Jump to content

Hyundai works on gasoline engine that mimics diesel


jpd80

Recommended Posts

DETROIT -- Hyundai is working on a 1.8-liter engine that works like a diesel, but burns gasoline.

If the engine makes production, Hyundai officials say, it could deliver a 25 percent fuel economy
gain over a comparable gasoline engine -- about the same gain as a diesel -- but it would cost
less to buy and operate.

Diesel fuel currently averages about 60 cents more per gallon than regular gasoline in the United States.
Unlike many of today's diesels, the Hyundai engine does not require a system that injects urea into the
exhaust to reduce emissions.

Hyundai calls the engine a GDCI, for gasoline direct compression ignition. With compression ignition,
the pressure in the cylinder ignites the fuel. Compression ignition is used in a diesel engine, whereas
a spark plug burns the fuel in a gasoline engine.

The Hyundai GDCI engine has no spark plugs. It uses both a supercharger and a turbocharger and has
exhaust valves that open twice instead of once per cycle. The extra opening draws in heat, which along
with the pressure of being compressed in the cylinder, ignites the fuel.

Hyundai plans to begin vehicle testing next year in a fleet of Sonatas.

"We are still really early in the development stage, but it is looking very, very promising," said Nayan Engineer,
Hyundai's manager of engine design and testing.

Hyundai has been working on the concept and has partnered with Delphi Corp. and the University of Wisconsin.

"The technology is very promising, and we believe it will be a game-changer," said John Juriga, director of
powertrain engineering at the tech center.

In dynamometer testing, the GDCI engine is developing around 180 hp.

The engineering work and testing is being done at Hyundai's technical center in suburban Detroit, near Ann Arbor,
which is being handed a greater role in the company's powertrain development.

Juriga said Hyundai has adopted a new powertrain strategy that calls for innovation.

"We need to stop being the fast follower and be the leader," Juriga said.
"So we're making changes in the way we think and do business."

 

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...#ixzz2kkrD2PHn

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Hyundai is investigating a Gasoline direct Injection Turbo engine that has compression ignition.

 

Sounds like the next step along from Ecoboost, especially the bit about exhaust valve opening twice

to add hot gasses to assist compression ignition and higher EGR level to control soot and NOX formation.

 

Sounds like this project is more about fuel economy than any HP benefits from GDIT..but early days yet..

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought Ford had looked into this about 10 years ago or so. No turbos at the time, but just straight compression NA engine. Basically they couldn't get the control they needed in the burn.

Longer ago than that...you are thinking of PROCO or PROgrammed COmbustion...it was a design Ford worked on in the 70's and early 80's...

 

Gas direct injection Wiki

 

 

The Ford Motor Company developed a stratified-charge engine in the late 1970s called "PROCO" (programmed combustion)[11][12] using a unique high-pressure pump and direct injectors. At least one hundred and fifteen (115) Crown Victoria cars were built at Ford's Atlanta Assembly in Hapeville, Georgia using a PROCO V8 engine. The project was canceled for several reasons: electronic controls, a key element, were in their infancy; pump and injector costs were extremely high; and lean combustion produced nitrogen oxides in excess of near future United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits.[13] Also, the PROCO system was being launched in the late 1970s, a time of the second "gas crisis" in the US, which drove fuel costs higher. PROCO had been initially developed for Ford's 460 Cubic inch V8 engine line, later applied to the 351, and eventually the 302. Because the extreme fuel cost spike, Ford was unsure of the future market for V8 engines, and chose not to commit to such an expensive technology in unstable times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not sure if Ford did this or not, but I'm pretty sure GM did.

 

Actually, several have. Check out the protoypes section: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_charge_compression_ignition

 

 

Longer ago than that...you are thinking of PROCO or PROgrammed COmbustion...it was a design Ford worked on in the 70's and early 80's...

 

Gas direct injection Wiki

 

While Ford may have been looking at the HCCI and stratified charge system all those years ago, it was clear that the technology

was still too expensive and that the advanced combustion control studies required to make it work were still decades away.

 

The thought of 115 Crown Vics driving around with GDITs back in the 1970s is kind of cool but also disappointing that Ford never

had a driving need to persist - I guess other commercially viable strategies achieved more cost effective results.

 

It's interesting that Hyundai is using the second exhaust valve opening to provide a source of hot inert gasses

to aid compression ignition and control post combustion NOX formation, it's likely that a few manufacturers have

already considered this strategy and dismissed it as not having sufficient power density - 180 Hp from a 1.8 engine

is similar to what diesels produce now and at the low end of what spark ignition GDITs are currently producing.

Edited by jpd80
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have my doubts that this will be commercially viable.

Maybe in the US market.

If Hyundai was looking o replace current diesel engines and give a slight increase in HP, then this would be the route to follow.

That probably makes good economic sense to an entry level manufacturer like Hyunday with price sensitive customers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...