Interesting
I listened to the Video very closly:
"billions spent in development" - Ouch
"it has the potential" - That tells me what?; Is it like when a teacher tells the parents "little jimmy has potential".
"too good to be true" - they even say it, lol ha ha ha
"it is being refined....before working prototype is developed" - Paper engine
"strategic patent portfolio" - this is the sales pitch to get people to buy into it and buy a license.
Based on my very tired understanding of the Otto cycle and thermodynamics it looks like the principal is using the "slave piston" to act as an air compressor. I would say supercharger but it does not seem super to me. This also allows the other cylinder's intake and power stroke to be one and the same! So every rotation of the crank is a power stroke verses every 2 rotations as with a 4 stroke.
Right after the exhaust stroke just past TDC the slave injects the power cylinder with a compressed charge, valve closes and than fires almost at the same time. So the intake and power stroke happen at and just past TDC. That Valve between the slave and power cylinder has to move real real fast to do this. On the power stoke the slave is on it's intake. On the power cylinder's exhaust (up) stroke the slave is on the COMPRESION! Hummmm. Interesting.
In a nut shell, one cylinder does power and exhaust, the other is intake and compression. He basically takes one normal 4-stroke cylinder and divides it into two cylinders, each doing two strokes, but simultaneously. It is either brilliant or ridiculous. I think it is complicated. I agree with the other observations. One may question if it will work at all, but the claim it will be 33-42% more efficient seems like a stretch.
I see a big issue with getting transfer valve to open very fast (over a few degrees of crank angle), pass the high pressure gas between cylinders and than close. On a regular engine you have about 180 degrees of crank angle to open and close each valve and than only every other crank rotation (4-stroke). With this set up the valves, intake on the slave cyl, and exhaust on the power cyl are opening every crank rotation. So this will not be a high RPM engine. Any ideas of how it really works, that is my guess and obvious challenge.
Also I am disappointed they don't do any thing with the exhaust, it is just blown out the pipe? What is good about that. That is wasted energy. The only improvement is in theory is higher compression, but than I don't see that really happening either. May be I should get on the ground floor and buy a license to produce this? hummmmm
I am not selling my Lycoming O360A1A just yet. Cheers George