19 February 2016

Advantages and disadvantages of HCCI engine

HCCI engine full form is Homogeneous charge compression ignition engine. HCCI is a form of internal combustion in which well-mixed fuel and air are compressed to the autoignition temperature of the fuel. HCCI provide huge benefits as a future driving propulsion unit to both light and heavy-duty engines. Let us have a deep insight into the pros and cons of the HCCI engine in this article. 

Advantages of the HCCI engine :

  • Fuel-saving. 
  • Lean fuel operated diesel-like compression ratio.
  • Clean combustion and lower emissions.
  • The peak temperature is lower than the SI engine.
  • NOx and soot emissions are negligible.
  • Operated on all alternative fuels.
  • Low throttling losses.
  • HCCI is also applicable to be used outside the transportation sector such as those used for electrical power generation. 
  • HCCI must be operated at very high compression ratios resulting in high efficiency and clean exhaust gases.

Disadvantages of HCCI engine :

  • High in-cylinder pressure may cause damage to the engine.
  • Fast heat release and pressure rise contribute to engine wear.
  • Auto-ignition is difficult to control.
  • Constraints at low load.
  • Small power range.
  • Problems at high load condition because of cylinder pressure restrictions.
  • CO emissions are high as compared to the SI engine.