Bourke 30
Built in 1954. This is Russell's first 30 cubic inch, 30+ HP production engine built for public use. The
claims made, except for the unusually high rpm's or the workability of extremely high compression ratios,
are true based on real world tests. The key to it's much higher efficiency is simply increased time at Top Dead Center 'TDC'.
Back in the 1940's Russell Bourke set out to solve various problems with the conventional engines of
that era. During his career as an instructor on internal combustion engines he soon ended up discarding
many pre-conceived notions, fixed ideas and incorrectly duplicated theories of how to create the same end
result as a steam engine using pressure as the prime mover by converting hydrocarbon based fuels to
create pressure against a piston driving it downward in a cylinder and converting it into rotary motion.
The first basic and workable theory was in order to create the needed pressure against a piston,
combustion of hydrocarbons and air in an enclosed chamber was mandated! In order to accomplish real
work it was theorized that 4 separate cycles. 'INTAKE' of air and fuel, 'COMPRESSION' thereof, spark or
pressure ignited expansion of those gasses ' POWER' and finally removal of the spent gasses, 'EXHAUST'
was necessary.
Long ago, Dr. Otto came up with the first practical working engine based on this theory which was a 4
stroke type. It completed 4 cycles in a very literal way in that it had an INTAKE stroke, a COMPRESSION stroke,
a POWER stroke and finally and EXHAUST stroke. Do you see the literal translation? The 4 Stroke Cycle was
born.
The combustion chamber had to be valved in order to enable the cylinder to admit air and fuel and to
emit spent gasses and it needed a crankshaft to drive things. There was quite a bit of parasitic power
robbing equipment added to accomplish the above complete cycle. Anyway, the first internal combustion
piston engine was born and basically it hasn't changed one bit since!
Ever since then we have been basically stuck with the Otto cycle to drive anything that requires a 4
stroke/cycle diesel or gasoline engine. The problem isn't so much in Dr. Otto's interpretation of original
theory or Dr. Diesel's decision to stick with what works.
This includes 2 stroke and turbine engines as well. They are although much simpler and able to
yield more power per pound of weight, still prone to similar limitations.
Thermodynamically speaking they are flawed relative to their stoichiometric limitations and their
complete inability to achieve even a hint of adiabatic efficiency.
Although they do work, none of these engine types are capable of adiabatic operation in that their
efficiency is gauged based upon fuel rich stoichiometric ratios.
Regardless of an engine, be it 2 stroke, 4 stroke or
turbine type, they are all inefficient stoichiometric engines
in that they emit harmful waste products into the atmosphere! They needlessly pollute our world due to an
incomplete combustion process with a great deal of lost heat energy that could and should otherwise
be put to work!
Regardless of that and to be fair, It remains a fact that conventional engines have worked well for
decades and kept the world chugging along faithfully for a long time. But at what cost?
We are all seeing the cost now as Russell Bourke predicted decades ago and tried to help prevent! I
don't have to tell you what that is as you wouldn't be reading this now if you didn't know or at least suspect
that something can be done about it! Yes, the effect is overall environmental degradation due to improperly
and incompletely converted hydrocarbons and other toxic substances and gasses!
The work engineers and chemists have done, their innovations as well as improvements of conventional
engines and hydrocarbon fuels of all types are greatly acknowledged and appreciated. From my perspective,
engineers are generally extremely bright intelligent people who solve problems and create! The greater
majority of them have a passion for helping their fellow inhabitants live better, take care of and preserve
our natural resources.
The drive of this website is what Russell Bourke the inventor, Melvin Vaux, John Allen, Roger Richard and a
host of others including myself have been talking about and trying to prove for a long time. Something CAN
be done about it!
As Russell Bourke advocates in his Documentary, there is and has been a better way to squeeze power
out of a pound of fuel without wasting it and harming the environment for over 60 years now. Russell Bourke
is responsible for this discovery and will always be greatly appreciated and honored for his ingenious and
insightful contributions!
We at Bourke Engine Com are carrying on his work in his honor and in the name of a better
world where people can breath fresh air! |