Development of the Ceramic Adiabatic

Engine Having 68% Thermal Efficiency

Hideo Kawamura
(Technical Advisor, Ship and Ocean Foundation)
Fostered by a Nippon Foundation grant from the
proceeds of motorboat racing, The Ship and Ocean
Foundation, in a joint project with Isuzu Ceramics
Research Institute, is sponsoring research into the
Ceramic Adiabatic Engine.
The following presentation on the engine was made at
the ASME 2000 FALL TECHNICAL CONFERENCE,
held in Peoria, United States in September 2000.
(ASMEthe American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
1

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Structure of Combustion Chamber for L.H.R

Diesel Engine
InjectionFuel

Heat Insulation
Layer

Head Liner
Made of Si3N4
Thermos
Structure

Pre-combustion
Chamber

Piston Head
Made of Si3N4

Gasket with Low

Thermal Conductivity

Throat Holes in
Radiating to
Cylinder Wall

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Schematic of a Turbo Compound System

Rocker ArmSi3N4)
Cam Shaft
Si3N4+Fe3O4)
Exhaust Valve
Si3N4)
Head LinerSi3N4)

Exhaust Manifold & Port

LinerSi3N4+TiO 2)
Turbo Charger
Turbine Scroll
Si3N4+TiO2)
Engine Recovering Turbine

Piston HeadSi3N4)
Cylinder Liner
Si3N4+Fe3O4)

High Speed Generator

Water

Electric Controller
To Motor

Heat Exchanger

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Structure of The Energy Recovering Turbo Charger

Exhaust Gas
Stator

Permanent Compressed Air

Magnet

Compressor
Blade
Air
Bearing Made
of Si3N4
Ceramic Turbine
Blade Made of Si3N4

Reinforcing
4
Tube Ship & Ocean Foundation

Structure of Heat Insulated Engine

Intake Valve
for Natural Gas
Exh Port Liner

Cylinder Head

Heat Insulated Gasket

Air Gap
Cylinder Body

Throat Valve(Si3N4)
Pre-chamber
Head liner(Si3N4)
Piston Head(Si3N4)
Piston Skirt
5

Main Chamber

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Outline of New Combustion System

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Specifications and Test Condition

Engine Type
Bore Stroke
Displacement
Compression Ratio
Pre-Chamber Volume Ratio
Engine Speed
Boost Pressure
Exhaust Pressure
Fuel Supply
Total Air Excess Ratio
Throat Valve Opening Timing
Cam Profile for Throat Valve

Single Cylinder
132.9145mm
2011cm 3
16
20%
1500rpm
187kPa
187kPa
All Fuel into the
Pre-chamber
=2.3
bTDC50deg
Lower accsleration
7

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Indicator Diagram on EGR ratio: 50%, Fr: 0%

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Specifications and Test Condition

Engine Type
Bore Stroke
Displacement
Compression Ratio
Pre-Chamber Volume Ratio
Engine Speed
Boost Pressure
Exhaust Pressure
EGR Ratio
Fuel Supply[Fr]
Fuel Flow Ratio
Total Air Excess Ratio
Throat Valve Opening Timing
Cam Profile for Throat Valve

Single Cylinder
132.9145mm
3
2011cm
15
9%
1500rpm
187kPa
190kPa
Variable
85%
105Nl/min(const.)
1.07-1.45
bTDC15-35 deg
Higher Acceleration Type
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Ship & Ocean Foundation

Indicator Diagram of L.H.R.E with O2 : 21% and

HMR 85% of CNG
18
1500rpm
BTDC15deg
IMEP:1.33MPa

14
12
Main Chamber

10
800

Pre-chamber

Throat valve
opening timing

600
400

200

2
0
-90

0
-60

-30
0
30
60
Crank Angle[deg]

Heat Release Rate [J/deg]

Pressure[MPa]

16

90
10

Ship & Ocean Foundation

Indicator Diagram of L.H.R.E with O2 : 17% and HMR

85% of CNG
18
Pressure[MPa]

16
14
12

Main Chamber

10

800

Pre-chamber

8
6

600

Throat valve
opening timing

400

200

2
0
-90

0
-60

-30
0
30
60
Crank Angle[deg]

90

Heat Release Rate [J/deg]

1500rpm
BTDC15deg
IMEP:1.16MPa

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Ship & Ocean Foundation

Comparison of Heat Balance between Conventional

Cooled Engine and L.H.R.E
Mechanical Loss
(5.0%)

Mechanical Loss
(8.0%)

Exhaust Gas
(27.0%)

Heat Rejection
(23.0%)

Brake Force
(42.0%)

Exhaust Gas Brake Force

(52.0%)
(38.0%)

Heat Rejection
(5.0%)

Conventional Cooling
Diesel Engine

Ceramics L.H.R.E
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Ship & Ocean Foundation

CO2+CH4+59,190kcal/kmol

2CO+2H2+2O2

CH4+2O2

2CO+2H2

1
(In Catalytic Converter)
2CO2+2H2O+250,580kcal/2kmol
2
(Combustion)
CO2+2H2O+191,290kcal/kmol

3
(CH4 Combustion)

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Ship & Ocean Foundation

Energy Flow of Reforming CH4 Engine with L.H.R Structure

BHP
234Kw/H

58Kw/H
51Kw/H
30Kw/Hfor Compressor

68.6

Intake Air

L.H.R. Engine
Horse Power
183Kw/H
Thermal Efficiency
43%

900

Heat Exchanger

Catalytic Converter
Reforming Efficiency80%

600

Reover
Turbine
Efficiency 50%

Heat Exchanger
Efficiency
480
80%

HP 88Kw/H
120
Heat Exchanger

CO2
CO2 Separator
Efficiency
80%

CNG
23.7Kg/H
340Kw/H

Heat Exchanger
Exh.Gas

Water
60Kg
Receiving Heat Energy
Rejecting Heat Energy

14

Reforming Rate of CH4 when CH4 React to

CO2 or H2O or in Catalytic Converter
100
Refroming Rate of CH4

90
80

CH4+H2O=CO+3H2

70
60
50
40
30
20

CH4+CO2=2CO+2H2

10
0
200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

Temperature
15

Ship & Ocean Foundation

The Structure of Vessel for Reforming CH4

High Temperature
Exhaust Gas Inlet

CO+H2

CO2+CH4

Heat Insulator
Exit

Catalyst Consisted Ru,

Pt, Ni and Ce2O3 Grains

Reforming Equipment of CH4

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Reforming Rate of CH4 when Temperature or Reforming

Gas is Changed(Experimental Data)
Reforming Rate of CH4(%)

100

80

60

40

20

0
500

550

600

650

700

750

800

Temperature of Reforming Gas ()

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Scheme of Investigating System for

Separating CO2
CO2

Flowmeter

N2 Rich Gas
Filled up Adsorption
Materials

N2

Flowmeter

Suction Pump

Integrating
Flowmeter
CO2 Rich Gas

O2

Flowmeter

Gas Chromatography

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Separating Performance of CO2 in case of using

Conventional Materials
60

Separating Rate of CO2(%)

50
40

SeparatingCondition
Pressure of Adsroption
Temperature
Adsorption Time
Recovering Pressure

196kPa
RoomTemperature
10min
0.98kPa

30
20
10
0

Activated Carbon
with Pores

Activated
Carbon(CMS-5A)

Zeolite

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Ship & Ocean Foundation

Separating Rate of 2

Separating Rate of CO2 when Carbon Graphite Deposited

Phosphoric Acid is Used for Separating Materials
100
90

Target

80
70
60
50
40
30
0

10

15

20

25

30

35

Additional Rate of Phosphoric Acid

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Ship & Ocean Foundation

CONCLUSION
1. By creating air gaps and a combustion chamber
using ceramic components, we developed an
Adiabatic Engine that substantially reduces
heat rejection from the combustion chamber.
2. Due to a reduction in the heat loss ratio of the
calorific value of the fuel to 5%, the exhaust gas
energy increases to 48%. Placing the exhaust
gas energy through the Energy Recovery
Turbine and thereby converting it to engine
energy, we were able to achieve 48% thermal
efficiency.
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Ship & Ocean Foundation

3 . The exhaust gas that leaves the Energy

Recovery Turbine is vaporized to drive the
steam turbine, which enables the thermal
efficiency in the ceramic turbo compound engine
to increase to 52%.
4. In order to efficiently use up the energy that
remains in the exhaust gas after the heat
exchanger of the steam supply system, we
investigated reforming the natural gas fuel and
CO2, and converting them into carbon monoxide
and hydrogen, therefore absorbing the remaining
thermal energy. This increases the calorific value
by about 30% and enables the thermal efficiency
of the engine to increase to 68%.
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Ship & Ocean Foundation

5. Aiming at 68% thermal efficiency, the catalytic

converter and CO2 separator were developed
and the performance target of the system was
achieved.

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Ship & Ocean Foundation