Experiment No# 01

Objective:
To study the working and parts of Wankel engine model.

Apparatus:
Wankel engine model

Theory:
The Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary
design to convert pressure into rotating motion. In contrast to the more common reciprocating
piston designs, the Wankel engine delivers advantages of simplicity, smoothness, compactness,
high revolutions per minute, and a high power-to-weight ratio primarily because three power
pulses per rotor revolution are produced compared to one per revolution in a two-stroke piston
engine and one per two revolutions in a four-stroke piston engine, although at the actual output
shaft, there is only one power pulse per revolution.

All parts rotate consistently in one direction, as opposed to the common reciprocating piston
engine, which has pistons violently changing direction. The four-stage cycle of intake,
compression, ignition, and exhaust occur each revolution at each of the three rotor tips moving
inside the oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing, enabling the three power pulses per rotor
revolution. The rotor is similar in shape to a Reuleaux triangle with sides that are somewhat
flatter.
History of rotary engines:
The rotary combustion engines came into vogue in the First
World War There are three main types of true rotary engines:
1) Wankel types based on eccentric rotors.
2) Scissor action types using vanes or pistons.
3) Revolving block types ('cat and mouse' type).

History of wankel engine:

The first Wankel engine was developed by German engineer – Felix
Wankel. Wankel made first engine in 1926.
However, the Wankel engine design used today is designed by Hanns Dieter Paschke – which
he adopted forming the modern engine.

Parts of Wankel engine:

Rotor:-
The rotor has three convex faces which acts like a piston. The 3 corners of rotor forms
a seal to the outside of the combustion chamber. It also has internal gear teeth in the center on
one side. This allows the rotor to revolve around a fix shaft.
Housing:-
The housing is epitrochoidal in shape (roughly oval). The housing is cleverly designed as the 3
tips or corners of the rotor always stay in contact with the housing. The intake and exhaust ports
are located in the housing.

Inlet & exhaust ports:-

The intake port lets fresh mixture enter into combustion chamber & the exhaust gases expel out
through outlet/exhaust port.
Spark plug:-
A spark plug delivers electric current to the combustion chamber which ignites the air-fuel
mixture leading to abrupt expansion of gas. In wankel engine more than one spark plug can be
used.

Eccentric shaft:-
The output shaft has eccentric lobes mounted on it, which means they are offset from centreline
of the shaft. The rotor is not in pure rotation, but we need these eccentric lobes for pure rotation
of the shaft.

Fixed gear:
Gear attached to the housing to ensure the correct movement of the rotor within the housing.
Working of Wankel engine:
In a rotary engine,

Intake:-
When a tip of the rotor passes the intake port, fresh mixture starts entering into the first chamber.
The chamber draws fresh air until the second apex reaches the intake port & closes it. At the
moment, fresh air-fuel mixture is sealed into first chamber & is being taken toward for
combustion.

Compression:-
The chamber one(between corner 1 to corner 2) containing the fresh charge gets compressed due
to shape of the engine by the time it reaches to spark plug.
While this happens, a new mixture starts entering into the second chamber (between corner 2 to
corner 3).

Combustion:-
When the spark plug ignites, the highly compressed mixture expands explosively. The pressure
of expansion pushes the rotor in forward direction. This happens until the first corner passes
through the exhaust port.

Exhaust:-
As the peak OR corner 1 passes exhaust port, the hot high pressure combustion gases are free to
flow out of the port.
As the rotor continues to move, the volume of chamber goes on decreasing forcing the remaining
gases out of port. By the time the corner 2 closes the exhaust port, corner 1 passes by the intake
port repeating the cycle.
While the first chamber is discharging gases, the second chamber (between corner 2 to corner 3)
is under compression. Simultaneously, chamber 3(between corners 3 to corner 1) is drawing
fresh mixture.
Advantages:
Wankel engine has a very few moving parts; far less than 4 stroke piston engine. This makes the
design of the engine simpler & the engine reliable.
It is approximately 1/3rd of the size of the piston engines delivering same power output.
Able to reach higher revolutions per minute than a piston engine.
Wankel engine weighs almost 1/3rd of the weight of the piston engines delivering same power
output. This leads to a higher power to weight ratio.

Disadvantages:
As each section has temperature differences, the material expansion of housing is different at
different region. Therefore, the rotor is unable to completely seal the chamber in high
temperature region sometimes.
The combustion is slow as the combustion chamber is long, thin, and moving. Hence, there
might be a possibility that the fresh charge discharges out without even burning.
As unburnt fuel is in the exhaust stream, emissions requirements are difficult to meet.

Applications:

 Automobile racing
 Motorcycle engines
 Aircraft engines
Difference between rotary and reciprocating engine
Rotary Engine Reciprocating Engines

The simplest four-cylinder piston engine has

The rotary engine has far fewer moving parts at least 40 moving parts, including pistons,
than a comparable four-stroke piston engine. connecting rods, camshaft, valves, valve
springs, rockers, timing belt, timing gears and
crankshaft.

A two-rotor rotary engine has three main Each chamber draws in air and fuel, is
moving parts: the two rotors and the output compressed, ignited and combusted then
shaft expelled creating power while at the same
time forcing the other two chambers to do the
same

The power delivery in a rotary engine is The power delivery in a piston cylinder is also
smooth. smoother

The manufacturing costs can be higher, Less expensive as compared to rotary engines.
mostly because the number of these engines
produced is not as high as the number of
piston engines
They typically consume more fuel than a Consumes less fuel and have high
piston engine because the thermodynamic compression ratio.
efficiency of the engine is reduced by the long
combustion-chamber shape and low
compression ratio.