Understanding Porsche's New Six Stroke Engine Patent

Just a few days ago news has surfaced on the internet that Porsche has patented a revolutionary new six stroke engine which according to them has the power benefits of a two stroke engine but the durabtility and emissions cleanliness of a four stroke engine.

As you probably know traditional four stroke engines which powers virtually every combustion car, truck or motorcycle on the roads today gooes intake, compression, combustion and exhaust.

Porsche new design adds one more combustion and more compression stroke into the mix and so the new engine goes: intake compression combustion compression combustion exhaust.

This relies on 100% existing technology. Gears, rod, crank, piston. Even the ports which are known as scavenging ports are ancient. Btw, this very arrangement with ports on one side and valves on the other is known as uniflow scavenging. Because the flow goes in a uniform direction through the cylinder. And this is very common on two stroke diesels in ships and locomotives. The six stroke also don’t make any serious problems for the camshafts. Instead of rotating at half the crankshaft speed, the camshafts will now rotate at one-third the crankshaft speed, so we just need a slightly larger cam gear and we also need an additional lobe on the exhaust come and that’s pretty much it, nothing complex. So there are really no novel mechanics in this which means that it doesn’t need heavy investments into research and development to get it to market.

It does make more power than a traditional four-stroke. If we observe the first 720 degrees of rotation we can see that we get only one combustion event, just like a traditional four-stroke. But if we observe the next 360 degrees we will see another combustion event starting at 720 degrees of rotation. This does not happen in the traditional four-stroke until we reach 1080 degrees of rotation.

So if we observe let’s say 7200 degrees of rotation, the traditional four-stroke will perform 10 combustion events. The six stroke will perform 13.34 combustion events. So that’s 33.4% more power than a traditional four-stroke. Now, it’s definitely not in two-stroke territory because a two stroke will perform 20 combustion events in 7200 degrees of rotation and that’s 20 equal, proper combustion events. Remember, on the six stroke, every other combustion event is a mix of exhaust gas and air and fuel which means that we’re probably not looking at a power increase of 33.4% but likely something closer to 25%. But 25% more power with existing technology and emissions cleanliness and durability of a traditional four stroke is still a very significant improvement and a very clever and rational way towards more power.
Something else this makes possible is to run very high boost pressure and still be relatively emissions-friendly. To run something like 3 bar boost pressure which is 45 psi you need to run very very rich. You make crazy power but you’re also sending some unburned fuel into the atmosphere which means crappy emissions. But in a six-stroke we would not send all that unburned fuel out. We would send just a bit of it out and the rest would be burned during the next combustion stroke. So potentially, big power and government approval.

But why would Porsche patent this now if sales of new combustion vehicles will be banned starting with 2035 in the EU and I believe some other parts of the world.?

Well, here’s the thing, the EU is not fully banning sales of new combustion vehicles starting with 2035.
On the 25th of March of 2023 EU reached an agreement with Germany where it was agreed that sales of and registration of new ICE vehicles will be permitted after 2035, provided that those vehicles operate only on carbon-neutral fuels.

So what this patent means is that Porsche is taking preventive measures to ensure that it can produce high-power and emissions-friendly engines that can still fit inside the back of a 911 in case e-fuel production ramps up before 2035. By patenting this design Porsche ensures that nobody else can implement it without paying fees to them.

So will we see this engine in the future? Well, if e-fuel production does actually ramp up, I think it’s likely that Porsche will greenlight some sort of project. Will e-fuel be expensive? Probably. But I doubt that’s a major problem for Porsche buyers.

A special thank you to my patrons:
Daniel
Marwan Hassan11
Peter Della Flora
Bashuan
Allan McKay
valkq
Zwoa Meda Beda
Toma Marini
Cole Philips

#d4a #porsche #sixstroke

00:00 How it works
08:34 Benefits
14: 34 Drawbacks
19:01 Why now?

[enniusdrusus]

Without this video, trying to understand it by myself may have given me six strokes.

[cpm]

This would have a funky exhaust sound. I hope they build a prototype!

[atharvana]

Never thought I would see the day when an engine does Suck Squeeze Bang Squeeze Bang Blow

[hydrostaticshocker]

You sir are an absolute master of explaining things. To get these videos free feels like a borderline crime. Thank you!

[detaart]

Timing that thing is going to require a phd

[cloric]

I’ve always pronounced Porsche Porsche

[TML]

It’s actually an 8 stoke process. It goes - intake, compression, combustion, compression, combustion, rods out, head gasket failure, exhaust.

[Ludwig]

Excellent video! I am not an engineer - just a mathematician and Porsche owner - and this design seems very elegant and plausible!

[frankyboy]

No matter what one thinks about this design and what people think about ice ban, this was a good, detailed, understandable and coherent presentation of yours.

Thank you very much.

[harrymartin]

"we've had one, yes, but what about second TDC?"

[etunimenisukunimeni]

It's 2024 and the closest we've got to atomic engine cars is a connecting rod end making a shape of the Bohr model electron orbits around a nucleus as it moves. I'll take it!

[petetwizz]

A very nice, clear explanation of the working of the design according to the patent. Thanks!
Regarding balance: I have done some work with hypocycloidal engine designs. The motion of the eccentric on the planet gear offers opportunities to significantly improve both primary and secondary balance. Adding couterweight mass to the planet gear, opposite to the eccentric centre, can offset both the mass of the swinging connecting rod and it's deviation from its conventional location opposite the balance mass on the primary crankshaft.
As with most patents, Porsche will no doubt have endeavoured to patent some essential elements of the design without giving away some of the best tricks they have come up with.

[catsupchutney]

Germans never pass up an opportunity to make something more complex.

[matel]

I saw the news about the patent when it was published and I just knew you were going to make a in depth video. Great job

[inmcity]

Must have had the idea while playing with a Spirograph.

[Carlisho]

Love how you have the exhaust valve working twice as much as the intake valve… double the valve service just for one valve 👍

[whyme]

Maybe a racing engine for WEC? Better efficiency at full throttle sounds like it would be most beneficial there.

[ocphish]

Fantastic video. I actually teach automotive engineering here in the UK and this has been one of the very best, and definitely most interesting, videos I have seen on this subject in a long time. Of course, this is also not the first six-stroke ICE concept I have seen but one of the others used water, converted to steam in the hot cylinder, to provide a small, secondary power stroke. Its main drawback was corrosion in the cylinder due to the presence of the water. The Porsche concept is brilliant by comparison. Your teaching style is also really good and I could envision students in a classroom paying full attention to your words, and also really understanding the subject because your explanations and animations are so good. As a manager, I am going to ask my teaching team to watch this video too, as part of their CPD. Really enjoyable, thank you for making, and posting this video.

[hurricanemeridian]

The "Hast du meinen Porsche gesehen" was so well pronounced, I cannot be upset about you saying it the other way

[woutermeyer]

Super clear and technical enough without being overly detailed. Perfect balance, thanks!