Just a topic for everyone to flog. The whole article can be found at:quote:
“The day will come—maybe in the not-too-distant future—when you don’t refer to a ‘gasoline engine’ or a ‘diesel engine’ or a ‘spark ignition’ or a ‘compression ignition’ engine,” Brown says. The engine in question, he explains, will be something of a hybrid. And it will be called an “HCCI engine.” That’s as in “Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition.”
Apparently, the HCCI engine can be as efficient as a direct-injection diesel engine. Yet it produces little in the way of NOx and particulates (hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide are a different story). One of the reasons why there’s a reduction in particulates is because the charge is well mixed, which is akin to what happens in a spark-ignition engine. Compared to the systems in today’s direct-injected diesels, the injection systems will probably operate at lower pressures, which will keep the costs down. As for the fuel, it could be something of a combination of gasoline and diesel fuel, something that the powertrain insiders sometimes refer to as “dieselene.”
One of the tricky parts of making an HCCI engine work is having precise control over temperature, pressure and the fuel-air mix for appropriate combustion. The one thing that is making the HCCI engine even possible are the burgeoning improvements in control technology.
Time frame? “Easily within 10 years,” Brown answers. “He adds, “The heavy-duty segment of the market will probably see it in five years or less.” (The Mr brown in this is Peter Brown, vice president, Powertrain Projects & Design, Ricardo Inc.)
http://www.autofieldguide.com/articles/010407.html