Engineers? ?behind? ?Volvo? ?Group‘s? ?new? ?more? ?fuel-efficient? ?truck? ?engines? ?have received? ?the? ?Volvo? ?Technology? ?Award? ?2017.

Jan? ?Eismark? ?and? ?colleague? ?Michael? ?Balthasar? ?came? ?up? ?with? ?an? ?intelligent piston? ?design? ?by? ?adding? ?waves? ?to? ?the? ?piston? ?crown? ?to? ?improve? ?the? ?use? ?of oxygen.

In? ?the? ?case? ?of? ?a? ?standard? ?piston,? ?the? ?injector? ?is? ?located? ?at? ?the? ?top? ?of? ?the cylinder? ?and? ?the? ?fuel? ?is? ?sprayed? ?toward? ?the? ?sides? ?of? ?the? ?cylinder? ?through? ?a number? ?of? ?openings? ?in? ?the? ?injector.? ?The? ?combination? ?of? ?heat? ?and? ?pressure causes? ?the? ?fuel? ?to? ?ignite? ?before? ?it? ?reaches? ?the? ?cylinder? ?wall.

The? ?flame? ?hits? ?the? ?wall? ?of? ?the? ?combustion? ?chamber? ?at? ?a? ?speed? ?of? ?up? ?to? ?50 metres? ?per? ?second,? ?spreads? ?along? ?the? ?piston? ?bowl? ?wall? ?and? ?then? ?collides? ?with adjacent? ?flames? ?at? ?an? ?angle? ?of? ?180? ?degrees,? ?while? ?still? ?traveling? ?at? ?a? ?high speed.

When? ?the? ?flames? ?collide,? ?they? ?compete? ?for? ?the? ?available? ?oxygen,? ?but? ?the oxygen? ?in? ?the? ?centre? ?of? ?the? ?combustion? ?chamber? ?is? ?never? ?fully? ?used.

“For? ?this? ?reason,? ?we? ?wanted? ?to? ?identify? ?a? ?method? ?of? ?leading? ?the? ?flames? ?into? ?the centre? ?of? ?the? ?combustion? ?chamber? ?to? ?make? ?better? ?use? ?of? ?the? ?oxygen? ?there,” explains? ?Eismark.

The? ?result? ?of? ?their? ?work? ?was? ?the? ?inclusion? ?of? ?ridges? ?or? ?waves? ?in? ?the? ?piston crown.? ?The? ?piston? ?has? ?six? ?ridges? ?and? ?the? ?injector,? ?which? ?is? ?located? ?in? ?the centre? ?of? ?the? ?cylinder? ?at? ?the? ?top? ?of? ?the? ?piston,? ?has? ?six? ?openings? ?to? ?ensure? ?the fuel? ?is? ?sprayed? ?between? ?the? ?ridges? ?that? ?lead? ?the? ?flames? ?into? ?the? ?centre.

Extensive? ?work? ?has? ?gone? ?into? ?ensuring? ?the? ?design? ?is? ?cost-effective,? ?followed by? ?thousands? ?of? ?hours? ?of? ?testing? ?to? ?refine? ?the? ?design? ?and? ?verify? ?the? ?durability? ?of the? ?new? ?concept.

This? ?innovative,? ?intelligent? ?solution? ?is? ?now? ?in? ?use? ?in? ?the? ?latest? ?engines? ?from? ?the Volvo? ?Group? ?and? ?brings? ?advantages? ?for? ?both? ?customers? ?and? ?the? ?environment. The? ?more? ?efficient? ?combustion? ?process? ?it? ?delivers? ?has? ?halved? ?the? ?quantity? ?of soot? ?particles? ?emitted? ?by? ?the? ?engine? ?and? ?has? ?also? ?reduced? ?fuel? ?consumption by? ?an? ?average? ?of? ?two? ?percent.

”For? ?heavy? ?vehicles,? ?diesel? ?engine? ?technology? ?will? ?be? ?important? ?for? ?many? ?more years? ?to? ?come,”? ?says? ?Lars? ?Stenqvist,? ?Volvo? ?Group? ?chief? ?technology? ?officer.? ?“I am? ?proud? ?of? ?our? ?engineers? ?who? ?have? ?once? ?again? ?shown? ?that? ?innovative solutions? ?can? ?still? ?make? ?engines? ?more? ?efficient? ?for? ?the? ?benefit? ?of? ?our? ?customers and? ?of? ?society? ?as? ?a? ?whole.”