Motiv unveils engine with LNG potential

Motiv Engines has announced the second generation of their ultra-efficient engine concept, the MkII Clarke-Brayton Engine, which the company intends to develop into a heavy-duty engine fuelled by LNG.

The new prototype is fuelled by diesel, which is an important first step in proving the technology before developing a new LNG fuel system.

Comments

Ed O’Malley, Motiv CEO, commented: "We have taken what we learned from our first engine and applied it to the new design. This is a major step toward our goal of building the most efficient engine in the world for trucks, automobiles and power generation. The improvement in efficiency and the use of natural gas makes this engine a natural fit to meet the upcoming greenhouse gas emissions regulations while reducing costs for operators."

Efficient engine

The MkII Clarke-Brayton Engine is expected to be up to twice as efficient as a conventional automobile engine and up to 20% more efficient than modern diesel engines. It achieves this by splitting the processes of an engine into three separate optimized spaces rather than performing all the operations in a single compromised space. This allows it to implement a fundamentally more efficient cycle, achieve an extremely high 56:1 compression ratio, and lose much less of its energy to heat than a conventional engine.

Caterpillar technology

The technology for the MkII Clarke-Brayton Engine originated at Caterpillar, where it was invented by John Clarke, now the Chief Scientist at Motiv Engines. Motiv has greatly advanced the technology from basic concept through the construction and testing of the first prototype to the completion of MkII today.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/13052014/motiv_unveils_engine_with_lng_potential_575/