Can the internal combustion engine still be improved? Yes, thanks in particular to downsizing, a solution that cannot be ignored, and one that is both cost-efficient to implement and beneficial to the environment.
The principle is
to reduce the engine size in order to reduce consumption, without affecting power.
In order to do so, supercharging (turbo or air compressor) is used alongside a range of systems and methods aiming to optimise the engine mechanism. A kind of virtuous circle, which increases performance while minimising energy needs, is setting itself up.
Thanks to downsizing, among other things,
thermic engines could reduce their C02 emissions by between 5% (for diesel models) and 40% (for petrol models) by 2020, and reach an optimal working level. It’s an important issue for this kind of engine, which should be able to remain dominant for a long time in the car market.
The two mainstays of downsizing Supercharging (turbocompressor or compressor): here, pumps are driven by the exhaust gases which blow compressed air into the cylinders in order to support the combustion of the mix (air/fuel).
The aim: to increase the power of the engine.
Direct injection: this technology means distributing the fuel* directly in the combustion chamber rather than upstream, in the intake manifold for petrol engines or in the combustion pre-chamber for diesel engines.
This system uses an electronic computer to drive the quantity of fuel introduced into the combustion chamber, by only injecting the fuel into the parts where the combustion will have maximum efficiency.
The aim: to reduce the engine’s fuel consumption.
*A fuel is a combustible that feeds an engine. An engine is a device that transforms a non-mechanical energy (wind, chemical, electric, thermic by...) into thermic energy. This transforms the chemical energy of the fuel.
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