A Predictive Study of a New VCR Engine with High Expansion Ratio and High-Efficiency Potential under Heavy Load Conditions

Abstract

Facing the future, whether working alone or with electric motors, a new type of variable compression ratio (VCR) engine that can achieve a high thermal efficiency under heavy load conditions is necessary. Hence, we propose a dual shaft control variable compression ratio (DSC-VCR) engine based on a gear-driven eccentric sleeve. With the improved position of gears, DSC-VCR allows for double larger gears to share the load, and the engine can operate with a larger eccentric size and a narrower adjustment range compared to other similar mechanisms. This helps to reduce the difficulty of chamber shape design, avoid collisions between valves and piston, and above all, makes the engine operate with a larger overexpansion ratio (OER, the ratio of expansion stroke and compression stroke) under all conditions to improve engine efficiency. Based on a 1.5 T four-cylinder engine, the OER can be increased to over 1.16 with the eccentric size of 6.5 mm. According to the theoretical thermal efficiency calculation while considering turbocharging, the per millimeter increase of eccentric size improves the theoretical efficiency by 0.0025–0.006. The predictive simulation presented that the reduction of residual gas helps to increase the compression ratio (CR) from 9.5 to 10.1 under a full load condition. Larger OERs and CRs help to reduce brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) by 6%–8%. In the case of a 75% load, about 3.51% of efficiency increase was realized. All of these prove that DSC-VCR is a high-efficiency potential mechanism for the future.