SAE Update - November 2021 - 20

FOCUS:POWERTRAIN
AND PROPULSION
The future of combustion measurement
There is currently much discussion in the
Powertrain Engineering community, around
the technology for next generation
powertrains. Opinion seems divided to an
extent, between BEV only, or a topology
that retains the combustion engine in some
form (HEV etc.). Many passenger car
vehicle manufacturers are now investing
massive sums of money to accelerate their
developments in batteries, motors,
inverters, thermal management, in order to
be seen to be present in this new
technology domain.
But what does this mean for the humble
ICE that has served us so well for many
years? Is it the end? Can we abandon any
future ICE developments now? It seems not
quite yet - many passenger car
manufacturers have still committed to the
ICE, proving to some extent that the
combustion engine technology is still part
of the mix required for future propulsion
systems - reiterating the point that the
future powertrain should be " eclectic " and
not " all electric " - deploying the best
available technology for the application
and duty cycle involved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
This article was written for Update by
SAE member David Rogers, Technical
Specialist, and author of the book
" Engine Combustion: Pressure
Measurement and Analysis, " now in its
second edition, published by SAE
books.
20
November 2021
Kistler 6054C, tha latest generation of engine sensor
technology that can be used right across the
development program. Compact, 5mm front sealed
design with technology to isolate the measuring
element from acceleration, strain and drift effects.
UPDATE
Pre-chamber or jet ignition provides challenges for sensor
installations to be able to measure the combustion events in
the pre- and main chamber simultaneously.
combustion pressure
measurement - still required?
What does the above discussion mean for
the future of measuring and characterising
combustion? Measuring the in-cylinder
pressure has been an essential element in
the complete workflow of developing a new
engine, or optimising and existing design
for many, many years - and pre-dates the
ICE, going back as far as steam engine
development. It could be (based on the
above) that this is a dying form of
Kistler
Mahle
SAE Update - November 2021

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