MethMag Project – Development of a highly efficient combustion engine
In order to offer our customers sustainable solutions and applications for future mobility and new, innovative manufacturing processes, we are actively involved in a number of research projects and working groups. Anyone who wants to offer their customers added value in testing technology must be innovative, interdisciplinary, and agile. For this reason, we would like to present our latest project to you.
In our MethMag project, we are working with Fraunhofer ICT, Ford-Werke GmbH, Rosswag GmbH, and the Research Institute for Automotive Engineering and Vehicle Engines in Stuttgart to develop a highly efficient combustion engine for use in light commercial vehicles. This involves the use of an innovative lean combustion process in conjunction with synthetic methane. How does it all work?
To this end, a single-cylinder test engine and combustion-related components are being designed, built as a test demonstrator, and tested on the company’s own test bench. Numerous simulations are being carried out in parallel, including 1D charge cycle and performance simulations to estimate the operating ranges and optimize engine parameters, as well as 3D flow simulations to design the cooling water jacket. Subsequent CHT and FEM simulations ensure the thermal and mechanical operational stability of the test vehicle. The project has a total duration of three years and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
The test concept we developed enables the operation of methane gas-powered engines. One of the key components here is specific gas consumption measurement with conditioning. In addition, a small conversion would also enable operation with hydrogen. In addition to modernizing the infrastructure, BRIGHT was also responsible for procuring components for the single-cylinder engine in this project.
You can find more information here: https://www.ict.fraunhofer.de/de/projekte/MethMag.html