Nano Disc Manson-Guise Engine
The Kontax Nano Disc Manson-Guise engine features a new and innovative valve arrangement invented by Kontax. The engine has an anodised aluminium construction, with a solid brass heatsink and flywheel rim. the piston comes in either polished brass or enhanced tungsten disulphide coated brass. There are two formats available, one with the flywheel mounted horizontally and the other with the flywheel mounted vertically.
Innovative New Valves
Conventional Manson engines have a somewhat complicated valve arrangement, with radial and axial holes in the piston that need to line up with holes in the outer cylinder. This engine has simplified this to two slots in the piston. For most of the length of its stroke the piston forms an airtight seal with the cylinder but at the very ends of its stroke the slots allow a path for air to flow into and out of the main chamber. The slots simplify the design, reduce production costs and improve performance of the engine.
The Manson-Guise engine is named after the original inventor of the Manson engine A. D. Manson, and the Kontax engineer Chris Guise, the inventor of the modified valve slots.
The Manson-Guise cycle
When moving towards the heat, the displacer piston is shuttling the air inside the engine to the cold side, cooling and contracting it, which pulls on the power piston, driving the flywheel.
The valve slot on the top side of the piston is briefly opened, allowing air into the main chamber to relieve the internal vacuum pressure created by contracting the air in the previous step. The moving flywheel provides momentum to push the engine into the next stroke.
When the power and displacer pistons are moving away from the heat source the displacer is shuttling air inside the engine to the hot side, heating and expanding the air inside which pushes on the power piston, driving the flywheel.
The other valve slot on the bottom of the piston is briefly opened, relieving the pressure inside the engine that was built up in the previous step. The moving flywheel provides momentum to push the engine into the next stroke.
Main features:
- Vertical configuration
- 1800 rpm
- Runs on a tiny methylated spirits or denatured alcohol flame
- Extremely low friction self-lubricating graphite pistons
Materials
- Stainless steel ball-race bearings
- Micron precision borosilicate glass cylinder
- Aluminium base, foot, and brackets
- Aluminium flywheel spokes
- Brass flywheel rim
Dimensions
Base - 115mm x 50mm x 5mm thick (4.5" x 1.9" x 0.2")
Flywheel - 35mm diameter x 6mm thick (1.4" x 0.23")
Power piston - 6mm diameter (0.24")
Overall height - 68mm (2.68")
Burner - 25mm diameter x 40mm high (1" x 1.6")
