Mahle Readies Lean-Burn Racing Technology for Production Cars

Mahle GmbH says it is working to adapt its multi-port ignition system, which is used in Ferrari Formula One race cars, for production cars.

The so-called “jet ignition” technology can boost the fuel efficiency of a spark-ignition engine by 10%-20% and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 95%, according to the supplier. The ultra-lean system allows gasoline engines to operate at a diesel-like thermal efficiency of 41.5% by reducing pumping, heat, combustion and mechanical losses.

To ignite such ultra-lean mixtures, a pre-chamber is teamed with a sparkplug and miniaturized fuel injector to amplify and distribute burned gases into the main cylinder. There, multiple points of ignition (currently six) initiate combustion. The pre-chamber uses about 3% of the fuel, while the remaining 97% is delivered by a secondary fuel injector.

Other benefits include less engine knock and more peak power, which has been demonstrated in Ferrari’s F1 applications. The system also will require less aftertreatment to meet emission regulations, Mahle notes. The company estimates there will be a small cost increase due to the second fuel injector.

Mahle says the technology also is applicable to stationary engines and can be used with natural gas and liquid petroleum gas fuels.