Simulation study on electric turbo-compound (ETC) for thermal energy recovery in turbocharged internal combustion engine

Abstract

Exhaust gas heat utilization in the form of Thermal Energy Recovery (TER) has attracted a major interest due to its potentials with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). Recovering useful energy, for example in the form of electrical power from the engine exhaust waste heat could benefit in the form of direct fuel economy or increase in the available electric power for the auxillary systems. The methodology in this paper includes the assessment of each waste heat recovery technology based on the current research and development trends for automotive application. It also looked into the potential for energy recovery, performances of each technology and factors affecting its implementation. Finally, the work presents an Electric Turbo Compounding (ETC) simulation using a Ford Eco-Boost as a baseline engine modeled with the 1-Dimensional AVL Boost software. A validated 1-D engine model was used to investigate the impact on the Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) and Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP) at full load. This paper presents some reviews on the turbo-compounding method and also the modelling efforts and results of an electric turbo-compounding system. Modelling shows that the turbo-compounding setup can be more beneficial than turbo-charging alone.