Technology developed at the University of Waterloo reliably and affordably increases the efficiency of internal combustion engines by more than 10 per cent.

The product of a decade of research, this patented system for opening and closing valves could significantly reduce fuel consumption in everything from ocean-going ships to compact cars.

"This method has the potential to bring the well-established benefits of a fully variable valve system out of the lab and into production engines because cost and complexity aren't issues," said Amir Khajepour, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering at Waterloo.

Intake and exhaust valves in internal combustion engines are typically controlled by cam mechanisms that do not allow the timing of their opening and closing to be varied.

The technology developed by Waterloo researchers replaces cams with hydraulic cylinders and rotary hydraulic valves that enable fully variable timing as the speed and torque of an engine change.

This ability to specifically time the opening and closing of valves according to engine operation is a key to increasing fuel efficiency, reducing both costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

"If you think about an ideal solution, it is to make the motion of the valve completely controllable," said Khajepour, who is also a Canada Research Chair and director of Waterloo's Mechatronic Vehicle Systems Lab. "That gives you infinite options to work with."

Although other systems to vary valve timing already exist, they are limited to use in experimental engines in laboratories due to their high cost and complexity.

The technology developed and tested at Waterloo is much simpler and far less expensive, paving the way for its use in engines for power generation, mining vehicles, the trucking industry and a host of other applications, including the consumer automotive market.

Khajepour said an affordable, reliable method to vary valve timing in internal combustion engines could substantially reduce our carbon footprint during the transition to cleaner electric powertrains over the next few decades.

"We should be able to easily improve efficiency by over 10 per cent, which is significant," he said.

The study on optimizing the hydraulic variable valve system, which builds on research that began in 2008, appears in the journal Mechatronics.

Related Links
University of Waterloo
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Study IDs 'white graphene' architecture with unprecedented hydrogen storage capacity
Houston TX (SPX) Mar 20, 2018
Rice University engineers have zeroed in on the optimal architecture for storing hydrogen in "white graphene" nanomaterials - a design like a Lilliputian skyscraper with "floors" of boron nitride sitting one atop another and held precisely 5.2 angstroms apart by boron nitride pillars. The results appear in the journal Small. "The motivation is to create an efficient material that can take up and hold a lot of hydrogen - both by volume and weight - and that can quickly and easily release that ... read more