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In relation to further tightening of the emissions legislation for on-road heavy duty Diesel engines, the future potential of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) as a result of developments in the cooling systems of such engines has been evaluated. Four basic engine concepts were investigated: an engine with SCR exhaust gas aftertreatment for control of the nitrogen oxides (NOx), an engine with cooled EGR and particulate (PM) filtration, an engine with low pressure EGR and PM filtration and an engine with two stage low temperature cooled EGR also with a particulate filter. A 10.5 litre engine was calibrated and tested under conditions representative for each concept, such that 1.7 g/kWh (1.3 g/bhp-hr) NOx could be achieved over the ESC and ETC. This corresponds to emissions 15% below the Euro 5 legislation level.

Gasoline direct injection is one of the main issues of actual worldwide SI engine development activities. It requires a comprehensive system approach from the basic considerations on optimum combustion system configuration up to vehicle performance and driveability. The general characteristics of currently favored combustion system configurations are discussed in this paper regarding both engine operation and design aspects. The engine performance, especially power output and emission potential of AVL's DGI engine concept is presented including the interaction of advanced tools like optical diagnostics and 3D-CFD simulation in the combustion system development process. The application of methods like tomographic combustion analysis for investigations in the multicylinder engine within further stages of development is demonstrated. The system layout and operational strategies for fuel economy in conjunction with exhaust gas aftertreatment requirements are discussed.

In the past application of alternative fuels was mostly concentrated to special markets - e.g. for ethanol and ethanol blends Brazil or Sweden. Now an increasing sensitivity towards dependency on crude oil significantly enhances the interest in alternative fuels. With spark ignited engines, ethanol and gasoline / ethanol blends are the most promising alternative fuels - besides CNG. The high octane number of ethanol and the resulting excellent knock performance gives significant benefits, especially with highly boosted engines. However, the evaporation characteristics of ethanol result in challenges regarding cold start and oil dilution with GDI application. This paper deals with investigations on a turbocharged DI engine operated on ethanol fuel in order to improve challenges of ethanol fuel, such as oil dilution and cold start. Cold start can be improved by injecting fuel late in the compression stroke (high pressure start) based on a refined engine design and operation strategies.

Gasoline direct injection and turbocharging enable the progress of clean and fuel efficient SI engines. Accessing potential efficiency benefits requires very high power density to be achieved across a broad rpm range. This imposes risks which in conventional engines are rarely met. However, at torque levels exceeding 25 bar BMEP, the thermal in-cylinder conditions together with chemical reactivity of any ignitable matter, require major efforts in combustion system development. The paper presents a methodology to identify and locate sporadic self ignition events and it demonstrates non contact surface temperature measurement techniques for in-cylinder and exhaust system components.

For achieving the forthcoming CO2 emission targets of 95g/km by 2020 and for the years beyond, comprehensive activities for powertrain technology as well as development methodology has to be utilized. It will by far not be enough to add a few single technology features to achieve the desired result. More and more the success will result from comprehensive combining of synergetic utilization of complementary effects. This will be the powertrain perfectly matched to the vehicle, including the energy source, and all together integrated by means of advanced development tools and methodology.

During recent years several VVT devices have been developed, in order to improve either peak power and low end torque, or part load fuel consumption of SI engines. This paper describes an experimental activity, concerning the integration of a continuously variable cam phaser (CVCP), together with an intake port deactivation device, on a small 4 cylinder 16V engine. The target was to achieve significantly lower fuel consumption under normal driving conditions, compared to a standard MPFI application. A single hydraulic cam phaser is used to shift both the intake and the exhaust cams to retarded positions, at constant overlap. Thus, high EGR rates in the combustion chamber and late intake valve closure (“reverse Miller cycle”) are combined, in order to reduce pumping losses at part load.

In order to facilitate the analysis of SI engine combustion phenomena, we have developed a fiber optic system which allows the observation of combustion in essentially standard engines. Optical access to the combustion chamber is achieved with micro-optic elements and optical fibers in the cylinder head gasket. Each fiber views a narrow cone of the combustion chamber and transmits the light seen within this acceptance cone to the detector and recorder unit. A large number of such fiber optic detectors have been incorporated in a cylinder head gasket and this multichannel system was arranged in a geometric configuration which allowed the reconstruction of the spatial flame intensity distribution within the observed combustion chamber cross-section. The spatial information was gained from the line-of-sight intensity signals by means of a tomographic reconstruction technique.

The paper describes a feasibility test program on a 2 liter, 4 cylinder DI/TCI passenger car engine operated on the new alternative fuel Dimethyl Ether (DME, CH3 - O - CH3) with the aim of demonstrating its potential of meeting ULEV emissions (0.2 g/mi NOx in the FTP 75 test cycle) when installed in a full size passenger car. Special attention is drawn to the fuel injection equipment (FIE) as well as combustion system requirements towards the reduction of NOx and combustion noise while keeping energetic fuel consumption at the level of the baseline DI/TCI diesel engine. FIE and combustion system parameters were optimized on the steady state dynamometer by variation of a number of parameters, such as rate of injection, number of nozzle holes, compression ratio, piston bowl shape and exhaust gas recirculation.

Recent developments have raised increased interest on the concept of gasoline direct injection as the most promising future strategy for fuel economy improvement of SI engines. The general requirements for mixture preparation and combustion systems in a GDI engine are presented in view of known and actual systems regarding fuel economy and emission potential. The characteristics of the actually favored injection systems are discussed and guidelines for the development of appropriate combustion systems are derived. The differences between such mixture preparation strategies as air distributed fuel and fuel wall impingement are discussed, leading to the alternative approach to the problem of mixture preparation with the fully air distributing concept of direct mixture injection.

The influence of fuel density on exhaust emissions from diesel engines has been investigated in a number of studies and these have generally concluded that particulate emissions rise with increasing density This paper reviews recent work in this area, including the European Programme on Emissions, Fuels and Engine Technologies (EPEFE) and reports on a complementary study conducted by CONCAWE, in cooperation with AVL List GmbH The project was carried out with a passenger car equipped with an advanced technology high speed direct injection turbocharged / intercooled diesel engine fitted with a complex engine management system which was referenced to a specific fuel density This production model featured electronic diesel control, closed loop exhaust gas recirculation and an exhaust oxidation catalyst Tests were carried out with two EPEFE fuels which excluded the influence of key fuel properties other than density (828 8 and 855 1 kg/m3) Engine operation was adjusted for changes in fuel density by resetting the electronic programmable, read-only memory to obtain the same energy output from the two test fuels In chassis dynamometer tests over the ECE15 + EUDC test cycle the major impact of fuel density on particulate emissions for advanced engine technology/engine management systems was established A large proportion of the density effect on particulate and NOx emissions was due to physical interaction between fuel density and the electronic engine management system Limited bench engine testing of the basic engine showed that nearly complete compensation of the density effect on smoke (particulate) emissions could be achieved when no advanced technology was applied

An optical sensor system provides access to standard SI engine combustion chambers via the cylinder head gasket. Flame radiation within the plane of the gasket is observed with optical fibers which are arranged to allow the tomographic reconstruction of flame distribution. The effect of convective in-cylinder air motion generated by variations of inlet ports and combustion chamber geometries on flame propagation is directly visible. A high degree of correlation between flame intensity distribution and NOx emission levels yields a useful assessment of combustion chamber configurations with minimum emission levels. The location of knock centers is identified.

The AVL Spectros engine is a version of a potential engine family concept and an example of lightweight and modular design. The model shown and described in detail is a powerful V8 spark-ignited engine developed for the sporty limousine called I.DE.A One. The design objectives were high power density, compact overall dimensions and enhanced efficiency. These objectives have been achieved by means of downsizing, lightweight design, direct injection with exhaust gas turbo-charging and modular heat management system. One of the design targets was to match the design of the engine compartment with the outer appearance of the I.DE.A One vehicle. This was achieved by the integration of all tubes and cables in modules and the conscious avoidance of covers. The starter-alternator concept allows almost all secondary systems to be powered electrically and thus to omit any auxiliary belt drives.

The CBR (Controlled Burn Rate) technology for MPFI engines is known to enable the reduction of throttle losses of gasoline engines by high EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) rates due to the dilution tolerance of the swirl charge motion system using port deactivation. Now a new aspect of CBR is being developed: extremely low emissions during and after cold start. This paper is focused on the combustion stability and low emission aspects of CBR technology. It is shown how engine out emissions and catalyst light off behavior of an engine can be significantly improved using port deactivation. The very stable combustion directly after engine start, extremely retarded ignition timings in combination with lean engine operation and open valve injection with minimized wall wetting lead to very low HC emissions and very high exhaust gas temperatures.

The paper reports on the outcome of a still on-going joint-research project with the objective of establishing a demonstrator high speed direct injection (HSDI) diesel engine in a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) which allows to exploit the effectiveness of new engine and aftertreatment technologies for reducing exhaust emissions to future levels of US/EPA Tier 2 and Euro 4. This objective should be accomplished in three major steps: (1) reduce NOx by advanced engine technologies (cooled EGR, flexible high pressure common rail fuel injection system, adapted combustion system), (2) reduce particulates by the Continuous Regeneration Trap (CRT), and (3) reduce NOx further by a DeNOx aftertreatment technology. The current paper presents engine and vehicle results on step (1) and (2), and gives an outlook to step (3).

Increasingly stringent exhaust emission regulations, which are expected to come into force within the next couple of years will require substantial reductions of NOx as well as particulate emissions. To meet these future emission standards, the application of new technologies will be indispensable, especially in view of maintaining or even improving the thermal efficiency of LD, MD and HD diesel engines [1]. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is a proven method to reduce NOx emissions. This paper outlines the development and layout of a high load EGR system by means of 3D-CFD and thermodynamic cycle simulation. The analytical approach is presented and simulation results are compared to those achieved on the test bed.

The principal engine used in passenger cars is, and in the foreseeable future will be, the SI Engine. This paper summarizes AVL's experience in developing SI Engines for these vehicles. Special attention is given to the new targets of SI Engine development and the resulting design strategies during the concept phase of new engine families. The new modular concept of engine families includes a broad range of different engine designs like three to five cylinder inline and six to ten cylinder V-block engines, direct injection or fully variable valve actuation. It is shown that the design of central engine components, for example, that of the cylinder head, can be adapted for the different SI valve-train concepts by simply switching specific modular components.

In the context of today’s and future legislative requirements for NOx and soot particle emissions as well as today’s market trends for further efficiency gains in gasoline engines, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models need to further improve their intrinsic predictive capability to fulfill OEM needs towards the future. Improving fuel chemistry modelling, knock predictions and the modelling of the interaction between the chemistry and turbulent flow are three key challenges to improve the predictivity of CFD simulations of Spark-Ignited (SI) engines. The Flamelet Generated Manifold (FGM) combustion modelling approach addresses these challenges. By using chemistry pre-tabulation technologies, today’s most detailed fuel chemistry models can be included in the CFD simulation. This allows a much more refined description of auto-ignition delays for knock as well as radical concentrations which feed into emission models, at comparable or even reduced overall CFD run-time.

Spark ignited engines are today operated more and more often under high load conditions, where one reason can be identified in the necessity of increasing the efficiency and hence reducing fuel consumption and specific CO2 emissions. Since the gasoline engine operation is inherently limited by knocking at high loads, strategies must be identified, which allow reliable identification and simulation of the appearance of this undesirable type of combustion. A new numerical model for the description of those kinds of pre-flame reactions in a CFD framework is discussed in this paper. Despite emphasis is put here on the auto-ignition effects, it will also be explained that the model is capable of supporting the engine development process in all combustion and emission related aspects.