On April 20, 2024, at the World Internal Combustion Engine Conference 2024, Tan Xuguang, Vice Chairman of the China Internal Combustion Engine Society, Director of the National Key Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engines and Power Systems, and Chairman of Weichai Power, solemnly announced that Weichai has launched the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 53.09%. This is the fourth time that Weichai has pushed the limits of diesel engine thermal efficiency, once again impressing the global internal combustion engine industry.

 

 

According to Bus Network, based on the B701 forward research and development process, Weichai Power has carried out comprehensive technological innovation from the underlying architecture of the internal combustion engine to detailed components and core systems. Building on the foundation of the 52% thermal efficiency diesel engine, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in basic research and original development around the four major systems of combustion, air, fuel, and friction. Four key core technologies have been innovatively developed - high expansion combustion technology, which improves combustion efficiency by 3.5% and thermal efficiency by 0.3 percentage points; mixed flow supercharging technology, with a pressure end efficiency of 86.7% and a turbine end efficiency of 83%, improving thermal efficiency by 0.25 percentage points; efficient fuel injection technology, usingWISE independent ECU, large flow, leak-free injector, and low-power fuel pump, improving thermal efficiency by 0.2 percentage points; and low resistance and friction reduction technology, using key components such as low flow crankshaft, improving thermal efficiency by 0.15 percentage points. This once again increases the thermal efficiency of the diesel engine itself by 1 percentage point, breaking through the 53% mark for the first time globally, equivalent to a human running the 100-meter race in less than 9 seconds. During the research and development process, 176 invention patents and 68 utility model patents were authorized.

 

Currently, Weichai's 53.09% thermal efficiency diesel engine technology has been widely used in the new generation of T-series and H-series diesel engines. Market feedback shows that the economic performance of these new products has been significantly improved, saving users a lot of fuel costs. According to calculations, the high thermal efficiency diesel engine can save users about 14% of fuel consumption. Based on the annual mileage and the market price of diesel, it can save owners nearly 100,000 yuan in operating costs per year.

 

 

In December 2015, Weichai first proposed the strategic goal of breaking through 50% thermal efficiency for diesel engines by 2020. In September 2020, Weichai released the world's first diesel engine with a thermal efficiency of 50.23%. In January 2022, Weichai once again increased the thermal efficiency of the diesel engine itself to 51.09%, continuously leading the global internal combustion engine industry. In November 2022, the thermal efficiency was increased to 52.28%. Less than two years later, Weichai increased the thermal efficiency to an astonishing 53.09%, setting a milestone in the global internal combustion engine industry!

 

In the context of vigorous promotion of new energy commercial vehicles, some vehicle types have high requirements for endurance stability and environmental adaptability, and cannot be replaced by new energy vehicles. At the same time, hybrid vehicles cannot do without diesel engines. Currently, improving the thermal efficiency of diesel engines still has very broad application prospects.

 

"High-power diesel engines will never disappear on Earth, and green and low-carbon development has become a global consensus," said Tan Xuguang. The internal combustion engine industry needs more core technological leapfrog development, cutting-edge technological breakthroughs, and integrated innovation from global peers than ever before."

 

From China's first diesel engine with independent intellectual property rights that meets the national III emission standards, "Lanqing," to the world's first "powertrain" model, and from proposing the strategic goal of 50% thermal efficiency for engines to breaking through 53% thermal efficiency for diesel engines today, Tan Xuguang has led the Weichai engineering team on a more than 20-year journey of tackling innovations. With a patriotism of science and technology and a pragmatic character of pursuing excellence, they have created many industry firsts, China's firsts, and world's first technological achievements and development miracles. This not only achieves technological breakthroughs but also promotes industrial chain upgrades and energy structure optimization, interpreting new productive forces at a deeper level.

 

Tan Xuguang said that in the future, Weichai will use 5 to 10 years to break through a number of industry "chokepoint" technologies, and comprehensively achieve international leadership in internal combustion engine and propulsion system technology. Based on a diesel engine thermal efficiency of 53.09%, Weichai will move towards higher strategic technological goals!