Ricardo is set to be a
key partner in the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Green Vehicle Initiative project
‘HDGAS’ – which aims for a 10 per cent in overall engine improvement.
The overall aim of HDFAS is to develop,
demonstrate and optimize advanced powertrain concepts for dual-fuel and pure natural
gas powered heavy duty vehicles.
Long haul trucks are an essential element of
the transportation mix of modern, industrialized society. According to Ricardo,
they are, however, inherently less amenable to the type of electrification and
hybridization strategies that are already contributing to reduced carbon
emissions and potential long-term sustainability for the light vehicle sector.
A key global imperative is seen as the
substantial improvement of heavy vehicle engine efficiency and reduction of
environmental impact.
The primary objectives of HDGAS are to deliver
improved fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions whilst also
meeting current Euro VI emissions standards.
It aims to develop technologies to address
this need whilst also meeting or exceeding the latest Euro VI regulated
emissions standards, as well as achieving in-use compliance under real-world
driving conditions and CO2 or greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction.
Ricardo is one of 19 collaborating EU
commercial and academic partners on the HDGAS project. Particular areas of
focus for the company will be the development of engine and after-treatment
systems that offer the prospect of delivering “real driving emissions well
below Euro VI limits” for heavy duty vehicles.
Specifically, the aim of the new systems is to
demonstrate improvements of in the region of 10 per cent in torque, power, fuel
efficiency and GHG emissions reduction.
Through extensive use of simulation methods,
Ricardo aims to create a heavy duty natural gas version of its direct injection
combustion system used in ultra-clean gasoline engines.
Technologies that will be investigated in this
endeavour include a conceptual study of liquid natural gas direct injection and
the application of high energy ignition system based on corona discharge.
Advanced dual-fuel and pure natural gas after-treatment
specification, development and testing is also a critical part the work of the
HDGAS project, and an area where Ricardo will lead several partners of the consortium.
This work will aim to provide important
knowledge around the challenge of controlling tailpipe methane emissions and
the impact of natural gas on some of the conventional after-treatment
technologies that might be applied, such as the risk of methane poisoning of
SCR catalysts.
Having specified the system requirements based
on simulation and analysis, this information will be used as the basis for rig
testing and development followed by incorporation of the technology on the four
new heavy duty natural gas powertrains developed within the project.
These will include the Ricardo lean burn
direct injection engine and the three other engines being developed by the
partners on the project. Ricardo will then complete a Euro VI calibration of
the after-treatment system on the lean burn engine.
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