POMPANO BEACH, Florida — The firm responsible for providing the power source for the U.S. Land Steam Record Team has completed and shipped its full-scale engine. The company, Cyclone Power Technologies, says that its Cyclone LSR Engine will power the streamliner vehicle in its attempt to break the land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah as early as this August.
The power source is a modified Mark V heat-regenerative external-combustion engine. It features an expanded steam generator that creates a greater surface area and water rate to help increase output and keep weight under 200 pounds.
Output is slated at 180 horsepower with maximum starting torque of 850 pound-feet and 262 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm. Cyclone says the engine can run on "virtually any fuel," and the steam team has yet to decide what fuel it will choose for the record attempt.
Steam car vet Chuk Williams is designing the U.S. Land Steam Record (LSR) vehicle and will also drive the car when it is ready to make a planned 200-mph record-breaking run. A British-built car broke the century-old land speed record for a steam-powered car last August, hitting 151.085 mph on its second run.
The LSR project is being endorsed by the Steam Automobile Club of America as well as former engineers from NASA, Lockheed Martin and MIT.
Inside Line says: Cyclone combines performance and green technology with its LSR Engine — let's see if it's enough to power the LSR vehicle to 200 mph this August. — Mike Lysaght, Correspondent
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renorally says:
01:14 PM, 02/06/2010
I wish more companies would invest in steam technology. It's very viable and a very efficient energy source. Steam engines are an external combustion engine. Pistons, rings, etc, last a very long time with minimal wear. Steam powered vehicles will burn on just about any fuel, do not require a clutch or transmission and heat up very fast. I would encourage one to read about the doble steam powered car built in the 30's. It was incredibly fast, very luxurious, very fuel efficient and virtually maintenance free. So one may ask "if they are so great why didn't they eclipse internal combustion engines?' Early on, stream vehicles were complicated and had high pressure boilers and even though none ever exploded had redundant safety features and the average driver could operate them. This was the time when large companies were trying to monopolize the auto market. Henry Ford and GM had industries built on the internal combustion engines. Ford and others got Congress to pass a law that one had to be a certified steam engineer to own or operate a steam car. That effectively killed the steam car industry. I would encourage one to google the doble steam car. A very interesting footnote in U.S. auto history.
steamfl1 says:
07:56 AM, 02/06/2010
Contrary to the last comment, records like this are extremely important -- not for the actual time set, but for the discoveries and inventions that come from the pursuit of the record. In the same light of our race to the moon in the 1960's, incredible advances are made, and new generations of engineers are born, when we set out to break records and try to achieve what has not yet been done. In the case of steam power, the possibility of a cleaner way to power our vehicles than current internal combustion engines, and using non-fossil fuels to do it, is a critically important goal.
One comment about the article, I believe the press release stated that a "model" engine was delivered, not the working power source. From what I understand, there is still more work to be done before the car hits the saltflats of Bonneville, but it's getting there.
jackson611 says:
02:48 PM, 02/05/2010
what is the land speed record for two dogs in the passenger seat chewing rawhides? i would like to know so i can try to break it and brag about having a useless record.