Re: [ihc] no IH content, but fun--

["Ryan Moore" <baradium@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have a picture (that I believe is a bit better) of that engine on my
computer.  I did a report on it once.

You have the description off, I'm afraid.

It's a12 cyl, horizontally opposed, direct injection diesel engine (I'm
touching on the turbocharged part next).

The turbine and piston engine sections *are* mechanically connected through
a very complex series of gears.  That turbine *also* provides the
turbocharge for the diesel piston engine section.

You also saw *the* Napier Nomad.  There is only a single engine around, and
that's it.  The rest were destroyed, they never actually did flight test one
(came really close once, it was even fitted to an aircraft, but then they
scrapped the program).

The Napier nomad has a thermal efficiency approaching 60 or 65%.  But if you
saw the design layouts for the motor (I have), you'd understand why it
failed.  One thing you don't want in an airplane is complexity.  The more
complex something is, the more little things can break to mess the whole
thing up.  That's one reason you don't see a lot of Wasp Majors floating
around.

Although the Nomad was very efficient, they could not find a single buyer
willing to run something so complex.

The Nomad also has provisions for an afterburner (although I think that was
just an afterthought).  The Napier Nomad is *the* most complicated engine
ever designed.  (I did research on other Napier engines at the same time).
Very efficient, but not something you'd want to work on or be flying with,
unfortunately.

One of the most interesting designs of a Napier motor in general (other than
the nomad) is a 24 (or was it 48?) cyl "triangle" engine.  In this engine
there are three crankshafts mated to one output in a triangle fashion.  The
three crankshafts share three cylinders with two pistons per cylinder.  This
engine is a prime mover engine for locomotives and I believe there may still
be some in operation in Europe.  *very* fun to work on from what I found.

They also made 3 row inline engines... three crankshafts that were basically
3 long engines sharing the same block with a single output.  Supposed to be
VERY fun to try to get running right.

Anyway, I can't find the links I have of them.  There's a book in our campus
library that deals a lot into the Napier engines, that's where I saw the
charts for the nomad.  Scary.

-Ryan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Stegmann" <steve.stegmann@domain.elided>
To: "Greg Hermann" <bearbvd@domain.elided>; <jma@domain.elided>;
<ihc@domain.elided>
Sent: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 06:36
Subject: RE: [ihc] no IH content, but fun--


> Greg,
>
> Did you ever hear of the Napier Nomad diesel aircraft
> engine.  I saw one at the Smithsonian Udvar-Hazey
> center at Dulles Airport.
>
> Turbocharged diesel, with a second turbine whose
> output was combined with the shaft drive to the
> propeller.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Nomad
>
> Steve



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