The Cyclone/Williams Streamliner

The Car
Designed by Harry Schoell and Chuk Williams, this steam powered streamliner is set to bring the Land Speed Record for steam vehicles back to the United States. During the first attempt Cyclone will be putting in a stock 100HP Mark V engine. This is the same stock engine that the company plans to develop for consumer vehicles and it is projected to reach 160 mph, beating the current record with an engine that actually has practical use.

The Engine
The Cyclone Engine is a compact, heat regenerative, external combustion engine that has been developed to achieve high thermal efficiencies and power-to-weight ratio. The engine, invented by Harry Schoell, operates on a Schoell cycle, and uses multiple heat recapturing processes off its cylinders, exhaust manifold and ccondenser to achieve thermal efficiencies over 30%.

The Cyclone Engine uses water as both its working fluid and lubricant, and can operate at super-critical pressures and temperatures, which results in greater power output relative to its size. The Cyclone is capable of running on virtually any liquid or gaseous fuel, including 100% biofuels any liquid or gaseous fuel, including 100% biofuels and combusts these fuels much cleaner than an internal combustion engine.

The 6-cylinder, radial-format Cyclone Engine weighs only 250lbs (with combustion chamber), produces 100hp @ 3600rpm, and generates an impressive 850lbs-ft of torque at starting. With this power, no transmission is needed, ultimately making commercial vehicles lighter and cheaper.

The patented Cyclone Engine has won numerous awards including the Popular Science 2008 Invention of the Year, and the Society of Automotive Engineers’ AEI Tech Award in 2006 and 2008.

Click here for an in-depth look
at the Mark V