Which does not need a transmission, has been developing for 15 years innovative engine internal combustion- without camshaft And throttle valve. "Motor" understands the principle of operation of the miracle unit.
####What's happened?
Swedish company FreeValve, partner of the Swedish manufacturer Koenigsegg supercars, published a video demonstrating the operation of a fundamentally new internal combustion engine, where instead of a traditional camshaft, electronically controlled valve actuators.
The Swedes claim that such a motor is capable of consuming fuel with almost any octane rating, turn off any number of cylinders, and also work in any of the three main thermodynamic cycles.
####Where did he come from?
The development of a fundamentally new motor in the early 2000s was taken up by Cargine, whose partner since 2001 has been Koenigsegg.
The goal set by the Swedish engineers was to create a new generation of economical and environmentally friendly motor. The concept of the Carmelo Scuderi engine was taken as the basis, in which the cylinders are divided into working and auxiliary. The former are responsible for the combustion of the mixture and exhaust, and the latter for intake and compression. working mixture. True, unlike the Scuderi engine, the Swedes wanted to implement this scheme inside one cylinder, for which they needed a fast and very accurate valve actuator.
In 2000, the first single-cylinder unit was prepared, capable of operating on methane or hydrogen. The level of nitrogen oxide emissions from this engine turned out to be incredibly low, but the auto industry was not even interested in the engine itself, but in the pusher used in it.
True, the first version of the pusher was completely pneumatic and had many drawbacks: it was too large, too noisy and vibration-loaded. Therefore, the engineers decided to add to the actuators hydraulic element for fixing valves and additional damping.
By 2003, the first prototype of the actuator was prepared, the dimensions of which already allowed it to be used on a conventional engine, but it took several more years, during which engineers changed its design several times, before the first truly working version of the system electronic control valves was ready for testing.
The first prototype of the engine without camshafts was installed on the Saab 9-5 station wagon. The output of this engine turned out to be 30 percent higher than the serial unit, and fuel consumption decreased by a third. It is clear that the technology still needed to be refined and adapted for mass use, however, the inspired creators hoped to launch new engines in the foreseeable future in the foreseeable future. mass production. Engines without camshafts were supposed to appear on the new Saab 9-3 sedan and 9-4X crossover - Cargine was part of an alliance of Scandinavian companies that tried to buy brand Saab during the 2008 crisis. However, this venture ended in nothing, and Saab was sold to the Chinese.
Since then, Cargine's only automotive partner has been Koenigsegg. Its head, Christian von Koenigsegg, once admitted that he had long dreamed of using the technical developments made by his company in mass machines. Perhaps he meant just economical and efficient engine without the camshaft he was involved in developing?
####So how does this engine work?
“If you imagine that the engine is a piano, and the valves are its keys, then using a camshaft is like playing an instrument with a mop instead of fingers,” Koenigsegg describes the advantages of his motor.
Its own - because for some time now Cargine has been renamed Freevalve and is under the control of the Koenigsegg group. Nine engineers are working on the project of a motor without a camshaft, capable of “playing any music”.
Instead of a camshaft, the opening and closing of valves is controlled by very fast electromagnetic actuators at the command of a computer. They use air springs that can change their own stiffness, and special sensors for monitoring the position of the valve. The latter control the position of the valves one hundred thousand times per second with an accuracy of one tenth of a millimeter, and their operation requires about a hundred times less energy than analogues from other companies.
This design allows you to endlessly change the valve timing, as well as at any time disable and enable any number of cylinders, depending on specific loads. Such a motor can operate according to the traditional thermodynamic Otto cycle, the economical Atkinson cycle, as well as the more complex Miller cycle, which provides the motor with even more high efficiency and economy. In addition, this motor can simulate the Hedman cycle with variable degree compression, which became possible to manage precisely thanks to valves with electronic control of lift and opening time.
The state-of-the-art unit designed by Freevalve is 30 percent more powerful and has more torque at low revs, compared to analogues of the same volume, but at the same time 20-50 percent more economical and emits half as much harmful substances in atmosphere. Finally, it is capable of consuming both gasoline with various octane ratings and diesel fuel.
Christian von Koenigsegg notes that new units can be made more compact and lighter than traditional internal combustion engines by eliminating camshafts, throttle and the corresponding attachments. The freed up space can be used to improve safety or increase the free space under the hood.
####Wait, but motors with no throttle and electronically controlled valve lift are already made by BMW and even Fiat?
Indeed, the Bavarians were the first to abandon the throttle by introducing a control system into the gas distribution mechanism intake valves with electronic control. However, the Bavarians use a rather complex mechanical system with an additional electric motor, and the Fiat MultiAir design has not yet solved the problem of high pumping losses.
Freevalve technology, in turn, is able to control all valves independently of each other, combining strengths all existing thermodynamic cycles in one power unit.
####When to expect?
The release of a motor without camshafts is considered economically justified now, despite the need to solve the remaining problems with high consumption electricity, noise and vibration. But him main disadvantage is the high cost of production. Which, however, can decrease in case of mass application of new technology.
Inventor Christian von Koenigsegg proved automotive world, the camshaft is not needed in the engine - this part is superfluous. An engine without a camshaft has a place to be in the automotive industry.
Christian was born in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden. As a child, I loved to disassemble household appliances with a desire to change something in the design of devices, and as a teenager he already established himself in his quarter as a jack of all trades and a talented craftsman.
He was the first to predict that chips would replace CDs, he even wanted to patent the design of this device, but at that time nobody was interested.
He also invented a lock for fastening wooden plates, but no one understood him either, even his father, who works in the woodworking industry. Subsequently, other companies patented a similar patent and earned many millions on it.
At 22, he became involved in the creation of cars, founded the company Koenigsegg Automotive AB, and in 2002 the Koenigsegg CC car was put into production.
In 2005, this car was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest stock car(388 km/h). And his car Koenigsegg CCXR is the leader in terms of power-to-weight ratio. Automobile brands Koenigsegg One1 is the leader in acceleration, it can accelerate to a speed of 300 km/h. in 11.92 sec.
Between two elements
Christian von Koenigsegg himself drives an old Saab and smiles slyly. And the reason for his smile is simple. His car has the only old series engine in the world…. ATTENTION! Without camshaft and gas distribution mechanism, timing belt and rocker arms.
In the Saab engine, more precisely in its block head, there are native 16 valves. But each valve is controlled by a separate node, and each of these devices receives a command to close or open the valve from the engine control unit independently of the others.
This is the main know-how - the actuator. Each valve is controlled by such a drive-actuator. The node is a pneumo-hydraulic-electric Koenigsegg system. The secret is that valves open with pneumatics and close with hydraulics.
The air and hydraulic lines are under constant pressure and are always ready to open or close. The electrical part of the assembly bears control function to one action or another.
Equipped with such a gas distribution system, engines are capable of developing up to 20,000 rpm from the very a high degree purging and filling cylinders with fuel mixture.
These nodes are cooled and lubricated standard systems engine.
The most, in my opinion, the highest achievement of the actuator from the Koenigsegg subsidiary Freevalve is that it can be installed on almost any car engine and even a motorcycle. And on high speed engine motorcycle with a speed of 16000 and a car with diesel engine from 3500 rpm.
Breathe full cylinders into all valves
Consider the schedule of the valves. He looks fantastic to me. Where is there at…
The red graph shows the operation of the intake valve, that is, its opening and closing. It shows that there are no soft parabolas as in conventional engines, simply and ingeniously, it opened - closed and there were no intersections with the exhaust valve (blue graph) for purge. Graphs do not intersect and have almost right angles. It is fantastic!
All volumes of gases enter and exit in a shorter period of time than in conventional engines, thanks to which the intake and exhaust phases do not intersect. Thanks to this, two times, this is a fact !!!, the environmental performance of the engine has been improved twice. This is truly a BREAKTHROUGH!
Play the piano rocker
Von Koenigsegg says that to use instead of Freevalve is to play the piano with a yoke instead of playing with your fingers.
What is programmed by the inventor for each valve?
Listed in order of importance:
- in all modes, regardless of engine speed, at the inlet is the most optimal volume of the fuel mixture, the most correct modes of opening and closing valves, which is impossible in;
- the Freevalve system allows you to change the parameters: the moment and duration of the valve opening. In this regard, in regular system this is impossible, and here you can revise any parameter;
- the ability to easily control engine power, turn off any cylinder, create any work program for each cylinder. In the classics, this can be done, but only through complex mechanical operations associated with mechanical switching on cams of a different camshaft configuration;
- there is no sad elliptical cam graph when the valves open and close smoothly, there are no moments when the intake and exhaust valves are open at the same time. There are no curves here, only broken lines. The actuator works quietly in this mode up to 10,000 rpm;
- And now the main thing: 30% more torque, 30% less fuel consumption and 50% less harmful exhaust!
Three cylinders, eighteen valves
Incorporating actuators into a motor design can significantly reduce its size. And that's not it. You can increase the number of valves per cylinder, and even split the paths exhaust gases, for example, send part to the turbine, and part to the muffler. Part of the valves can be used in the compressor system.
Engine without camshaft. Down with stereotypes!
What else does such a system give. Due to the fact that the engine can be more compact, the absence of a camshaft saves space, which means that the body design can also be changed.
And the plus that was given to us significantly greater moment, i.e. power, the required horsepower can be extracted from a smaller number of cylinders, respectively, the size will become even smaller. And hide a small motor under the seat))).
This system can be installed at any time on any engine of any manufacturer, throwing out the camshaft with all personal belongings. Increase power by 30%, and this is not enough!
But the most exotic thing is to convert it to a two-stroke, while increasing the power by 2 times !!! ... just by switching the program!
Von Koenigsegg is working on the idea of a car with two tanks for different fuels, and with different systems food, gasoline and diesel, and even with the transition to biofuels.
But the top of Koenigsegg's fantasy is of course a pneumatic hybrid - it's something! What is he dreaming about?
About to special program a certain valve configuration was set up, in which the internal combustion engine turns into a compressor.
The principle is this: when braking by the engine, air is pumped into the cylinder, accumulating pressure. And then use this air to move or accelerate the car, also use it in turbocharging, if you need to temporarily increase engine power.
Independent valves, it is also reliability. In this arrangement, the timing belt will not break and the pistons will never meet and break each other.
The same old Saab that Christian drives has already traveled 60,000 km., He has experienced heat and cold and does not feel very bad. Its block head is native, but converted to independent valves, everything superfluous has been removed from it and the necessary channels for pneumatics and hydraulics have been machined.
Saab test drive experience: Behaves like a diesel at 3000rpm, torque is crazy.
My opinion
I am wildly delighted with this invention! Engine without camshaft!!! What potential of settings opens up.
Engine modes can be composed like music.
And what insane performance can be pulled out of a conventional engine !!!
There are no words, friends! There is no limit to human genius! An engine without a camshaft, who would have thought that this is possible!
See you online!
A very controversial topic on the internet. Some people say that this is the future, while the other part says that there is nothing new here, all this has long been known and is not done in large quantities, because it is not reliable, complicated and meaningless.
Yes, there is still such an opinion: how much can you improve the "ancient mechanism", you need to create something fundamentally new! In any case, let's see what we are talking about and draw our own conclusions.
In 2005, a car named after Christian von Koenigsegg officially became the fastest serial car on the planet: experts from the Guinness Book of Records recorded a speed of 388.87 km / h. Koenigsegg CCXR has become the world's best sports car in terms of weight and power. Koenigsegg One:1 is the leader in the category " best overclocking”, reaching a speed of 300 km / h in just 11.92 seconds.
While the most efficient sports cars in the world break record after record, their creator drives around in an old Saab 9-5, smiling slyly. Under the hood, the “old man” has the only engine in the world that has no camshaft, no cams, no valve lifters, no notorious timing belt. And, unlike the frenzied Koenigsegg, intended only for the rich and famous, motors with individual valve drives promise to be the first truly mass creation of the Swedish inventor.
Between two elements
In the cylinder head of the test Saab, as expected, 16 valves work. Each is driven by a separate actuator and each is commanded to open or close by the engine control computer independently of the others.
The actuator is Freevalve's core know-how, subsidiary Koenigsegg. Many developers have tried to supply each valve with an individual drive and control them independently of each other, including many world-famous automakers. The most obvious solution in the form of linear electric motors (solenoids) does not lead to the desired result: small motors do not have enough power to accelerate the valves to desired speeds(20,000 openings and closings per minute), there are problems with cooling and reliability.
Christian von Koenigsegg does not go into details of how his actuator works, but he is happy to explain the general concept of the "pneumatic-hydraulic-electric actuator". The valves are opened by pneumatics and closed by hydraulics. Both pneumatic and hydraulic systems constantly under pressure and ready to give the valve maximum energy. Task electric drive- Only timely supply air or oil to the valve. The problem of cooling and lubrication is solved by itself: the most loaded parts of the drive are serviced by the corresponding systems of the internal combustion engine itself.
The beauty of the Freevalve actuator is that it fits almost any automotive or motorcycle engine. Whether it's a high speed motor racing motorcycle, spinning up to 16,000 rpm, or a truck diesel rattling at 3,500 rpm, the same drive will fully meet their needs. The race bike valve is made of light alloy, so the energy of the actuator easily accelerates it to high speeds. The truck valve is large and heavy, but high speeds he doesn't need.
Breathe into all valves
The red graph shows the intake valve opening curve, the blue graph shows the exhaust valve. It is clearly seen that the valves remain in the fully open position for as long as possible - the graphs have an almost rectangular profile, while with a conventional timing they would be more like parabolas. The required volumes of gases pass through the Freevalve valves in less time than usual, so short intake and exhaust phases do not overlap. This is the reason for the almost two-fold improvement in environmental performance.
On the piano with a yoke
“Using a traditional camshaft instead of a Freevalve is like playing a piano with a yoke instead of fingers,” says von Koenigsegg. What kind of problems does the inventor want to solve by programming the behavior of each valve separately? We list them in ascending order of interest.
The most obvious: for different engine operating modes (primarily crankshaft rotation speed), there is an optimal composition air-fuel mixture, their right moments opening and closing valves. Traditionally, this problem is solved using a variable valve timing mechanism (for example, VTEC): the entire camshaft rotates slightly relative to the timing gear (timing), and all valve opening and closing moments are shifted forward or backward.
The problem with VTEC lies in the limited number of modes, while individually controlled valves allow you to revise the optimal set of parameters for any, even the smallest change in speed. But the main thing is that Freevalve allows you to change not only the moment, but also the duration of the valves opening.
But what if we want to flexibly control engine power by turning off part of the cylinders? IN modern engines The problem is solved with the help of complex mechanism: for each valve, two cams are provided, which replace each other, moving along the camshaft. One cam provides regular work valve, the second is responsible for the operation of the cylinder in the "standby mode". Freevalve valves allow you to turn on any program for any cylinder at any time without any mechanical tricks.
Yet the main problem with traditional timing lies in the elliptical shape of the cam, due to which the valve is almost never open or completely closed. Instead, it always either opens smoothly or closes smoothly, which lowers it. throughput. Moreover, this feature leads to the fact that at certain moments the inlet and exhaust valves are open at the same time, and this adversely affects the environmental performance of the engine.
Christian von Koenigsegg demonstrates the valve opening curve on the monitor of a special device. It resembles a rectangle: the valve opens abruptly, is held open, and then abruptly closes. This is not the eternal sad ellipse of a traditional valve. It is especially interesting that the curve retains its angularity even for high revs(up to 10,000 rpm) - the actuator has enough power to open and close the valve really quickly.
Perhaps it was the latter property that most contributed to the fact that the test engine with free valves showed impressive results in tests: it produces 30% more torque, consumes 30% less fuel and gives a 50% reduction in harmful emissions.
Three cylinders, eighteen valves
Freevalve valves allow the cylinder head and the engine itself to be made much more compact. But this is far from the only layout advantage. It is possible to increase the number of valves per cylinder by dividing the functions between them. For example, to send one part of the exhaust to the supercharger turbine, and the other - directly to the catalyst, for environmental reasons. Special valves are also useful in order to turn the car into a pneumatic hybrid.
Down with canons!
Freevalve is more than meets the eye. Firstly, the system can significantly change the appearance of the car. Camshaft and valve lifters take up a lot of space in the cylinder head, and they weigh a lot. Four cylinder engine the Freevalve is similar in size and weight to a three-cylinder. If we take into account that independent valves give a significant increase in torque, then two cylinders can be dispensed with altogether. And then the tiny motor can be hidden even under the seat.
The system allows you to switch the engine to an exotic work cycle at any time, even Miller, like on Mazda, even Atkinson, like on Prius. Why be modest: if desired, the motor can become two-stroke in the blink of an eye, almost doubling the power! Von Koenigsegg dreams of cars with two fuel tanks and power supply systems: for gasoline and diesel. For the transition to biofuels, the flexibility of settings is also relevant.
But the most interesting fantasy of the inventor is a pneumatic hybrid. Using a special valve configuration, it is possible to turn the internal combustion engine into a compressor, which, when braking, will pump air into the cylinder, accumulating pressure. Then compressed air can be pumped into the cylinders, accelerating the car, or used as a powerful analog of a turbocharger, briefly increasing engine power.
Perhaps the most unexpected property of an engine with independent valves is reliability. Every driver is afraid of a broken timing belt: if the piston “catches up” with the valves, the same thing will happen in all other cylinders. An expensive cylinder head, and with it pistons, and possibly connecting rods with crankshaft will be seriously damaged.
And with Freevalve, everything is simple: no timing - no problems! If one cylinder suddenly "knocks" - all the rest will remain safe and sound.
Wolf in sheep's clothing
An old Saab, which got an experimental version of the timing belt with independent valves, drove 60,000 km with it, having seen both summer heat and 20-degree frosts. The cylinder head was made from the original "Saab", throwing out everything superfluous from it and turning new channels for hydraulics and pneumatics. Our colleagues from Jalopnik.com took a ride on the "old man" and noted that at speeds up to 3000 rpm it shows diesel habits - it characteristically taps the valves and produces crazy torque.
Hypercars Koenigsegg are cars whose production began not long ago, but they have already loudly declared themselves and found their place in the class of such cars. There were quite a few such moments in history, but these odious projects ended in failure. But he survived and competed with the luminaries of the world of super motors.
For 15 years now, Koenigsegg engineers and designers have been working on a project for a camshaftless engine that will not have a throttle. But the very fact of the absence of a throttle valve has already been proven by BMW and Fiat engineers, but they have not been able to finalize the design to the mind. The Bavarians removed the damper, installing instead electronic system intake valve controls. The Germans' problem was that they used an additional electric motor to implement their project, which complicated the entire structure and steadily led to additional breakdowns. Fiat engineers faced another problem that they still cannot solve (high pump losses). The Swedes took a different path, leaving the Bavarians and Italians in the background of history, since their system was able to control all the valves separately, independently of each other.
So what is a Swedish engine without a camshaft?
Everybody's problem big engines- gluttony. Therefore, the Swedes decided to make the engine for their hypercars economical and powerful at the same time. Many have heard about powerful Swedish engines, one 1500-horsepower engine in Agera-R is worth something, but fuel consumption and engine dimensions leave much to be desired. It was decided to take as a basis the engine developed by an American self-taught mechanic Carmelo Scuderi. The essence of the idea is that he divided the cylinders into working and auxiliary. Workers burned fuel mixture and released exhaust gases, and auxiliary let in fuel, and compress the mixture. The cylinders were connected by bypass channels, in which there were two valves - expansion and compression. The process safely dispensed with the camshaft.The Koenigsegg engineers decided to upgrade the Scuderi engine and implement everything in one cylinder, but for this they needed to develop a progressive model of the valve actuator. It must be fast, accurate and without sticking. By 2000, they built the first engine with a similar scheme of operation, which consumed methane and hydrogen. The level of emissions of harmful gases into the atmosphere was so low that only electric motors are below it. Everyone was immediately interested in such a unit, and especially its actuator, although it was bulky, pneumatic, had a lot of vibration and a high noise level. After 3 years, the engineers completely modernized it, added a hydraulic valve lock and reduced the size. It took several more years of upgrades until a fully finished prototype could be installed on standard engine. The Saab 95 became the first such car. Engine power increased by 30%, fuel consumption decreased proportionally (also by a third).
In describing the principle of operation of their motor, the Swedish designers used a funny allegory. They offered to present conventional engine in the form of a piano and try to play with a stick or a mop. And in the Koenigsegg engine, the interaction of fingers and keys was positioned directly, without an intermediary. Also, for greater persuasiveness, one can compare a mono-injection and a distributor injection system, when fuel is injected directly into working area cylinder bypassing the distribution frame. The effectiveness of individual influence on various processes in the engine has been proven for a long time and is used by many manufacturers. But how to make the valves let in and out something without special device that governs all cycles? For this, fast actuators (electronic pushers) are needed.
The control unit sends a signal to the actuator, which opens and closes the valve. The pushers are equipped with pneumatic springs with an adjustable level of stiffness and valve position sensors. The entire algorithm for the operation of cylinders and all auxiliary systems The engine is controlled by a computer, thanks to which you can change the valve timing as you like and as many times as you like. You can turn off any number of cylinders at any time.
The motor can work alternately in different cycles, depending on the tasks and the load level. It can work in standard mode for all internal combustion engines, it can be economical, it can be super economical, it can work in a cycle with a variable compression ratio (Hedman cycle). These cycles cannot be implemented within the design of a standard internal combustion engine, so manufacturers have to choose. For example, the famous Hedman cycle, which can only be used with electronic control of lift and valve timing, can alternately work with the Otto principle (the traditional thermodynamic cycle of all engines) or Atkinson ( increased savings fuel).
The versatility of such an engine affects the fact that it can run both on gasoline with different octane ratings, and on diesel fuel. In addition, it is 30-50% more economical, a third more powerful, it has higher torque, it weighs less and is more compact in size. Light weight and compact dimensions at more power and low consumption, will give Koenigsegg hypercars a huge advantage over competitors. The issue of noise level, power consumption and vibrations remains unresolved. But of course the installation cost. The price of such engines is very high and can only be reduced by mass production on civilian cars. In addition, such an internal combustion engine can be used not only as the main one, but as an additional one in hybrid versions.
If the Swedes manage to get rid of high level noise, vibration and they will be able to optimize energy costs, then the unit will be in high demand, since such an engine is economically justified and expedient. And in the presence of stable demand and mass production, the price may fall to optimal levels.
