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A schematic of the Scuderi/Miller integration, 12 MN June 2011 TECH FILE The Scuderi Engine Prototype I is the first proof-of-con- cept prototype for the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine which claims to increase power, decrease engine size and reduce fuel consumption. This one-liter, naturally aspirated two- cylinder gasoline engine is the first of several prototypes under development by the Scuderi Group (based in West Springfield, Mass). The turbocharged and air-hybrid gaso- line engine prototypes are forthcoming and will be fol- lowed by the diesel versions. Scuderi has targeted the auto- motive industry to begin with, but says the engine is also well suited for the marine applications. The engine utilizes a unique combustion process referred to as “firing after top dead center.” According to the Scuderi Group, this produces a highly efficient and clean-burning combustion process. When firing after top dead center, combustion starts between 11 and 15 degrees after top dead center and ends 23 degrees after ignition. This results in a higher average combustion cylinder tem- perature but a lower peak temperature than conventional engines. The Scuderi Engine divides the four strokes of a combustion cycle between two paired cylinders — the left cylinder functions as an air compressor, handling intake and compression, while the right cylinder handles com- bustion and exhaust. Key to Scuderi’s split-cycle design is its compression of the air before it fires. By optimizing the split-cycle concept, Scuderi says the fully developed engine will reduce NOx emissions up to 80% and improve fuel efficiency by 50%, compared to a conven- tional gasoline engine. The engine requires one crankshaft revolution to complete a single combustion cycle and is projected by the Scuderi Group to have higher torque and thermodynamic efficiency and lower emissions than today’s engines. The Scuderi Group says the new engine design, when boosted with a turbocharger to 3.2 bar, decreases the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) up to 14% as a simultaneous increase occurs in the engine’s power brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) by 140%. At the same time the engine can be reduced in size by roughly 29%. Consistent with conventional four-stroke engine Firing After Top Dead Center The Scuderi Prototype A 3D rendering of the full Scuderi engine.
