One Cylinder, A Hundred Applications

FEV single cylinder engines: important development tools for combustion optimization and more

From small to large: thanks to six sizes, the FEV single cylinder engine family is an important development tool and can be used to cover a large range of engines from passenger cars up to large engines.

Aachen-based development service provider and testing solutions supplier, FEV, has developed a family of single cylinder engines (SCE) for combustion research, functional testing, and continuing development of engine components.

Six research engine size variants with cylinder bores ranging from 65 mm to 530 mm are available for sale, covering a wide spectrum from passenger cars to large engines. Single cylinder motor test results can be subsequently transferred to all common multi-cylinder derivatives.

The modular SCE design makes it possible to adapt the engines to individual client needs with little effort. This makes very specific analyses of almost any component possible, from various piston shapes to modified valve timing. With the help of optical visualization, the tool also allows fundamental combustion research.

FEV’s single cylinder engine family will be presented alongside other, future-oriented solutions for industrial and large engines at booth 0-4 at the CIMAC World Congress from June 6 to 10, 2016.

“Our offering is intended for OEMs, universities, and suppliers, as well as the oil and fuel industry,” explains Professor Stefan Pischinger, president and CEO of the FEV Group. “Our single cylinder engines are highly efficient tools that achieve reproducible results under laboratory conditions to support our client’s research and development work.”

Fast and reliable tools
The simplified structural design with only one cylinder shortens both the set-up times as well as the component costs. In addition, the reduced fuel consumption (only one cylinder operating) reduces the maintenance costs. "The unique layout enables a separation of the various parameters that influence the combustion process", states Peter Heuser, FEV group vice president, commercial vehicle engines. "At the same time, disturbing influences can be effectively minimized and new design concepts can be examined on the test bench at an early stage of development."

Flexibility is key
FEV’s single cylinder engines are available with bore-diameters ranging from 65 mm up to 530 mm. In combination with various strokes, cylinder displacements between 0.2 and 155 liters can thus be achieved, with each single-cylinder motor covering a broad displacement range.

To ensure a high level of flexibility in the single cylinder family, FEV offers a comprehensive range of accessories – including various conditioning units, control units with test bench automation as well as optical and conventional measuring systems.

FEV service from planning to commissioning
"Over time, we have put over 160 single cylinder systems into service. In the past few months alone, we have completed over ten installations of the new single-cylinder engine family, covering all sizes and various fields of application", explains Rémi Stohr, team leader in the FEV single-cylinder department. "These ten most recent installations alone have operated for more than 12,000 hours, demonstrating the system’s practicality and efficiency – and this number is growing larger every day."
   
Customer projects
The FEV service portfolio goes far beyond installation. FEV’s experts develop comprehensive solutions: in addition to a need-based design of the single cylinder engine, FEV’s services also include integration of the engine into a new or existing test facility. In addition, FEV operates customer-specific single cylinder engines within its test facilities. To guarantee rapid implementation of the projects, FEV has base modules in various sizes available, which can be used and adapted for customer projects.

About FEV
The FEV Group with headquarters in Aachen, Germany, is an internationally recognized development service provider for drive and vehicle technologies. The company offers its global transport industry customers a complete range of engineering services, providing support in the design, analysis and prototyping for powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV's competencies also include design, development and prototyping of innovative vehicle concepts, powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The Testing Solutions division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over 4,000 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on four continents.