Fuel utilization of articulated vehicles: effect of powertrain choice. TRRL-Supplementary-585

Book · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5834880

Gyenes, L

Computer simulation techniques have been used to evaluate the effect of powertrain choice on the fuel utilization (fuel consumption per ton-km of payload) of heavy articulated vehicles. Powertrain parameters which were investigated included engine capacity and aspiration, engine torque-speed characteristics and final drive ratio. Fuel utilization was shown to improve as engine capacity was reduced. An improvement of 2.5% per liter reduction of engine capacity was obtained for vehicles of 32 to 40 ton gross weight. In practice most of the fuel consumption benefits associated with the choice of an optimum size engine can be obtained by modifying the characteristics of high capacity turbocharged engines in combination with a change in final drive ratio so that the engine will operate at lower speed and higher torque while producing the same power output as a smaller capacity turbocharged engine. Most heavy duty diesel engines, which are part of optimized powertrains of articulated vehicles, operate at average engine efficiencies within 10% of the best peak engine efficiency available in 1978 products. The scope for further improvement is therefore limited. (Copyright (c) Crown Copyright 1980.)

• OSTI ID: 5834880
• Report Number(s): PB-81-129074
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320203 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation-- Land & Roadway
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330102* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Diesel
COMPRESSORS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DIESEL ENGINES
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
ENGINES
FUEL CONSUMPTION
HEAT ENGINES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
MACHINE PARTS
MECHANICAL TRANSMISSIONS
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE
SIMULATION
SUPERCHARGERS
TRUCKS
VEHICLES
WEIGHT