IC engines

The regulations with respect to CO2 and pollutant emissions are becoming increasingly stringent. The European Commission has proposed an average CO2 emission objective of 130 g/km for vehicles sold in 2012 (2008 average: 160 g/km) and 95 g/km in 2020. The new Euro 6 pollution abatement standard will begin to apply in 2014.

For automobile manufacturers, improvement of the environmental performance of IC engines and the use of low-carbon alternative fuels have become indispensable.

For gasoline engines, the priority is to reduce fuel consumption in order to limit CO2 emissions. The solutions being examined include optimization of combustion – through burned gas recycling, for example – downsizing and turbocharging, variable distribution and direct fuel injection.

For diesel engines, research is mainly focused on pollution emissions - and particularly NOx and soot - but another goal is to significantly cut fuel consumption in order to reduce CO2 emissions. The technologies developed by IFP Energies nouvelles mainly concern the air loop architecture, improvement of combustion, optimization of engine control and after-treatment systems. In particular, an innovative double turbocharging air loop concept capable of meeting Euro 6 standards without the need for the after-treatment of NOx is being studied. In the area of fuel consumption, downsizing and downspeeding are promising options.

IFP Energies nouvelles is actively involved in the development of alternative fuels to fossil energies. As part of the Innovative transport strategic priority, research is being conducted on the formulation of these fuels for use in transport and on their compatibility with component materials and powertrain technologies.

IFP Energies nouvelles is also evaluating the potential of ethanol as a diesel fuel base. An innovative formulation with a high ethanol content has been validated on a Citroën C4 demonstrator vehicle, for example, demonstrating a very conclusive performance following a vehicle calibration optimization stage. Moreover, within the E4D consortium operated jointly with Petrobras, Renault, Total and Volvo Powertrain, a complete assessment has been made for applications on light vehicles and trucks, particularly with respect to combustion, efficiency and pollutant emissions.

+ Industrial development > Alternative fuels

+ Industrial development > Engines