Goal
Enable internal combustion engines to run on a sustainable 70 % water / 30 % ethanol (or other alcohol) mix, reducing emissions while increasing power and torque with minimal changes to existing engine infrastructure.
Problem
Dependence on fossil fuels, high carbon, nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions, and the need for a renewable fuel compatible with existing internal combustion engines.
Concept Summary
The AquaStroke engine injects a high-pressure water-alcohol mixture (typically 70 % water, 30 % isopropyl alcohol) into a conventional combustion chamber, optionally enriched with a small amount of hydrogen/oxygen (brown-gas). The mixture is compressed to a high pressure, raising temperature and extending the pressure pulse, which increases mean effective pressure (IMEP) and torque. The system uses a high-compression ratio and a conventional spark-ignition system, allowing the engine to run on a non-fossil wet fuel while eliminating NOx and SOx emissions.
Principles
- Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI)
- Multi-stage combustion
- High compression ratio
- Wet-fuel (water-alcohol) injection
- Hydrogen/oxygen enrichment (brown-gas)
- Extended pressure pulse for higher BMEP
Scientific Domains
Materials
- Water
- Ethanol
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Other alcohols (iso-butanol, propyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methyl alcohol)
- Acetone
- Aldehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, butyraldehyde, etc.)
- Hydrogen gas
- Oxygen gas
- Air
Mechanisms of Action
- Injection of water-alcohol droplets into the cylinder
- Compression heating of the liquid-gas mixture
- Spark ignition of the compressed mixture
- Hydrogen/oxygen addition to increase flame speed
- Prolonged high-pressure phase to raise torque
Energy Sources
Applications
- Stationary power generators
- Vehicle propulsion (automotive, marine, aviation)
- Hybrid power-train retrofits
Claimed Performance
Increases torque via higher Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP); runs on 70 % water / 30 % ethanol mix; eliminates nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions; operates quieter than traditional engines; power generator versions of 20 kW, 35 kW and 120 kW reported.
Experimental Evidence
A prototype was built by modifying a generic 400 cc Diesel engine; qualitative observations reported higher torque and reduced emissions, but no quantitative performance data were provided.
Limitations
- Requires high-pressure fuel injection (200-3000 psi)
- Dependence on on-board hydrogen generation (electrolysis) which consumes electrical energy
- Potential lower overall efficiency compared to optimized fossil-fuel engines
- Lack of published quantitative performance data
Red Flags
- Claims of emission elimination without supporting test data
- Potential under-estimation of the energy cost for on-board electrolysis
- No independent third-party verification of performance