Valeo In Development Contracts for Camless Engine...Up To 20% Improvement in Fuel Efficiency

www.greencarcongress.com ^ | 12/21/2006 | Staff

[chuckles]

I'm sure what you experienced was more to do with the turbo boost than valves. Valve timing makes a difference in power and economy, but so does 10lbs of turbo boost. If you search my posts under alcohol fuel, you may see where I have stated several times the loss in economy of ethanol engines could be more than made up in compression ratio's and turbo boost. Converting to ethanol fuel should require a 30lbs turbo boost and 11:1 pistons at a minimum. It will run without it, but you lose efficiency. Ethanol won't ping except under the most dire environment. Dragsters can burn a piston, but they also produce 2000 hp. Flex fuel is just a stop gap measure until we get serious about ethanol. I could take the same 2 liter 4 banger an get 400hp easy to pull a full size truck. When you don't need 400hp, you should get 4-6cyl economy.

If I was guaranteed a steady supply of E85, I would convert in a heartbeat. But once you convert, you can't burn gas, unless you can find 110-120 octane.

[chuckles]

2 cycles fire twice as often as a 4 cycle, ergo a stronger power curve. The big advantage for a 2 cycles was no valve float. The valve train,IMHO, doesn't suck 20% of the engine power, ergo a smaller than 20% power boost without one. I'm sure there will be some advantage, but not 20%. Maybe 2%. The big advantage would be electronic control of valve timing. A normal engine has torque at lower RPM's because of valve lift and duration settings. They lose at higher RPM's. Racing cams give higher lift and longer duration for higher power at high RPM's. Electronics could give you optimum power and economy at any speed.

[Old Professer]

The illustration shows springs of different lengths and probably strengths; likely, the design is intended to damp oscillations inherent in coil springs at high deflection speeds.

Still, you bring up a good point.

As an old time drag racer, valve float is remembered all too well.

[Old Professer]

You left out the picture:

The part where he has two parents and a child on a swing;
each parent, in turn, grabs the seat and lifts it and then lets go - just like the electromagnets pull and release.

Can't you just see that lovely child, her hair being blown back and forth in the ever freshening breeze her proud mother and father have created for her?

[uglybiker]

Aura systems has held a patent on a camless valvetrain for several years.

They were even running a prototype Kenworth at Pikes Peak a couple years ago.

[ffusco]

NOHC- No Over Head Cam

[ffusco]

Nice!

[Red Badger]

No Underhead cam, either!......I truly hope this is a real invention and not a pie in the sky toy. If applied, it could truly revolutionise the internal combustion engine. Complete digital control of the valves and injectors (piezo electrics)! The engine could be gasoline or diesel and run on 2,4,6 or 8 cylinders as needed!...........

[norton]

Good one

[Red Badger]

... most of these green utopia ideas just don't pass the laugh test.

Unfortunately, that is true. But one must separate the wheat from the chaff to get the grain..........

[Balding_Eagle]

I think Sturman patented his digital valve sometime in the 70's or 80's, originally for irrigation systems

In the early 90's they got a contract with Navistar to install their valves in the injector systems on a number of their truck engines. As I recall, they were talking of thousands of engines.

The valve allowed for a microsecond burst of a very small amount of fuel, a slight pause to allow ignition to begin, and then the injection of the 'power' shot of fuel. That increased fuel efficientcy, and cleaner burning.

Pretty amazing when that all happens everytime the piston reaches the begining of the power stroke.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Related thread on Ethanol over here:

Researchers Will Work With Cellulosic Ethanol Plant (NY)

[GOP_Muzik]

I'm sure what you experienced was more to do with the turbo boost than valves. Valve timing makes a difference in power and economy, but so does 10lbs of turbo boost.

I thought the same thing but the wastegate had been untouched from the factory. The increase in power was pretty significant, coupled with the fact that the Borg-Warner auto trans wasn't set to handle that increase (as well as the torque improvement) is what led to me spinning off of I-610. It was a pretty weird feeling losing complete control of such a heavy car like that.