Engineer from Kostroma combined ICE and pneumatic engine with a common crankshaft

Kostroma engineer Vladimir Mikhailov developed an unusual combined power unit. In it, an internal combustion engine and a pneumatic engine work as a single system with a common crankshaft and a closed energy transfer circuit through a turbocharger.

This scheme simplified the design while maintaining high efficiency and more complete utilization of exhaust gas energy.

The unit is based on a combination of a four-stroke ICE and a two-stroke pneumatic engine, united by a single kinematic circuit.

The turbocharger with working and drive impellers not only supplies air to the cylinders but also uses the exhaust of the pneumatic engine to maintain its own rotation, closing the energy cycle.

Mikhailov's idea allows for sequential energy utilization – first in the ICE, then in the pneumatic engine, after which the residual flow returns to the turbocharger. As a result, the degree of exhaust gas utilization increases, and energy losses at each stage are reduced.