We take care of every aspect involved in calibrating all control unit parameters that influence combustion in diesel engines – from advance development to start of production. We conduct engine measurements on our transient test benches and vehicle measurements in test drives – also under extreme climatic conditions. Calibrating diesel engines is a particularly complex process because of the many parameters that influence each other. To achieve the optimum overall result despite of shorter development times, we have introduced model-based processes. This is where steady-state and dynamic models are used for simulating engine performance, with the engine test bench being used for simulating vehicle performance. As a result, we can sharply reduce the need for vehicle prototypes.

Fuel Consumption down Five Percent

To improve the efficiency of diesel engines, we are working on advancing the combustion process and investigating completely new approaches. In the very near future, we are expecting injection-rate shaping and optimized nozzle geometries to reduce fuel consumption – in the long term, homogeneous and partly homogeneous combustion processes as well as new fuels can bring further improvements to the diesel engine.

In our testing work, we use single-cylinder and transparent engines as well as flexible injection systems. We have our own tools for analyzing the combustion process in real time, and are working on new control algorithms for controlling the engine process – such as on cylinder-pressure-controlled engine management.

Future emission ceilings will also demand advances in exhaust-gas recirculation and supercharging. We simulate new concepts and verify them on the hot-gas test bench, on the full-engine test bench and also in vehicles. We anticipate it will be possible in the short term to achieve a further five-percent reduction in the consumption of diesel engines by optimizing the combustion process, engine management and air path.