Weichai releases diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09%, breaking the world record. Behind this
Breaking my own world record for the fourth time! Weichai has achieved new results in its self competition with diesel engine thermal efficiency!
On April 20, 2024, the 2024 World Internal Combustion Engine Conference opened in Tianjin. At the meeting, Weichai Power released the latest technological achievement in the industry - the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09%.
Since 2020, Weichai has continuously released diesel engines with thermal efficiency exceeding 50%, 51%, and 52%, leading the global diesel engine thermal efficiency to exceed 53.09% by 2024. Weichai has crossed the limits and technological boundaries four times in four years.
After the peak, there is still a peak. In Weichai's "dictionary", not satisfied with the status quo, constantly breaking through oneself, the peak is always the new starting point for the next challenge.
01
The spirit of 'madman':
The source of driving new quality productivity
The strength of independent research and development is the 'hard currency', and Weichai is leading by example in this regard.
Weichai Power made a stunning debut on the stage of the 2024 World Internal Combustion Engine Conference with its world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09%, breaking the world record four times in four years and staging a technological feast that can be called "self competition".
In the past decade, Weichai's R&D investment in the engine sector alone has reached over 30 billion yuan.
Weichai Power Chairman Tan Xuguang is also known as a product "madman" and a technology "madman", obsessed with technological innovation like a "madman".
The improvement of thermal efficiency level is a common pursuit of the global industry since the birth of diesel engines 127 years ago, and is a symbol of a country's comprehensive strength in diesel engine technology.
Ten years ago, 50% thermal efficiency was still an unattainable goal for the diesel engine industry. It was in 2015 that Weichai launched a 50% thermal efficiency diesel engine project with foresight.
Over the next five years, more than a thousand researchers from Weichai Engine Research Institute participated in research and development, with a total project investment of an astonishing 4.2 billion yuan.
On September 16, 2020, Weichai Power released the world's first commercial diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 50.23%, setting a new benchmark for global diesel engine thermal efficiency.
In 2022, after a 480 day hiatus, Weichai Power once again broke records, with the thermal efficiency of diesel engines reaching 51.09% for the first time globally, further enhancing China's voice in the global internal combustion engine industry.
In November of the same year, Weichai Power once again set a new global record of 52.28%, reaching the peak of the world industry for three consecutive times. On April 20, 2024, Weichai released the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09%. Four major leaps in diesel engine thermal efficiency have been achieved in four years.
At the scene, Wan Gang, chairman of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, Jin Donghan, CAE Member, president of Tianjin University, Tan Xuguang, vice chairman of the Chinese Internal Combustion Engine Society, director of the National Key Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engines and Power Systems, chairman of Weichai Power, and Rick Book, chairman of the International Internal Combustion Engine Society (CIMAC) jointly unveiled the 53.09% thermal efficiency diesel engine.
Vice President of T Ü V S Ü D North Asia and Director of China Automotive Technology Research Center, Chang Tiecheng, respectively issued product testing reports and testing certificates to Weichai Power.
As Van Wald, CEO of T ü V S ü ddeutsche Group North Asia, said, "We look forward to this technological achievement being able to contribute to China's dual carbon goals and green development, as well as contribute to the sustainable development and energy conservation of the global industry." From the beginning to the takeoff, this is the most important step for Weichai Power to embark on a new journey after 20 years on the market.
Weichai Power, with its "crazy" spirit of research and development, constantly challenges the boundaries of technology, constantly breaks through itself, and interprets what "there is still a peak after the peak" means with practical actions.
02
Four key core technologies
Creating a 'hard currency' for the internal combustion engine industry
Throughout the development process of Weichai Power, it is undoubtedly a history of passionate and intelligent "self competition".
The record breaking is not only about numbers, but also about Weichai engineers' nearly 4000 days and nights of intelligent research and development. It is an open cooperation between top universities and research institutes around the world, and a collaborative innovation of the global industrial and supply chains.
From 50.23% to 53.09%, the improvement in thermal efficiency is not only a reflection of combustion efficiency, but also a reflection of the comprehensive technical capabilities of the enterprise.
In the R&D process of Weichai Power, its profound R&D background and strong research team play a crucial role.
Weichai Power relies on the National Key Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engine and Power System, a national level scientific research platform, to fully leverage its core advantages in the field of internal combustion engine technology research and development. As a State Key Laboratory, it gathers top experts, scholars and first-class experimental equipment in the industry, providing Weichai Power with cutting-edge scientific research environment and technical support, enabling it to always maintain a leading position in cutting-edge theoretical research and key technology research.
At the same time, Weichai Power actively participates in the national key research and development plan, enabling Weichai Power to stand at the national strategic height, target the forefront issues of the global internal combustion engine industry, and concentrate on solving the key bottlenecks that restrict the development of the industry. This deep cooperation between countries and enterprises effectively integrates resources from all parties, providing strong support for Weichai Power to achieve technological breakthroughs.
Not only that, Weichai Power adheres to the concept of open cooperation, actively links with the "strongest brains" at home and abroad, establishes close cooperative relationships with top universities and research institutes around the world, and forms an integrated research and development system of industry university research. Through deep integration with academia and industry, Weichai Power is able to quickly capture industry development trends, translate the latest scientific research achievements into practical products in a timely manner, and promote rapid iteration and upgrading of diesel engine technology.
In terms of specific technological breakthroughs, Weichai Power focuses on key areas such as efficient combustion, low resistance, and low losses. Through continuous technological innovation, it has achieved significant improvements in the thermal efficiency of diesel engines. This not only requires a solid theoretical foundation and rich practical experience, but also tests the collaborative combat capability of research teams in complex system engineering. Weichai Power's researchers, without relying on waste heat recovery devices, have successfully solved many technical problems in improving thermal efficiency through a series of technological innovations such as fine control of combustion processes, optimized design of airflow organization, and precise control of friction losses, achieving continuous breakthroughs in thermal efficiency.
The 53.09% thermal efficiency engine is developed by Weichai Power based on the B701 forward research and development process, which has carried out comprehensive technological innovation from the underlying architecture of the internal combustion engine to detailed components and core systems.
On the basis of a 52% thermal efficiency diesel engine, significant breakthroughs have been made in basic research and original development around the four major systems of combustion, air, fuel, and friction, and four key core technologies have been innovatively developed.
In terms of combustion, high expansion combustion technology achieves a 3.5% increase in combustion efficiency through precise control of the combustion process, directly driving a 0.3 percentage point increase in thermal efficiency.
The mixed flow turbocharging technology significantly improves the efficiency of the pressure end and vortex end, reaching 86.7% and 83% respectively. This enables the turbocharging system to more efficiently deliver fresh air into the combustion chamber, enhance combustion reactions, and thereby improve thermal efficiency by 0.25 percentage points.
The high-efficiency fuel injection technology adopts Weichai's self-developed WISE independent ECU (electronic control unit), combined with high flow, leak free injectors and low-power fuel pumps, to achieve precise and efficient fuel injection control, and improve thermal efficiency by 0.2 percentage points.
In terms of reducing friction, the engine has innovatively developed low drag and friction reduction technology, using key components such as low flow crankshafts, and improving thermal efficiency by 0.15 percentage points.
The integrated application of these key technologies has enabled Weichai Power to successfully increase the thermal efficiency of the diesel engine body by a full 1 percentage point, reaching an unprecedented 53%. This breakthrough achievement not only reflects Weichai Power's profound accumulation and innovative ability in the research and development of internal combustion engine technology, but also accumulates a large amount of intellectual property rights in the research and development process, obtaining a total of 176 authorized invention patents and 68 utility model patents, fully demonstrating its leading position and fruitful achievements in the field of technological innovation.
Only through continuous investment and innovation can Weichai stand undefeated in the fierce market competition.
The release of the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09% is not only a feat of China's internal combustion engine industry once again reaching the peak of global technology, but also a true portrayal of Weichai Power reshaping industry rules with new quality productivity and leading China's equipment manufacturing industry to world-class with strong technological innovation capabilities.
It is said that life is a self competition. Isn't Weichai's development and innovation path a process of self competition and self transcendence?
In this' self competition ', Weichai Power is undoubtedly the biggest winner, setting a new benchmark for the global internal combustion engine industry with its' crazy' spirit and new quality productivity.
Weichai Power, as a leading enterprise in China's equipment manufacturing industry, is leading the industry towards world-class status with its strong technological innovation capabilities.