Quote:
Originally Posted by theoldwizard1
From Wikipedia
I actually worked alongside some guys trying to develop a Wankel engine to run the A/C compressor in the late 1980s. The engine would run on natural gas. It was aimed at small businesses (convenience stores, fast food restaurants, etc).
The system worked fine, but there were durability issues. When run continuously, the oil and spark plugs had to be changed every 2-4 weeks ! Also wear on the seals (Wankel equivalent to piston rings) was high.
The motivation was a predicted shortfall of electric power in the SE (check the population growth in GA from 1980 through 2010).
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Must have been problems with that particular company's engine. In Mazda rotaries, seal life is well over a thousand hours at high power, as long as 2stroke oil is used for apex seal lube instead of crankcase oil. No issues with crankcase oil, either. They do need extremely cold plugs when run at high power, though. Worst thing should have been rpm issues. It's difficult to get decent power at less than 4-5K rpm.
Charlie