In our continuing series of alternative engine technologies, here is the RandCam direct charge engine. It’s a rotary engine but the rotors are cam shaped and on the sides of the engine assembly. A series of vanes working in conjunction with the shape of the side cams create combustion chambers. According to the web site, a RandCam engine would have two to three times the power and weigh half as much as a Wankel engine of the same size. They have a prototype diesel version that is 6 inches long and 6 inches in diameter producing 42 horsepower! The cam shaped rotors create 24 power pulses per revolution. Multi fuel capability includes ethanol, natural gas, propane, diesel and even hydrogen fuels including mixtures. The technology is owned and licensed in North America by Reg/Regi Tech, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
The company is working on a number of projected applications for the engine including unmanned aerial vehicles for the miitary. If this engine lives up to projections, it looks to have considerable potential. As always, with new engine technologies, we need to wait to see actual production and testing to assess feasibility.
Thanks to Tom for the tip.