A company called Transonic Combustion is claiming that their technology could double the efficiency (and therefore the gas mileage) of internal combustion engines without adding much to the cost of the engine. According to the web site:

Our transformational fuel injection systems promise to radically shift the technology base of the automotive industry. Utilizing supercritical fuel injection, we’re achieving ultra-high efficiency and lower emission levels

How can they achieve improvements like this? The following article explains the process:

Ultra-Efficient Gas Engine Passes Test – A novel fuel-injection system achieves 64 miles per gallon

Transonic’s injection system varies from direct injection in two ways: it uses supercritical fluids and doesn’t require a spark to ignite the fuel. The supercritical fluid mixes quickly with air when it’s injected into the cylinder.

Once the fuel is injected into the piston, the heat and pressure are enough to cause the fuel to combust without a spark (similar to what happens in diesel engines), which also helps provide fast, uniform combustion.

This begs the question: what is a supercritical fluid? According to this article: “A supercritical fluid is any substance above its critical temperature and critical pressure. In the supercritical area there is only one state-of-the-fluid and it possesses both gas- and liquid-like properties.” Think about taking a gas like air and compressing it to a very high pressure. As you compress it, there are more and more molecules in the container, making it denser and denser. Eventually it would liquefy. But by keeping the temperature high, it stays in a state between a liquid and a gas.

We’ve been hearing about technologies that would “double the efficiency of car engines” for decades. Examples:
- the engine that doubles fuel economy
- There is something about this 110 MPG car that does not smell right
- a new piston engine design from Eco Motors
But maybe Transonic Combustion finally delivers.

See also: How Fuel Injection Works – see the injectors in action

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