Duke Engines
Ananthkrishnan H, Vaijnath L. Pawar
Mob: +91 9930962482, +91 8600668589
Email: ananthkrishnan_h@yahoo.co.in
Karmayogi Engineering College, Shelve , Pandharpur
Abstract:
The internal combustion engine has
become an integral part of the lives of every
person on earth. With astonishing developments
in the engine technologies, the world is looking
forward towards light weight, small size, less
vibrating, high power to weight ratio,
economical engines. With so many technologies,
types of engines available, which one to use?
Which one is the better? That’s another major
problem being faced everywhere.
This paper presents Duke Engines as an
alternative to the conventional gas engines. This
paper explains how Duke Engines are different
from the conventional gas engines. This paper
also explains how duke engines are light in
weight, small in size, less vibrating, have high
power to weight ratio, economical as well as
environment friendly engines. This paper also
deals with the recent developments of the Duke
engines and how it is challenging to make
practicable at typical engine operating speeds.
We can overcome all these problems in near
future, and then Duke Engine will be the most
economical and commonly used engine.
Introduction:
Axial engines also known as barrel or Z-
crank engines are a type of reciprocating
engine with pistons arranged around an output
shaft with their axes parallel to the shaft.
Fig. Axial Engine
Barrel refers to the cylindrical shape of the
cylinder group which is a result of the pistons
being spaced evenly around the central
crankshaft and aligned parallel to the crankshaft
axis whilst the Z-crank alludes to the shape of
the crankshaft.The key advantage of the axial
design is that the cylinders are arranged in
parallel around the output/crank shaft rather than
at 90 degrees as in crankshaft engines. As a
result it is a very compact, cylindrical engine,
allowing variation in compression ratio of the
engine while running.
What exactly is Duke Engine?
Duke engine is a unique high-speed, valve-
less 5 cylinder, 3 injector, 4 stroke axial internal
combustion engine with zero first-order
vibration, significantly reduced size and weight,
very high power density and the ability to run on
multiple fuels and bio-fuels. The Duke's unique
counter rotation, 3 dimensional, almost vibration
free motion and the innovative methodology
employed to achieve this, addresses previous
limitations that have prevented the
commercialization of axial piston engines to
date, especially at higher power and speed.
Fig. Duke Engine
The absence of hot valves in the favorably
shaped combustion chamber allows high
compression ratios for efficient operation on low
octane fuels. With only 3 exhaust headers for 5
cylinders there is a low surface area for heat loss
prior to any catalytic converter, offering a
potential catalyst light-off benefit. The current
engine can be run on any suitable spark ignition
fuel.
Working:
Intake:
Instead of the usual complicated poppet
valve systems the cylinders themselves slides
past the intake port from where the air fuel
mixture gets in.
Fig. Intake in Duke Engine
Compression:
The charge is then compressed.
Fig. Compression in Duke Engine
Power:
The compressed charge is then exposed to
the sparkplug. The charge burns and pushes the
piston downwards.
Fig. Spark Ignition in Duke Engine
Exhaust:
The piston then rises again ejecting the
combustion gases and thus completing the four
cycles.
Fig. Exhaust in Duke Engines
The pistons are all attached by their
connecting rods to a reciprocator which rotates
as a result of the movement of the pistons and is
itself attached to the crankshaft which rotates in
the opposite direction.
Fig. Duke Engine’s reciprocator and crankshaft
Fig. Duke Engine’s crank

Fig. Duke Engine’s internal components.
Features of Duke Engines:
Seals:
The Duke sliding seal arrangement is
analogous in function to a ported 2-stroke or
Wankel engine port sealing, allowing similar
technologies to be applied.  The Duke uses
sliding metallic seals operating on an oil film.
Materials used are those found in production
road vehicles.  The V3i engine has seals which
are of a simple design and operate at modest
contact stress and sliding velocities. Oil film
calculations conducted support good nominal
lubricating film thickness.
All V3i gasoline and Jet A1 testing to date
(March 2012) has been completed with a single
set of prototype seals which remain in good
condition.  These seals will be reassembled into
an engine for further testing without
modification or repair.
Duke challenges in seal development are
much less than in a 2-stroke or in the Wankel
engine due to lower sliding velocity and a flat
monoplane sealing surface. So far, our sliding
seal challenges are proving to be modest in
reality.
Port Area:
Intake valve area limit of approx. 32% of bore
area is a basic geometric limitation( 2 x intake
valves, each limited in diameter to about 40% of
the Bore), with the available air flow area being
significantly smaller than the valve head area, at
typically less than (30% bore area).
The inlet flow area potential of the Duke
engine is approx. 25% greater than that of a
current Formula 1 engine of similar bore. In the
key areas of intake port area and maximum
valve/port operating speed, the Duke engine is
just not limited to the same extent as
conventional engines. In current V3 and V3i
versions of the Duke engine’s port area is less
than the potential, limited by legacy architecture.
Also while the speed limits of the V3 was around
3500 rpm, the V3i target using revised
architecture is 6000 rpm. Hence while the V3
power is 105kW, the V3i target power is “only”
137kw
This power density target is seen as
practically feasible for the next generation of the
Duke engine. Greater performance potential
(Intake area >>40% bore, speed >> 8000 rpm)
would be expected within the theoretical limits
that have yet to be explored. As such the
performance potential of the Duke engine is
outstanding.
Throttle Response:
The reduced crank mass also possesses
reduced rotational kinetic energy compared to
conventional crankshafts and the cylinder block,
pistons, and reciprocator spin (in the 5 cylinder
engine) at only 1/5th of crank speed. Overall,
total rotational kinetic energy is lower than for
the equivalent internal combustion engine,
meaning there is less resistance to acceleration
and deceleration of the engine. The engine
therefore has a very quick throttle response.
While the naturally aspirated performance
prospects of the Duke engine are excellent,
pressure charging is also attractive. In most
respects the Duke engine could be expected to
respond to pressure charging in ways similar to a
conventional engine. The demonstrated
detonation resistance of the Duke engine offers
the prospect of maintaining higher compression
ratios with high boost pressures in highly rated
SI engines.
The Axial arrangement of the Duke engine
also lends itself to variable compression ratio,
improving the full load power/part load
efficiency trade off typically encountered in
fixed compression ratio, highly pressure charged
engines.
The current spark ignition (SI) Duke engine
offers the potential to operate on all of the
alternate fuels generally considered suitable for a
conventional SI engine with little or no
development. "Bio-fuels" are alternative fuels
derived from vegetable feedstock that can be
formulated to provide a basis or blending
component for many of the alternate SI and
Compression Ignition (CI or "Diesel Cycle")
fuels, the most common being bio-diesel (for CI)
and bio-ethanol (for SI).
Centrifugal forces in an axial layout:
The centrifugal forces in the Duke engine
have been thoroughly analyzed. It should be
considered that the cylinder block rotates at a
fraction of crankshaft speed and as a result Duke
radial inertial piston forces have been shown to
be lower than the side forces created by the
conrods angle in a conventional engine.
Friction:
Independent tests have shown that the
friction levels of our prototypes are very
competitive with conventional engines in terms
of overall engine friction.
Resistance to detonation:
The SI Duke engine has shown a resistance
to detonation (potentially damaging auto
ignition) that is superior to conventional
combustion engines. This is in part due to lower
maximum wall temperatures in the combustion
chamber relative to a conventional engine,
stemming from the lack of hot exhaust valves in
the Duke’s combustion system.
Flex – Fuel and Variable Compression
It may be desirable to operate the same
engine on a range of alternate fuels l. In an SI
engine, the compression ratio is likely to be the
largest single compromising characteristic that
limits the ability of a single engine to operate
effectively on a range of fuels. The ability to
vary compression ratio should be recognized as a
highly desirable feature in a flexible fuel SI
engine, especially where optimized performance
on each fuel is sought. Variable compression
ratio, though desirable, is not easy to implement
in a conventional engine.
However the Axial arrangement of the
Duke engine lends itself to the addition of
variable compression ratio without adding
significant size, weight or complexity
The relative ease of incorporating variable
compression ratio is a major advantage of the
Duke axial engine layout, with detail design and
associated patent protection in development.
Size, Weight & Shape:
The physical size, weight and shape of an
engine package imposes large constraints on the
Design Engineer and heavily impacts
performance, production, production cost,
storage and shipping of the engine.
The Duke Engine's unique design delivers
an engine package that produces unmatched
gains across all these factors, allowing unique
design freedoms combined with an ease of
production, shipping and storage.
In comparisons made to conventional IC
engines with similar displacement, the Duke
engine was found to be up to 19% lighter and up
to 36% smaller.
The Duke engine is essentially cylindrical
in shape, with the output shaft on the axis of the
cylinder and exiting one or both ends.
Importantly all of the fluid porting and electrical
connections can be on one end face.
The outer Diameter of the Duke engine
casing is driven by the Bore of the cylinders that
it contains. An optimised Duke engine of
automotive size range can be designed with an
external diameter of approx 3.4 times the bore.
The current prototype V3 (5cyl 3L) long
engine dimensions are 641mm L x 370mm W x
375mm H and so fits in a nominal cuboid
"packing crate" of 89L, and has a nominal
external diameter of 373mm. The current height
and width have the scope to be reduced further.
Mahle Powertrain in the UK in 2007.  This result
made it competitive with modern high end
automotive engines operating a similar
combustion cycle (gasoline, port injected, spark
ignition).

Performance and BMEP - 3 litre Duke

Engine
Type of Gasoline Jet A1
Fuel Used

Torque 339 Nm 292 Nm

@4500 rpm @3500 rpm

BMEP 11.8 bar 10.2 bar

Power 215 hp 169 hp

Comparisons have been done between the @4500 rpm @4500 rpm
current V3 3.0L Duke engine and comparable λ 0.90 0.88
automotive engines. The external volume and
mass of the Duke V3 has been compared to some BSFC 255g/kWhr -
conventional automotive engines, including the
BMW 3.0L M54B30, Nissan 3.5L VQ35DE and  The high compression ratio capable duke
Toyota 3.0L 1MZ-FE. engine offers significant efficiency benefits.
An early, un-optimized 5 Cyl, 3.0 Litre prototype
The "Crate volume" of these comparative was successfully tested at Mahle UK. Results
engines being measured as between 275L and found that.
326 L making the Duke engine "Crate" at 89L,
• Friction levels were comparable with
up to 70% smaller.
conventional engines.
Emissions: • BSFC were comparable with modern
Like the Wankel rotary our combustion conventional engines.
chamber is unencumbered with valves and such
like. However unlike the rotary we approach a • The 12.5:1 compressing ratio engine proved to
near optimal chamber shape far closer to a be extremely detonation resistant with no
conventional 4-stroke engine. Therefore we detonation being identified throughout full load
achieve a much more complete burn than a spark testing.
rotary. Overall:
Charge motion development will further The Duke engine already exhibits excellent NVH
improve our combustion efficiency to approach potential and good package, weight and
that of a conventional 4-stroke. efficiency potential. Licensing options are open
and with development there is great potential for
There is currently some oil required for the increased performance and optimization to meet
seals to work and this can add to the emissions, specific application requirements.
however our consumption is far less than that
required for a 2-stroke or rotary. Cost
Efficiency: There are many cost-saving features in the
unique Duke Engines design. Just a few are:
Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) • Low parts count on per-cylinder basis
A Duke engine was tested with BSFC of
255g/kWhr in the load/speed region near • 5 Cylinder engine with only 3 injectors, 3 spark
maximum output. These tests were conducted at plugs and manifold connections
• The Duke is constructed using relatively
conventional materials and manufacturing
techniques.
Aircraft
Applications: Low weight and small package size are
obvious benefits in aircraft and a spark ignition
Marine
Duke engine’s operating on kerosene offers a
The axial arrangement of the Duke engine development potential that will be appreciated by
lends itself well to marine outboard (vertical civil and military applications alike. Duke's
shaft) and Inboard (horizontal shaft) counter-rotating cylinder group offers partial
applications. cancellation of gyroscopic torque reactions.

The maximum torque/power characteristics

at low speed of the Duke engine are often desired
in marine applications and may allow for less
gear ratio change
The lower weight potential of a Duke
engine is highly attractive to reduce both
outboard weight and transom loads. The
narrower width engine of the Duke compared to
conventional V configuration engines found in
larger outboards will enable tighter engine
spacing with multiple outboard installations.
This combination of lighter weight, simple
design and high engine torque enables a 4-stroke The Duke’s output shaft being intrinsically
Duke engine to possess some of the desirable “geared down” to 5/6 of the piston reciprocating
characteristics and benefits traditionally speed allows the engine out torque to be higher
associated with 2-stroke engines while and max power developed at lower speeds.
complying with 4-stroke legislative market Auxiliary power units:
requirements.
The light weight of the Duke will be of
particular benefit where generators or pumps are
required to be air or manually transportable, for
example in Emergency services or military
applications. And the potential to operate on
kerosene is highly desirable, something not
widely available in standard smaller, lightweight
generators.

In a horizontal shaft installation, the Duke

engine offers a very low profile, a low center of
gravity and low weight that will improve the
options for installing the engine under deck or The Ideal Range Extender
seating. All of which offer benefits to craft The Duke Engine lends itself well to
handling and performance. Marine, Aircraft and Generator/Utility,
Automotive and Hybrid electric vehicle Range
Extender Applications. The Duke output shaft,
being intrinsically 'geared down' to 5/6 of the
piston reciprocating speed, allows the 'engine-
out' torque to be higher and maximum torque to
be developed at lower speeds.
Under its current design iteration the Duke
Engine Range Extender concept consists of
• 5 x 250cc cylinders displacing 1500cc per 2
rotations of crankshaft.
• Near cylindrical shape 276mm x 255mm x
426mm
• Long-engine packing-crate envelope 30 litres
•Weight approx. 41kg using conventional
materials
• 56kW @ 4000 rpm / 70 kW@6000 rpm NVH
Automobiles:
Duke Engine are also well suitable for
automotive use as it is light weight, compact,
high power to weight ratio. It has been
successfully installed in Daihatsu Charade. The
major disadvantage of Duke Engine as an
automotive engine is its low rpm.
Advantages of Duke Engine:
 Valveless porting, reduces the parts
count and size of the engine and gives
much greater freedom with the design
of the combustion chamber shape.
 Internal geometry generating increased
power strokes per crank
 A greater range of design freedom due
to its small cylindrical package size
 Reduced number of combustion 'banks'
 Absence of secondary and higher-order
unbalanced piston/conrod forces.
 Counter-rotating cylinder groups and
crankshaft provide cancellation of
torque reactions and gyroscopic forces
during engine speed fluctuations.
 Smaller, light weight engines.
 Excellent power to weight ratio.
 Redesigned platforms.
 High efficiency.
 Ideal range extender for automotive,
aviation, marine.
 Capable on low octane fuels - kerosene,
jet fuel, bio fuels.
 Less components and materials.
 Saving aviation from toxic leaded Av
gas.
Disadvantages:
 Are challenging to make practicable at
typical engine operating speeds.
 Difficulty in lubrication.
 Difficulty in maintenance.
 Emissions are greater than 4 stroke
engine.
Conclusions:
 Part-load fuel economy is comparable
with modern conventional engines.
 Full-load performance is comparable
with modern conventional engines
without performance enhancing
technologies.
 Most viable for use in the near future.
 Widespread marketplace acceptance and
use is still many years away.
References:
1. http://www.dukeengines.com/
technology/overview/
2. http://thekneeslider.com/duke-engines-
5-cylinder-4-stroke-3-injector-
valveless-axial-engine/
3. https://rideapart.com/articles/duke-
axial-motorcycle-engine
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ A-4 Barrel Engine" 
Axial_engine 6. Douglas. "Axial Internal Combustion
5. McCutcheon, Kimble D. "The Almen Engines"