SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Despite having demonstrated improvements in fuel efficiency, torque, and emissions reductions, variable valve timing remains an elusive technology. Currently available variable valve timing mechanisms are either too costly to implement on conventional vehicles or far less effective and robust than desired. But LaunchPoint Technologies, Inc., an engineering services and design firm that specializes in technology and product development, hopes to change that. The company recently announced that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovations Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to design and test a new magnetic valve actuator that will enable reliable, cost-effective implementation of variable valve timing in camless internal combustion engines.
The goal of the proposed project is to demonstrate a compact, linear-motion actuator capable of driving a typical engine valve. During the Phase I development effort, LaunchPoint will design, prototype, and test the proposed actuator using the magnetic spring technology (www.launchpnt.com/portfolio/high-speed-filter-wheel.html) originally developed for a high-speed switching mechanism in a space application.
“Variable valve timing is the Holy Grail of internal combustion control,” said Dr. Maksim Subbotin, systems engineer and principal investigator for the project. “The advantages of our technology lie in the inherent nature of the nonlinear magnetic spring used as the primary valve actuator.” The nonlinear spring provides most of the energy required to open or close the valve while also ensuring a soft landing. The low-power electromagnetic actuator is used only to “throw” or “catch” the valve at the beginning or the end of the stroke.
According to the company, variable valve timing technology has demonstrated a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 20 percent, torque improvement of 5 to 13 percent, and emission reductions of up to 10 percent in hydrocarbons, and 40 to 60 percent in NOx for conventional spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition engines. The demonstrated improvements are reportedly even more dramatic for innovative homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines and compressed air hybrid (CAH) engines. For example, the NOx reduction is predicted to be two orders of magnitude lower in comparison to a conventional SI engine with almost zero particulate matter emissions.
LaunchPoint says that valves of this type could be applied to a wide variety of internal combustion engines. By eliminating the numerous engine components required for a typical camshaft drive, a magnetic valve actuator would decrease manufacturing and maintenance costs and increase reliability. Magnetic valves could be designed into new engines and retrofitted to existing engines. Widespread adoption of the valves would substantially decrease petroleum usage and the associated production of greenhouse gases and air pollution, while also promoting energy independence, the company says.
LaunchPoint Technologies Inc. (www.launchpnt.com) offers extensive experience in motor/generator design and development, medical device design and development, and maglev technologies. “As ‘Venture Engineers,’ we invest our engineering expertise in proof-of-concept modeling and prototype design, secure IP, and assist with grant-writing and/or venture capital solicitation,” the company says.
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