Tiago Costa MIT Portugal EDAM-LTI PhD student and Researcher at the School of Engineering of the University of Minho (EEUM) was interviewed on "90 Segundos de Ciência" about his project focused on the reuse of internal energy to increase the efficiency of internal combustion engines.
"Nowadays most engines, namely in cars with petrol engines, have a maximum efficiency of 30%. With this new technology which reuses internal energy, the goal is to reach values of 40 to 50%", says Tiago Costa. According to the researcher this technology is based on the use of subtechnologies, with emphasis on the internal injection of water in the engine which allows for an increase in the rate of compression and over expansion.
In brief, Tiago Costa explains that "the engine has several cycles and during a combustion cycle there is, in a normal engine, heat transfer losses to the walls. Instead of wasting this energy in the radiator we plan to do a regeneration, an internal recovery of that energy through the direct injection of water against the walls."