For a group of MSU researchers, the future of ultra-efficient hybrid vehicles starts in their lab.
Norbert Mueller, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, will lead a team of MSU researchers to create a wave disk generator, a prototype of a more fuel-efficient engine for hybrid electric vehicles. The project is funded by a $2.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, awarded last week.
“We want to save energy,” Mueller said. “It’s good for our lifestyle to save energy.”
The Department of Energy did not return requests seeking comment.
The wave disk generator has the potential to make hybrid electric vehicles five times more efficient than combustion engines currently used in hybrid cars. The wave disc generator could cut carbon emissions by about 90 percent compared to cars on the road today, Mueller said.
One of the ways the new engine cuts energy use is by reducing friction in the engine by having a single rotating part making the vehicle lighter, he said.
It almost eliminates internal friction,” Mueller said. “There are normally a lot of moving parts. This basically eliminates almost all of it.”
Mechanical engineering professor Indrek Wichman, a combustion specialist for the project, said working on the wave disk generator gives him the opportunity to expand beyond his usual line of work.
“It might go beyond confines of academic study, which would be nice,” Wichman said. “I’d like to be able to use what I’ve learn about combustion on a problem that’s related to power engine, energy utilization and applications to a real-world problem that are a concern to people.”
Mechanical engineering professor Patrick Kwon will work to make a ceramic prototype of the wave disk generator, that will allow researchers to test the model in different settings.
“We can do (testing) at (a) higher temperature, which improves efficiency of the engines,” Kwon said. “That’s where the ceramic material comes in.”
Although the advanced engine will improve vehicle efficiency, Wichman said it could take years before it reaches its full potential.
“The piston engine was developed for almost more than century and a half ago,” Wichman said. “This is a much newer kind of thing and it might take 30 to 40 years to fully develop this.”
Mueller said he looks forward to the results produced from his team, even if the generator still is a work in progress.
“We think it’s important for Michigan State University and state of Michigan,” Mueller said. “We are looking forward to the progress to make a difference here.”
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