Orbital Introduces FlexDI Injection Technology

Green Car Congress ^ | 10/27/2007 | Green Car Staff

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Australia-based Orbital Corporation introduced its new FlexDI modular direct injection fuel system technology at the 5th International Clean Vehicle Exhibition and Forum in Beijing. Polaris Industries is the first customer to go into series production with FlexDI, applying it in the Patriot Engine.

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Orbital’s core technology—the Orbital Combustion Process (OCP)—uses air-assisted, low-pressure direct fuel injection rather than high-pressure injection to atomize the fuel charge. With OCP, fuel is first metered into an injector pre-chamber via a conventional automotive port injector (MPI), and then delivered into the combustion chamber with the assistance of air at pressure.

The air-assisted injector decouples the fuel metering and delivery events, thereby assisting the dynamic range of the injector, according to Orbital. The Orbital DI system creates a precisely-controlled, finely atomized fuel cloud allowing engines to run with greater fuel efficiently and with reduced emissions output.

The FlexDI system enables engine manufactures to develop one spark-ignited engine family capable of handling different fuel types through changes to the fuel system. This opens up the potential for manufacturers to offer customers gasoline, ethanol, CNG, hydrogen and SI heavy-fuelled engine variants utilizing the same base engine design. FlexDI can also be configured for Bi-Fuel or Tri-Fuel operation.

FlexDI offers a stratified lean combustion system for gasoline applications. Variable injection strategy and phasing enables many different combustion modes including ultra lean; homogeneous lambda=1; stratified lean; low NOx combustion and HCCI.

FlexDI also allows high EGR combustion for enhanced fuel consumption through reduced pumping losses and higher dynamic compression ratios. FlexDI can tolerate up to 45% EGR.

Orbital says that FlexDI is suited for boosted applications with lower knock and improved low speed torque capability making engine downsizing possible. Low speed driving is achieved with a unique lean-burn combustion mode improving city and stop/start driving fuel economy.

For hydrogen combustion, the FlexDI systems offers a unique solution. Current Hydrogen IC engines have issues with burn-rate control due to the very high speed of hydrogen combustion. The control to date for combustion problems and NOx production is to operate engines at lean air fuel ratios—which reduce specific power.

FlexDI can use its dual injectors to direct inject both hydrogen and water in the same spray. This gives more control over burn-rates and NOx emissions and provides the ability to run lambda=1 at high load conditions. Hydrogen IC specific outputs can be the same as, or better than, gasoline (up to 117% of gasoline), according to Orbital.

Separately, Orbital announced it is in the final stages of delivering an engineering development program to improve the reliability and performance of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) dual fuel systems fitted to Caterpillar C-15 engines used by Australian line haul operators.

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Go here:

www.flexdi.com

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Can we get this on the "Diesel Ping" List ?

[Yo-Yo]

Fixed your link: http://www.flexdi.com/

[thackney]

ping

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Thanks Yo-Yo!

[GAD]

Fascinating.....

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Go here for more on the Polaris with the "Patriot" Engine

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1904565/posts

[TWohlford]

Yawn... those guys chased 2-cycle technology endlessly here in Michigan for over a decade. Lots of press releases, nothing to show for it.

I’ll believe it when I see it, not only working, but also with the whole manufacturing thing worked out.

[Yo-Yo]

I don't think it will make the Diesel ping because although they claim they can burn Diesel, their catch phrase for the engine is:

"FlexDI. The only spark ignited combustion system you will ever need."

[taildragger]

Over 500,000 engines worldwide, including the following clients:

Mercury Marine Optimax line, Tohatsu's DI outboards, a host of scooters, Aprilia, Kymco and others.

Not to mention new UAV work with Hirth and Spark Iginted Heavy Fuel ATV's with Polaris for our troops.

If that's not working for you, I can't help you....

[Red Badger]

Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished.....

If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST just FReepmail me.....

This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....

[Red Badger]

http://www.orbeng.com.au/orbital/index.htm

[Squantos]

210 hp, Continental LD-465, in-line 6 cylinder, multifuel diesel. ... set up to run on almost any type of diesel fuel, jet fuel or heating oil.......

Out of the old M35 2.5 ton aka duce’n a half .......

IMO a good canidate for the WVO fuel as well........:o)

[MSF BU]

I didn’t know they could run on heating oil. I had an NCO accidently fill up a jeep with diesel once though; it ran (roughly) and had the added benefit of laying down a smoke screen that concealed the entire battery. Oddly enough, once we filled it back up with mogas it was the best running jeep in the unit.

[Squantos]

Yessir !

Great days eh ......LOL !

I have a system in an older cummins diesel called frybrid .......uses WVO. I have a small 30 gallon diesel tank on it and a 100 gallon WVO tank in the bed.......... works great and is free. recoup my costs in a few months.

http://www.frybrid.com/

I use that rig for my daily driver to and from work. Zero cost. Free. Cept for the very small amount of diesel I use in first and last few minutes of driving to purge the lines of WVO so they do not “crisco” up on me in the cooler parts of the day........

I drive an average of 100+ miles a day to and from and last fuel I paid for was 97 days ago and I still have 3/4 tank left of pump diesel.

[MSF BU]

Good luck with your machine. I'm not sure how practical something like that would be in my Massachusetts/New Hampshire weather but if you are making it work more power to you.

Personally I'm hoping to see some more development of the thermaldepolymerization process. We know it can easily digest plastic into fuel and yet all I see in my commute is waste plastic along the roadside. I don't know if the economics don't work or if there is another driver that is stopping this process from taking off.

[Squantos]

Frustrating huh...... I once suggested that solvated electron technology would work for our disposal of bulk waste high explosive and cast rocket motors etc vs the EPA ridden nightmare of burning and detonation .

SET will lose us manpower I was told due it’s effectiveness and economical process of turning hazardous waste into non-rcra waste that can be placed safely into any landfill......