Idle Operation with Low Intake Valve Lift in a Port Fuel Injected Engine

• Main Authors: Adrian Clenci, Adrian Bîzîiac, Pierre Podevin, Georges Descombes, Michael Deligant, Rodica Niculescu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2013-06-01
• Series: Energies
• Subjects: fuel economy; cyclic dispersion; idle operation; intake valve lift/law
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/6/6/2874

Reducing fuel consumption is a prime objective in the automotive industry in order to meet regulatory and customer demands. Variable valve actuation offers many opportunities for improving the spark ignition engine’s performance in areas such as fuel economy and pollutant emissions. Our studies revealed that the ability to control maximum intake valve lift does indeed offer the ability to control intake air mass, but also has the added benefit that it improves the fuel-air mixing process thanks to an increased turbulence, caused by the increased intake flow velocity. This is particularly important at idle and low part loads when low maximum lifts are to be used for improving the fuel economy or for achieving the required power. The paper focuses on the experimental results obtained when approaching idle operation with different intake valve laws. Results indicating the potential of using low intake valve lift for fuel economy and cyclic dispersion improvement are presented in this paper.