M26 - The Wanitschek-Flame-Eater

Technical details
Year of construction 2003
Power piston stroke 22 mm
  diameter 16 mm
Displacer piston stroke
  diameter
Flywheel  diameter 62 mm
  material brass
Idle speed 600 U/min - 200 U/min
Energy source alcohol
Mass 580 g 

Description:
I built this model, which was my first working flame eater, from a kit by H. Wanitschek. Although H. Wanitschek sold many kits, used models of this engine are hard to come by. This is astonishing because the finished engine does work immediately provided one sticks to the dimensions given in the drawings. To prevent the flame from being put out during the motor's intake phase, I made the valve cover slightly bigger. The piston was fashioned from graphite, providing for free movement and leak tightness without any supplementary lubrication (no more grease!). Due to the large cooling fins, the motor can be be kept running for relatively long periods of time. Motor rpm can be changed by varying the load with an eddy current brake: A lever is used to adjust the distance between the flywheel and a powerful neodymium magnet. The current induced by the magnet in the brass flywheel results in an opposing current with a magnetic field opposite to the field of the permanent magnet, thereby increasing engine load.
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