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Water injection with fuel in my view, having used it on my first car, delivered more power and better full economy. I believe it was used in some Spitfire aircraft, termed "boost".
I thought it may be possible to convert some of the heat wasted in a motor by extracting it via steam working half of the pistons.
The idea turns upon one question.
Would there be enough heat to change a small amount of water into steam.
No doubt there would be wear and corrosion issues just the sort of problems engineers love to overcome.
I dont think water in the sump would be encounterred. Once the water is injected if it turns to steam will it push the piston down and exhaust the steam in the same manner as exhausting burnt fuel.
I am not married to the idea and interested to hear why it could work and what the engineers would need to consider now that lubrication issues, and perhaps higher opperating temps need to be addressed.
Such a motor may demand an absence of water jacketing surrounding the steam cylinders for example. The water may come from the radiator so it is preheatedand able to vaporise better (hinted at earlier) so then we need the radiator to also be a supply source needing constant top up.
But it all turns on the vaporisation via the heat of the motor and the "fuel ecconomy" you get for the price of carrying a tank of water in addition to a tank of fuel.
Alex
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