A Feasibility Study into the Use of Direct Injection of Exhaust Generated Steam for Improving the Efficiency of Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines

This paper reports on a study into the feasibility of generating steam, using the exhaust gases of a reciprocating internal combustion engine, and expanding it in the cylinders of the engine to produce additional power without increasing the fuel consumption. The study was conducted in three stages; firstly an equivalent ideal thermodynamic cycle was analysed to examine the fundamental principles, secondly a computer simulation was carried out based on a particular engine, and thirdly an attempt was made to modify the engine and run it with steam injection. The results suggest that this proposal is thermodynamically sound and could in practice permit substantial gains in efficiency using relatively straightforward technology.