Great Atkinson engine (hybrid) explanation

[Timothyd]

If you wondered about how your engine works, here's a simplified quick explanation.

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[Maverick2023]

Yawn!!! This can be explained better using infographics.

 

[Sembazuru]

I had just stumbled on this video independently and was just checking to see if anyone else announced it. Very informative, and to my logic the Mav engine should be called a Miller cycle because of the delayed closing of the intake valve. The original Atkinson actually varied the motion of the piston inside the cylinder. But as the presenter said, the terms Atkinson and Miller seem to have lost their differentiation over the years.

 

[Retired]

Yawn!!! This can be explained better using infographics.

Yep. No need to take 20 minutes to explain.

 

[GPSMan]

I thought it was pretty good. Nice to have "history" also, not just the "how".

 

[EngineeredDetails]

I had just stumbled on this video independently and was just checking to see if anyone else announced it. Very informative, and to my logic the Mav engine should be called a Miller cycle because of the delayed closing of the intake valve. The original Atkinson actually varied the motion of the piston inside the cylinder. But as the presenter said, the terms Atkinson and Miller seem to have lost their differentiation over the years.

You have to separate these into mechanical and thermodynamic components. "Atkinson engine" and "Miller engine" are the mechanical components and the Atkinson "cycle" is the thermodynamic principle in which both operate. The Maverick hybrid does not operate with an "Atkinson engine". It utilizes the Atkinson "cycle". The Atkinson cycle loses power by the escape of the fresh charge by leaving the intake valve open at the beginning of the compression stroke. That's why engines operating on the Atkinson cycle are coupled with an electric motor (hybrid) to make up for the loss in power but gains in effeciency. The Miller engine (still operating on the Atkinson cycle) makes up for the loss in power by the coupling with forced induction (supercharger/turbocharger) but less efficient.

 

[JimParker256]

I found the video fascinating and very enlightening. I had a Mazda Millenia with the Miller-cycle engine, and liked it a lot. Although I must confess that with the windows up and A/C on (Texas, y'all) I never really noticed the supercharger whine on mine... Nothing like the Mercedes SLK I had a few years later. That sucker (pun intended) could definitely be heard when you stomped on it. Both were fun cars that punched well above their weight class.

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