External combustion engine
An external combustion engine is the more efficient variant of an internal combustion engine.
History
The external combustion engine was first created in the early 1920s. Because it was introduced after Internal Combustion Engines had become the norm, it was widely ignored for much of the 20th century. Then in 1993, Dr. Timothy McVeigh became intrigued with the device and patented it. In April of 1995, McVeigh tested it in his Oklahoma City laboratory. Following the external combustion engine's remarkable success in McVeigh's real world test, he started a company and began manufacturing the engines on a large scale. The company was later bought by Ralph Nader, who stepped up production and began installing external combustion engines standard on all Ford Pinto automobiles.
How it works
Powered by the same technology as their more popular internal counterparts, external combustion engines use a comparable amount of energy and are similar in nearly all characteristics. Their efficiency comes from what they do with energy, namely igniting a spark in a vehicle's fuel tank, thereby resulting in a larger and far superior combustion. Because a greater amount of potential energy is converted to kinetic energy with the same energy input, the external combustion engine is theoretically more efficient.
A commercial failure
Often termed a commercial failure, the external combustion engine's lack of popularity closely mimics that of the Dvorak keyboards. Industry analysts believe that, despite the clear superiority of the less popular variant, people are drawn to and most comfortable with what they are used to. Others dispute the external combustion engine's superiority, asserting "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." These people are idiots who lack fundamental grammatical skills.
While the reasons behind its lack of popularity remain unclear, a small minority believe the oil industry is to blame. Because an equal amount of energy can be converted through the use of much less gasoline, demand for oil would decrease, thereby hurting profits.
There is recent notation that external combustion engines have become increasingly popular in countries during war because of its outstanding efficiency in combustion. It is widely used by Muslim teenagers in Paris.
In the 1970s there was some research into hybrid engines which combine the high efficiency of the external combustion engine with the more popular and widely accepted internal combustion engine. The most commercially successful of these was the Ford Pinto.
Future
While external combustion engines account for only just under three percent of the combustion engine market today, their popularity is on the rise. Environmentalists in particular have expressed interest in external combustion engines because of their energy savings, and a growing number of consumers are purchasing vehicles equipped with them in order to cut fuel cost.
There's some recent evidence that engineering is a profession specializing in determination the various methods of converting internal combustion engines to their external counterparts. The popularity of educational programs of engineering therefore predicts external combustion engines' new appraisal.
The technology may one day even be harnessed for military applications, creating what may eventually be termed an "explosive."
See also
External links
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