Turbocharging in ceramic coated engines using Rankine cycle for automotive use – An inceptive study

Abstract

In an ordinary internal combustion engine only one third of the total heat liberated by the combustion of fuel is converted in to useful work. The exhaust gases leaving the engine are generally at a high temperature and hence they carry away a good amount energy. Substantial amount of energy is rejected via heat through the cooling system. An improvement in fuel economy could be seen, if the rejected energy to the coolant system could be used. LHR engines are the one in which the walls of the combustion chambers are coated with ceramic materials so that the heat loss to the coolant is very much reduced. It is thought that due to the adiabatic nature of the combustion chamber walls the energy available inside the cylinder for conversion in to useful work is more and this will improve the efficiency of the engine. But it is a well-known fact that only a marginal increase in the thermal efficiency of the engine is noticed. The reduction of heat loss from the combustion chamber of diesel engines improves fuel efficiency only by 3 or 4 per cent. The major amount of energy goes with the exhaust gasses as the gasses leave the engine at a very high temperature. For more than a decade, many researchers have pursued the implementation of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in diesel engines to increase the combustion temperature and to increase the engine performance. In this work a novel method of recovering energy from the exhaust and to improve the overall efficiency of the engine is presented. The effect of thermal barrier coatings on diesel engine energy balance system is studied. Improving the performance of the engine by recovering heat from exhaust with Rankine cycle is investigated.