In my gearhead days I had a dead-tree copy of Yunick's Power Secrets, and read about his adiabatic modified car engine.
My understanding at the time was that the main barrier to market was emissions related. Oxides of nitrogen in particular were far too high from the high temperatures. If you look at an emissions test summary NOx is one of the few things they actually measure.
> NOx gases are usually produced from the reaction between nitrogen and oxygen during combustion of fuels, such as hydrocarbons, in air; especially at high temperatures, such as in car engines. [0]
So I'm pretty sure the opening line "meets all emission standards without electronic equipment" from TFA is incorrect. Or maybe was only briefly correct in 1983...
This is all very fascinating, but also very over my head!
I found a post detailing some reasons why this technology never made it to production; apparently such an engine is always running rather close to its limits and could more or less self destruct if there was a small problem with air/fuel ratio and timing.
> There are no electronic devices. Smokey prefers to avoid them. So, his engines run with simple carburetor and breaker points. Yet, the system fully meets all emission standards. Consequently, manufacturers could eliminate all those expensive, ridiculous converters and air pumps.
My understanding at the time was that the main barrier to market was emissions related. Oxides of nitrogen in particular were far too high from the high temperatures. If you look at an emissions test summary NOx is one of the few things they actually measure.
> NOx gases are usually produced from the reaction between nitrogen and oxygen during combustion of fuels, such as hydrocarbons, in air; especially at high temperatures, such as in car engines. [0]
So I'm pretty sure the opening line "meets all emission standards without electronic equipment" from TFA is incorrect. Or maybe was only briefly correct in 1983...
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOx