DDuring the first 12 months of this project, we achieved the main following tasks :
• Development of specific high-performance dedicated test benches
• Improvement of pre-WHIITE engine prototype reliability and performance
• Guidelines for the final WHIITE engine design.
The work carried out made it possible to acquire knowledge on this new technology and to make significant theoretical and experimental progress, as for example :
• Dynamic sealing: thanks to the development of a unique test bench, we could characterize, study and improve our sealing prototype parts ;
• Advances in friction reduction, seal quality, increased temperature working conditions and endurance ;
• Air circulation: this subject has significantly progressed thanks to modeling and simulation work that has allowed us to better understand the pressure drop at the passage of gas and heat exchange. This progress was materialized by the development and prototyping of a new gas distribution concept ;
• Piston-cylinder sealing: a new solution has improved the reduction of torque drift with gas heating ;
• Air loop: we have developed our own test means to characterize our engines finely and in particular the performance of the exchangers and the heat losses between the engine and the exchanger. We are continuing our investigations and performance improvements on this subject, with ambitions to reach higher temperatures, further improve cycle efficiency, and to compact the air loop part.
During the second 12 months period of this project, we achieved the main following tasks :
• Substantial improvement of WHIITE engine prototype performances, now very close to ambitious objetcives that were targeted at the beginning of the project;
• Validation of final WHIITE engine prototype design;
• Validation of final WHIITE engine prototype manufacturing.
The work carried out made it possible to acquire knowledge on this new technology and to make significant theoretical, experimental, industrialisation and market access progress, as for example :
• Design to cost and preparation of the industrialisation phase of the system were also conducted and a pilot production line will be installed in 2020 ;
• WHIITE technology will be on the market in 2020 (power generation systems) and in the forthcoming years in the transport sector (truck and tractor).
