Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engines Joseph Simon Clark
What is an HCCI Engine? HCCI is a form of internal combustion in which the fuel and air are compressed to the point of auto ignition. That means no spark is required to ignite the fuel/air mixture Creates the same amount of power as a traditional engine, but uses less fuel. Traditional combustion (left) uses a spark to ignite the mixture. HCCI (right) uses piston compression for a more complete ignition.
How Does It Work? A given concentration of fuel and air will spontaneously ignite when it reaches its auto-ignition temperature. The concentration/temperature can be controlled several ways: High compression ratio Preheating of induction gases Forced induction Retaining or reintroducing exhaust gases Click here for a nice animation of an HCCI engine in action!
Advantages Can achieve up to 15% fuel savings Lower peak temperature leads to cleaner combustion/lower emissions Can use gasoline, diesel, or most alternative fuels HCCI automobiles could reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Disadvantages Higher cylinder peak pressures may damage the engine Auto-ignition is difficult to control HCCI Engines have a smaller power range Prototype HCCI car from Saturn
The Future of HCCI The future of HCCI looks promising Major companies such as GM, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, and Volkswagen have invested in HCCI research. Preliminary prototype figures show that HCCI cars can achieve in the area of 43 mpg
Works Cited “Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_Charge_Compression_Ignition November, 2008. “New HCCI Engine” http://videos.howstuffworks.com/multivu/3284-new-hcci-engine-video.htm November, 2008 “GM Takes New Combustion Technology Out of the Lab and Onto the Road” http://www.gm.com/experience/fuel_economy/news/2007/adv_engines/new-combustion-technology-082707.jsp