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Nissan revolution: could new petrol engine make diesel obsolete?
Reuters ^ | August 14, 2016 | Norihiko Shirouzu

Posted on 08/14/2016 9:50:59 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

ATSUGI, JAPAN -- Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co has come up with a new type of gasoline engine it says may make some of today's advanced diesel engines obsolete.

The new engine uses variable compression technology, which Nissan engineers say allows it at any given moment to choose an optimal compression ratio for combustion - a key factor in the trade-off between power and efficiency in all gasoline-fuelled engines.

The technology gives the new engine the performance of turbo-charged gasoline engines while matching the power and fuel economy of today's diesel and hybrid powertrains - a level of performance and efficiency the conventional gasoline engine has so far struggled to achieve....

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Science
KEYWORDS: automakers; automobiles; automotive; diesels; energy; gasoline; japan; nissan

1 posted on 08/14/2016 9:51:00 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Sounds good


2 posted on 08/14/2016 10:07:40 PM PDT by thinden
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To: thinden

So many promises, yet so little delivered.


3 posted on 08/14/2016 10:08:10 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Well VW certainly is doing its best!


4 posted on 08/14/2016 10:09:28 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Better Article:

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/08/14/infiniti-vc-t-engine-variable-compression-official/


5 posted on 08/14/2016 10:15:12 PM PDT by TexasGator
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To: Wally_Kalbacken

VW caved too easily, due to WWII guilt.

Should have fought it in court about 15 years.

Cars would be worn out by then.

Then what difference would it make.


6 posted on 08/14/2016 10:15:28 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (As always, /s is implicitly assumed. Unless explicitly labled /not s. Saves keystrokes.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

First continuously variable transmission, now continuously variable compression...


7 posted on 08/14/2016 10:19:47 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: Scrambler Bob
I was reading an auto industry trade publication last week that indicated VW was seeking to certify its 2 liter TDI for 2017 models and expected, if approved, to sell models in North America for 2017, 2018 and 2019 before dropping diesels because of more stringent emissions requirements that are implemented during 2019. I was puzzled by this - right now the crisis that VW faces is in dealing with the repurchase of ~480k diesel vehicles sold from 2009-2015. How could they be thinking about reintroducing the diesels, and then only for a 2.5 year run? WTF? The grousing has just begun on that, and I suspect that VW, which has arranged for customers to pickup their checks at the dealership when they return their cars, will find that the customers become former customers and take the check to a brand X dealer to buy their next car.
8 posted on 08/14/2016 10:24:12 PM PDT by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Advanced diesel engines of today” they are talking about are the tiny car engines that have been smoking the gas guzzlers in performance in cars that weigh next to nothing.

Diesel fuel has more energy per gallon than gasoline so a gas fueled engine of the same design cannot out perform its diesel powered counterpart. Give me a diesel engine with the same type of research and technology that went into this gas burner and you will have the winner.

Diesel is where the POWER is! No mention of ft-lbs of torque required to move a multi-ton load across the contenent.


9 posted on 08/14/2016 10:39:02 PM PDT by Delta 21 (Patiently waiting for the jack booted kick at my door.)
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To: Delta 21

The army developed a variable compression dual fuel engine for trucks and it was a mechanical disaster.


10 posted on 08/14/2016 10:53:13 PM PDT by Oldexpat
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To: grey_whiskers
First continuously variable transmission
Buick laid the groundwork for this technology with the Dynaflow transmission. First seen on postwar Buicks around 1947. In the drive position it operated in one gear while the torque converter acted as a gear reduction for acceleration and hill climbing. They were well built very reliable, but those Buicks got terrible gas mileage around 12-13 mpg at best. Nissan's CVT works on a similar principle, but way more efficiently.
11 posted on 08/14/2016 11:43:38 PM PDT by Impala64ssa (You call me an islamophobe like it's a bad thing.)
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To: Oldexpat
The army developed a variable compression dual fuel engine for trucks and it was a mechanical disaster.
Did they put those engines in a few of the Kaiser troop carriers in Vietnam?

12 posted on 08/14/2016 11:47:12 PM PDT by Impala64ssa (You call me an islamophobe like it's a bad thing.)
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To: Delta 21

Actually, I would go with “the promised fuel economy is at roughly the lower bounds of diesel fuel economy” as a criticism.

No surprise since a 14:1 compression ratio, the upper limit of the varialble compression scheme described, is also about the lower limit of diesel compression ratios.

This should translate into a peak efficiency somewhere around 14-16 HP per gallon of fuel burned per hour given that gasoline engines seem to top out around 13 HP per gallon per hour, with 10 or 11 being more typical.

Diesels by comparison, with compression ratios running to about 20:1 in a few engines, can make up 20 HP per gallon per hour.

I’m not making light of peak efficiency of up to 14-16 HP per gallon per hour from gas, mind you.


13 posted on 08/15/2016 12:58:30 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: Delta 21

“No mention of ft-lbs of torque required to move a multi-ton load across the contenent.”

Are you referring to truck or train?


14 posted on 08/15/2016 2:48:46 AM PDT by mazda77 (The solution: Vote Trump. Vote Beruff)
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To: grey_whiskers

Geez, that diagram in the article screams of mechanical over complication of a much easier solution considering today’s availability of technology.

I had worked on an engine a guy developed that used one valve per cylinder. Could run any fuel and its valves were controlled by a solenoid whose actuation was not off and on but of a variable drive and not connected mechanically to a camshaft. All the camshaft was used for was pulse timing for sensors. This thing could do the Cadillac 4-6-8 thing based on torque demand coupled to speed and it had the capability to have those cylinders not compress at all if they were determined to be “off” by the injection and ignition computer. Of course I am leaving something out.

No fuel delivery and no compression meant less power loss and fuel savings, as designed for highway cruising and lots of power for stump pulling.

Complicated electronics but only in the software to manage the whole thing.


15 posted on 08/15/2016 3:09:43 AM PDT by mazda77 (The solution: Vote Trump. Vote Beruff)
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To: Impala64ssa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIbRlsBH0Qk


16 posted on 08/15/2016 3:57:58 AM PDT by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: Delta 21

Diesel is power, and if I am not mistaken, a barrel of crude cannot be turned into a barrel of gasoline without massive waste. There’s a role for gasoline and diesel and even the electrics and cng. No one size fits all.


17 posted on 08/15/2016 4:04:38 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There's no salvation in politics.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Are these new engines going to require more mechanical parts as well as electronics to run them?

If so today’s Diesel engines would be much more dependable.Thats why the military depends on Diesal engines on its equipment.its easier to maintain.


18 posted on 08/15/2016 4:29:26 AM PDT by puppypusher ( The World is going to the dogs.)
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To: puppypusher

They should look at developing this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19kn3drdFU


19 posted on 08/15/2016 4:39:33 AM PDT by catman67 (14 gauge?)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I think it would be wise to wait 2-3 years to see if they have the bugs worked out.


20 posted on 08/15/2016 1:58:46 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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