The effect of thermal barrier coating on a turbo-charged Diesel engine performance and exergy potential of the exhaust gas

In this study, the effect of insulated combustion chamber surfaces on the turbocharged, direct injection Diesel engine performance was experimentally investigated. Satisfactory performance was obtained with the low heat rejection (LHR) engine. In comparison to a standard Diesel engine, specific fuel consumption was decreased by 6%, and brake thermal efficiency was increased by 2%. It was concluded that the exhaust gas process was the most important source of available energy, which must be recovered via secondary heat recovery devices. The available exhaust gas energy of the LHR engine was 3-27% higher for the LHR engine compared to the standard (STD) Diesel engine. However, it is impossible to recover all the exhaust gas energy in useful work. It is found that the maximum extractable power is less than 47% of the exhaust power. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.