Ford recently announced its new follow up to its EcoBoost petrol engines, the EcoBlue diesel engine. It contains some 40 Principles thinking.
Offset crank
By moving the crank 10mm off the center line, the connecting rod is closer to vertical throughout the power stroke, resulting in reduced friction and wear due to side loads on the piston and cylinder – see pic. Principle 4 – Asymmetry
Mirror swirl
This engine also features Ford’s first mirror-image inlet manifold. This means that whereas intake air is made to swirl clockwise for in cylinders one and two, the air is made to swirl counterclockwise in the other cylinders. By mirroring the engine this way, engineers only need to optimize intake and head design for cylinders one and two, since three and four will behave the same way, benefiting smoothness, efficiency and emissions. This inverts Principle 4 – Asymmetry.
Multiple fuel injections
A new type fuel injectors allows the engine to deliver up to six injections per combustion event, optimizing when the fuel is added. Principle 19 – Periodic Action
This makes the engine more responsive and makes the automatic stop-start feature function more smoothly. The new injectors deliver reduced noise levels; minimal energy wastage from the fuel pump; more responsive and less intrusive Auto-Start-Stop performance; and real-time calibration correction for maximum fuel efficiency.
