MidWest AE series

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The MidWest AE series were lightweight liquid-cooled twin-rotor Wankel engines with dual ignition for light aircraft, formerly produced by MidWest at Staverton Airport, Gloucestershire, UK.

Design and development

This engine had its origins at the BSA Umberslade Hall research unit in Birmingham, where David Garside, a BSA engineer, designed an air-cooled twin-rotor motorcycle engine.[1][2] Wankel engines run very hot, so Garside gave this air-cooled motor additional cooling air that was filtered and drawn through the rotors and then through a large plenum before entering the combustion chambers via the carburetors.[3] The lubrication system was a semi-total-loss system: Silkolene 2-stroke oil was directly injected into the inlet tracts and onto the main roller bearings. The oil that fed the bearings became an oil-mist within the rotor-cooling air, and around 30%[4] of the oil was recovered and returned to the remote oil tank.

Diamond transferred the engine rights to Austro Engine, a company founded in 2007 and located in Wiener Neustadt. They produce two single rotor Wankel engines, the 55 hp (41 kW) AE50R & the 75 hp (56 kW) AE75R. These new designs feature liquid cooling with forced-air rotor cooling, metered oil lubrication pumped to the main bearings (directly) and to the rotor tips (via the inlet manifold), with partial oil recovery, dual ignition, and electric starting (all of which were features of the MidWest engines). They also have electronic fuel injection.[5][6][7]

Variants

AE50
Single rotor, 294 cc (18 cu in), (max) 50 hp (37 kW) at 7800 rpm, (cruise) 45 hp (34 kW) at 6900 rpm, gearbox ratio 3.23:1, 33 kg dry weight including all attached ancillaries, but excluding the exhaust[8]
AE100
Twin rotor, 588 cc (36 cu in), (max) 100 hp (75 kW) at 7800 rpm, (cruise) 92 hp (69 kW) at 6900 rpm, gearbox ratio 2.95:1, 53 kg dry weight including all attached ancillaries, but excluding the exhaust[8]
AE110
Twin rotor, 588 cc (36 cu in), (max) 110 hp (82 kW) at 7800 rpm, (cruise) 99 hp (74 kW) at 6900 rpm, gearbox ratio 2.95:1, 53 kg dry weight including all attached ancillaries, but excluding the exhaust[8]

Austro Engine Variants

AE50R
Single rotor, 294 cc (18 cu in), (max) 55 hp (41 kW) at 7750 rpm, 27.8 kg (61 lb) (not including gearbox)[5][7]
AE75R
Single rotor, 404 cc (25 cu in), (max) 75 hp (56 kW) at 7000 rpm, 36 kg (79 lb) (not including gearbox)[5]

Applications

ARV Super2 with AE110

Specifications (AE100)

General characteristics

  • Type: Wankel engine
  • Displacement: 588 cm³ (35.88 in³)
  • Length: 720 mm (28.3 in)
  • Width: 480 mm (18.9 in)
  • Height: 410 mm (16.1 in)
  • Dry weight: 53 kg (117 lb) (AE100/110)

Components

  • Fuel system: Fuel Injection
  • Fuel type: AVGAS 100/130 or Auto Gas 91 Octane Minimum
  • Oil system: total-loss oil injection
  • Cooling system: liquid-cooled & air-cooled

Performance

  • Power output: 100 hp (75 kW) at 7,800 shaft RPM (AE100)
  • Fuel consumption: 0.5 lb/bhp/hr at 70% power
  • Power-to-weight ratio: 1.43 kW/kg (0.87 hp/lb)

See also


Comparable engines
Related lists

References

  1. ↑ The Wankel Rotary Engine: A History By John B. Hege page 137, ISBN 978-0-7864-2905-9
  2. ↑ Denniss, Tony (1990). "The Norton Rotary". Retrieved 14 August 2011. 
  3. ↑ "Cycle World' magazine February (?) 1971
  4. ↑ MidWest Engines Ltd AE1100R RotaryEngine Manual
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Austro Engine gmbh brochure Nov2 009
  6. ↑ Austro Engine (2007). "Rotary Engines". Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Austro Engine (April 2008). "Product Program - Rotary Engines AE50R". Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Flyer" magazine May 1994 page 38
  9. ↑ Johnson, Richard (September 1995). "A Flight Test Evaluation of the ASH-26E Self Launching 18-Meter Sailplane". Retrieved 27 August 2011. 

External links

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