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Engineering Business News and Views
News Release from: Ricardo
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 16 July 2001
Cylinder pressure engine management
system is here
Improved fuel economy, lower vehicle emissions and reduced manufacturing costs are expected following the development of a new engine management control system by the Ricardo-led AENEAS consortium
Improved fuel economy, lower vehicle emissions and reduced manufacturing costs are just some of the benefits expected following the development of an advanced engine management control system by the Ricardo-led AENEAS consortium The 'AENEAS' acronym refers to the Application and Evaluation of a Novel Engine management system based on intelligent control Algorithms and utilising innovative Sensor technology
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 19 Nov 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Utilizing for the first time cylinder pressure sensors this new automotive technology covers both gasoline and diesel engines and can be applied therefore to all types of vehicles from the smallest cars to the largest trucks.
It is expected that the first volume production vehicles to benefit will reach the market within five years.
The EUR2.5m two-year AENEAS project represents collaboration between Ricardo, DaimlerChrysler and Swiss sensor technology supplier Kistler.
The project has been 40 per cent funded by the European Commission as an 'Innovation Programme' and 4 per cent funded by the Swiss Government.
The project has resulted in a groundbreaking 'Cylinder Pressure based Engine Management System' (CPEMS).
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Utilising piezoresistive pressure sensor technology and using new intelligent engine control algorithms (calculations made within the engine management system), CPEMS has demonstrated substantial improvements in the performance of gasoline and diesel engines over a conventional engine management system (EMS).
Test results show that improvements include a reduction in fuel consumption by an average of 1.4 per cent measured under steady-state conditions; a smoother running engine and improved vehicle refinement, demonstrated by a reduction in cylinder imbalance from 8 per cent to 2 per cent also resulting in more comfort for driver and passengers; and importantly for the environment, reduced catalyst light-off time by 10 per cent leading to lower overall emissions.
In addition, the application of cylinder pressure sensing technology will eliminate other sensors on the vehicle, which in turn will reduce manufacturing costs by removing components such as the air mass, knock and cam sensors which are made redundant by the application of this new technology.
Results suggest that cost savings may be as high as EUR11 per unit based on production of three-quarters of a million 4-cylinder engines.
In this example, the EUR56 cost of having four cylinder pressure sensors with extra ECU hardware is more than offset by eliminating the EUR67 cost of a cam sensor, OBD functions, knock sensors, air mass meter and catalyst materials.
For a comparable number of sensors, the savings are EUR3 per unit based on production of half a million 6-cylinder engines.
In this example, the EUR83 cost of having six cylinder pressure sensors with extra ECU hardware is offset by eliminating the EUR86 cost of a cam sensor, OBD functions, knock sensors, air mass meter and catalyst materials.
Commenting on the novel approach of the AENEAS project to help meet some of the biggest challenges facing the automotive industry today, Dr Tony Truscott, principal engineer, Ricardo control and electronics said: "The success of AENEAS lies in the development and combination of inexpensive piezoresistive sensors robust enough to survive the harsh environment of the combustion chamber, coupled with the use of sophisticated model-based engine control and diagnostics algorithms." Dr Truscott continued: "In particular, the ability of CPEMS to monitor cylinder pressure directly, for engine control and diagnostics, will provide vehicle manufacturers with valuable information on the engine's performance, allowing them to produce more refined vehicles with lower emissions, fuel consumption and manufacturing costs." Designing affordable cylinder pressure sensors robust enough to survive the combustion process results from advanced research and development work carried out by DaimlerChrysler and Kistler on the application of 'silicon carbide on insulator' (SiCOI) and 'silicon on insulator' (SOI) technologies for such devices.
These material systems have been shown to operate under harsh combustion environments and have the potential, together with advanced intelligent control and diagnostics algorithms, for a cost-effective solution to the development and application of cylinder-pressure engine management technology.
Ricardo and DaimlerChrysler developed the control and diagnostics algorithms jointly.
The Kistler sensors were installed on a Mercedes Benz gasoline demonstrator vehicle, which was tested with the new algorithms by Ricardo.
New algorithms developed included spark timing control, air mass estimation, start control, misfire detection, and sensor error handling.
Ricardo provided overall project management, prototyping, sensor and algorithm application and test facilities.
This work included a simulation of the AENEAS engine using Ricardo's WAVE software.
Patent applications have been made for the pioneering CPEMS technology and are pending.
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