Prospects for Combustion in Piston Engines

Presented here is a reportage of the panel debate on the proposition: “Is there a future for internal combustion engines beyond the technologies of Otto and Diesel?,” held at the SAE 2001 Congress. This is preceded by a recount of all the panel discussions on the future of combustion in engines, which have taken place at the SAE Congresses since 1997. In a commentary following the reportage, a prospective view of the future is provided. It puts forth the concept that the technology, inherited over a hundred years ago from Otto and Diesel, by which the exothermic process of combustion is executed in an engine cylinder, can be advanced significantly by adopting the best that modern micro-electronic and MEMS technology can offer. Thus, conceptually, the piston engine of the future, referred to as CCE (Controlled Combustion Engine), will be equipped with a micro-electronically controlled jets for injection and ignition, with feedback sensors and feed-forward actuators, operating on the basis of information provided by pressure diagnostics of the exothermic process.