No. 376: A new simulation technology to estimate the concentration of a particulate matter (December 10, 2011)

In North America and Europe, it is planned to intensify the regulation on the emissions of a particulate matter (PM) generated in the burning process of a gasoline engine beginning in 2014. Hitachi developed a simulation technology to estimate the concentration of a PM smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter emitted from a gasoline engine. Hitachi’s new simulation technology is expected to halve the testing frequency of engine parts to control PM emissions, allowing automakers to develop a fuel system satisfying the new regulation effectively. The company plans to put engine parts developed by this new technology into practical use toward 2016.

In collaboration with Technische Universität München of Germany, the company developed an analysis technology to construct a precise model of PM generation using a chemical reaction formula. It worked out a simultaneous equation with only four variables of temperature and pressure of fluid, concentration of fuel, and extent of reaction, and successfully shortened the computation time required for the simulation of intricately-shaped engine parts to one hundredth. The newly developed simulation technology combined with Hitachi’s self-developed 3D fluid simulation technology and the technology jointly developed with Technische Universität München has made it possible to conduct simulations of PM generation consistently. It is expected that Hitachi’s new simulation technology will reduce the man-hour required to develop a whole engine fuel system by about 30%.