Pneumatic hybrid engine

Abstract: The proposed hybrid engine can use the pressured air to partially recover the braking energy and the exhaust gas heat. Using this concept an increase in power density is obtained at part-load (in city drive) but also at full load, concomitantly with the lowering of the fuel consumption. INTRODUCTION The growing concern over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has spawned global action aimed at making significant future reductions. One of the identified sources of GHG production is the automotive internal combustion engine, which accounts for roughly 30% of all GHG emissions [1]. As a response to this situation were proposed to the consumers the hybrid electric vehicles having the possibility to partially recover the braking energy. The average price paid for a conventional passenger car in emerging countries is around 12,000 and in developed countries around 17,000 . On the other hand, the average price of a hybrid electric vehicle is around 23,000 . The difference is 11,000 in case of the emerging countries and another 6,000 for the developed countries. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the U-M Transportation Research Institute made a study to evaluate the consumer interest in buying hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) . In addition to assessing the current state of knowledge and opinions about HEVs, the survey addressed the willingness to pay for these vehicles given different cost and fuel savings scenarios. On average, 46 percent of those surveyed said there was some chance they would purchase a HEV that cost $2,500 (1800 ) more than a traditional vehicle; 30 percent said there was a chance they would buy if the HEV cost $5,000 (3600 ) more ; but just 14 percent said there was a chance if it cost an additional $10,000 (7200 ). The conclusion is that an affordable hybrid car price musts to be similar with the conventional car. The solution to this problem seems to be a pneumatic hybrid vehicle with reduced cylinder displacement and high power density that may have a purchase price similar to that of current vehicles. This type of vehicle can have similar benefits as the hybrid electric vehicles: the braking energy recovery and the stop / start operation with the consequence of reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions; Improved fun to drive and brio. In addition, during the manufacturing process of the pneumatic hybrid vehicle the amount of CO2 released is less because the weight of the vehicle is diminished. NECESSITY Vehicles typically use friction brakes that throw away energy in the form of heat. In order to compensate and reduce brake wear, drivers gear down the vehicle transmission, increasing the engine RPM, thus allowing the engine to perform work by suctioning air. Although effective in deceleration, this method wastes valuable energy in the form of suctioned air that cannot be used in power mode and heating while spinning up lower gears. However, the currently four-stroke engine cycle prevents any further practical use of this wasted energy. Consequently, it becomes interesting to develop regenerative braking systems which act to slow down effectively a vehicle while incorporating methods to store and recover braking 1

energy. The need consists in some modes of engine operation that might produce, store and accumulate energy for later use. Therefore, the today's vehicle market is experiencing a bifurcation from the typical fourstroke internal combustion engine to hybrid engines. Hybrids use electric motors and battery banks to improve fuel efficiency, adding power during acceleration and reclaiming energy when braking and coasting. The corresponding hybrid electric vehicles come with an increasing price and weight. On the other hand, for heavy duty vehicles (trucks and buses) the electrification increase the weight and double the price, without clear justification. Consequently, we need hybrid type engines that do not add weight and the cost of large, heavy battery banks, electrical generators and motors. Furthermore, what is also needed are hybrids that do not have conversion losses from engine power to electrical power and back from electrical power to mechanical power. As conclusion, the main requirements are hybrids that transfer mechanical engine energy or vehicle momentum to recoverable energy forms which can be quickly re-introduced for engine or external uses, thus further extending the energy produced from combustion. On the other hand, motor vehicle systems themselves need a source of compressed air to operate their air brakes, air suspensions, variable steering assistance, conformable air seats, reusable airbags, etc. Furthermore, vehicles and power plants have many potential pneumatic applications, currently using electrical power, such as starting motors, window openingclosing mechanisms, etc., pneumatic applications, which can benefit from a readily available compressed air source. In conclusion, it becomes interesting to develop a hybrid engine that offers concomitantly high power density, regenerative braking (for terrestrial vehicles), stop/start operation and dual power (mechanic and pneumatic). ACTUAL STAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT The basic idea of pneumatic hybridization is to use an internal combustion engine not only for combustion but also for a pump and a pneumatic motor. Each cylinder of the combustion engine is connected via a fully variable charge valve to a shared air pressure tank. In vehicle braking phases with fuel cut-off, the engine can intake air and pump it into the pressure tank. The pressurized air can be used to boost the conventional engine combustion mode, thereby overcoming the turbo-lag in supercharged engines. In the case of the experiment of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (fig. 1 and 2) each cylinder of the combustion engine is connected via a fully variable charge valve to a shared air pressure tank. In vehicle braking phases with fuel cut-off, the engine can intake air and pump it into the pressure tank. The pressurized air can be used to boost the conventional engine combustion mode, thereby overcoming the turbo-lag in supercharged engines. Tests on the New European Drive Cycle have proven that this technology saves between 25% and 35% fuel depending on the vehicle. For the comparison, the engines have the same rated power and the same vehicle as a basis.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

This technology use a fully actuated charge valve of a type actuated in an electro-hydraulic manner, which increase the cost (is necessary one for each cylinder) and limit the space necessary for the other valves. In this case the four valves per cylinder associated with direct injection is difficult to be maintained. Other solutions were experimented by Scania (fig. 3) and Brunel University (fig. 4).

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

All this concepts use relatively complex camless systems (minimum cost of modification is around 1100 ). Unfortunately these systems are useful in city drive and not in the highway. THE NEW CONCEPT AND ITS DEVELOPMENT GOALS The following goals were pursued in the development of the hybrid engine concept: a) Braking energy recovery in city drive and exhaust gas heat recovery in highway. b) Reduction in friction loses due to downsizing. c) Identical design of the components reported to the classic four-stroke engine and low development risks. d) Improved efficiency at all rpm but specially at part loads. e) Improved power density 3

f) Optimal combustion for improved consumption and performance as well as reduced emissions. g) High power density capability also with alternative energy sources as GPL, natural gas, hydrogen and biofuels. h) Design simplicity excluding the need for complex or expensive technology and precious materials. i) Compactness and reduced weight allowing for easy assembly and maintenance. j) Dual power to supply other auxiliary systems. SYSTEM DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION The new proposed Hybrid Engine (fig. 5) is made in the simplest manner using a mechanical control of the air circuit existent between the combustion chamber and the air tank. This mechanical system offers the same main features as the other pneumatic solutions but with a cost reduced to a half.

Fig. 5 In this simplest manner, the air circuit existent between the four combustion chambers (in the case of four cylinders engine) and the air tank is controlled by the use of a single rotating valve acted by the camshaft and having same RPM. To make that are used two gears. The rotating valve has also the possibility to move axially, driven by an actuator. In the cylinder head and in the rotating valve there are some holes (fig. 6) which can make the connection between the combustion chamber and an air common rail. The air common rail is connected with the air tank by a pipe. With this most simple configuration it can achieve the recovery of the braking energy. The different modes of operation are controlled by the actuator. If it decides to achieve also the stop and start operation in pneumatic mode, musts to add in the hub of the rotating valve gear a phaser (similar with that used to change the camshaft timing) 4

controlled by an electrovalve (nut shown). The exhaust gas kinetic energy will be recovered in a classic manner with a turbo-compressor.

Fig. 6 If we want to achieve the exhaust gas heat recovery, an even more complex configuration must be added, but the base components remain the same (fig. 7). In this case one or two cylinders of the engine can work using the compressed air and the heat of the exhaust gases produced by the other cylinders.

Fig. 7 5

It is used the the principle of the Proe Afterburning Cycle described in the figure 8.

Fig. 8 In our application, the compressor is missing and the working cylinder is one of usual cylinders converted temporary to this cycle. The operation of the engine is possible in five modes: 1. Conventional mode: The connection between the combustion chamber and the air tank is obstructed. The engine works in a conventional manner. 2. Compressor mode: In the braking phase, to the end of the compression stroke, the engine delivers compressed air in the air tank concomitantly with the slowing down of the vehicle. The fuel is cut-off. 3. Hybrid supercharging mode: In the acceleration phase, during the beginning of the compression stroke, the air tank delivers compressed air to the combustion chamber restoring the volumetric efficiency. The area of the p-V diagram increases a lot and consequently the effective efficiency is improved (fig. 7). In this phase the torque and the power furnished by the engine raise substantially comparing with the conventional engine. The explanation is the achievement of a variable total charge mass in the combustion chamber while keeping the charge mass of fresh air the same. It is thereby possible to achieve a variable effective compression ratio without the complexity of a VCR IC engine. The expression of the efficiency is:

Where rc is the compression ratio and is the polytrophic exponent. That mean as the efficiency is directly proportional with the compression ratio. In the fig. 9 is shown the p-V diagram at 100% load (in red the hybrid engine and in blue the conventional engine). 6

Fig. 9 For part-load the improving of the efficiency is even more important (fig. 10).

4.

5.

Fig. 10 Pneumatic motor mode (stop and start): During the stop of the vehicle the engine is in shut down; To start the engine, during the expansion stroke is putted in connection the air tank with the combustion chamber and the engine works until the firing as a pneumatic motor. Conventional mode combined with exhaust heat recovery mode (mainly outside of the city but also in suburban and urban area).

Comparing with the energy balance achieved by the classic engine (fig.11) in highway, this new concept can improve with 15 to 30% the total efficiency at medium and high constant speed (fig. 12).

Fig. 11

Fig. 12 The cycle diagram specific to this phase is exposed in the figure 13.

Fig. 13 For a middle class, gasoline car ( M=1300 kg, Cx= 0.30, S= 2.2 m), the comparison with the calculated fuel consumptions between conventional and pneumatic hybrid is described in the table 1. 8

Table 1 Cycle City Inter-urban Average

Fuel cons. [l/100 km] Conventional 7.2 4.6 5.9

CO2 [g/km] Conventional 166 106 136

Fuel cons. [l/100 km] Hybrid engine 4.3 3.2 3.7

CO2 [g/km] Hybrid engine 99 74 85

-40 % -30 % -35 %

For a typical diesel truck, the comparison with the calculated fuel consumptions between conventional and pneumatic hybrid is described in the table 2. Table 2 Cycle Fuel cons. CO2 Fuel cons. CO2 [l/100 km] [g/km] [l/100 km] [g/km] Conventional Conventional Hybrid engine Hybrid engine City 45 1035 27 621 -40 % Inter-urban 32 736 22.4 515 -30 % For an urban diesel bus, the comparison with the calculated fuel consumptions between conventional and pneumatic hybrid is described in the table 3. Table 3 Cycle Fuel cons. CO2 Fuel cons. CO2 [l/100 km] [g/km] [l/100 km] [g/km] Conventional Conventional Hybrid engine Hybrid engine City 32 736 19.2 441.6 -40 % COST EVALUATION We evaluate the cost (for a typical 1.6 l, four cylinder passenger car) in two variants: -Pneumatic Hybrid Engine with braking recovery and stop & start = HE1 -Pneumatic Hybrid Engine with braking recovery, stop & start and exhaust gas heat recovery = HE2 HE1 cost is around 400 /vehicle and for HE2 is around 700 /vehicle. In the figure 14 is indicated the comparison with other solutions, considering also the anticipated fuel economy.

Fig. 14 9

In the Fig. 15 it is shown a comparison between the hybrid electric vehicle and the pneumatic hybrid vehicle. It can directly observe the difference in complexity and weight, which are not clearly in the favor of the hybrid electric vehicle.

Fig. 15 AVANTAGES OF THE CONCEPT COMPARING WITH THE CONVENTIONAL ENGINE 1) As engine in general: -The engine is smaller than conventional four-stroke engine. It is employed in the vehicle for attaining high efficiency for maximum power. The size of the engine is greatly reduced relative to the size of the vehicle in order to minimize the effect of engine friction losses and to maximize vehicle fuel economy. -Having dual power, mechanic and pneumatic, it can easily act the auxiliary systems of the engine or of the vehicle lowering the total cost. Also the pneumatic option can be used to drive home or garage pneumatic tools without the acquisition of a separate unit. - Identical design of the components reported to the classic four stroke engine and consequently very low development risks (not need to find other component suppliers). 2) As hybrid pneumatic engine for terrestrial vehicles: -It is a key of the present invention to achieve a significant reduction in fuel consumption by saving and storing the energy of vehicle motion during its deceleration, and reusing it later throughout its subsequent acceleration and propulsion. The stop and start function and the recover of the exhaust gas heat complete this hybrid operation, obtaining big fuel economy in traffic jumps but also in the highway. -Compared with an electric hybrid system the proposed solution eliminates the electric generator, motor and battery components, which are additional to the engine. This reduces cost, complexity, weight and bulk while providing similar function and benefits. Air, even when compressed to high pressure, is very light, and therefore the added weight is, essentially, limited to the weight of the reservoir. Consequently, this smaller weight of the proposed hybrid system improves substantially the vehicle fuel economy. 10

-By using partially compression braking instead of friction braking it can reduce wear and increase durability of the vehicle friction brakes. -The cost difference comparing with a conventional engine is quickly recuperated by the client (in one or maximum 1.5 years, depending on legislation), which is not the case for the hybrid electric vehicle. Bibliography 1. A Study of Potential Effectiveness of Carbon Dioxide Reducing Vehicle Technologies2007, Ricardo Inc.

11