Potential of a Production

DI Two-Stroke Engine
Adapted for Range Extender
and Motorcycle Applications

JSAE 20179082 /SAE 2017-32-0082

Pierre DURET, IFP School, France
Stéphane VENTURI & Antonio SCIARRETTA, IFPEN
Nigel FOXHALL & Walter HINTERBERGER, BRP-Rotax
Potential of a Production DI Two-Stroke
Engine Adapted for Range Extender and
Motorcycle Application

Production DI 2-Stroke for Range

Extender Applications

Production DI 2-Stroke for Motorcycle

Applications

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Potential of a Production DI Two-Stroke
Engine Adapted for Range Extender and
Motorcycle Application

Production DI 2-Stroke for Range

Extender Applications

Production DI 2-Stroke for Motorcycle

Applications

Main objective of the 1st study

→ to demonstrate the potential of the production based REX DI
2-stroke engine to meet Euro 6d and RDE NOx Emissions
Standards without DeNOx Aftertreatment
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 Production DI 2-Stroke Vehicle specifications
for REX Applications and hybrid architecture

Main vehicle specifications (adapted from Segula

Hagora vehicle project):
 Lightweight 3-seat mid-size vehicle
 Electric Vehicle with range extender
 100 km full electric range
 Acceleration: 0-100 km/h < 10s
 Top speed: 150 km/h

Range extender (REX)

series hybrid architecture
& energy flows

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 Production DI 2-Stroke Thermal engine
for REX Applications specifications

Main engine Production Modified

modifications Rotax 600 HO engine
Exhaust 82 deg. CA 110 deg. CA
opening ATDC ATDC
Transfer 110 deg. CA 125 deg. CA
opening ATDC ATDC
Max speed 7900 rpm 4500 rpm

Thermal engine specifications

 based on a 2-cylinder snowmobile ROTAX 600 HO engine
 High power / weight
 Longest stroke available DI 2-stroke engine
 Already equipped with direct fuel injection (E-Tec)
 Modified to reach efficiency & emissions of IFP experimental
DI CAI 2-stroke data base
 With reduced ports opening duration for high torque at low
speed and limited maximum speed
 With exhaust throttling valves for CAI (Controlled Auto-Ignition)
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 Production DI 2-Stroke EURO 6d WLTC with single
for REX Applications point strategy in REX mode

Thermal engine power demand

for the WLTC driving cycle Battery state of charge
along the WLTC cycle
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 Production DI 2-Stroke EURO 6d WLTC with single
for REX Applications point strategy in REX mode

WLTC with one single selected REX operating point &

Euro 6d NOx emissions compliance

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 Production DI 2-Stroke Euro 6d RDE with 2 points
for REX Applications strategy in REX mode

Example of RDE (Real Drive

Emissions) driving cycle selected
to undertake this project
Battery state of charge along the RDE
cycle with 2 REX operating points
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 Production DI 2-Stroke Euro 6d RDE with 2 points
for REX Applications strategy in REX mode

The compliance with Euro 6d RDE

NOx emissions is possible (even with
a conformity factor of 1):

 when a fuel enrichment

strategy is used for the higher
load point

 with a rather limited penalty

in average CO2 emissions

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 Production DI 2-Stroke
for REX Applications Conclusions Part 1

 The purpose of this 1st project: to demonstrate the potential of using an

adapted DI production 2-stroke engine for EV range extender
 Its main issue: Euro 6d both on WLTC and in RDE without DeNOx
 The solution investigated: 2 engine operating points strategy with
one lower load point in ultra-low NOx CAI combustion and a higher
load point with enriched air-fuel mixture to minimize NOx emissions.
 All the existing production Rotax snowmobile engine hardware
can be used with only some minor modifications :
 Simplification of the cylinder blocks with fixed and reduced exhaust &
transfer ports opening duration
 Implementation of a two-position exhaust throttling valve for each cylinder.
 Two main associated positions for the intake throttle
 To experimentally test a production engine including such modifications
→ could be the subject of further study

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Potential of a Production DI Two-Stroke
Engine Adapted for Range Extender and
Motorcycle Application

Production DI 2-Stroke for Range

Extender Applications

Production DI 2-Stroke for Motorcycle

Applications

Main objective of the 2nd study

→ to demonstrate the potential of the production based motorcycle DI
2-stroke engine to meet Euro 4 & 5 Motorcycle Emissions
Standards on the WMTC driving cycle without DeNOx aftertreatment
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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Emissions standards for
Motorcycle Applications motorcycles

Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions

limits for motorcycles

WMTC driving cycle for L3e vehicles

category (motorcycles)

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Engine & Motorcycle
Motorcycle Applications Specifications

Example of motorcycles
considered for the engine
performance benchmark
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 Production DI 2-Stroke for DI 2-Stroke engine
Motorcycle Applications specifications

Engine specifications
 based on a 2-cylinder
snowmobile ROTAX 600 HO engine
 High power / weight
 Longest stroke available DI 2-stroke engine
 Already equipped with direct fuel injection (E-Tec)
 Modified to reach efficiency & emissions of IFP
experimental DI CAI 2-stroke data base
 With the RAVE (Rotax Adjustable Variable Exhaust)
exhaust valve in the lower position below 5000 rpm
for minimum exhaust port duration
 With exhaust throttling valves for ultra low NOx
CAI (Controlled Auto-Ignition)

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Methodology &
Motorcycle Applications Calculations

BMEP/rpm engine operating points during the 3 parts of the

WMTC driving cycle for the BMW F800 GS motorcycle

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Methodology &
Motorcycle Applications Calculations

The 5-point method

with appropriate
weighting factors
gives a first estimation in
hot conditions of fuel
consumption and
emissions on the WMTC
cycle
→ good correlation
between the 5-point
method and WMTC
chassis dyno
measurements: about
Correlation between the WMTC cycle, the CAI 2% difference for NOx
combustion range and the 5 engine test bench and fuel consumption
data used for the 5-point method
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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Interest of gasoline CAI for
Motorcycle Applications 2-stroke motorcycle

Implementation of
CAI on points 2, 3 & 4
→ significant effect on
fuel consumption
reduction
→ much lower effect
on NOx emissions
reduction because
about 70 % of these
emissions come from
the higher load point
5 outside the CAI range
5-point method comparison of the WMTC fuel → far to be sufficient for
consumption & NOx emissions of the base engine meeting Euro 4 NOx
without & with CAI combustion strategy levels

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Interest of gasoline CAI for
Motorcycle Applications 2-stroke motorcycle

Implementation of
CAI on points 2, 3 & 4
More complete
combustion in CAI
→ much higher effect
on HC & CO emissions
reduction because the
high CO & HC emitter
points 2, 3 & 4 are inside
the CAI range
→ reduced
requirements in terms
5-point method comparison of the WMTC raw of oxidation catalyst
emissions of CO & HC of the base engine without conversion
& with CAI combustion strategy

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Fuel enrichment strategy for
Motorcycle Applications NOx emissions control

(test data)
How to reduce the
(estimation)
NOx emissions of
the point 5 ?
by applying a fuel = point 5
enrichment strategy
→ necessary to
estimate the NOx
emissions of the point
5 as a function of the
Trapped Equivalence
Ratio
Measured and estimated NOx emissions versus
Trapped Equivalence ratio at full load and 40%
load (corresponding to the point 5)
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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Fuel enrichment strategy for
Motorcycle Applications NOx emissions control

Fuel enrichment strategy

5-point method comparison of NOx emissions between:
• base engine
• base engine + CAI
• base engine + CAI + fuel enrichment
for NOx emissions
reduction of the point 5
→ Euro 4 NOx can now be
reached with some margin with
a point 5 trapped equivalence
ratio of 1,21 (NOx emissions
divided by 2)
→ Euro 5 can be reached with a
point 5 trapped equivalence ratio
of 1,36. In such conditions,
exhaust equivalence ratio close
to 1 >>> it could even be
beneficial to use a 3-Way cat
formulation for further NOx
emissions reduction

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 Production DI 2-Stroke for Fuel enrichment strategy for
Motorcycle Applications NOx emissions control

Impact on the overall

motorcycle fuel consumption:
→ the fuel enrichment increases the
overall fuel consumption by about 8 %
compared to the case with CAI only
→ the combination of CAI during Part
1 and Part 2 with fuel enrichment
during Part 3 of the WMTC remains
beneficial by about 8%.
→ the slightly modified production DI
2-stroke engine has the potential to
5-point method comparison of fuel consumption meet Euro 4 emissions limits, with
between: some improvements in fuel
• base engine consumption
• base engine + CAI
• base engine + CAI + fuel enrichment
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 Production DI 2-Stroke for
Conclusions Part 2
Motorcycle Applications

 The purpose of this 2nd project: to demonstrate the potential of using an

adapted DI production 2-stroke engine for a 100 hp motorcycle
application
 Its main issue: to meet the most stringent Euro 4 & Euro 5 NOx
emissions limits on the new WMTC with conventional aftertreatment
technology >>> without DeNOx
 The solution investigated: to combine CAI combustion at part load
with an enriched air-fuel mixture strategy during the higher loads
 All the existing production Rotax snowmobile engine hardware
can be used with only some minor modifications :
 Implementation of exhaust throttling valves close to the exhaust ports
 Implementation a small ECU-driven electric motor to control the position
of these exhaust valves
 To experimentally test a production engine including such modifications
→ could be the subject of further study

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 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to particularly thank the following IFP School
students who actively contributed to this work:

 Wassim HARB, Pierre LEMARIE, Arnaud LEURET and Edgar

ZAHONERO who contributed to the range extender project,

 Zélia GOUX, Yannick MORENO, Bruno RS DE CAMARGO,

Edouard SUILLAUD who contributed to the motorcycle project.

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