MUSIC - The most important breakthrough in I.C. Engine combustion since the invention of diesel engine.
MUSIC Engine Technology: a potential saviour for the gasoline engine
The Merritt Unthrottled Spark Ignition Combustion (MUSIC) system, a gasoline engine development originating in Coventry University, brings significant potential promise in combating global warming carbon emissions emanating from the global passenger car fleet.
MUSIC is described in more detail below but essentially the invention offers to provide near-diesel levels of thermal efficiency from a gasoline engine. Such an achievement would have a dramatic effect on the amount of CO2 emitted by gasoline engined passenger cars and other light duty vehicles.
I.C. Engines are here to stay in the medium term
The internal combustion engine is the mainstay power unit for all types of road vehicles and off-roaders such as construction and agricultural equipment. A very small proportion is electrically powered, generally for short distance low speed work such as fork-lift trucks and low-speed short-range delivery vehicles.
The Medium and Heavy Commercial Vehicle sectors are virtually 100% diesel powered. They are under great pressure to reduce noxious pollutants and CO2 and many applications may move towards hybridisation, biofuels and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
The light duty vehicle sector which includes passenger Cars, SUVs, People Carriers, Pick-ups and Light Commercial Vehicles is about three quarters gasoline powered globally although this varies from under five per cent to over 60 per cent depending on the market. Gasoline technology developed up until the late ‘90s and mainly in place today is inherently less efficient than diesel, The efficiency difference between the two is 20-25 percent with a roughly equivalent gap in terms of fuel consumption and thus C02 emissions.
Diesel/Gasoline balance of production over ten years Source: J D Power Automotive Forecasting
How much each vehicle manufacturer has to reduce CO2
Source: J D Power Automotive Forecasting / Knibb Gormezano Analysis
Huge expenditures on environmental improvements
A vast amount of expenditure is currently being devoted to investment in improving powertrain systems efficiencies and the emission of pollutants, the latter often resulting in exhaust after-treatment equipment that can have a detrimental effect on the former. The delicate balancing act being conducted at the same time as trying to make other improvements such as designing safer vehicles and being under severe cost pressure is typical of today’s automotive sector environment Gasoline (petrol) engines form the bulk of light vehicle power plants produced and sold in the world. Diesel engines have in recent years achieved growing success particularly in Europe because of their superior fuel consumption. However, diesels are much more costly than petrol engines mainly because of their heavier weight, ruggedness, and sophisticated fuel injection systems.
The Environmental situation demands change and pressures are increasing
Climate change and the consequent effect on global warming is perhaps the most important driving force for change in the automotive industry today. It is consuming huge amounts of research and development expenditure as manufacturers seek to meet improvement targets. Even so, environmental organisations and many politicians are demanding that even more stringent requirements be introduced.
The status in Europe and its likely outcomes is mirrored in the other two developed regions of Japan and North America although the details differ. The growing (BRICs) economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China will undoubtedly follow similar paths.
In Europe, three intertwined aspects need to be considered: Noxious emissions, carbon dioxide emissions and safety. The last point is mentioned simply to bring to the reader's attention, the fact that improvements in the first two have to be achieved without causing deterioration in safety; most people would agree that just making cars smaller and lighter in order to reduce emissions is in danger of jeopardising steady gains made in the safety of road vehicles, a large proportion of which have been achieved through making them stronger and more durable.
In Europe, there are strict standards on noxious emissions for the main hazardous pollutants:
- Carbon Monoxide (CO)
- Hydro- carbons (HC)
- Nitrous Oxide (NOX)
- Particulates (particularly relevant to diesels)
Apart from being hazardous to health some of the pollutants are classed as greenhouse gases and contribute to ozone depletion.
As far CO2 is concerned, the gas is not a danger to human health but is a major greenhouse gas. Around 27% of carbon emitted into the atmosphere is from Transport. Most of it comes from tailpipe emissions although smaller proportions arise in the manufacturing and supply chain.
The current debate at a political level surrounds what level of CO2 output should be allowed and when should the target for introduction be. The European Commission has recently proposed that the target should be 130 grams per Km over the whole new car fleet and this should be implemented by 2015 otherwise vehicle manufacturers would face stiff penalties in the form of fines.
The current level achieved by the industry is ~ 160 g/Km despite having promised to take steps to reach 140 g by this year (2008).
Of course, most of the gains that have been made in the last decade were achieved through the growth of diesel engines as a proportion of the fleet. Diesel engines are inherently more fuel-efficient than gasoline engines mainly due to their ability to run a higher air-to-fuel ratios in the low load, low speed regions of the duty cycle.
A summary of the Diesel/Gasoline Balance by vehicle manufacturer in 2007
Source: J D Power Automotive Forecasting
Oil supply security also needs to be considered
CO2 emissions are of course directly linked to fuel consumption. And, on the grand scale this means consumption of oil feed stocks. Currently those feed stocks are mainly fossil fuels although efforts are being made to generate non- fossil bio-fuels.
Peak Oil predictions from 21 studies surveyed by the U.S. Audit Office
Source: J D Power Automotive Forecasting
Apart from the obvious problem that a large proportion of the world’s fossil derived oil is extracted from geo-politically risky areas of the world, it is also the case that the availability of high grade deposits suitable for refining into gasoline and diesel will start to decline in the next decade or so (some sources claim indeed that we are already past the point of Peak Oil supplies). In addition, the gasoline diesel mix is controlled to a large extent by the fraction that can normally be distilled from a barrel of oil; the barrel cannot produce all diesel. Therefore, advances in CO2 emissions achieved through dieselisation cannot go on indefinitely in practice.
The MUSIC technology goes a long way towards satisfying short and medium term demands
The main technical advance provided by the MUSIC invention is that it allows a gasoline engine to emulate a diesel through its ability to operate at very frugal fuel to air ratios. It has been calculated that if all the gasoline engines produced in Europe could achieve the same fuel consumption performance as diesels the overall average CO2 emissions per new vehicle in the fleet would drop from just over 160 grams to below 149 grams – almost half way to achieving the Commission’s targets.
Source: Knibb, Gormezano & Partners
Developing the Technology
MUSIC has been under development at Coventry University for the last five years and is the brainchild of Dr Dan Merritt a thermodymamicist and past lecturer in the subject at the university.
Recent development has continued both at the university and at Powertrain Technologies Ltd (PTech), the latter activity being to develop a four-cylinder running prototype based on a Ford Two litre base engine. The PTech project has been part funded by the UK's Energy Savings Trust (EST).
Support funding for the next stage of development is being sought from The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) an agency created by the UK government to promote 'near-to- market' innovations. Additional funding is being sought to bring the product fully to market.
Knibb, Gormezano & Partners, a specialist automotive industry consultancy, is providing commercialisation guidance for the project.
MUSIC can also be implemented with minimal change and at lower cost than alternatives
The MUSIC engine only involves a change to the cylinder head, fuelling systems and engine management electronics. None of the components introduced require new inventions beyond those already proven in the industry.
Because it uses a smaller number of known components it is likely that it will cost less than equivalent power units.
However, the automotive industry investment demands and cycles are barriers to rapid change
Even though the innovation only requires a new cylinder head and fuelling system the changeover cost for an existing producer is significant and in the order of $150-200 million. In addition, unless the company is on a rapid growth path with new capacity being added all the time, the change would have to be introduced within engine renewal cycles that are in the 5-7 year range.
In addition, while it uses existing components and manufacturing processes, the MUSIC technology is sufficiently radical to demand lengthy testing and homologation.
MUSIC intellectual property is well protected
Intellectual property for MUSIC is protected through a series of patents that have been published in the USA, Europe and various other regions in the world.
The Business model envisioned for the future offers great flexibility
It is proposed that the MUSIC business would in the future be a commercial entity engaged in the development and licensing of the technology to vehicle manufacturers and / or systems suppliers around the world.
The MUSIC business entity will:
- continue to carry out basic research at the laboratory level;
- be an active partner in the prototype;
- engage in commercialisation actions with potential licensees;
- and facilitate and manage development contracts that become part of specific licensing deals.
Download latest seminar held on 15.02.2008 at Coventry University
MUSIC Summary of Features & Seminar Programme
MUSIC - The Global Picture - B. Knibb
Competing Technologies - A. Barnes
MUSIC Gasoline Engine D. Merritt
EST Project and Head Design - A. Barnes