In 1897, the first diesel engine was built with an effective efficiency of 26.2%. Since then, scientists have been trying to increase its efficiency, which until recently was between 30 and 50%. However, the Chinese company Weichai Power presented at the World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines the first ever diesel engine with an intrinsic thermal efficiency of more than 53 percent.

Engine thermal efficiency is the percentage of diesel combustion energy transferred into usable engine work without the need for a waste heat recovery mechanism. In 2020, the Chinese company presented its diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 50.23 percent, and two years later the efficiency increased to 52.28 percent.

In 500 days of work, the research team achieved the optimization of four vital systems: fuel supply, air intake, combustion and friction reduction. This resulted in a higher thermal efficiency of the engine, but also a higher economy of the engine, which in this case is nearly 14%. The team has effectively advanced high expansion combustion, pressurized mixed flow, highly efficient fuel injection and low drag friction reduction technology.

How significant this achievement is is shown by the fact that it would lead to annual fuel savings of around 30 million tons and a reduction in carbon emissions by almost 100 million tons. If we consider individual vehicles, a heavy tractor with an annual mileage of 250,000 km can save about 12,000 gallons/45,425 liters of fuel thanks to this technology. That would mean an additional nearly $13,500 for the owner, based on current fuel prices.

It should be noted that during the research and development phase, the team received 176 patents for inventions and 68 patents for utility models.

Source: Reuters