Cyclone Power Technologies, Inc. (fka CYPW)

[BuddyWhazhizname]

Well said Tom. As a demonstration of the correctness of your conclusion, consider the WHE-DR engine that the engineers of Ohio State University designed.

Cyclone put out a PR (naturally) touting the improvements of an engine with the "spider bearing" removed:

The WHE-DR boasts several important advancements over the previous engine model, meant to decrease manufacturing costs and increase operational durability without loss of performance. For instance, the new engine replaces six cylinders with three slightly larger bore cylinders, and utilizes more robust and less complicated admittance and exhaust valving systems, and simplified rod bearing connections. Overall, the WHE-DR has approximately 60% fewer parts than the earlier version. Initial testing has demonstrated significantly smoother and quieter operation, which is expected to result in the successful completion of durability tests over the next two months.

Smoother and quieter because the impacts of the "spider bearing" on the connecting rods were eliminated.

And what did Harry Schoell, self-proclaimed "ingenious inventor" think of the engine without the "spider bearing":

“We are very proud of our improved engine. This is a technological and business milestone that must not be understated, as we are fast approaching our transition into phase one manufacturing with our team that we have been preparing in Ohio. For small-scale waste-to-power applications, we believe this product has enormous market potential,” stated Harry Schoell, Chairman and CTO of Cyclone.

Now we're told that hybrid ceramic/steel ball bearings will be the answer to Cyclone's inability to make a water lubricated engine survive 10 hours of run time. (Never mind that Harry Schoell has been playing with hybrid bearings for at least 10 years now, obviously without success.) Each connecting rod will suffer at least two heavy impacts per revolution, which will be transmitted through the rod bearings, plus all the impact vibrations transmitted in from the other rods on the "spider bearing". The rod bearings only oscillate which is a severe duty for ball bearings since wear and fatigue damage isn't distributed over the bearing race surfaces.

The crank bearings will see forces from all the rod impacts, so at least 12 per revolution.

And now let's look at Frankie's take on water lubrication:

Frankie Fruge lubrication is water and if you dint think water is a lubricant take the rubber mat out of you ceramic tub. unlike oil lubricants we don't sheer the metal and get mental in our lubricant that is one reduction in wear. maintenance will be water filter changes We have no metal to metal contact another wear factor eliminated. We have bearings that have a life cycle from SKF depending on the dury cycle those will have to be changed. electric motors again with duty cycles belts. Rotary valve a 15 minute job piston rings a 45 minute job depending on dury cycle. The engine itself only has 7 moving parts All the rest are sub systems water pumps fuel pumps ekectric motors electronic controls just the usual stuff.

Water filters capture solid particles, but if there is no "mental in our lubricant", what, exactly, are they filtering out of the "lubricant"?

Pieces of connecting rods and hybrid ball bearings, I expect.