Perth inventor Ralph Sarich achieved fame by patenting a rotary engine that never went into production. Sarich and his engine captured the public imagination when the ABC television program 'The Inventors' selected him as 'Inventor of the Year' for 1972. In this engine a single piston moved in an orbital fashion within its housing, creating multiple combustion chambers without the stresses inherent in earlier rotary engines. It promised improved fuel efficiency and clean emissions at a time when public interest in environmental issues was growing.
Backed by Australian resources company BHP, Sarich established a company to carry out further research and development. The engine suffered problems with cooling and lubrication, and work on it was eventually discontinued. The company then changed its aim to developing a clean, efficient two-stroke engine based on the novel 'orbital combustion process' (OCP) developed by Sarich.
In a conventional engine, a carburettor mixes fuel with air and conveys this mixture into the cylinders. Many researchers have contributed to the development of electronic fuel injection to overcome the drawbacks of the carburettor, particularly since the 1960s when governments began legislating for reduced emissions and improved fuel economy. OCP is an air-assisted direct fuel injection system that ensures the introduction into the combustion chamber of a precisely metered amount of fuel atomised by compressed air.
Whereas the use of OCP two-stroke engines in cars did not proceed beyond trials, the Orbital company later had major success with its direct injection technology as applied to both two-stroke and four-stroke engines in the motorcycle, outboard motor and snowmobile markets. Improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions achieved by the technology have enabled engines to meet the demands of increasingly stringent environmental legislation. The company also continues to develop technologies, and carry out consultancy work, for the automotive industry.
Ralph Sarich received several awards for his inventions and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 for 'service to engineering'. He gradually sold his Orbital shares and left the company in 1992 to pursue other interests. Through investments in property, he became one of Australia's wealthiest people. The story of his orbital engine and the self-made 'little Aussie battler' inventor who took on the mighty international automotive industry was absorbed into the wider narrative that claims inventiveness to be a significant aspect of national identity.
References
Port, L. 'Australian Inventors', Cassell Australia, 1978, p 170-173
Orbital Corporation website
Aprilia website
Honours Australia website
Debbie Rudder
March 2008
The engine was designed and made at the headquarters of the Orbital Corporation at Balcatta in Western Australia. Ralph Sarich founded the company with his concept for a rotary engine. Kim Schlunke, first as executive director of engineering and later as chief executive officer, headed the team that developed a range of engines incorporating Sarich's 'orbital combustion process'.
The Orbital Engine Company (Australia) Pty Ltd was formed in 1973 as a joint venture between Sarich Technologies Ltd and the Broken Hill Proprietary Co Ltd. Sarich Technologies Ltd changed its name to Orbital Engine Corporation Limited in 1990 and to Orbital Corporation Limited in 2004.
The engine was tested for about 600 hours as part of the company's extensive research, development and demonstration program. In Australia, similar engines were tested in cars as part of the Genesis trial, and 100 were trialled in Ford Fiestas in Europe.
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