On 20 April the 2024 World Congress on Internal Combustion Engines got under way in Tianjin, China. The congress is aimed at showcasing the industry's latest technological advancements. At the event, Weichai Power unveiled what is believed to be the world's first diesel engine with an intrinsic thermal efficiency of 53.09%. The achievement was officially recognized by TÜV SÜD, and the China Automotive Technology & Research Centre, a professional testing body for Chinese internal combustion engines. Both organisations issued product testing reports and certificates to Weichai Power, confirming the company's new world record in the key economic index of diesel engine thermal efficiency.
Since 2015, Weichai Power has been assembling a specialised research team to tackle the development of high-thermal efficiency engines. The team has been collaborating with leading researchers, domestically and internationally, along with industry and university research partners, to conduct cutting-edge technical research and push the boundaries of innovation in four main areas – high-expansion combustion, mixed-flow pressurisation, high-efficiency fuel injection, and low-resistance friction-reducing technologies.
In September 2020, Weichai marked a significant milestone by introducing a diesel engine with a record-breaking thermal efficiency of 50.23 %. Further progress resulted in increasing thermal efficiency to 51.09 %, in January 2022, then in November that year a figure of 52.28 % was achieved.
Building on its these achievements, Weichai Power's research team dedicated more than 500 days of focused effort to further refine what it considered the four critical systems listed above, and made further advances in all four. These developments, achieved through incremental gains of 0.1% at each step, culminated in a remarkable milestone: breaking through the 53% thermal efficiency barrier for the first time globally. During this process, the team was granted 176 invention patents and 68 utility model patents.
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Dirk von Wahl, CEO of TüV SÜD North Asia acknowledged the achievement, saying that Weichai's results are ‘exceptional on the global stage, far exceeding current standards’, and expressed his belief that this technological milestone will significantly support China's carbon neutrality goals and green development initiatives.
Based on current estimates of Chinese diesel engine ownership, upgrading from a thermal efficiency of 45-46% to 53% can improve engine economy by approximately 14%. This advancement translates to annual fuel savings of around 31 million tons and a reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 97 million tons, and substantially reduced fuel costs.
Tan Xuguang, vice president of the Chinese Society for Internal Combustion Engines and chairman of Weichai Power attributed the company’s four successive breakthroughs in engine performance to the nearly 4000 days and nights of dedication by Weichai engineers, and acknowledged too the crucial role of open collaboration with top global universities and research institutions.
Image: Weichai Power's diesel engine
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