Rian goes back to the steam age for new engine

A CORK student who pioneered a project that could save motorists €500 a year has won a major European award for his work.

Rian Edman, 22, from Macroom, Co Cork, has been named Best European Mechanical Engineering Student 2011 for his work exploring the capacity and performance of a six-stroke engine. A student at Cork Institute of Technology, he aims to harness energy lost in the form of heat from combustion engines through exhaust fumes.

“In a normal car, the energy created by combustion of fuel is mostly wasted. There is an efficiency rating of between 20% and 30% for modern cars.”

Rian is seeking to develop an engine that encompasses the merits of a steam engine and a combustion engine in one.

“My design involves injecting water into the cylinder after the exhaust stroke.

“My analysis predicts heat savings will be improved by 33% so, for motorists, we are talking about fuel savings of up to €500 annually.”

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said Rian was a credit to his institute

“He has competed, and been successful, at the highest level and is a credit to himself, his family and to the calibre of graduate being produced by CIT.”

The awards ceremony, held in London, is among the most important and prestigious accolade for science and technology undergraduates in Europe.

Rian was one of three finalists in the Babcock Award for mechanical engineering category. He is the first student of an Irish technology institute to be shortlisted. His submission was a 2,000-word essay based on his final-year project, “Testing and evaluation of a six-stroke engine”.

The potentially groundbreaking technology stemmed from his life-long love of motoring.

“I’ve always been interested in cars and in rallying. I was strong at maths which is why I chose mechanical engineering.

“After reading about the development done in this area previously, I really liked it and saw what I wanted to do had not been done before,” he said.

Rian plans to build a prototype of the six-stroke engine and patent the idea in order for it to be used in the motor industry.

“I want to continue on and do a PhD so I am currently looking for funding to do that. The next step will be to build, test and optimise a prototype.”

Rian is due to graduate from CIT with a first-class degree in mechanical engineering in November.