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Tech Briefs
New Saab and Citroen technology at Geneva

Designing and successfully developing a

production-practical, variable-compression-ratio
(CR) engine has long been a challenge to the
automotive industry, but now Saab regards it as
being within sight. At the Geneva Motor Show,
Saab revealed its SVC (Saab Variable
Compression) prototype power unit that it believes
could lead the way to a production application.

"It has always been known that variable

compression, or, more correctly, variable
expansion ratio, has a significant contribution to
thermodynamic efficiency, and the dream of
coming up with a design suitable for production has
lingered over the horizon for many years," said
Kjell ac Bergstrom, Saab Automobile's Vice
President-Powertrain. "With our new engine that
dream is closer to reality than ever before. And the
SVC can be focused on fuel economy, high
performance, or a combination of both."

A fixed CR is always a compromise, which is why

Saab has been working on variable-compression
systems for almost 20 years. But it was the advent
of advanced electronic engine control that really
allowed the SVC to develop. The engine shown at
Geneva was a supercharged five-cylinder, 1.6-L
unit producing a very high output for its volume of
168 kW (225 hp) and maximum torque of 305 N•m
(225 lb•ft). Bergstrom made the point that variable
compression on its own is not enough to bring very
significant benefits—but it is when operating with a
supercharger.

The Saab SVC is an innovative design, with the

upper section of the engine physically moving to
vary the CR. According to Saab, the SVC engine
consists of an upper part comprising a cylinder
head with integrated cylinders (monohead) and a
lower part consisting of the engine block, Saab's prototype variable-compression
crankshaft, and pistons. The compression ratio is 1.6-L supercharged engine.
varied by adjusting the slope of the upper part of
the engine in relation to the lower part. This alters
the volume of the combustion chamber with the

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piston at top dead center. To achieve this, the

monohead is pivoted at the crankcase via a
hydraulic actuator moving through a maximum 4°.
The CR can be varied between 8:1 and 14:1
automatically. To increase the CR, the slope of the
monohead is reduced. The volume of the
combustion chamber will then decrease and the
CR will increase.

The monohead is sealed at the crankcase by a

rubber bellows. The optimum CR is selected by the
engine-management system based on information
regarding engine speed, load, and fuel quality. The Lower part of monohead for Saab's
system gives wide fuel flexibility, with CO2 variable compression (SVC) engine
emissions reduced proportionately to fuel with tilting mechanism.
consumption. The joint face between the upper and
lower parts of the engine is about 20 cm (7.9 in)
lower than normal. One objective in the
development work on the SVC concept was to
retain as many of the basic elements of a
conventional engine as possible. Bergstrom sees
the SVC concept as suitable for two-, four-, or
six-stroke engines.

The compressor is linked to an intercooler and

delivers a maximum boost pressure of 280 kPa (41 Saab's SVC design.
psi), considerably higher than Saab's turbocharger
system used on its conventional production
engines. Despite Saab's experience with
turbochargers (it first used them on production cars
in the mid to late 1970s) it opted for a supercharger
for the SVC because none of the turbochargers
available today would meet the company's criteria
for high boost pressure and have the fast response
required.

Saab states that many patents exist for variable CR

engines. Its own work started in 1981, but it was
not until the end of that decade that the work
gathered pace. Its first patent application was filed
in 1990. An early 2.0-L engine using SVC delivered
higher power and torque than would have been
practically usable, says the company. Next came a
1.4-L six-cylinder in-line engine in the mid-1990s.
The objective was that an SVC engine of that
design would have the performance and power
output of a naturally aspirated 3.0-L V6, but at 30%
lower fuel consumption.

Saab went to the German engine-development

company FEV Motorentechnik at Aachen for an Citroen's latest Hydractive suspension
independent assessment of the SVC engine. Saab system.
says the company submitted an evaluation "to
confirm that the engine attained targets set up, and that it was also possible to make further
advances by continued development work." However, the 1.4-L engine was abandoned in
favor of the five-cylinder 1.6-L that offered better packaging.

The company believes that the SVC would have been "impossible" to develop without an
advanced engine-management system. The addition of variable compression as a further
control parameter in the already complex control system of today's modern car engines
makes very strict demands on the system. The engine-management system for the SVC

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engine is a special version of the Saab Trionic system—developed in-house by Saab and in
use on the company's turbocharged engines since 1991.

Citroen
also
showcased
some
interesting
technology
at Geneva.
Making its
debut was
the Xsara
Dynactive
station
wagon,
which uses
parallel
hybrid
technology.
It is
equipped
with a Citroen Xsara Dynactive.
56-kW
(75-hp) gasoline engine and a 25-kW (34-hp) electric motor coupled to the same shaft
upstream of an automatic gearbox. According to the company, the electronic supervisor
optimizes the use of each powertrain component to reduce fuel consumption, limit CO2
emissions, and enhance driving pleasure. It can be operated in zero-emissions mode. The
gasoline engine is used only when it offers a higher level of efficiency than the electric motor,
cutting out automatically when not needed. The car features regenerative braking. A
multifunction screen in the car shows the flow of energy between the wheels, power units,
and battery.

Traction is provided by both the gasoline engine and electric motor; by the gasoline engine
alone, with the electric motor switched off; by the gasoline engine, with the electric motor in
generator mode to recharge the battery; by the electric motor alone, with the gasoline engine
off; and by deceleration/descent, when energy is recovered by the electric motor in generator
mode. Citroen says that by combining the automatic gearbox with the hybrid power system it
has made new progress toward optimum driving comfort. The information on driving style
detected by the gearbox affects not only the gearshifts, but also the operating variants of the
hybrid powertrain.

Citroen also revealed its third-generation Hydractive hydropneumatic suspension system at

Geneva. It allows the height of a vehicle to vary according to speed. The center of gravity
shifts by about 15 mm (0.6 in) for improvements in drag. Over very poor surfaces ride height
may increase by 20 mm (0.8 in). The suspension system offers normal or sport settings.

Stuart Birch

AEI May 2000

© SAE International

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