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In the last years motorsport is facing a technical revolution concerning the engine technology in every category, from touring car championships up to the F1. The strategy of the car manufacturers to bring motorsport engine technology closer to mass production one (e.g. turbo-charging, downsizing and direct injection) allows both to reduce development costs and to create a better image and technology transfer by linking motorsport activities to the daily business. Under these requirements the so-called Global Race Engine (GRE) concept has been introduced, giving the possibility to use one unique engine platform concept as basis for different engine specifications and racing categories. In order to optimize the performance of this kind of engines, especially due to the highly complex mixture formation mechanisms related to the direct injection, it is nowadays mandatory to resort to reliable 3D-CFD simulations.

Ignition delay times are major information needed to allow the simulation of auto-ignition and knocking combustion in internal combustion engines (ICEs). Due to their variance over changing boundary conditions (BC) and limitations of measurement processes, a common way to obtain them is via reaction kinetic simulations. To facilitate and accelerate the simulation process with varying operating conditions and gas composition definitions, an efficient tool that uses Cantera’s Python interface has been created. It allows the end-user to easily calculate the ignition delay data needed for engine simulation without the necessity for in-depth knowledge of the underlying processes. All calculations are based on the creation of a homogeneously mixed gaseous mixture corresponding to engine-based environmental conditions. Depending on the desired fuel, oxidizer, temperature, pressure, water, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate, the resulting reactant composition is computed.

To demonstrate the potential of a CO2-minimized propulsion concept a study of a natural-gas, micro-hybrid powertrain was carried out. The basis was built by experimental investigations of a turbocharged 1.0-l, 3-cylinder engine operated at stoichiometric and lean air/fuel ratio with EGR and an optimized combustion strategy. With the results of this study a still existing model for micro-hybrid vehicles was filled and the CO2 emissions for several concepts were calculated. It could be shown that CO2 improvements of 30 to 40% for the IC engine and up to 50% for the complete micro-hybrid propulsion system accompanied with better driveability are possible.

Today, mechanical systems such as the piston groups of internal combustion engines are simulated using Multiple Body-System (MBS) - approaches. However, the use of these models is restricted to a few problems as their adaptability is limited. The simulation of mechanical systems only by means of finite elements shows great promise for the future. In order to consider lubrication effects between two touching bodies of a mechanical system, a hydrodynamic contact algorithm (HCA) for finite element (FE) applications was developed. This paper discusses the technical background and first results for the simulation of a piston group using this new approach.

The presented results are part of a research project to create a universal residual gas fraction model. It is supported by the „Forschungsvereinigung Verbrennungs-kraftmaschinen e.V. (FVV)”. In the research project an universal formula has been developed which allows the determination of the residual gas fraction in allkind of IC engines. The formula is valid for naturally aspirated engine, turbo and super charged, variable valve timing and fully variable valve trains, as well. The formula (constant approach) developed during the project is based on variables like time averaged intake and exhaust pressure, exhaust temperature and geometric engine data which were measured on the test bench. As a result, online and real time calculation is possible already while the engine is running. This implies that the formula can be used within the engine control unit for control purposes.

For a reliable and accurate simulation of SI engines reproduction of their operation limits (misfiring and knock limit) and in this context the knowledge of cyclic combustion variations and their influence on knock simulation are mandatory. For this purpose in this paper a real working-process simulation approach for the ability to predict cycle-to-cycle variations (ccv) of gasoline engines is proposed. An extensive measurement data base of four different test engines applying various operation strategies was provided in order to gain a better understanding of the physical background of the cyclic variations. So the ccv initiated by dilution strategies (internal EGR, lean operation), the ccv at full load and at the knock limit could be investigated in detail. Finally, the model was validated on the basis of three further engines which were not part of the actual development process.

The emission of particulate matter from future GDI engines has to be optimized, to comply with more stringent emission standards such as EU6. Therefore, the mechanisms responsible for the formation of particles have to be analyzed in detail. The understanding of the in-cylinder processes, necessary for this purpose, can only be achieved by a complementary use of optically accessible single-cylinder engines as well as the numerical simulation. This however leads to great demands on the 3D flow simulation. In this paper the complete CFD approach, incorporating a detailed description of the entire underlying model chain is shown. Particularly the wall surface temperature and the temperature drop due to the interaction with liquid fuel spray were identified as important parameters influencing the spray-wall interaction and thus also the particulate emissions. Nevertheless, in conventional CFD models, the spray cooling cannot be captured because of an assumed constant wall temperature.

Intensified emission regulations as well as consumption demands lead to an increasing significance of carbon monoxide (CO) emissions for diesel engines. On the one hand, the quantity of CO raw emissions is important for emission predictions as well as for the exhaust gas after treatment. On the other hand, CO emissions are also important for predicting combustion efficiency and thus fuel consumption, since a part of unreleased chemical energy of the fuel is still bound in the CO molecules. Due to these reasons, a simulation model for predicting CO raw emissions was developed for diesel engines based on a phenomenological two-zone model. The CO model takes three main sources of CO emissions of diesel engines into account: Firstly, it contains a sub model that describes CO from local understoichiometric areas. Secondly, CO emissions from overmixed regions are considered.

This paper presents a phenomenological single-zone combustion model which meets the particular requirements of high speed DI diesel engines with common rail injection. Therefore the model takes into account the freely selectable pilot and main injection and is strongly focusing on result parameters like combustion noise or NO-emission which are affected by this split injection. The premixed combustion, the mixing-controlled combustion and the ignition delay are key parts of the model. The model was developed and tested on more than 200 samples from three different engine types of DaimlerChrysler passenger car engines equipped with common rail injection. A user-friendly parameterization and a short computing time was achieved thanks to the simple structure of the model.

As a consequence of reduced fuel consumption, direct injection gasoline engines have already prevailed against port fuel injection. However, in-cylinder fuel homogenization strongly depends on charge motion and injection strategies and can be challenging due to the reduced available time for mixture formation. An insufficient homogenization has generally a negative impact on the combustion and therefore also on efficiency and emissions. In order to reach the targets of the intensified CO2 emission reduction, further increase in efficiency of SI engines is essential. In this connection, 0D/1D simulation is a fundamental tool due to its application area in an early stage of development and its relatively low computational costs. Certainly, inhomogeneities are still not considered in quasi dimensional combustion models because the prediction of mixture formation is not included in the state of the art 0D/1D simulation.

Intensified emission regulations as well as consumption demands lead to an increasing significance of unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions for diesel engines. On the one hand, the quantity of hydrocarbon (HC) raw emissions is important for emission predictions as well as for the exhaust after treatment. On the other hand, HC emissions are also important for predicting combustion efficiency and thus fuel consumption, since a part of unreleased chemical energy of the fuel is still bound in the HC molecules. Due to these reasons, a simulation model for predicting HC raw emissions was developed for diesel engines based on a phenomenological two-zone model. The HC model takes three main sources of HC emissions of diesel engines into account: Firstly, it contains a sub-model that describes the fuel dribble out of the injector after the end of injection. Secondly, HC emissions from cold peripheral zones near cylinder walls are determined in another sub-model.

Prospective combustion engine applications require the highest possible energy conversion efficiencies for environmental and economic sustainability. For conventional Spark-Ignition (SI) engines, the quasi-hemispherical flame propagation combustion method can only be significantly optimized in combination with high excess air dilution or increased combustion speed. However, with increasing excess air dilution, this is difficult due to decreasing flame speeds and flammability limits. Pre-Chamber (PC) initiated jet ignition combustion systems significantly shift the flammability and flame stability limits towards higher dilution areas due to high levels of introduced turbulence and a significantly increased flame area in early combustion stages, leading to considerably increased combustion speeds and high efficiencies. By now, vehicle implementations of PC-initiated combustion systems remain niche applications, especially in combination with lean mixtures.

Future combustion engine applications require highest possible energy conversion efficiencies to reduce their environmental impact and be economically competitive. So far, spark-ignition (SI) engine combustion development mostly consisted of optimizing the hemispherical flame propagation combustion method. Thereby, a significant efficiency increase is only achievable in combination with high excess air dilution or increased combustion speed. However, with increasing excess air dilution, this is difficult due to decreasing flame speeds and flammability limits. Simultaneously, researchers have been investigating homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) that achieves higher efficiencies due to its rapid volume reaction combustion and also enables high excess air dilution. However, the combustion is complex to control as it is initiated by auto-ignition (AI) processes. In-cylinder conditions reliably need to be reproduced to prevent damaging pre-ignitions.

With the increasingly strict emission regulations and economic demands, variable valve trains are gaining in importance in Diesel engines. A valve control strategy has a great impact on the in-cylinder charge motions, turbulence level, thus also on the combustion and emission formation. In order to predict in-cylinder charge motions and turbulence properties for a working process calculation, a zero−/quasi-dimensional flow model is developed for the Diesel engines with a fully variable valve train. For the purpose of better understanding the in-cylinder flow phenomena, detailed 3D CFD simulations of intake and compression strokes are performed at different operating conditions with various piston configurations. In the course of model development, global in-cylinder charge motions are assigned to idealized flow fields. Among them, swirl flow is characterized by an engine swirl number that is determined by both developments of the swirl angular momentum and the moment of inertia.

As a result of the R&D focus being shifted from internal combustion engines to electrified powertrains, resources for the development of internal combustion engines are restricted more and more. With that, the importance of highly efficient engine development tools is increased. In this context, 0D/1D engine simulation offers the advantage of low computational effort and fast engine model set-up. To ensure a high predictive ability of the engine simulation, a reliable burn rate model is needed. Considering the increasing interest in alternative fuels, the aspect of predicting the fuel influence on combustion is of special importance. To reach these targets, the change of engine combustion characteristics with changing fuels and changing air-fuel-ratios were investigated systematically in a first step. For this purpose, engine test bed data were compared with expected fuel-dependent flame wrinkling trends based on Markstein/Lewis number theory.

State-of-the-art spark-ignition engines mainly rely on the quasi-hemispherical flame propagation combustion method. Despite significant development efforts to obtain high energy conversion efficiencies while avoiding knock phenomena, achieved indicated efficiencies remain around 35 - 40 %. Further optimizations are enabled by significant excess air dilution or increased combustion speed. However, flammability limits and decreasing flame speeds with increasing air dilution prevent substantial improvements. Pre-Chamber (PC) initiated jet ignition combustion systems improve flame stability and shift flammability limits towards higher dilution levels due to increased turbulence and a larger flame area in the early Main-Chamber (MC) combustion stages. Simultaneously, the much-increased combustion speed reduces knock tendency, allowing the implementation of an innovative combustion method: PC-initiated jet ignition coupled with Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition (SACI).

As a promising solution to improve fuel efficiency of a long-haul heavy duty truck with diesel engine, organic Rankine cycle (ORC) based waste heat recovery system (WHR) by utilizing the exhaust gas from internal combustion engine has continuously drawn attention from automobile industry in recent years. The most attractive concept of ORC-based WHR system is the conversion of the thermal energy of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and exhaust gas from Tailpipe (EGT) to kinetic energy which is provided to the engine crankshaft. Due to a shift of the operating point of the engine by applying WHR system, the efficiency of the overall system increases and the fuel consumption reduces respectively. However, the integration of WHR system in truck is challenging by using engine cooling system as heat sink for Rankine cycle. The coolant mass flow rate influences strongly on the exhaust gas bypass which ensures a defined subcooling after condenser to avoid cavitation of pump.

Fulfilling exhaust emissions regulations and meet customer performance needs mainly drive the current engine development. Turbocharging system plays a key role for that. Currently turbocharging should provide highest engine power density at high engine speed by also allowing a very responsive performance at low end. This represents a trade-off in turbocharger development. A large scaled turbine allows having moderate exhaust gas back pressure for peak power region, but leading to loss of torque in low engine speed. In the last years of engine development scavenging helped to get away a bit from this trade-off as it increases the turbine mass flow and also reduces cylinder internal residual gas at low engine speed. The mostly in-use lean strategy runs air fuel ratios of closed to stoichiometric mixture in cylinder and global (pre catalyst) of λ = 1.05 to l = 1.3. This will be out of the narrow air fuel ratio band of λ = 1 to ensure NOx conversion in the 3-way-catalyst.

At specific operating conditions, the auto-ignition in the unburnt mixture that precedes the occurrence of knock in conventional SI engines happens in two stages. In a previous publication, the authors demonstrated that the low-temperature heat release significantly influences the auto-ignition behavior of the mixture, thus severely impairing the prediction capabilities of the Livengood-Wu integral that the majority of the commonly used 0D/1D knock models are based on. Consequently, a new two-stage auto-ignition prediction approach for modeling the progress of the chemical reactions was introduced. It was demonstrated that the proposed auto-ignition model predicts the occurrence of two-stage ignition and accurately considers the significant influence of low-temperature heat release on the mixture’s auto-ignition behavior at various operating conditions.

Until a few years ago the discussion of reduction of CO₂ emissions was completely out of place in motorsports. Nowadays, also in this field, car manufacturers want to investigate different approaches towards a more responsible and sustainable concept. For this target an interesting and feasible solution is the use of methane as an alternative fuel. At the 2009 edition of the 24-hour endurance race of the Nürburgring the Volkswagen Motorsport GmbH, in addition to vehicles powered by gasoline engines, introduced two vehicles powered by turbocharged CNG engines. The aim was to prove that also an "environment-friendly" concept is able to provide the required efficiency, dynamic and reliability for a successful participation in motorsports. After the success in the 2009 edition the engagement has been continued in 2010; this time exclusively with CNG vehicles.