BMW unveils the turbosteamer concept

December 14, 2005

A large percentage of the energy released when petroleum is burned disappears out the exhaust system as heat. This has always been the case but the amount of energy released looks set to be cut by more than 80% thanks to a new system devised by BMW.

BMW’s announcement of the new technology is somewhat of a technological bombshell as it adds yet another form of hybrid automobile – a turbosteamer. The concept uses energy from the exhaust gasses of the traditional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to power a steam engine which also contributes power to the automobile – an overall 15 per cent improvement for the combined drive system.

Even bigger news is that the drive has been designed so that it can be installed in existing model series – meaning that every model in the BMW range could become 15% more efficient overnight if the company chose to make the reduced consumption accessible to as many people as possible.

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Combining the innovative assistance drive with a 1.8 litre BMW four-cylinder engine on the test rig reduced consumption by up to 15 percent and generated 10 kilowatts more power and 20 Nm more torque. This increased power and efficiency comes for, well, … nothing. The energy is extracted exclusively from the heat in the exhaust gases and cooling water so it is essentially a quantum leap in efficiency.

The Turbosteamer is based on the same principle of the steam engine: liquid 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 percent 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.

The development of the assistance drive has reached the phase involving comprehensive tests on the test rig. The components for this drive 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 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.

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 one hand, and performance and agility on the other,” commented Professor Burkhard Göschel.

 

first time I saw this on autoblog, I thought it was a BMW vacuum cleaner

 

Basically, it's the same process as a combined gas/vapour turbine powerplant. Clever.

 

Thing that's interesting to me is that rotary engines kick out way more heat than piston engines do. Depending on how dependable this system is, it could be a major boost for RX8 performance. You'll notice that the ehxaust temp is listed at 800 degrees C in the graph. My understanding is that rotaries (at least the 3rd gen 7's) were putting out closer to 1,500.

 

I don't understand why they have two circuits : low temperature and high temparure. Why not just high temperature. What is to be gained from the low temperature? Or is the low temp circuit used to cool down and condensate the vapour from the high temp circuit?
It looks like someone doesn't want to pay a license to Toyota...

On the other end, it's better than fuel for catalyst cooling!

Fabrice

 

Wow that sure would make it fun to find a coolant leak :P Also wouldn't this be conterproductive since you end up blocking alot of the exhaust?

 

I really wanted to see the glove box converted to a coal chute.

I'm surprised this hasn't been seen before. I bet if you look around enough, you'll find some car from the 1920's with a similar system, probably something in Jay Leno's garage. I wonder what kind of motor the steam is turning? I actually had an idea for something like this, but I figured the weight and bulk would be prohibitive for an auto application. For a stationary generator, I could understand. Insulate the exhaust and the motor itself, and use the radiator water and exhaust heat to run a stirling engine or tesla turbine.

I doubt it, the heat exchanger probably serves as a muffler too, kind of like turbos do.

 

this will never happen...atleast in my lifetime.

BMW is coming out with diesel turbo and hydrogen powered motors next year or so.

has anyone heard of porche's variable turbo??

 

after reading it a 2nd time, i'm trying to figure this all out.

it doesn't really block exhaust flow, it transfers the heat from the exhaust gases to this "pot" where it turns a certain liquid into vapors. this should mean the temp. of the exhaust gas coming out of the tail pipe should be low enough to keep you cool on a hot summer day(sarcasm)(since it uses 80% of the heat). the high pressure vapor is then directed to some sort of motor to power the crank. it then condenses back into liquid form to start it's process all over. this is the primary energy source...the hot circuit.

the other energy source, the low circuit, is just an additional steam producing system. instead of using the heat from the exhaust gases, it uses the heat from the engine itself. by using the heat from the engines cooling system it operates exactly the same as the hot circuit. this is just a backup type of system...a more thorough use of thermal energy. hence, two expansion devices.

only thing i'm a little confused on is, does it act similarly to an elec. hybrid engine? since the steam system requires excessive heat, it won't initiate until a certain engine temp. is reached. when the system is at optimal heat levels, what exactly powers the crank??? the motor itself or the expanders?? is the steam system just an aid to the crank? is it technically a "steam power crank assist" application (like elec. power steering assist)??

cool stuff...but is all this technology just for the sake of technology? is this better than elec. hybrid technology? i don't really think it is. elec. motors produce instant torque, that's why hybrid cars now-a-days are pretty high in HP and TQ figures (exam....GS430h). since the turbosteam system needs the exhaust gases to heat up, it really doesn't do anything for the emissions part. with all the plumbing, extra control modules, etc. it's just more added weight to an already heavy BMW. it's like having two/three A/C systems on the car!!! BMW has always been about 50/50 weight ratio, how will the added weight effect balancing?? too many questions...

 

And good questions they are. I wonder if the extra power offsets the increased weight. Not to mention the extra f***-up factor. Cool idea, though. Might work well with a compact rotary, who knows?

 

The fact that it can make the IC engine power to wheels 15% more efficient is major as the IC engine wastes the majority of it's energy as heat to exhaust, engine coolant, engine block. Unless the system causes a >15% increase in required energy to haul the extra weight around, which appears to be unlikely, it's all good and will increase performance and reduce fuel consumption using non-exotic (vs. e.g. toxic metal-based batteries of hybrids) and inexpensive components.


Kudos to BMW!

 

Anything on weight? more hp and tq is great but not at the expense of additional weight.

 

even regular batteries are "toxic". hydrogen gas is emitted from them.