Researchers at the Dalian University of Technology have proposed a novel method to control premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) phasing in internal combustion engines in all load operations. High-pressure air jet controlled compression ignition (JCCI) is based on a compound thermodynamic cycle and is implemented in a hybrid pneumatic engine... Read more →

In Düsseldorf, the 31 partners—automobile and electronics manufacturers, suppliers, communication technology and software companies, research institutes and cities—involved in the UR:BAN research initiative (Urban Space: user-friendly assistance systems and network management) presented the results of four years of work in a two-day event. UR:BAN’s goal is to develop advanced driver... Read more →

Example power cycle of the cryogenic (e.g., liquid air) Dearman piston engine. Source: Dearman Engine Company. Click to enlarge. A new new forum for the advocacy and development of liquid air as an alternative technology to harness waste and surplus energy within power and transport—the Liquid Air Energy Network (LAEN)—has... Read more →

The AirPod. Click to enlarge. France-based MDI (Moteur Development International), the developer of a compressed air powertrain and several derivative vehicles, officially handed over the keys to two AirPods to KLM earlier in December. The AirPods are under testing for a minimum period of three months at KLM E &... Read more →

Basic design of a two-piston RoundEngine. Click to enlarge. Canada’s VGT Technologies, the developer of the RoundEngine, has started development of a “plug-in” compressed air hybrid vehicle using the RoundEngine technology. In this application, “plug-in” refers to connecting to an external air compressor to top off the storage tanks. The... Read more →

The new MDI economy/utility car at the New York show. MDI (Moteur Developpment International) Group, the French developer of compressed air vehicles, and Zero Pollution Motors (ZPM), MDI’s North American representative, is showcasing MDI’s newest compressed air vehicle—an economy/utility car—at this year’s New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). The vehicle... Read more →

The first independent laboratory study of the Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine (earlier post) under full-load conditions indicates that a gasoline-fueled version of the engine will have higher power, torque and efficiency ratings than the current state-of-the-art turbocharged gasoline engines of equal displacement on the road today. The Full Load (FL) Study... Read more →

Initial simulation studies of a prototype heavy-duty air-hybrid engine being developed by engineers at Volvo Powertrain, UCLA and Sturman Industries show a 4-18% improvement in fuel economy over a wide range of driving cycles. The amount of improvement depends on the cycle. The addition of a low-temperature EGR circuit could... Read more →

Cylinder pairs in the Scuderi Split Cycle. Scuderi divides the four strokes of the Otto cycle across two paired cylinders, a compression and a power cylinder. The Scuderi Group will exhibit further-developed designs of its Scuderi Air-Hybrid Engine next week at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit.... Read more →

The 4-cylinder compressed air engine. Click to enlarge. Tata Motors, India’s largest automobile company, has signed an agreement with MDI (Moteur Developpment International) of France for the application in India of MDI’s compressed air engines. MDI has already applied its CAT (Compressed Air Technology) engine in a prototype city car,... Read more →

A cutaway sketch of the RIDE engine in combustion mode. Note the offset of the crankshaft from central rotational axis. A Virginia inventor is devising a rotary engine with an integral flywheel effect to serve as a single-unit hybrid power plant. Gary Greenwell’s new RIDE (Rotational Inertial Dampening Engine) modifies... Read more →

Rendering of the Scuderi air-hybrid. Click to enlarge. The Scuderi Group will introduce the design of an air-hybrid implementation of its split-cycle engine (earlier post) at the SAE World Congress in Detroit next week. Scuderi claims that the air-hybrid system doubles the fuel efficiency of todays conventional engines and reduces... Read more →

AVT sub-module for inlet or exhaust valve. Click to enlarge. Lotus Engineering, in partnership with Eaton, is working on enabling advanced combustion control based on an electro-hydraulic valve system with full flexible control over valve timing, lift and velocity. The fully variable valve timing system, known as Active Valve Train... Read more →

Cylinder pairs in the Scuderi Split Cycle. Scuderi divides the four strokes of the Otto cycle across two paired cylinders, a compression and a power cylinder. The Scuderi Group, a company that designed and is developing a new internal combustion engine based on dividing the conventional four-stroke engine cycle across... Read more →

A cutaway illustration of a basic AVFIC engine cylinder unit Two California inventors have designed and patented the ultimate flex-fuel and flex-combustion engine: an engine that can adapt in real-time to a variety of petroleum-, bio- or gaseous-fuels using the appropriate combustion mode, including spark-ignition, compression-ignition or HCCI variants. One... Read more →

The US DOE announced $87.5 million in co-funding to support 12 projects developing advanced combustion engine and waste heat recovery technologies. The projects, with a total value of $175 million (50%, or $87.5 million, of which is contributed by industry) focus on increasing engine efficiency while maintaining low emissions. The... Read more →