China unveiled the world’s first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09, the team focused on optimizing four vital systems: fuel supply, air intake, combustion and friction reduction.
Since the invention of the diesel internal combustion engine 127 years ago, engineers and scientists have sought to improve its thermal efficiency. China’s Weichai Power has introduced the first-ever diesel engine with an internal thermal efficiency of 53.09%, a remarkable achievement. The firm demonstrated its new technology at the 2024 World Internal Combustion Engine Congress, which began in Tianjin, China.
The achievement was recognized by TÜV SÜD, an international testing organization, and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center, a specialized testing organization for Chinese internal combustion engines.
The percentage of diesel fuel combustion energy that is converted into useful engine work without the use of a waste heat recovery mechanism is called the thermal efficiency of the base engine. Engine economy improves as the thermal efficiency of the base engine increases.
Weichai Power achieved a significant milestone in this regard on September 16, 2020, when it introduced a diesel engine that set a new record with a casing thermal efficiency of 50.23%. On January 8, 2022, the company made even more progress, increasing the engine’s thermal efficiency to 51.09%. The company last achieved 52.28% thermal efficiency on November 20, 2022, surpassing its previous records.
The firm compares with mainstream products that typically achieve an average thermal efficiency of 46% for diesel engines on the market. The implementation of thermal efficiency technology in base engines with a thermal efficiency of 52.28% can lead to a significant 12 percent reduction in both fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Weichai Power’s research team built on its previous successes by investing more than 500 days of dedicated effort into optimizing four vital systems: fuel delivery, air intake, combustion and friction reduction. The team has effectively developed high-expansion combustion, mixed pressure, high-efficiency fuel injection and low-drag friction reduction technologies.
Significant progress has been made with these advances, which have been achieved in small increments of 0.1% at a time. This attempt resulted in the engine breaking the 53 percent thermal efficiency barrier for the first time in the world. Researchers claim that this achievement can be compared to if a person ran a 100-meter distance in less than nine seconds. During this phase of research and development, the group received 176 invention patents and 68 utility model patents.
An increase in thermal efficiency from 45-46% to 53% can increase the efficiency of a diesel engine by about 14%. This figure is based on current estimates of the number of diesel engines in China. This innovation leads to annual fuel savings of about 31 million tons and a reduction in carbon emissions by 97 million tons.
According to the team, this technical breakthrough will benefit not only the transportation industry but also other industries such as construction machinery, agricultural equipment, ships and energy equipment, among others, adding new benefits.
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