Immediate: 10 December 2009
LowCVP Technology Challenge winner Controlled Power Technologies presents its innovative ‘RegEnBoost’ system to automotive industry leaders
Controlled Power Technologies is one of six emerging UK businesses to get the attention of senior automotive executives today at a unique event organised by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP). The opportunity for up-and-coming companies to pitch their ideas directly to 16 major vehicle manufacturers and tier 1 suppliers is the culmination of the LowCVP’s Technology Challenge; an industry initiative to help fast track cutting edge innovations being developed by small and medium sized companies.
CPT‘s engineering director and chief technical officer Guy Morris, who will present the company’s award-winning technology, said: “We’re delighted to be among the Technology Challenge winners and for this unique opportunity to present our RegEnBoost engine-boosting and power regeneration concept to so many carmakers at one fell swoop, also for the huge interest they’ve taken in this LowCVP initiative. Normally it would take months of effort to meet this number of vehicle and component manufacturers.”
Inspired by the recommendations of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (NAIGT) published May 2009, the LowCVP event sets out to create closer collaboration between the developers of new technology and the mainstream automotive industry. The event is being chaired by Professor Richard Parry-Jones the newly appointed chairman of the recently established Automotive Council.
CPT was selected on a competitive basis from 17 entries covering widely varying technical innovations. The final selection of six companies by an expert panel was based on the merits and impacts of their technology for reducing vehicle CO2 emissions. Important criteria included their alignment with the NAIGT technology roadmap, commercial viability and ease of integration.
CPT’s innovative engine-boosting and power regeneration concept known as ‘RegEnBoost’ combines three complementary technical developments for delivering significant CO2 reduction: a fast-acting electric supercharger known as VTES (or variable torque enhancement system), a highly efficient liquid cooled integrated starter generator (ISG) known as SpeedStart, and an advanced turbo-generator integrated gas energy recovery system known as TIGERS.
The three devices are integrated into a powertrain electrical power network (PEPN), which also incorporates a DC to DC converter and an enhanced lead acid battery, optimised for fast energy storage and release. The combination of electronics, advanced battery technology and charging techniques ensures the system can deliver the required rapid charge and discharge performance, whilst at all times maintaining a stable 12 volts to the vehicle’s main electrical system.
The concept ensures long term energy storage for delivering short bursts of power to the VTES supercharger during vehicle accelerations and to the SpeedStart stop-start device during engine re-starts. Conversely, short bursts of power can also be absorbed by the SpeedStart generator to recharge the battery during vehicle decelerations. Power for the battery and VTES electric supercharger is not only supplied by the SpeedStart ISG but also the TIGERS exhaust driven turbo-generator. The electronic controls supervise the optimal switching between the SpeedStart and TIGERS electrical generators according to driving conditions and regenerative power availability.
A deep understanding by the CPT engineering team of the power and control electronics embedded within all three devices and the essential characteristics of the interconnecting network helps underpin the overall efficiency of the system, which in essence facilitates radical downsizing of gasoline and diesel engines without compromising vehicle performance.
The RegEnBoost system enables a typical family-sized car to achieve less than 100g/km CO2 with a 1-litre gasoline engine, but when required can offer the same lively performance and in-gear acceleration of a 2-litre naturally aspirated powertrain. This CO2 level is comparable to that emitted by equivalent sized full hybrid vehicles, yet avoids their need for high voltage and the significant impact a hybrid’s large batteries and traction motors have on overall vehicle cost, mass and packaging.
Small displacement engines offer excellent CO2 and fuel economy benefits; they have lower parasitic losses and operate more efficiently under part load conditions. Small engines can also be turbocharged to deliver comparable torque and power to a larger naturally aspirated engine. However, with a conventional turbocharging system, the turbine size necessary to maximise efficient high speed performance gives unacceptable low speed response, which affects the driveability of the vehicle. Hence the industry trend to dual-charging systems.
The boosting element of CPT’s technology, which addresses this issue, is derived from the VTES electric supercharger, which can be installed in series with a simple fixed geometry turbocharger. Unlike a crankshaft driven mechanical supercharger or an additional exhaust driven turbocharger, the CPT method of boosting is completely independent of engine speed and offers precise electronic control. No matter how low the engine revs, the 2kW electric supercharger remains highly responsive and extremely fast acting. This crucial difference means the technology is perfectly suited to maintaining vehicle performance and driveability - now widely recognised as a critical marketing issue for any car maker contemplating radical engine downsizing.
Another key element of the RegEnBoost concept is delivered by CPT’s SpeedStart device, which outperforms existing designs of starter motors and alternators in almost every respect, providing an advanced 3kW stop-start solution that is more powerful, more efficient and more usable than first generation systems. It’s the first design to integrate all the power and control electronics into a single electric motor assembly and by maximising the number of stop-start events the system aims to significantly reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. For the RegEnBoost concept it provides a vital additional role not only in terms of its advanced stop-start capability, but also for its potential in energy recovery and electrical regeneration under braking. This in particular helps the VTES electric supercharger boost the engine for acceleration without incurring a CO2 penalty.
A final key element of the RegEnBoost concept is the highly innovative TIGERS turbo-generator. Coupled to an exhaust driven turbine the second generation 2kW air cooled device is intended to generate electrical power during high speed acceleration and steady state cruising, when it can more efficiently deliver electrical power than the SpeedStart device, which can therefore be temporarily powered down. Exhaust gases provide an efficient and as yet unutilised method of power regeneration, particularly for a throttled gasoline engine, and further helps improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 emissions. The TIGERS system includes an electronically controlled full flow by-pass that ensures the desired proportion of exhaust gas is delivered to the turbo-generator as determined by the control system.
All three devices in the RegEnBoost concept are based on high efficiency switched reluctance (SR) electrical machines which, because of their flexibility, can be readily scaled to support engines up to approximately 3.5-litres capacity. During comparisons with permanent magnet electric motors, this alternative technology came out on top in every aspect. Significant advantages include the simple construction from steel, aluminium and copper (avoiding precious rare earth materials), accurate control, very high power density and in excess of 80 per cent efficiency. A major part of CPT’s effort has concentrated on optimising the technology for automotive applications and establishing a manufacturing strategy and supply base. World class manufacturing partners have already been identified.
“VTES, SpeedStart and TIGERS are all fully-integrated standalone devices each highly effective in their own right, but their combination provides for a high level of synergy where careful management of energy flow offers potential efficiency gains greater than the sum of the individual parts,” says Morris. “Moreover, there is very little modification to the base engine design enabling vehicle manufacturers to apply the system - or its individual components - at much lower cost than a full hybrid vehicle. “
The technology could prove timely in helping car fleets meet an EC requirement of 130g/km CO2 from 2012 onwards, followed by a target to achieve 95g/km by 2020. It also has applications in fuel cell electric vehicles and for reducing NOx emissions in diesel engines.
Controlled Power Technologies was set up in 2007 as a management buy-in funded by venture capital initially to acquire advanced powertrain technologies from Visteon Corporation and its technology development partner Emerson Corporation. CPT comes with a highly experienced team of automotive engineers and is backed by a number of prominent investors specialising in the energy and environmental sectors. Further information on Controlled Power Technologies is available at www.cpowert.com
Media information: Journalists requesting interviews and wishing to drive CPT demonstrator vehicles should contact Rob Palmer on +44 (0) 1582 763255 or +44 (0) 7768 242761 Email: rpalmer@palmerpr.com . The pictures accompanying this press release, as well as previous press releases and images, can be downloaded from www.newspress.co.uk.