Meet the Hybrid-PU called "Sōichirō": A one-man project

[glenntws]

Hey Guys,

after doing several announcments in the Honda PU thread, here I am to present you a project on which I've been working since september 2015: My own power unit.

The philosophy behind the project is to implement the newest technologies, while maintaining relatively low productions costs and providing a incredibly good efficiency.

So, since the start of the project, I was able to finish the first prototype of the ICE and several other components like the turbocharger. (Don't know if this is accepted in this forum, but if you want to know more about the first part, take a look at this page: https://www.carthrottle.com/post/w3ke622/)

However, last autumn I decided to restart the project and use all my knowledge and experience I have gained to create the best possible project.

So, these are the specifications of the current "Sōichirō" (V2) power unit:

- 1200cm³ displacement
- V6 engine in 90° Arrangement (firing-order 1-4-3-6-2-5, even firing > crankarm offset)
- 4-stroke (Pre-Chamber)-HCCI engine
- 58mm stroke X 66mm bore
- high pressure (approx. 200bar) port-injected ethanol based fuel supply.
- pneumatically/hydraulically (to be decided) driven fully variable valvetrain.
- one electrically driven compressor in the V
- two outside lying turbines, connected to one generator unit per turbine.
- one heat-regenerating turbine in the V, connect to a generator unit.
- one electric motor (approx. 150kW), conencted to the crankshaft.

- planned power output: 450kW
- planned efficiency: more than 60%, with the final goal to achieve much more.


Material usage:
- engine block and crankcase casted out of highly-durable aluminum.
- cylinder head casted out of higly-durable aluminum.
- titanium valves, rods and wrist pin.
- steel pistons and crankshaft.


Pictures will be posted in the next update, I'm trying to make as many renderings as possible to get as much info as possible for you

For any questions, just comment. To finish this introduction post: I hope to have many discussions with you, I think this could get very interesting for us all

Sincerely,
Glenn Töws


EDIT: had wrong link to the first prototype, the new one is the right one.

[Singabule]

Hi glenntws,
Interesting project! Excellent drawing too. One quick question? Why ethanol? I cant imagine lean burn ethanol combined with cvcc would have same benefit as gasoline

[etusch]

Your models look greate. I wonder how do you product it and will do it yourself

[glenntws]

Hi glenntws,
Interesting project! Excellent drawing too. One quick question? Why ethanol? I cant imagine lean burn ethanol combined with cvcc would have same benefit as gasoline

The idea of using ethanol is because of it's behavior. The idea was to reduce carbon emissions and the rate of unburned carbon-hydrates. Because ethanol is such a short molecule and by it's own includes a oxygen atom for oxidation, we have a very low rate of unburned particles. Also, the combustion speed is very high, which helps burning fuel in the areas where HCCI doesn't start automatically.

The most important idea however was, that Ethanol could be generate by so many different ressources, it's like a all-round fuel.

Regarding CVCC: the HCCI (or pre-chamber HCCI) is not like you might think It's something that (I believe) hasn't been done before.

[Singabule]

Hmmm, regarding homogeneous charge, at what temperature and CR ethanol will be good at? How fast will the flame front (if not detonates) in your engine? And your engine is not so undersquare, so what is your rpm target for that engine?

[glenntws]

Hmmm, regarding homogeneous charge, at what temperature and CR ethanol will be good at? How fast will the flame front (if not detonates) in your engine? And your engine is not so undersquare, so what is your rpm target for that engine?

Temperatures and CR are depending on boost pressure, but tendentially, the goal is to achieve accurate HCCI without loeaning out on higher loads. The flame front speed wasn't simulated yet (ANSYS doesn't like HCCI and my PC is slow, so there's currently no Option to do full cycle simulations). rpm target is at 11k rpm maximum. The goal is to get power not only out of boost but also out of engine speed.

[ncassi22]

Can't believe you're still in school! Awesome. Have you thought about 3d printed molds for casting? There's some real possibility to increase strength/reduce the weight of the block especially. Take the the idea of sleeves with protrusions on its outer surface for better heat transfer. You could possibly run these through the entire coolant jacket while reducing the thickness at the cylinder and using spray coating to add hardness.

[Tommy Cookers]

......Because ethanol is such a short molecule and by it's own includes a oxygen atom for oxidation, we have a very low rate of unburned particles.

hasn't the oxygen atom already been used for oxidation ? - (if not then water is also useable as a fuel ?)

as a future fuel ethanol is viewable as conflicting with humankind's desire to grow food
bio isobutanol (produced virally/bacterially) seems to be better
(used as feedstock yielding specific energy competitive with gasoline's, so is surely being used as the F1 mandatory biofuel content ?)

ethanol (by distillation 95-96% pure but for fuel purposes is dehydrated to nominally 100%) ....here, interestingly .....
has about 5% more energy per unit air consumption than a good gasoline's
its evaporation causes 153 degF drop in temperature (gasoline's is 40 degF) at stoichiometric ratio, less of course when leaner

[roon]

You render and communicate your ideas very well, glenn. Keep up that attention to detail! Above the exhaust ports, there are some more ports & flanges (two per cylinder, seemingly). Are these for spark plugs and something else?

[Singabule]

......Because ethanol is such a short molecule and by it's own includes a oxygen atom for oxidation, we have a very low rate of unburned particles.

hasn't the oxygen atom already been used for oxidation ?
if not then water is also useable as a fuel ?

Thanks Tommy cookers, this is what i want to ask in next post, so we are in same page regarding this.

[SunsAnvil]

Very impressive (especially for a teenager who is also studying at school). Well done!

[glenntws]

......Because ethanol is such a short molecule and by it's own includes a oxygen atom for oxidation, we have a very low rate of unburned particles.

hasn't the oxygen atom already been used for oxidation ?
if not then water is also useable as a fuel ?

Thanks Tommy cookers, this is what i want to ask in next post, so we are in same page regarding this.

Yeah it's part of the molecule but in the process of combustion (at least that's what I think I know), the ethanol molecule gets torn appart and by that you have one Oxygen Atom directly at the molecule to reast with the other parts.

Water couldn't be used as a fuel, beaucse it's simly made out of 2 hydrogen atoms and one oxgen atom and the binding between these two is already on a very low energy level. The only Thing that could happen is that the water gets torn appart by taking up a huge amount of energy (thermolysis) and then adds up again and releasing the same amount of energy. So no gains here. But it could be used as a part of the fuel to lower intake temps (also working on finding some good mix there).

[glenntws]

Now, I also have some photos of the acutal protoype for you.

Here are the pictures for the engine block, together with one strongly unfinished prototype of the cylinder head.


In the Honda-PU thread I said, that the MGU-H could be putted inside a housing casted into the block. You can't see this here yet, but I'm working on that. The difference: The housing is for the Generator that is linked to the cenral thermal recuperation turbine.

Two Pictures of the head and the combustion chamber for now:


The way of constructing the head is different in the second prototype, just like with every other part in the engine. Instead of starting with one soild blocking and removing the parts which aren't needed, I just build up the part with thin walls and making them stronger until the wanted strength is achieved.

The combustion design is fairly simple right now. Because of the fully variable valvetrain, it looks like it's possible to place the valves radially in the chamber and by that reducing the surface area where heat transfer could happen. However, in the pictures you still don't see a pre-chamber. It is planned (if the simulation tell me that my expectations are true), that the chamber will include a pre-chamber, which is casted into the head at production. The idea is that a big part of the charge will go into the chamber and make the big bang in this chamber as soon as the auto-ignition point is reached. Then, the gases will flow into the chamber and by that, the charge should be held away from the cylinder walls, which makes up for more energy that's left for the turbine.

The spark plug, which you can see is there for operation at very low load conditions or at cold start. As soon as HCCI combustion is possible with EGR and so on, the spark plug isn't used (so a back-up ignition method).

Now to the piston, the rod and the crankshaft:




While you should see to much in the piston heads design (it's completely unfinished), you can see how the piston and the rod are built.

The piston is -just like the crankshaft- forged out of AISI 4140 steel. The rod and the wrist pin are made out of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V (rod is forged, the pin is cutted out of solid rod piece). However I am always looking for better materials so this is not final.

[glenntws]

Can't believe you're still in school! Awesome. Have you thought about 3d printed molds for casting? There's some real possibility to increase strength/reduce the weight of the block especially. Take the the idea of sleeves with protrusions on its outer surface for better heat transfer. You could possibly run these through the entire coolant jacket while reducing the thickness at the cylinder and using spray coating to add hardness.

3D printed molds are the way, I plan to do the "real parts" (if I will be able to get to that Point). At least for the moment, when not many units are created, this way is bar far the best.

The structured outside of the liner will be added, that's also already planned A spray coating would not be efficient, if the liner is already made out of one of the strongest steel alloys

......Because ethanol is such a short molecule and by it's own includes a oxygen atom for oxidation, we have a very low rate of unburned particles.

hasn't the oxygen atom already been used for oxidation ? - (if not then water is also useable as a fuel ?)

as a future fuel ethanol is viewable as conflicting with humankind's desire to grow food
bio isobutanol (produced virally/bacterially) seems to be better
(used as feedstock yielding specific energy competitive with gasoline's, so is surely being used as the F1 mandatory biofuel content ?)

ethanol (by distillation 95-96% pure but for fuel purposes is dehydrated to nominally 100%) ....here, interestingly .....
has about 5% more energy per unit air consumption than a good gasoline's
its evaporation causes 153 degF drop in temperature (gasoline's is 40 degF) at stoichiometric ratio, less of course when leaner

Interesting... I will take a look at that, thanks for the info!

You render and communicate your ideas very well, glenn. Keep up that attention to detail! Above the exhaust ports, there are some more ports & flanges (two per cylinder, seemingly). Are these for spark plugs and something else?

Thank you for your kind words. Yes, the "big" port is for the spark plug. The smaller ports are outlets for oil out of the head.

[Tommy Cookers]

re the 'available' oxygen in ethanol in energy terms what happens is imo ......
hydrogen came to the party (as liquid) combined with oxygen, but is taken away by carbon
lonely hydrogen then combines with other oxygen from the air breathed by the engine
so all the oxygen used for combustion must come from air breathed, at the cost of the corresponding gas flow work
unlike nitromethane etc whose 'double bonds' give little energy cost to accessing available oxygen mass, at liquid flow work cost

ethanol ........
tests at 109 RON but only 90 MON (imo people confuse its true ON with knock benefit from greater charge cooling)
so not so good for SI - but less than bad for CI (5% glycol is used for CI improvement)

absorbs moisture (this reduces corrosion) - so why not include 4% water ? (giving stability ?)

should allow leaner running than gasoline would ?