Rotary Engine Overview

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Rotary engines are Otto Cycle engines ( They have four phases in a combustion cycle)
Compression is acheived in a rotary engine by reduction of volume in compression chamber
There are Three separate volumes of gas at any point in the rotary engine.

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Inside View of Rotary Engine.

In a piston engine the same volume of space does four different jobs ( Intake, compression, combustion and Exhaust.
A rotary engine does the same four jobs in separate parts of the housing.

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Mazda RX-7 Engine Housing.

Types of Rotary Engines

KKM or planetary rotation motor	DKM or Single Rotation Engine
Stationary peripheral housing. Rotor moves in an orbit and propels an eccentric shaft. Better cooling. More compact. Easier to manufacture. Modern engines are KKM.	The First rotary engine. Central Fixed Shaft. Inner rotating housing and rotor moving around the shaft. Smoothest of the Two. Engine dissasembly required to change spark plugs. 25000 RPM or above are possible. No longer in use.