes they were the engine design of choice in Fairbanks-Morse diesel locomotives. The same company also made larger ones, that's what I'm used to seeing on the ships I've been on.
When I was in my auto tech class learning about car engines, I always wondered if this kind of engine was possible, and if I could make one. Guess someone beat me to the punch a long time ago lol
The English had them in trucks during the fifties and sixties, the brand was a COMMER and referred to as the commer knockers, roots type supercharger which you could hear the scream of before you ever seen the truck but they were very successful and pulled loads way heavier than they were supposed to. As a kid I drove one many, many times towing a thirty six foot trailer usually loaded to the max with bales of wool or hay bales. They were hampered by a counter lever setup from one side to the crank shaft on the other.
Until Chrysler acquired Roots and discontinued it. Yankee doodles.
Yeah I heard they have low rpm but produce a hell amount of torque
Given that the max load of a truck is dependent upon the road rather than the engine, and that roads themselves are dynamic places that demand a wide range of power and torque ratios, it's no surprise this engine wasn't successful in the trucking industry.
Supercharged, with just a single crankshaft !
@@bort6414 The Commer was around for 14 years !
My dad explained how they worked in 1983. Germany was technologically *WAY* ahead of the allies.
they had to be, no?
Not in the places that mattered for a war
@@eanna3781well, the statement is about the brilliant mechanical engineers who designed, and built aircraft, not the nutjob dictator who ran Germany at that time. Robert Bosch is good example, he did not want anything to do with the Nazi party, and donated a lot of war proceeds to charity, and social causes. Not _every_ German was a baddie.....
Germany in 1983 or Germany in the 1940's? Germany during the world wars was certainly ahead in engine technology but they lacked in a massive amount of places, including radio communications, computing, and manufacturing research. East Germany genuinely just was kind of ahead, but lost massively in simple quality of life things, and the development of electronics, which basically ruined all of Germany when they unified and East Germany turned out to be kind of hard to integrate economically.
Nuke
You know what they say; "its better to be pissed off, than piston!"
I’ve been following Achates for years and would like you to do a full video on it.
Napier Deltic from 1946? 18 cylinder ship and train engine.
Yep, son on navy submarine has a fairbanks Morse he works on, I've been lucky enough to see it.
I work on them too! Been to Beloit Wi, to the school. Used in emergency diesel generators at nuke plants.
The F/M are from subs, not the same stroke on both halves. The top being shorter to accommodate fitting into subs.
The son has a Fairbanks Morse and he works on it in the Navy submarine? How’s is that possible?
@@mtang65 weak troll attempt…
@Manny Tang it's backup power when the reactor is off and the sub is at the surface, such as when in port
As Admiral Richard O'Kane described the Fairbanks Morse diesels on his sub during World War II, they were Rock Crushers.
In 1974, I worked at a Ford/Mercury dealership as a mechanic. One day, the shop manager came over to the mechanic in the next stall. I heard him tell the guy to bring in a very rich ladies brand new Mercury Marquis and check it out. Her complaint was something was wrong with her had gauge. We all talked together while we worked and it was a great dealership. He crawls under the dashboard and he’s checking the wiring and testing power to the dashboard. He finds nothing wrong. Her mileage gauge showed 653 miles. She had told the repair writer that she had never added any gas and was confused. We were talking and he’s scratching his head and says how can that be?? Maybe she doesn’t remember getting gas? I was standing by the front of the car and he pops the hood. We both stood there with our jaws on the floor! There was an engine, but neither of us had ever seen one like this!!! It resembled something out of the FUTURE!!! We start calling other mechanics over and NO ONE had ever seen anything like that!! The guy working on it goes over to the manager and after a few words he pulls the mechanic into his office and slams the door. So by now, EVERY MECHANIC AND NODY SHOP WORKERS ARE CROWDED AROUND THE CAR!! The original mechanic comes out of the office and slams the hood shut, gets in and takes to our high fenced new car waiting area. Doesn’t say one word. He comes back in and we’re all like “what the hell”? He says NO ONE SAW THATVENGINE”! The next morning there’s about 10 Ford top management guys waiting for us to open. The dealerships manager greets them and they go trooping down to the chain linked fence and into it. About 30 minutes goes by and two of these top dogs come out driving through car and disappeared! We were all told that if we ever breathed a word about that car we’d never work for Ford no matter where!! It’s been 50 years and I’m retired. All I know is a Marquis in n those days were lucky to get 14 mpg. I don’t remember the exact size of the gas tank, but let’s say 26 gallons and she had driven 653 miles and still had fuel!! Guess what? That lady came into the show room every year on the same date and picked out her free car for the next year!! IT CAME BE DONE BUT THE FAS AND OIL INDUSTRY STOMPS ON ANYTHING THAT THEY DON’T APPROVE OF!!
Sounds like a prototype slipped into the production line and made its way all the way to an unknowing customer.
Yeah, like Teslas, and Ionics, and hybrids, and.... And..... Yeah those oil people sure hold all the power........
Don't know what you saw back then, but 653 miles on less than 26 gallons is no big deal these days.
Sounds like a bull crapp conspiracy theory
@@user-hq6mm9nt1l that's why electric cars and hybrids are so suppressed. No one knows...... What? You mean the oil industry Couldnt stop this?
These engines where used in a Commer truck(English) and did drive them the sound it makes is lovely a deep grum with also whistling sound i loved it. 🤗
Almost.. the ts3 was a single crank config with connecting rockers & rods.. GM killed it off as happened with Detroit diesels.. sleeve valve uniflos are a better option
Chrysler owned Commer, not GM.
Also no one mentioned the rail motor trains engines were at auction in perth in early 70s
Tc3 "Knocker"
Roots Commer knocker ts3 very widespread use in Britain small efficient reliable.
There was a company wanting to bring a horizontal version to the Chevy Silverado and that didn't happen.
And that because the oil smoke...
@@mrsmith697 Diesel 2 strokes don't burn any oil. They have a sump oil system like a 4 stroke.
@@TheBryce98 The fuel is actually oil itself...
Why?
@@will7its Not for the kind used in road vehicles.
This motor is simply too good for this sick world.
@@mrsmith697
Wrong! Pressurized lube oil system, like a 4 stroke. Stick to something you know.
My guess was that this engine is simply too top heavy and tall to be used in a road car but then it struck me that it can be rotated 90 degress so it's positioned like a boxer engine.
My 2nd guess is that this engine takes a lot more money to manufacture and there is the risk people won't buy it and leave manufacturers at a loss.
@@rpgspyware9560 no the truth is that the established motor manufacturers crush any successful alternative engine! just look up all the patents that were bought by major motor manufacturers and shelved.
I work on one it was a commer two stroke it had got a massive super charger
This isn't a motor, it's an engine. There's a distinct difference between the two. Electric cars are powered by motors, ICE vehicles are powered by engines.
I had one of these Commers back in the mid/late 1970's & it was a lovely "runner" but i never had any problem with it & so really knew little or nothing about the working of it & this Engine ended up in the IT College Carlow IT Ireland for use by students there.
Stop engine ,start engine in reverse. Four reverse gears. As I remember.
Fairbanks Morse used to build these for their line of Railroad locomotives in the 1940s and 50s. Overall their locomotives were good and successful, but the issue was performing maintenance on the OP engines. According to some mechanics, you basically had to remove the entire engine from the locomotive in order to work on it. This was unlike the V engines on other locomotives which were easier to work on and did not have to be removed for general maintenance.
Could have it backwards but I believe they already produced the engines and decided to adapt them to locomotive use when they entered the market. From everything I've read about them, they were a nightmare to work on, and a large number of locomotives powered by them were either scrapped relatively young, or rebuilt with much simpler EMD powerplants. Somewhat ironic, but in its current iteration, FM carries engine parts for ALCO's 251 series engines, which outlasted FM's stint in the locomotive market by several years
I had alco my ship the uss tuscaloosa! 6 main engines and 2 gens. The factory in providence RI is now condos right across the rode from my VA hospital!! How ironic
Now, if only they stuck three of those together in a triangle, made one of them run in the other direction, and called it a Deltic! (look up Deltic engines, they're amazing bits of engine history)
And amazing locomotive history, and the sound they make is awesome!
i will never heard of one👍👍
Yes, the first engine I thought of the Delta, used on Britain's rail network where space is tight
@@greggregory8311 Tight indeed! When the Deltics went into service, the platforms, at the stations they served, had to have their edges moved back by an inch or two because they were too close to the locomotives.
Huh, it's like a reverse boxer engine. Very cool!
One could even argue that “boxer” would better fit this type of engine since the pistons are actually pointing directly at each other, like 2 boxing gloves.
I had the same thought, great minds think alike
@@mastermotoff6589
See Commer TS3....
small trucks that would otherwise have a Cummins...could have one of these...the "Commer Knocker"..
I thought so too.
I've always heard of boxer engines referred to as horizontally opposed. Makes sense I guess.
Weight and space concerns is why they weren't/aren't more common. Napier, Junkers and Commer all got them working quite well for boats, planes and trucks with varying degrees of success in packaging.
shout out to the work horse of this type, the Fairbanks Morse 38 8-1/8 series, used from the 30s to today, designed for trains but mostly used on submarines and ships, they are super cool!
Per my dad, who was diesel mechanic in Navy in WWII, they were also used extensively as aux generators on ships.
ND38 8-1/8 or 12-1/8 if you're on a SSBN
It's still going to have the same big basic problem that the 2 stroke Detroit Diesel has. The rings get scuffed going past those scavenge ports, and you have oil slobbering out of the scavenge ports. You can't have good cylinder and piston skirt lubrication without some of that oil leaking out. If you put even better ring package at the bottom of each piston, then you run the cylinder dry. Big trunk piston ship engines solve this by having a separate cylinder lube system, and a shaft seal around the connecting rod, keeping blowby gases and engine crankcase lube oil out of the piston area completely. This arrangement is too tall for a vehicle engine, and would be too heavy and slow RPM. The other problem is one piston in this opposed piston arrangement is cold, always being the intake one, and the upper piston will get hotter and hotter from being the exhaust piston. Uniflow does have some benefits, but the uneven cylinder heating and uneven piston temperatures will be another big problem.
I'm assuming it would be over engineering or overcomplicated to make the intake and exhaust sides swap every stroke, or maybe even swap over several minutes following a temperature reading for each side being compared to its counterpart. That could fix the temperature problem though.
But from what the comments are saying this engine design is just naturally huge anyway so doubling the exhaust and air intake would probably just make that problem bigger I guess.
Really problem is that it would last too long
You actually answered it, thx
i never thought a two stroke could use diesel💀
@@thatpancakecat200 don’t think impossible but would likely sacrifice other things like power response at a guess say it’s a diesel so normal everyday revs are hitting 2500rpm or 40rps meaning you’d need some sort of valve system in place for them to switch (more wear) that could cope with that, would likely be easier to have inlets outlets at both heads whether this would cause problems as well I don’t know but more parts, plumbing etc. either way.
Opposed Piston (OP) Engines are all two stroke. Commonly used on Tugboats, and as Generators on ships and for Locomotives. Quite tall and always have a supercharger. Pretty reliable. Had some problems with excessive carbon buildup when light loaded as generators.
Every generator works better under load.
Engines like to be loaded, 2 stroke diesel especially.
The more compact the engine layout, the more the heat stress will be. You basically have a 3 cylinder engine doing the combustion work of a 6 cyl. I assume you'll need much more bang to make two pistons move at the same time, rather than one. I imagine being a diesel, with that much compression, it will have pretty insane heat development.
BR Class 55 Deltic used an insane opposed piston engine arranged in a triangle with 3-4 banks if I recall correctly? The sound was phenomenal and is a noise like no other! I'd love to see this type of engines in cars and would immediately buy one if they ever did come to market
I have been a Diesel Engine Technician for 30 years, and I have work on many Engines like this, The originals actually the are about 12'ft. tall, about 20'ft. long! The Brand is Fairbanks Morse 2 cycle opposed piston Diesel Engines!!
Hold up, the Fairbanks Morse engines are of opposed piston design?! Wtf I didn't know
The 3 cylinder Commer diesel engine, in some trucks in the old days
See Commer TS3....
small trucks that would otherwise have a Cummins...could have one of these...the "Commer Knocker"..
Yeah. One of those Commer trucks used to come to my primary school every day to collect the remains of our lunch as pig-swill. By god its exhaust beneath the front bumper was distinct and very noisy.
Interesting design..
The TS3 engine, outstanding engine. There was a 4 cylinder version, much more advanced. Unfortunatelly Chrysler purchased the company and stoped its production.
I just finished reading the Wikipedia article on the Achates motor, and I can tell you that this motor is going places. The army just awarded it $14,000,000 dollars in developing costs!
The napier deltic is probably the best example
I believe the chieftain had this type of engine.
Could be mistaken.
That type of engine WAS in the 43 series or APCs in the British army
Yes, the Chieftain tank had one made by Leyland, that could burn diesel or petrol.
@@johnburns4017 And it was a terrible idea. It'd take some work to convert the engine from one fuel to another. However, it was rubbish at running on either. Which mean that, when run on petrol, there'd be a lot of piston ring wear. Eventually, they'd start leaking.
Not a problem for the bottom pistons, but, for the top pistons that meant lubrication oil would find its way into the cylinders. Apparently, they were notorious for starting to "diesel" on their own engine oil, and run away.
Once that started happening there was no stopping it, and you had seconds to get a long way away from it before the whole unit exploded!
I've driven a Chieftain with one of these engines, it's effective enough on diesel. But people buying them surplus would, if they knew what they were doing, would always check the piston ring wear straight away after purchase!
And of course, the granddaddy of all opposed piston engines is the beloved English Electric Deltic.
That would make the Junkers Jumo the great-grandaddy
@@abarratt8869
The problems with the Leyland engine was overcome in the end. At great expense and time though. As you point out it worked fine on diesel, but at a crunch in battle when no diesel fuel is available but petrol is, it could be run on petrol. It is also used in the Vickers MBT and the Indian Vijayanta tank.
@@slartibartfast2649
Junkers Jumo was not the first opposed piston engine. The 1882 _Atkinson differential engine was._ In the modern sense it was the French Gobron-Brillié around 1900 using _one_ crankshaft, not two. In April 1904, a Gobron-Brillié set a world speed record of 95 mph.
I love how you ended this clip 😂
- How much torque does it produce?
- All of it.
Cost prohibitive for manufacturers. Requires 2 crank shafts. Which also means it needs a lot of horizontal space especially with the block needing to be wide enough for both piston’s to meet at tdc. This is probably best suited for marine applications.
I think marine and military applications are ideal, where emissions aren't as important. Cost shouldn't be too much higher than inline engines, though. Vee engines are still common even though they have double the camshafts.
Yes, two crank shafts for the same power, but no valve train or cylinder head.
@@slartibartfast2649these have less emissions....
CZcams comment experts back at it again
@@twrk139how dare people leave comments relevant to the subject in the subjects comments section??!
You tell them, Karen!
But no cams or valves, I get it that the crank is the biggest, heaviest and hardest to produce component, but would not the efficiency increase offset the cost?
I actually ran West Side Lumber Co. number 11 and 12 at the Colorado Railroad Museum and they basically have half that engine.
The “Deltic” engines, opposing piston engine with three cranks and three rows of cylinders in a triangular arrangement. The GOAT of Diesel engines.
This engine is called BOXER engine 😂
Boxers are similar but opposite, with one crankshaft and horizontal pistons on either side, almost like a flat V engine
I was wondering about how these kind of engines suck in air and push out exhaust gases for a while, so glad you answered my question.
Btw a company working on these types of engines currently is a Spanish one called Innengine
Two-stroke diesels like these need a supercharger (called a blower in these applications, because they aren't really for adding power) to pressurise the inlet air to literally blow the exhaust gases out of the cylinder. They actually can't run without them.
With a blower just like a Detroit Diesel !
there are no comments 😢
lol
I have no comment
I am confused as to why these aren't more common. They don't seem too complex compared to conventional designs, and the technology is broadly the same, meaning adoption should be pretty easy.
They burn oil by design also poor emissions
guess it needs compressor to run, like other two strokes with closed lubrication.
I'm sure they are expensive to design and make. Plus two crankshafts. And trying to make it reliable.
@@barsaf9989The Napier Deltic is probably one of the most common opposed piston designs. They had 18 cylinders arranged in six triangular banks, with 3 crankshafts.
@@ferid9k they don't need too. It depends how the ports are configured.
Unlike in a motorcycle/lawnmower 2 stroke, its possible to put the piston rings down at the bottom of the piston so they don't interfere with the ports and therefore don't pass lubricant into the intake/exhaust.
It's also possible to put valves [with reverse travel] on these, which you wouldn't see on a typical two stroke.
They really should be still in production. Not having a head gasket is a game changer in reliability.
Or a valve train,with no pushrods, lifters or timing belts to break.
The significant problem with the Acates 3 cylinder opposed piston engine is that the upper Pistons tend to run hot; and there has been some piston scuffing problems, which could be solved by more oil Jets and additional Cooling. By adding spark plugs and lowering the compression, you could burn almost any kind of fuel in this engine
T-64 and T-84 tanks use this type of engines
let's be honest T-80UD ;)
I'd love one in my landcruiser❤
Love the old Napier deltic used in old Diesel locomotives all seam to be phases out.
Should be useful for low floor bus where they can keep the rear section flat as well if the engine could be mounted flat.
I saw it in an old bus in the museum in Coventry
All the ones I have seen in generators and submarines were all mounted vertically.
Simpler to use an opposed piston boxer engine with a single central crankshaft. Fewer moving parts and the pistons don’t mind sitting horizontally.
I'm pretty sure these are installed vertically as if used horizontally the cylinders would wear due to the gravity constantly pressing on one side, that's the problem that all boxer engines have.
@@Dourkan actually it'vs been demonstrated that the wear from gravity is minuscule compared to the side thrust developed by the crank in all piston/crank engines, which will wear them all to an oval shape, regardless of their orientation.
My first thought was "at high rpms, I feel like you would start having piston contact and/or fusing" or something similar based off JUST this diagram. Go to comments and someone said it only runs at low rpm but gives a lot of torque. Glad to see I wasn't too off. As long as they were right lol
My dad has worked on one of these engine and said a flaw is that it needs to be turbo or suppercharger to get enough fresh air to make it viable otherwise it's pointless. But that's in his opinion
I think all 2 stroke diesels need a supercharger, not only those with opposed pistons
wouldn't the exhaust side piston get way hotter?
depends on the flow and amount of water in the heads but yes
@@johnsonbobo2376 there are no “heads”, just cylinders and pistons. One of the big reasons these engines are so efficient is that there are no heads for which to loose heat. Much of that heat that would normally be lost through a head is contained and put to work driving the opposed pistons. Much less surface area to loose heat.
Two-stroke engines routinely deal with hot exhaust gasses flowing over the piston crown as the exhaust port is uncovered. In most two-strokes this is highly asymmetrical as there is only a single port. Pistons are ground with extra clearance on the exhaust side to accommodate thermal expansion.
With the Achates engine the exhaust ports are placed symmetrically around the bore circumference. This arrangement is much kinder on the piston as it precludes localized overheating. The exhaust side pistons might have to have a little extra clearance to allow for thermal expansion but otherwise this should be no big deal.
Yes
I think the t64 had this kind of engine layout
If you think this looks complicated, check out the Napier Deltic engine which has 3 banks of these cylinders arranged in a triangle, each pair sharing a crankshaft at the corners and firing at 120 degree intervals. Requires like a years supply of pistons just to make one engine.
I don't know if Fairbanks-Morse still exists but they made some pretty interesting opposed-piston diesel-electric locomotives in the 50s.
Of course they still exist. Their factory is in Beloit, Wisconsin.
Worked on these 50 years ago, de-carbing the exhaust ports. Excellent engines..
My favorite opposed piston engine is the Commer.
Am I the only one who wants to boost this😂
Nope I want a 5 cylinder turbo version as well!
We have superior innovations. Moving them forward...on a budget
I've heard of opposed piston engines being used in rail road locomotives.
Not trying to toot my own horn (ok, maybe a little), but I came up with this idea before I learned it already existed. It was rather edifying knowing that an original idea I had was actually useful is some cases. I was about 100 years late though in getting a patent.
Alas, I concur that electric just makes sense, lol.
English company Commer built the TS3 for trucks. Screamed like a banshee.
One issue is the cost and complexity of the required combining gearbox that would then have to go into another transmission. There’s also additional efficiency loss with that configuration.
Never knew that existed. That's wild.
The napier deltic mentioned, and another engine commonly known as the "commer knocker" I think? Are two of the most well known examples. They sound crazy cool, too!
Google Commer Knocker trucks TD3 was made for 20 years
I've seen one in a museum. I believe it was a plane engine from Junkers. Massive thing.
the only ENLIGHTENED CREATOR...😂😂who knows what happens in comment sections😂😂😂
I think the deltic used 3 pairs of opposing pistons in a triangle (hence the name deltic from delta). These were then stacked up and used to power train locomotives
Could you make a video on Dimethyl Ether (DME) Fuel?
“You’ve probably never heard of this engine” I HAVE
He said PROBABLY.
I’m pretty sure this is the engine that Chieftain used. Leylan L60
Same engine type yes, tho it has twice the amount of cylinders/pistons then the one in the video
I love odd engine builds.
Here im Germany lots of them were built between the wars and after the second one. Some cars, trucks and tractors had them too...
I once heard a 3 cylinder which was used as an stationary engine at an Oldtimer meeting....it sounded amazing......
There are still companies which are making these, but very few....
Dude i literally had an idea of this engine design today, thinking how it would work and how I am the only one who had this idea. It looked similar, but looked more like a boxer engine but in reverse piston direction ➡️⬅️. The gas-fuel mix and the exhaust system was in the middle of the cylinder....😅
Anyway I went to my brother, super excited to tell him my new engine idea, but he cuts me of, telling me that there are such engines already😢. Then he tells me to look it up and now im here 😢😢😢😢.
I guess i wasn't the only one who had this Idea.💡
My guess: far more weight, loads more reciprocating mass making it harder to balance potentially, dimensions (or height moreso), two flywheels and cranks, no variable timing; but also, no complex valvetrain.
Should be easier to balance with opposing pistons but it's never balancing. Packaging or general 2 stroke things could be the problem? 🤷♀️
If i look it up on wiki in my language "easier to balance" literally is in the list of advantages 😅
The only disadvantages seemingly are hydrocarbon emissions due to oil loss at the ports and heat issues at the ports.
I would think that this would be one of the easiest to balance engines in existence. If you have the two cranks rotating in opposing directions at the right offset, the gyroscopic forces should cancel out without the need for a balance weight connected to them, plus you have two equivalent masses moving in opposing directions in each cylinder.
@@kooooons why it would have oil loss? Unlike two stroke, opposed piston doesn't mix lubricant with the fuel since there is a way to spray lubricating oil beneath the cylinder.
@@samuelmendoza9356 Since the ports are in the cylinderwall, and the cylinderwall needs lubrication and the piston moves oil from the wall into the ports.
You had me at 2-stroke diesel.
If this technology is any good, VW would be on it to mass production. It looks good in animation 3D CAD PROGRAM ONLY. In reality the bas news is endurances and reliability fail. I can assure you large ships love to have a reliable engine, trucking industry are keen on saving money.
Fun fact
In both short term and long term this is way cleaner and cheaper than an electric car
lol no. Especially in the long-term. This channel even has a video explaining why not.
@@MyCommentsGetGhostedrealistically speaking you only need about 80hp in a normal sized car
If you make a small 80hp version of this i would be right
An electric car is only cleaner if the electricity is produced with green energy and doesn’t have highly pollutive lithium batteries
As soon as I saw those sleeve openings I knew emissions are probably a huge factor.
actually this achates engine is incredibly efficient for an ICE, preliminary test results showing about 50% thermal efficiency
@Jacko Polo Efficiency wasn't the problem they stated, it was emissions. Although they can be very efficient, it would be pretty expensive to get them to conform to emission standards.
The oil-fueled diesel is very high in cold engine emissions, which is what motivated Volkswagen to cheat. Even the Achates will suffer the same cold engine issues, unless gasoline is used along with a preheated catalytic converter, and/or the OP engine only idles while warming up - which suggests that it must be a hybrid electric.
Is not as simple as putting an engine, we have to tune it specifically to suit all RPM ranges, emission regulations and moreover it seems a lot bulkier and expensive to maintain. In a nutshell it is hard to maintain, hard to tune for all conditions and bulkier
Hope that helped, pin me if my answer made sense
You need a blower. They have fixed timing. Exhaust is pretty hot. I love them. ❤
Back when they were first developing engines, they should have told the AI the piston cylinder was a moving part.
it was - look up Knight sleeve valve engines
I imagine that the vibration from 3-4 sets of these firing would be really noticeable compared to a V-6 or V-8. Having more cylinders isn't just about more power but a smoother and quieter running engine.
I have :) 8 cylinder 16 piston two stroke turbo diesel. I actually saw all four of them on my sisters old ship she was naving on. Cool part was they all shared a strange hybrid turbo. Was really cool!
I literally thought of this format in my head one day and surprised to see them almost nowhere
I used to work on big diesel engines that were opposed piston 2 strokes. Very cool design.
In the 1960s, Cummins made them for trucks in the UK. They were 3 cylinder opposed, supercharged diesel, they had a very distinctive whistle. I love that sound.
Commer not Cummings,
I rebuild 2. Myself must say I am impressed with the design and efficiency. Of them.
Mikel
I know it makes to much sense to have an engine like this on the market today !!
The engine is license to another company and whoever builds this engine has to pay royalties 😮