Argonne Engine Friction Study Phase 1 Final Report
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed a process for making near frictionless carbon (NFC) coatings and depositing them on metal substrates. Friction reductions approaching an order of magnitude have been measured in laboratory tests. While there are many potential applications for such coatings, friction reduction in internal combustion engines is of particular interest due to the apparent fuel savings potential. Ricardo has performed a program of work to estimate potential fuel economy improvements due to the application of such a coating at key interfaces within a diesel engine typical of those found in large trucks. Piston, ring pack, and valvetrain simulations have been performed, using existing models of representative engines, with various degrees of friction reduction applied at important interfaces. The simulations were run at 8 specific operating points to allow approximation of engine performance over the FTP test cycle. Reduction in fuel consumption over the cycle was calculated for each reduced friction case. Results show that application of a friction-reducing surface treatment, like the NFC coatings, at the piston rings and skirt, and at key interfaces within the valvetrain, is expected to result in a reduction in fuel consumption of 0.43% to 0.81% over the FTP heavy duty test cycle. The piston skirt and piston rings are the interfaces where the coating can make the most difference, assuming no changes are made to the engine lubricant. Hydrodynamic friction represents a very large fraction of friction losses within the interfaces considered, at all operating conditions, indicating that changes to the engine lubricant, such as reduced viscosity, can result in further improvement. Reduced oil viscosity may result in increased metal-to-metal contact and wear, unless a durable, low friction coating can be applied at key interfaces. Ricardo recommends an analytical evaluation of the potential benefits of reduced oil viscosity, which considers potential increases in wear loads at key interfaces.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Vehicle Technologies Office (EE-3V)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357
- OSTI ID:
- 1260257
- Report Number(s):
- ANL-15/12; 121556
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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