Where Does the Energy Get Wasted?
The scientists working on the flaws of the internal combustion engine (ICE) are well aware of the fact that these engines are not very efficient. There are pumping losses, friction losses and waste heat losses to deal with. There’s the fundamental problem of how large and powerful an engine needs to be for a given application. Understanding these problems is key to understanding why GDI was developed and how it works. Engines are usually sized for the maximum anticipated power need, when most of the time a smaller and more fuel-efficient engine would do just fine. Fixed-displacement engines are just that—fixed. The problem is that the displacement the vehicle owner thought he’d need to pull a trailer or boat has to be fed with fuel and air even when it’s not towing a load. This lack of flexibility is a key component of efficiency loss. One fundamental problem with preparing the air/fuel mixture outside of the cylinder is that it limits the options for the ratio of fuel and air or of ai
