Friday 16th December 2005

BMW develops steam power

Turbosteamer could be here in ten years

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BMW Turbosteamer

Could Beemers be steam-powered in future? Well, possibly.

BMW's research and engineering boffins reckoned that they've succeeded in harnessing what BMW called "the biggest and as yet untapped source of energy in the car: heat". Combining a drive assist with a 1.8-litre BMW four-cylinder engine on the test rig reduced fuel consumption by up to 15 per cent while generating nearly 14 additional horsepower. At the same time, up to 15 lb-ft more torque was measured. This increased power and efficiency comes free of charge.

And the reason is that the energy is derived exclusively from the waste heat present in the exhaust gases and cooling system and doesn’t cost you a single drop of fuel.

The Turbosteamer – as the project is known – is based on the principle of the steam engine: Fluid is heated to form steam in two circuits and this is used to power the engine. The primary energy supplier is the high-temperature circuit which uses exhaust heat from the internal combustion engine as an energy source via heat exchangers. More than 80 per cent of the heat energy contained in the exhaust gases is recycled using this technology. The steam is then conducted directly into an expansion unit linked to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. Most of the remaining residual heat is absorbed by the cooling circuit of the engine, which acts as the second energy supply for the Turbosteamer. This innovative drive assist verifiably increases the efficiency of the combined drive system by up to 15 per cent.

“The Turbosteamer reinforces our confidence that the internal combustion engine is undoubtedly a technology fit for the future,” said Professor Burkhard Göschel, of the BMW board.

The development of this new drive assist has reached the phase involving comprehensive tests on the test rig. The components for this drive system have been designed so that they are capable of being installed in existing model series. Tests have been carried out on a number of sample packages to ensure that a car such as the BMW 3 Series provides adequate space. The engine compartment of a four-cylinder model offers enough space to allow the expansion units to be accommodated.

When?

Ongoing development of the concept is focusing initially on making the components simpler and smaller. The long-term development goal is to have a system capable of volume production within ten years. “This project resolves the apparent contradiction between consumption and emission reductions on the one hand and performance and agility on the other,” said Göschel.

How much heat is left over to warm the occupants of the vehicle in the cold mid-winter, he didn't say.

[r988]

So we've come all this way to advance into the next generation of steam engines!"

Well I suppose it wont be so bad if they include one of those old steam train whistle things for scaring the beejesus out of passers by

[ubergreg]

Sounds like one of those "why didn't someone think of this sooner" technologies. I have to admit that when I first read the headline I thought 'yeah whatever', but that sounds like an impressive gain in efficiency.

I wonder though: did they take the weight of all the extra kit into account when they made their performance claims? And If not, it would be interesting to know how much the Turbo Steamer adds in terms of complexity, initial/servicing costs, and weight...

In any case, best of luck to them.