Valeo tests camless system for gas engines; supplier hopes to produce fuel-saving technology by '08
RICHARD TRUETT | Automotive News
Posted Date: 10/14/05
Valeo SA engineers say they are close to perfecting camless technology for traditional gasoline engines.

A camless gasoline engine would reduce fuel consumption drastically -- 20 percent, according to Valeo -- challenging hybrids and diesels in the race to improve fuel economy.

Tough technical challenges have kept camless technology off the market. Engineers have grappled with a variety of issues, such as precisely opening and closing the valves electronically, packaging the system to fit inside the engine and developing the software to operate the valves. Cost also has been an issue.

Valeo CEO Thierry Morin says his company has two development contracts for the system.

"As far as we are concerned, we are between 14 and 16 months from market. So you see that we are there," Morin said in a recent interview. He said he expects to have the system in production in North America and Europe as early as 2008.

Valeo engineers have built and are testing two Peugeot 407s with the system. Morin says both cars have worked well in different weather extremes and under strenuous testing.

How it works

In all automobile engines, the crankshaft is connected to the camshaft with a belt, chain or gears. As the crankshaft spins, it turns the camshaft, which in turn opens the intake and exhaust valves in sequence. Much of the energy produced by the engine is lost because the crankshaft has to spin the camshaft.

In a camless engine, the valves are opened and closed electronically.

The advantages are numerous:



Internal friction is reduced greatly because there are fewer moving parts. At low speeds, about 25 percent of an engine's friction is caused by the valvetrain.


Horsepower, torque and fuel economy are improved because the crankshaft's power is driving only the wheels.


Emissions are reduced because the computer-controlled valve timing is infinitely variable. Each valve in each cylinder can be opened and closed independently, something not possible with a traditional engine.

Valeo's system uses electromagnetic actuators to open and close the valves. The actuators are placed on top of each valve under the valve cover.

Valeo, of Paris, specializes in transmissions, motors, actuators, switches and electronics. The company would not say who its customers are, but it's likely PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA would be a customer. Valeo already supplies a mild hybrid for a Citroen model.

Valeo ranks No. 13 on the Automotive News list of top 100 global suppliers with worldwide original-equipment automotive parts sales of $9.9 billion in 2004.

The Holy Grail

Camless engine technology long has been a holy grail of engineers from automakers and suppliers. BMW AG, for instance, has spent millions trying to perfect a camless system. But no one has developed a camless engine system that delivers the reliability of the camshaft for anywhere near the same price.

But Morin says the reliability and cost are no longer the biggest obstacles. "With a camless system there is a strong need for the automaker to change the architecture of its engine. And this is what is time-consuming. It will have to start initially on low-volume engines," Morin says.

Peter Brown, vice president of powertrain engineering and design for Ricardo Inc. of Detroit, says his company also is working on a camless engine system. He says a 20 percent reduction in fuel usage is more than Ricardo engineers would expect a camless system to deliver.

Brown says perfecting a camless engine is one of his company's most important projects. With fuel prices hovering at $3 per gallon, there is a renewed emphasis on developing such a system, he says.

Engine improvements rarely yield more than a few percentage points of fuel economy gains. To get 20 percent with just one system would be a colossal jump.

"It comes to down to complexity and cost," Brown says. "Technically there is enough knowledge. People have experimented with all sorts of techniques."

Brown also warns of the dangers of camless engines. A computer glitch or electrical problem, for instance, might cause a vehicle to fail to meet emissions standards. Or worse, if the valves opened at the wrong time, the pistons might hit them, destroying the engine.

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=103342

 

That right there is enough to keep me from buying one until ALL of the kinks are worked out!

 

Wasn't there a problem recently where viruses from bluetooth devices made their way into the LS' ecu and screwed up the fuel maps. Could you imagine if your ecu got a virus from your pda and ended up totalling the motor? Boy would that be fun.

 

actually, I can imagine it be safer, since they are magnetic actuated, what they could is it when power goes out/emergency, the valves would be completely closed and create always non-interference engine no matter the valve's sequence.

 

I love it when once in a while people come up with drastically different approaches to things others have taken for granted. That's true innovation. Despite the technical difficulties yet to be overcome, I have no doubt with the rapid computer technology advancements we have now they'll be able to perfect the technology in the 14-16 months they said they still need. The best part is, this technology can theoretically work in conjunction with all the other fuel-saving technologies such as diesel, gas-electric hybrid, direct injection and cylinder shut-off, with no conflict at all. Imagine all of those technologies working together in ONE CAR (must be expensive at first though) ! Is a 100mpg production car in our forseeable future? I certainly think so!

 

One of the coolest bits of technology I have heard about are silicon (perhaps silicon alloy) engine blocks. Unlike steel or aluminum, they can take much higher heat and they don't need oil to lubricate parts. So you eliminate the need for a radiator and oil, which makes the engine much more efficient. Now instead of wasting combustion energy moving oil around and throwing energy away through the radiator it gets turned into power. I can't find a link on this technology, but I heard about it in a presentation one time.

I don't believe that a displacement on demand system would be necessary with cam less engines. It is my understanding that the reason you switch to 4 cylinder mode (in a V8) on the highway cycle is so you can open the throttle butterfly up more. That is more efficient than running 8 cylinders with the butterfly mostly closed. A cam less engine wouldn't need a throttle butterfly (just like a diesel engine) and thus would probably be just as efficient in 4 cly mode as 8 cyl mode. It wouldn't need a throttle butterfly because you could shut the valves sooner to limit air intake to the cylinders, instead of having to leave the throttle butterfly closed to limit air intake to the cylinders.

I wonder how much extra electrical power this system will take to run.

Bottom line this is some great technology.

http://www.coatesengine.com/ <-- that is another interesting valve technology.

 

this stuff has been out for a long long time... Ford was working on it years ago but never could get it right... no innovation here; just a new solid approach so the same problem with 21st century technology.

I thought Formula1 engines used something of this sort because of their super high-rpm powerbands

 

Just a correction to the article. The "Holy Grail" of engineering thermodynamics is 100% efficiency

 

Nah, it was tested and shown to be an untrue rumor.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4536307.stm

 

Amen!

 

Whether its camless, valveless (yes some companys are working on valveless engines) right now its just a gaff. There is no way you can precisely control an engine with electronics with the amount of stress it would go. What if I'm using cast iron heads? Voltage drops? Inteference? What if the valve springs are wearing down, valve reliefs or not, if that valve is held open longer than it has to be

They just seem to pull these numbers from their butt their solution should be to find an engine that can produce a maximum effiecency way over 20%

 

They're trying to do just that aren't they? If you're so talented and have a better idea than they do as to how an increase of "way over 20%" in efficiency can be achieved why don't you start your own business and realize your great approach to maximum efficiency rather than sitting there and putting down other people's actual efforts towards that "Holy Grail"?

 

it was my understanding that it was pnuematic valvetrain that they're using in the high revving F1 motors...might be combo of both, maybe that's where some of the advancements are coming from; F1?

 

Well that's a relief... it did seem more like the type of flaw in programming that you'd find in a Mercedes, but definitely not a Lexus.

 

Yes you're right, I dont think the electric version was durable enough to withstand 20k rpms for long periods of time...

I was rather certain they were CAMLESS engines though. Pneumatic valving would eliminate the need for a cam I'm pretty sure?