This is interesting. It’s an alternator driven by exhaust gas instead of a mechanical drive system. The TIGERS Turbo generator Integrated Gas Energy Recovery System alternator can be spun up to 80,000rpm and generate as much as 6kW. By eliminating the mechanical drive and parasitic losses, they immediately gain efficiency. In cars and especially trucks, this can be a substantial benefit though I don’t know that this is directly applicable to motorcycles.
These types of systems always require careful thinking, basic laws of thermodynamics still apply so when you gain efficiency by reducing mechanical losses one place, the losses from the exhaust driven generator must be added back in. Figuring out the net benefit is beyond my calculating powers so we’ll have to read the article and go from there. Neat idea, though.
via Autoblog
nashat says
dear my name is nashat from jordan
i need to help you if you can?
my car is renault megane classic RN 1998 1.4e 75hp
i hope to increase this houres power by using sopercharger?
how i can do it?
what is the type of sopercharger and if my engine car is tolaret?
Sean says
You know what I find funny? The comment made by the mis-informed gentleman above cites a car with less horsepower than a fair number of now middling power bikes. As an aside, I like the idea of an exhaust driven alternator. Very cool.
Joseph Ghattas says
Im building a model on my car where YOU COULD USE THE energy from the exhaust turbine/generator to power a hydrogen cell that extracts hydrogen from water using electrolosys and in turn the hydrogen is used to replace 50% of the fuel needed to power the car. The problem with the electrlosis systems that use the alternator power to creat hydrogen to suplement the sstem is that they can not be big enough to make a sigificant difference because electrolosys is a negative power yealing reaction(it takes more electricity to make the hydrogen then what you can get from burning the hydrogen) ill post more when my project is running.
Terry says
Use it to add power into a hydraulic system which can work in tandem with and be charged by a small gas engine. The hydraulics can also be used as brakes which would also recharge it. Heat from the exhaust would increase hydraulic pressure as well. There’s already hydraulic bicycles. Why not a hydraulic motorcycle? With a 6kW alternator and a 50hp engine, enough power could be stored and released by a hydraulic system that ANY bike would be twisted into a pretzel. The trick would be getting it all to fit and not explode in a crash…