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The purpose of the ELEVATE (European Low Emission V4 Automotive Two-stroke Engine) industrial research project is to develop a small, compact, light weight, high torque and highly efficient clean gasoline 2-stroke engine of 120 kW which could industrially replace the relatively big existing automotive spark ignition or diesel 4-stroke engine used in the top of the mid size or in the large size vehicles, including the minivan vehicles used for multi people and family transportation. This new gasoline direct injection engine concept is based on the combined implementation on a 4-stroke bottom end of several 2-stroke engine innovative technologies such as the IAPAC compressed air assisted direct fuel injection, the CAI (Controlled Auto-Ignition) combustion process, the D2SC (Dual Delivery Screw SuperCharger) for both low pressure engine scavenging and higher pressure IAPAC air assisted DI and the ETV (Exhaust charge Trapping Valve).

The IAPAC Direct fuel Injection (DI) system, developed by IFP, has already well proven its capability to reduce pollutants emissions and fuel consumption of 2-stroke engines. This crankcase Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection Process allowing the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air, minimizes the fuel short-circuiting. In earlier works, results of the implementation of the IAPAC system on cylinder displacement from 125 cc to 400 cc have been presented in various papers. These first prototypes were all using a camshaft to drive the IAPAC DI poppet valve, which was considered as a limitation for applying this system to small displacement 2-stroke engines. The new SCIP™ system is no more using a camshaft neither driveshaft, or any electric power supply to drive the DI air assisted injection valve.

The IAPAC Direct fuel Injection (DI) system, developed by IFP, has already well proven its capability to reduce pollutants emissions and fuel consumption of 2-stroke engines. This crankcase Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection Process allowing the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air, minimizes the fuel short-circuiting. In earlier works, results of the implementation of the IAPAC system on cylinder displacement from 125 cc to 400 cc have been presented in various papers. These first prototypes were all using a camshaft to drive the IAPAC DI poppet valve, which was considered as a limitation for applying this system to small displacement 2-stroke engines. The new SCIP™ system is no more using a camshaft neither driveshaft, or any electric power supply to drive the DI air assisted injection valve.

The purpose of the 4-SPACE (4-Stroke Powered gasoline Auto-ignition Controlled combustion Engine) industrial research project is to research and develop an innovative controlled auto-ignition combustion process for lean burn automotive gasoline 4-stroke engines application. The engine concepts to be developed could have the potential to replace the existing stoichiometric / 3-way catalyst automotive spark ignition 4-stroke engines by offering the potential to meet the most stringent EURO 4 emissions limits in the year 2005 without requiring DeNOx catalyst technology. A reduction of fuel consumption and therefore of corresponding CO2 emissions of 15 to 20% in average urban conditions of use, is expected for the « 4-SPACE » lean burn 4-stroke engine with additional reduction of CO emissions.

The implementation of the IFP-developped Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection process (named IAPAC) on a two-stroke engine allows the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air in order to minimize fuel short-circuiting. The IAPAC process does not require an external air pump since the compressed air used to atomize the fuel is supplied, at no expense, by the crankcase. The premixed charge is delivered directly into the cylinder with a high spray quality and its stratification, for optimized combustion, is controlled by a valve. This process, therefore, provides the advantages of the direct injection but uses conventional low-pressure automotive type injection technology with commercially available gasoline injectors. In earlier work, we showed how the qualities of light weight, compactness, high specific power, high efficiency and low emissions make this concept particularly well-adapted for future automotive applications.

The implementation of the IFP-developped Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection process (named IAPAC) on a two-stroke engine allows the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air in order to minimize fuel short-circuiting. The IAPAC process does not require an external air pump since the compressed air used to atomize the fuel is supplied, at no expense, by the crankcase. The premixed charge is delivered directly into the cylinder with a high spray quality and its stratification, for optimized combustion, is controlled by a valve. This process, therefore, provides the advantages of the direct injection but uses conventional low-pressure automotive type injection technology with commercially available gasoline injectors. In earlier work we showed how the qualities of light weight, compactness, high specific power, high efficiency and low emissions make this concept particularly well-adapted for future automotive applications.

The IAPAC® Direct fuel Injection (DI) system, developed by IFP, has already well proven its capability to reduce pollutants emissions and fuel consumption of 2-stroke engines for both 2-wheeler and marine outboard application. This crankcase Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection process allowing the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air, minimizes the fuel short-circuiting and has shown its potential on various prototype demonstrators. This paper presents the development and pre-industrialization work performed to apply this concept to an SELVA Marine 2-cylinder 50 HP outboard 2-stroke engine. A standard carbureted engine has been converted to a IAPAC® prototype engine by mainly modifying the cylinder head. Then, this prototype engine has been calibrated, tested and optimized on the dyno test bench to comply with future emissions regulation while keeping similar power output than the reference carbureted engine.

The relative contribution of two wheelers to local atmosphere pollution is increasing more and more due to ultra low emissions regulation applied to other vehicle as cars. In 1999, the first European emissions regulations for 50cc mopeds and scooters appeared (Euro I) and will also become more and more severe by the time. Euro II (2002) level will correspond to the next step. IFP has developed a simplified Direct Injection technology, named SCIP™, derived from the well known IAPAC® technology without the need of additional camshaft. This technology has been integrated with the MC500 Engine Management System developed by SAGEM for the growing 2-wheelers application. The final simple and cheap product is therefore well adapted to small displacement 2-stroke engines as 50cc engine for 2-wheelers application. This paper presents the development of a 50 cc scooter engine using SCIP™ technology and the calibration of the MC500 System to achieve Euro II regulation.

New combustion processes known as Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI™) for gasoline engine and Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) for Diesel engine are the subject of extensive research worldwide and particularly at IFP. Because of the thermo-chemistry conditions of the charge, the thermal NOx formation is in principle much less than with flames typical of the conventional engines. Indeed, these new combustion processes bring NOx to virtually zero “1 digit” ppm while maintaining a very high thermodynamic efficiency of the combustion. One major issue in the development of CAI combustion for gasoline engines remains the limited engine speed and load range that can be operated in CAI combustion mode, while maintaining near zero NOx and acceptable noise emissions.

ELEVATE (European Low Emission V4 Automotive Two-stroke Engine) was a research project part funded by the European Commission to design and develop a compact and efficient gasoline two-stroke automotive engine. Five partners were involved in the project, IFP (Institut Français Du Pétrole) who were the project leaders, Lotus, Opcon (Autorotor and SEM), Politecnico di Milano and Queen's University Belfast. The general project targets were to achieve Euro 3 emissions compliance without DeNOx catalisation, and a power output of 120 kW at 5000 rev/min with maximum torque of 250 Nm at 2000 rev/min. Specific targets were a 15% reduction in fuel consumption compared to its four-stroke counterpart and a size and weight advantage over the four-stroke diesel with significant reduction in particulate and NOx emissions. This paper describes the design philosophy of the engine as well as the application of the various partner technologies used.

The IAPAC Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection has been applied to the design and conception of a new 3 cylinder automotive 2-stroke engine of 1230 cc. This engine includes several innovations in addition to the IAPAC technology itself: fluid dynamically controlled combustion process (FDCCP), compactness with the block-integration of the IAPAC components, combined camshaft-balancing shaft, fixed exhaust port timing, … it presents particularly advantageous characteristics in terms of size and weight. The optimization of the different engine design parameters, before the installation of the engine in a vehicle, is presented in this paper. High engine trapping efficiency and smooth, stable and highly efficient light load auto-ignition combustion (ATAC) is controlled by the internal fluid dynamics. For the in-vehicle calibration, a fast catalyst lighting strategy has been implemented.

The implementation of the IFP developed Compressed Air Assisted Fuel Injection Process (named IAPAC) in a two-stroke engine allows the introduction of the fuel separately from the scavenging air, which in consequence minimizes fuel short-circuiting. The inherent mechanical principle of the IAPAC process which uses the crankcase compressed air to finely atomize the fuel, provides the advantages of direct injection but in addition uses conventional low pressure automotive type injection technology with commercially available gasoline injectors. In earlier work we showed an example of the application of this fuel injection technology to a PIAGGIO single cylinder 125 cc scooter two-stroke engine. In this paper, an update of the results obtained with this new engine is presented and confirms the ultra-low emissions capability for two-wheeler application.

Engines and fuels for transport as well as off-road applications are facing a double challenge: bring local pollution to the level requested by the most stringent city air quality standard reduce CO2 emission in order to minimize the global warming risk. These goals stimulate new developments both of conventional and alternative engines and fuels technologies. New combustion processes known as Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI™) for gasoline engine and Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) for Diesel engine are the subject of extensive research world wide and particularly at IFP for various applications such as passenger cars, heavy-duty trucks and buses as well as small engines. Because of the thermo-chemistry of the charge, the thermal NOx formation and the soot production are in principle much lower than in flames typical of conventional engines.