Power Source Technologies Information

Power Source Technologies (PST) is developing the Legacy engine- a new type of internal combustion engine that offers significant advances over conventional internal combustion engines in fuel economy, environmental compliance, power to weight ratio and lower cost of ownership. These advantages are achieved through a combination of innovative design geometry, rotary motion, aspiration simplicity, and manufacturing/part simplicity. Based on testing, simulation and analysis, the Legacy engine will demonstrate an increase in overall efficiency greater than 20% compared to any conventional engine. PST has maintained a scientific approach throughout the research and development efforts pertaining to the Legacy engine. To date we have designed, fabricated and tested three iterations of the Legacy engine and have successfully addressed many of the primary technical challenges we face in commercializing the technology. Additional technical challenges exist, but are typical of challenges that must be addressed in any internal combustion engine development programs, and are considered to represent a low level of risk. The following outlines the progress to date. Testing and evaluation of the Legacy engine are conducted at the University of Tennessee's Advanced Powertrains, Controls & System Integration (APCSI) automotive research laboratory. In the fourth quarter of 2010, PST entered into a contract with the National Transportation Research Center, Inc. (NTRCI) to investigate an asymmetric tip seal system and a flush mount fuel injector nozzle for use in the Legacy engine. This effort, funded by the Department of Energy, has validated the functionality of the asymmetric tip seal system as well as the flush mount fuel injector nozzles. The asymmetric tip seal provides a simple solution that will make the Legacy engine easier to manufacture and lower the cost of production. Continued R&D is required to optimize the design but the test results indicate the designs are sound and provide the solution to these key technical ...