Porsche's 6-Stroke Engine Is Genius!

Thanks for watching my *1000th video!!* Y'all the best. Now, onto a few common questions:
1. Truthfully, looking at the patent, I don't see how it could operate as naturally aspirated (NA); however, they allow a lot of leeway in the patent for how this cycle works (for example: fresh air from the overhead intake valve during the scavenging event, exhaust out the ports in the bottom or top, a combination of intake/exhaust ports at the bottom, etc). NA two-strokes generally use the piston going down to pressurize the air going in, in combination with exhaust scavenging, which doesn't seem to be the way this operates. I think the safest assumption is it will be boosted (super or turbo/e-turbo), to easily force in air, but I didn't want to rule out NA as the patent doesn't explicitly rule it out.
2. Regarding balancing, I kept this discussion fairly short mostly because I truly don't know how it can be done. I spent way too much time drawing out all the different options for a 3-cylinder, and none of them seem great. One idea was lining up the more powerful first stroke with the next cylinder's less powerful stroke, so you always have 1 high power, 1 low power together. But in reality, these can't actually line up (you can get two cylinders line up, but then the next two that fire are offset, then the next two are offset even further - this requires drawing out the sign wave shown in the top of the board to visualize - three times, offset ~360º so peaks align-ish). This also means you have pistons acting with different primary forces at the same time (and technically, different times). Perhaps a balancing shaft can cancel this out (or perhaps an equal and opposite opposing cylinder bank), but the patent makes an I3 seem fine and I don't know how that works out. But again, regardless of all of this, the firing interval will be intermittent and sound quite unique, no matter how you time it. *makes cars sounds to self*

😖🤯

Timing of the cylinder would match when using an 6-cylinder
Nobody said that it has to be 3-cylinder

Balance can be solved by adding more pistons. If we have 12 pistons, it actually works! If we go by rotations and which cylinder is firing (would require reordering for further balancing):

Rotation 1: Cylinders 1, 2, 5, 6
2: 3, 4, 7, 8
3: 1, 2, 9, 10
4: 3, 4, 11, 12
5: 5, 6, 9, 10
6: 7, 8, 11, 12

Almost as good as electric to crash the resale

Congratulations, man! 1k is amazing!

So its just 2 revolutions With alternating stroke lengths... how is that different or better?

I wonder how much abuse would those gears take

Well All my strokes are power strokes

So… we’re learning disabled now lol

Me understanding the whole logic in the first 1 minute half drunk and tipsy and being a mechanical engineer...meh....not that of a big deal...here i am thinking about catalytic expansion chamber for the combustion stroke for a new engine

wouldn't a 9 cylinder 6 stroke work out the even firing problem?

Congratulations on the 1000th video milestone!
What I love about your videos is you actually understand the engineering you're talking about and you do a great job of explaining it for both the layperson and someone with more technical background.

Potential Split/ dual fuel engine?

DI gasoline in the “4 stroke” operation and diesel for the “2 stroke” operation. Seems to me this setup would support the assumed boosted (forced induction) and “cleaner” 2 stroke operation. Could also explain the 2 lobe exhaust cam, one for diesel (DPF, EGR, etc) and one for gasoline combustion.

Think 2 stroke turbo diesel and turbo charged 4 stroke engine combined into one. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Maybe a 9 cylinder engine 3 x 3 for balance!!

That’s a lot of stroking

Anybody ever heard of the Detroit Diesel two-stroke engines dating back to the 30s? Not quite as complicated as whatever Porsche is doing here. Anyway....

You are Top Dead Center! Thank you sir.

That video was awesomely! Great explanation and math! Also happy 1000th video! 🎉🤙

Where does the oil go when the ports become exposed

Cool video, water injection is sometimes used for added steam expansion effect, done correctly it adds power, with 2 combustion events per cycle, it could be very significant..if it could be adapted

Congratulations on 1000 videos. Incredible effort.

I like engineering, but I now look at this stuff as a relic, or very niche at best, with no material future given the electrification of everything. Kinda like horses are still a thing among hobbyists.

Will not work. Too much friction on cam

1000th episode.... that's a lot of whiteboard markers....

seems like having two sets of dead centers might not be good for mechanics

All good and fine, show me the engine working.

Porsche didn’t invent anything. This is just a remake of ones designed in the late 1800s. The best one of the designs was done so that a cooling system wasn’t needed. What Porsche is doing is finding a way to build a cleaner 2 stroke. Eventually it will be an 8 stroke, with the weird valve system.

Well done. Thanks for all your effort.

Would this be Porsche version of Honda’s big bang engine. Grouping all the power strokes together for better tyre grip during racing.

Seems like a mechanics nightmare lol

You can improve the overall efficiency of this engine with the second power stroke by using the heat generated during the first one.
One of the biggest problems with four-stroke engines is the amount of energy lost in the exhaust.
They might be able to recover more energy from the heat with this six-stroke engine.
That’s why a turbocharger improves the overall efficiency of an internal combustion engine by using the heat from the exhaust gases.

Dude, this is an AP Auto Tech class. I’d love to see you try to explain this to a bunch of ADHD high school degenerates! 😅

1000!!!!!!!!

So it has internal egr. Lame

Very nice video, very interesting idea, great coincidence this is the number 1000! Congratulations! As for the engine, I have two doubs: first, they need to inject more fuel to have the power gain, as the whole thing goes bang more times. So, a common 4 stroke engine seems to be more economic anyway. Second, all these gears acting in and the crankshaft would probably present very serious lubrication issues, thus raising doubts - at least to me - about the durability of this thing when really driven hard. Lets see if this patent will came to work in real world. As it is, however, is very beautiful piece of creative engineering.

It does sound more efficient, because there is still only one intake stroke per cycle.

Efficient.

@EngineeringExplained, the engine balancing can be resolved with the opposed 6 cylinder design. I guess 😅

Bro this engine with a slightly off timing is gonna be hell

If you can magically clean up a 2 stroke, just build a clean 2 stroke. Presto all advantages and no disadvantages. Or, some engineers had a goal to file a new patent, so they dropped some acid and let one rip.

Another way of obtaining efficiency is to have your power stroke be longer than your compression stroke (in swept volume terms), like an Atkinson cycle, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening here, and also - wouldn’t you need boost for the two stroke portion of the cycle? N/A two strokes partition the crank case and use it like a reciprocating pump, but this entrains oil into the cylinder and would mean the engine would struggle to meet emissions.

So .. this isnt a 6 stroke. This is a 4 stroke + a 2 stroke. Or in reality a 3 stroke engine. If you know how 2 stroke engines work you'll see the 2 stroke mechanism.

Someone sat down and literally thought "what if could create a 4 stroke engine with the advantages of a 2 stroke.. hey.. what if i just combined them"
This is pretty brilliant if they can make it work. The huge flaws of the 2 stroke are massive pollution, fuel efficiency and noise. This design eliminates those if it works.

you will have to go through the thermodynamics to see if it is actually more efficient

Damn you aged 30 years in 10. How is the second compression stroke not robbing significant energy from the flywheel?

I have a vision of this being combined with opposed-piston/opposed-cylinder engines for truly incredible power-weight-efficiency performance.

Double Ignition on the same fuel sounds like a terrible idea

Yeah, but how does it sound?

Absolute overengineered and
Useless - the future is electric!

Zee Germans, of course they would