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Fall 2002 Inaugural Distinguished Lecture: Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley MEMS Rotary Engine Power System Date of Inaugural Distinguished Lecture: Monday, November 4, 2002 In this talk is a project overview and recent research results for the MEMS Rotary Engine Power System project at the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center of the University of California at Berkeley. The talk will begin with the research motivation for the project, which is the extraordinary high specific energy density of hydrocarbon fuels. When compared with the energy density of batteries, hydrocarbon fuels may have as much as 20x more energy. However, the technical challenge is the conversion of hydrocarbon fuel to electricity in an efficient and clean micro engine. In this project, the Wankel engine, as invented by Professor Wankel of Germany and made famous by the Japanese automobile manufacturer, Mazda, is used as the micro engine design. A 10 mm diameter Wankel engine will be shown that has already generated 4 Watts of power at 9300 rpm. The final portion of the talk will describe the 1 mm and 2.4 mm Wankel engines that BSAC is developing for power generation at the microscale, with a projected electrical power output of 90 milliwatts from the 2.4 mm engine. Prototype engine components have already been fabricated and these will be described.
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