Cummins ISX Diesel Engine - Cummins Steam Engine

Consider This
Only 1/3 of the potential energy in a gallon of fuel goes into moving consumer vehicles. The rest is waste. Why put up with this? In no other area of a normal person's life is this much waste acceptable. Imagine only using 33% of a paycheck or only drinking a third of a favorite refreshing beverage. Where does the rest go? Since energy is neither created nor destroyed, the remaining waste turns into sound and heat.

Two Types of Energy
1. Waste Energy
An example of waste energy is when your truck tries to heat the great outdoors. Your heaters include the radiator, the engine itself, transmission, transfer case, U-joints, differentials, brakes, various coolers, and basically anything that gets hotter than the outside air. Let's not forget your heater. Noise is also in this category. Remember that noise and heat are both forms of energy. Power that could have gone to your wheels is also turning your accessories like air conditioning, alternator, and power steering instead.

2. Work Energy
Work is the energy used to get you where you want to go. Let's say traffic breaks up and you start to move. Nothing is in your way, right? Wrong. Gravity or your own weight (inertia) are against you and must be constantly overcome. OK, now you're fine, right? Wrong. The wind is holding you back. What else? Your tires, although round and turning smoothly, are slightly dragging their feet-another force working against you. All of these problems must be dealt with if you want more bang for your buck. Is it possible to get 100% thermal efficiency? The second law of thermodynamics says no.

Fuel Savings
According to AVL Powertrain Engineering

If waste-heat temperatures are greater than 752 degrees F, it's possible to gain 15-20% of fuel efficiency.

At 18% efficiency:200,000 miles per year divided by 6 mpg x $3.15 per gallon = $105,000 per year

$105,000 per year x 0.18 = a savings of $18,900 per year

Notice how the heat leaves...        read full caption Notice how the heat leaves the engine through the exhaust manifold. In a traditional engine the extreme heat is routed two different ways. Some goes through the main exhaust into the turbo and some gets routed as EGR. This system replaces the EGR cooler with a superheater where the heat energy is dumped. The spent steam is routed to a recuperator, condenser, and then back to the boiler to complete what is known as Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). This first-generation diagram does not incorporate the engine's main exhaust energy. It only uses the EGR. This setup is for simplicity and flexibility.