In the basic Scuderi Engine intake air is compressed in the compression cylinder and transferred via a gas crossover passage to the power cylinder for combustion. The air-hybrid configuration adds a compressed air storage tank to the engine. (Earlier post.) In this configuration, recovered braking energy is stored as compressed air to support a range of driving modes and optimize vehicle efficiency.

[The] inline engine has been used to prove primarily the combustion process...it is not the engine, though that is going to be used to hybridize...the primary reason...is because the crossover passage—the connection ports between the two split cylinders, the compression cylinder and the expansion cylinder—is buried in the head of that inline engine, and by being buried in that cast head, it also has a lot of additional cooling passages that make it difficult for us to have access to the crossover passage itself and to add a valve in the crossover passage to turn it into a hybrid.

So the V-engine will give us more access to the crossover passage, it will allow us to build it in modular form and it will allow us to mount a tank to it so that we can convert it to an actual air-hybrid engine to verify the simulated results that we have been getting off the simulation of the air hybrid engine.

—Stephen Scuderi, Scuderi Group Vice President and Patent Attorney

Simulation tests on the Scuderi V engine will begin January 2011, supporting other programs underway including the engine map and on-the-road vehicle simulations.

These latest patent filings bring the current Scuderi Group Patent Portfolio to include more than 476 patent applications filed and 154 issued in 50 countries.

The patents support technology advancements in the following areas: engine cylinder configuration; modular crossover passages; crossover passage manifolds and associated air reservoir valve assemblies; and thermal regulations systems. Designing the cylinders in a V-shape allows for air intake to flow more naturally, which improves volumetric pressures. There are additional benefits achieved by enhancing thermal controls in the crossover passages (Xovr), such as the ability to over boost and maintain consistent thermal efficiencies.

Scuderi says that its spilt-cycle Air-Hybrid V engine will be a cost-effective hybrid solution that does not compromise performance and can extend the driving range of hybrid electric vehicles (HEV).

Initial tests on the Scuderi V engine are expected to be completed within a year, following the engine map which is anticipated to be finalized in the second quarter of 2011. Scuderi Group also recently expanded its simulation program beyond the Chevy Cavalier, purchasing a brand new 2011 compact car produced in Japan. The vehicle will be tested for two months running a Scuderi engine to prove its performance under real-world driving conditions.

The new simulation project will augment the Air-Hybrid study that is being conducted on a 2005 Chevy Cavalier. Results will be presented during the SAE World Congress (12-14 April 2011) along with two technical papers: 1) “Scuderi Split Cycle Research Engine: Overview, Architecture and Operation” and 2) “Scuderi Split Cycle Fast Acting Valvetrain: Architecture and Development”.