F 1 2014 : Turbocharged and Downsized Ice and Kers Boost
The paper discusses the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) new regulations for F1 power trains. The new regulations will see the 2.4 liter V8s currently used replaced by 1.6 liter V6s engines starting in 2014. The power units will have high pressure gasoline direct injection up to 500 bar. Engine speed limits on the new engines will be reduced from the current 18,000 rpm to a maximum of 15,000 rpm. The more environmentally-friendly units will be supported by augmented power output of the engine via energymanagement and energy-recovery systems. The paper discusses the possible performances the novel F1 cars could achieve with these novel engines and kinetic energy recovery systems, as well as the declared goal of making the F1 racing greener, the relevance of F1 to road cars, and finally the use of resource restrictions in F1. The major issue with new F1 rules is not just the total cost of research and development within the budget, but the ability to make the most out of the investment made for a more sustainable and greener road transport. The proposed high torque 475 kW 1.6 liter V6 turbo engine coupled with the proposed small 0.3 MJ 120 kW mechanical KERS may permit fuel savings of 40% vs. today’s low torque 525 kW 2.4 liters V8 naturally aspirated and even better driving performances on the most part of the race tracks.
A new generation of F1 race engines – hybrid power units
The paper aims at reviewing the evolution of the F1 engine technology and the associated regulatory framework governing the sport over the last 10 years. Technical regulations, in force since 2014, replaced the 2.4-liter V8 naturally aspirated engines with sophisticated hybrid units such as the 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engines supported with energymanagement and recovery systems. Since 2014 the fundamental trend in the development of powertrains has been the advancement of their efficiency. Due to the fact that the fuel flow rate has been restricted, the maximum performance is now entirely dependent on the engine efficiency.
Thermodynamic Evaluation of Solar Integration into a Natural Gas Combined Cycle Power Plant
The term integrated solar combined-cycle (ISCC) has been used to define the combination of solar thermal energy into a natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) power plant. Based on a detailed thermodynamic cycle model for a reference ISCC plant, the impact of solar addition is thoroughly evaluated for a wide range of input parameters such as solar thermal input and ambient temperature. It is shown that solar hybridization into an NGCC plant may give rise to a substantial benefit from a thermodynamic point of view. The work here also indicates that a significant solar contribution may be achieved in an ISCC plant, thus implying substantial fuel savings and environmental benefits.