Federal-Mogul's cool solution for downsized engines

At September's 2017 IAA motor show in Frankfurt, Federal-Mogul Powertrain revealed advances aimed at cooling the valves of downsized boosted engines via enhanced heat transfer. For exhaust-valve head alloys, every 20°C reduction in temperature negates the need for an upgrade to the next, more-expensive alloy specification.

Gian Maria Olivetti, Chief Technology Officer, explained at the company's Burscheid facility north-east of Cologne: “The extreme valve temperatures experienced on today's highly boosted downsized engines can lead to reduced valve fatigue life and critical valve-guide and stem-seal temperatures, resulting in the need for expensive valve steel alloys. If late ignition timing is used to reduce knock and enrichment is protecting components from critical temperatures, CO₂ emissions are increased.”