4 minute read
The Future of Fuel
by KAUST
MCLAREN GROUP
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Jonathan Neale, Chief Operating Officer of McLaren Group
THE FUTURE OF FUEL
EFFICIENT COMBUSTION Researchers at KAUST’s Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) are working to make fuels and combustion more efficient, clean and economical. For example, KAUST PhD student Rafig Babayev and other KAUST researchers from the CCRC published an article in January 2019 detailing a new method called isobaric combustion. This enables internal combustion engines to simultaneously achieve higher efficiency and lower emissions. The study is part of the CCRC’s collaboration with Volvo Trucks to develop a new split-cycle engine concept. Babayev’s study showed that isobaric combustion can improve the thermal efficiency of an engine by reducing heat transfer loss by 20% and simultaneously cutting nitrogen oxide emissions in half. It is expected that isobaric combustion can enable split-cycle engines to achieve 60% energy efficiency – significantly higher than the 45% efficiency of standard truck engines.
Hydrocarbons and the technologies that rely on them, such as the combustion engine, are expected to retain an important role in the international energy system in the coming decades. Their use will be needed in multiple emissions pathway scenarios. Scenarios anticipating a slower transition to net zero emissions, as well as scenarios anticipating a strong reliance on carbon capture and storage, project that hydrocarbons are likely to remain a source of energy throughout the 21st century. Scenarios anticipating a more rapid transition recognize significant continued use of hydrocarbons in the decades preceding 2050 – the point at which the global economy is expected to achieve net zero emissions. Either way, innovations that boost the efficiency of combustion technologies will be critical to minimizing their impact on the environment.
FUELCOM: PARTNERING WITH SAUDI ARAMCO For almost 10 years, Saudi Aramco and KAUST’s CCRC have been working together to develop game-changing technologies that are shaping
SAUDI ARAMCO
“For nearly a decade, research findings from the KAUST Clean Combustion Research Center have helped accelerate the development of our flagship technologies such as gasoline compression ignition. Enabled by their state-of-the-art research capabilities, we were able to develop advanced fuel formulations that can improve the efficiency of internal combustion engines and reduce emissions.”
Ahmad Al Khowaiter, Chief Technology Officer of Saudi Aramco
the future of efficient transportation fuels. Their collaborative project, FUELCOM, is poised to reduce emissions from transportation fuels at a time when internal combustion engines remain widely in use with steady demand.
By 2035, the number of passenger cars on the world’s roads is set to rise from the current 1.3 billion to 2 billion. In the same time period, global CO2 emissions need to be reduced by over half and subsequently reach net zero by 2050. Projections show that the majority of cars on the road will still use combustion engines until at least 2040. FUELCOM believes that in the short to medium term, utilizing advanced, efficient internal combustion engines is the most effective way to reduce CO2. While alternative low- or zero-emissions transportation options such as electric vehicles gradually scale up, FUELCOM’s research is needed.
Now in phase three, FUELCOM pursues two major research tracks: advancing fuel chemistry by designing new fuel formulation tools such as AramcoMech, and rethinking engine designs by enhancing efficiency. Fuel research has focused on developing gasoline use in compression ignition engines, which helps them operate more efficiently and produce significantly lower levels of soot and nitrogen oxide emissions. Engine research has focused on preventing “knock”, which is a major factor limiting the efficiency of car engines. These technologies translate into fewer carbon emissions and more kilometers per liter.
By making fuels cleaner and more efficient, while also improving the internal combustion engine, FUELCOM is setting a new course for the road, marine and aviation industries. Its research is adding to the world’s understanding of hydrocarbons fuel combustion and influencing the engine design of the future. The collaboration puts KAUST and Aramco at the forefront of the search for pioneering technologies that will maintain the economic and environmental competitiveness of oil-derived transport fuels well into the future, as well as satisfy the growing demand for renewable fuels.
ENHANCING EXTREME PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY: PARTNERING WITH MCLAREN KAUST and McLaren are pushing science and technology to new limits. Through a five-year R&D agreement signed in 2018, KAUST and McLaren’s partnership aims to advance innovation in combustion modeling and fuel design, in addition to a number of other areas.
Success in Formula 1 racing requires constant innovation, and in order to optimize the performance of racing cars, Formula 1 teams are interested in big data processing, game theories, statistics and machine learning. The KAUST-McLaren partnership aims to improve the performance of the Formula 1 race cars while at the same time bringing wider advancements to the field of STEM. With a focus on extreme performance technology, the partnership will ultimately help make McLaren’s cars go faster while being more fuel efficient.
The partnership focuses on advancing research in five main areas: computational fluid dynamics, machine learning, fuels and lubricants, advanced mathematics, and sensors and electronics. The collaboration provides an opportunity for real-world testing of a number of KAUST innovations, including combustion modeling and fuel design.
This work is helping not only McLaren’s Formula 1 race team to excel, but also to bring scalable technological benefits to the global industry. The R&D collaboration is also set to open new doors to talent development for KAUST graduate students through research, internships, engineering forums and other opportunities that will expand their knowledge and skills for the future marketplace.
