Multifunctional Encapsulations of the Power Train

The BMW Group systematically develops heat management concepts for power train warm-up optimization, which result in reduced fuel consumption and emissions - beneficial for both the customer and local car legislations.

This paper describes an approach to develop multifunctional encapsulations. Reduction of fuel consumption - the primary goal - can be attained by extending the cool down time of the power train after engine shutoff; this will increase the probability of having a warm engine at the subsequent engine start. In addition BMW's development process enhances emission as well as exterior noise reduction and passenger thermal comfort.

The fuel consumption during warm-up was analyzed and the correlation between actual customer benefit and improvements, measured according to official testing procedures, were investigated. Therefore different encapsulation concepts are presented and discussed in the context of an entire vehicle heat management concept.