|
Lotus conduct research study into engine efficiency when
utilising sustainable second and third generation bio fuels
Lotus Engineering, the world renowned automotive consultancy
division of Lotus announces a collaboration with Queen’s
University Belfast and Jaguar Cars Ltd to develop an engine
which maximises fuel efficiency when running on renewable fuels.
The OMNIVORE concept will employ novel engine architecture to
achieve a high thermal efficiency when fuelled on any alcohols
or gasoline.
The project is sponsored by Defra (Department for the
Environment and Rural Affairs) and the DOE NI (Department of the
Environment Northern Ireland) through the Renewable Materials
LINK Programme. Lotus Engineering is currently undertaking
a design study and the build of a single cylinder research
engine for completion in January 2009. Vehicle modelling will
validate the reduction in vehicle CO2 emissions. Queen’s
University of Belfast’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering will be adding its world leading expertise in engine
simulation, with Jaguar Cars Ltd a consultative partner at all
stages of development.
This engine design is expected to significantly increase fuel
efficiency for sustainable bio alcohol fuels. The architecture
features an innovative variable compression ratio system and
uses a two-stroke operating cycle with direct fuel
injection. The OMNIVORE engine will be ideally suited to
flex-fuel operation with a higher degree of optimisation
than is possible with existing architectures.
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus Plc said:
“The automotive industry is now focusing on its environmental
obligations to reduce CO2 emissions and improve efficiencies and
we are seeing the high technology capabilities of Lotus
Engineering being in strong demand. Not only does our brand
value of ‘performance through light weight’ fit perfectly with
the necessary direction of the industry to produce lighter, more
efficient vehicles, we are also working on all aspects of future
fuels, investigating alternative powertrains to accommodate
alcohol fuels as they enter the market.”
Kimberley continues: “Alcohols possess superior combustion
characteristics to gasoline which allow greater optimisation.
Taking full advantage of the benefits of sustainable bio
alcohols will ensure a greater percentage of vehicle miles will
be travelled using renewable fuels. We are delighted with the
investment from DEFRA which will assist this partnership in
taking forward research development and the demonstration of
this environmentally conscious transport solution.”
The OMNIVORE programme complements the recently unveiled Lotus
Exige 270E Tri-fuel as part of Lotus’ research to understand the
complex combustion process involved in running on mixtures of
alcohol fuels and gasoline, which will be important for a
successful transition from today’s fuels to the sustainable,synthetic
fuels of the future.
Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering
said: “The requirement to operate on gasoline in today’s
flex-fuel engines limits their thermal efficiency when operating
on alcohol fuels. However, the physical and chemical properties
of alcohols, when compared to gasoline, provide the potential
for higher thermal efficiency operation to be achieved. This
singlecylinder research engine will investigate a highly thermal
efficient combustion system that optimises engine performance to
fully exploit the properties of both gasoline and alcohol fuels
and maximise efficiency.”
|
