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Loughborough University's (LU) research collaboration with The Hardstaff Group has resulted in a commercial Oil-Ignition-Gas-Injection system (OIGI®), which substitutes natural gas for Diesel oil in heavy goods vehicles. Using optical diagnostics OIGI® was redesigned, increasing average substitution rates from 45% to 60%. The economic impact for Hardstaff was a fuel saving of £406k per annum. The research allowed Hardstaff to create new business with Mercedes-Benz in the UK and Volvo in Sweden. OIGI® reduces CO2 by up to 15%, harmful nitrogen oxides and particulate emissions by 30%. The research also demonstrated, for the first time, dual fuel technology in small, high-speed diesel engines, paving the way for its application in passenger cars.
The University of Manchester and Delphi Diesel Systems jointly developed a reverse tapered micro-hole drilling technique, which has resulted in wide commercial applications for the manufacture of fuel injection nozzles in diesel engines and is used by Volkswagen, Ford and Renault in passenger cars and trucks. The technique has resulted in 1.5% fuel saving, 35-40% reduction in particulate matter emission, 20% reduction in NOx emission, 3% reduction in CO2 emission, and allows diesel engines to satisfy the new EU emission legislation Euro 5 in 2008/2009. Delphi's diesel engine component business increased by €0.8 billion/year as a result of the new fuel injection technology.
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The HOTFIRE collaborative research project (2004-2008) into advanced engine combustion systems led directly to a new, high specific power output, high fuel economy, low CO2 emissions turbocharged `down-sized' three-cylinder engine that was demonstrated in the Opel Astra car in 2008. The valuable new knowledge, understanding and techniques gained in the HOTFIRE project has directly contributed to the successful delivery of a major engine family project for an ASEAN region OEM client of Lotus Engineering.
University of Huddersfield research into engine technologies has resulted in a major new partnership with the UK arm of engineering multinational BorgWarner, leading to the company increasing R&D capabilities in the UK. This collaboration, funded partly by parent company BorgWarner US and partly by the government's Regional Growth Fund, involves multi-million-pound investment, as well as significant job creation and safeguarding. It was a key factor in the company securing a substantial contract with Jaguar Land Rover, whose decision was informed by the University's capacity to help BorgWarner further its R&D activities and upskill its workforce for the benefit of the UK automotive supply chain and the local and national economy.
Research in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells at Loughborough University (LU) has led to commercial and innovative impacts on a global scale which have included the development of the world's first purpose-built hydrogen fuel cell motorbike, the world's first manned fuel cell aircraft and a zero emission fuel cell hybrid London taxi, with major international companies, such as Suzuki, Boeing and Lotus. These developments have arisen due to the creation of the spin out company Intelligent Energy (IE). The company currently employs some 350 personnel, has a total shareholder investment over £100M and was valued at $0.5B in 2012.
Experimental research and computer modelling in the School of Mechanical Engineering have been applied by engine and oil companies to reduce fuel consumption and noxious emissions. Studies into high pressure explosions and burn rates have helped industry improve engine efficiencies by up to 30% and contributed to the development of much improved fuels. These new products perform better, are less environmentally damaging and have generated new company revenues. Research into burn rates, detonations, and large jet-flames has also informed health and safety investigations, particularly the UK Government Inquiry into the Buncefield explosion, providing calculations and explanations of the blast, and recommendations on future safety controls.
The research addressed the problem of improving the driver experience of the sound and vibration of their automobile operating under idle conditions in city traffic. As a result of the research, Shell Global Solutions UK developed and successfully adopted a test standard protocol that changed their R&D process for making diesel fuels. The research shifted the process of making fuels from one which were oriented to the product to one that was customer focused. The new test standard protocol and the vibration acceptability metric were also adopted by Ford Motor Company Ltd., Bentley Motors, BMW, Fiat, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover, Peugeot-Citroen and Renault.
Prof Zhao's development of an innovative hybrid engine RegenEBD was exploited by its industrial partner, Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company (Yuchai), the largest bus engine manufacturer in China holding 80% of the domestic market. The first RegenEBD engine buses were operated in Yulin city, where Yuchai is based, in 2011. Yuchai confirmed that these buses have demonstrated notable fuel savings of 4.7-10% (1,100-2,200 litres of fuel saving), equivalent to 3.6-7.2 tonnes of carbon saving per vehicle per year. This led Yuchai to re-align their manufacturing strategies and development efforts for 3 years (2011-2013), investing significant resources to begin manufacturing and retrofitting of RegenEBD engines in 2014. They have employed over 30 new engineers to develop and manufacture RegenEBD and purchased equipment for RegenEBD engine testing and operations. Yuchai expects that hundreds of buses equipped with RegenEBD will be on the road by 2020.
This research project, carried out at the University of Derby, was used to develop an engine performance monitoring system and a data optimisation method for engine management systems for Land Rover. The project delivered two pieces of software developed for data modelling and optimisation with respect to the engine test bed. This has significantly reduced the engine test time on the test bed by up to 30%, reduced the cost of each engine test and provided optimum engine operation parameters to the Engine Control Unit (ECU), which has resulted in lower emissions and improved fuel economy. The project was started in 2000 and completed in 2008. However the outcomes of the research and developed software tools are still used by the Land Rover engine test group.