Publications

For Alex's MRes summer project, he studied the effects of “Turbocompounding the Opposed-Piston 2-Stroke (OP2S) Engine” with a focus on quantifying the expected Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) improvement. In order to achieve this, Alex needed to first create a model of an OP2S engine within GT Power, an engine simulation software package. After the MRes year was finished, Alex was able to turn the summer research project report into a conference paper which was published as part of the SAE WCX World Congress Experience Digital Summit in 2021.

Opposed-piston two-stroke engines reveal degrees of freedom that make them excellent candidates for next generation, highly efficient internal combustion engines for hybrid electric vehicles and power systems. The effect of crankshaft phasing and intake and exhaust port height-to-stroke ratios on a range of scavenging performance parameters and other effects are explored in depth in his latest article in Energies: “The Effect of Crankshaft Phasing and Port Timing Asymmetry on Opposed-Piston Engine Thermal Efficiency”, where it has been shown that lean operation favours port timing asymmetry, whereas, under stoichiometric conditions, best efficiencies are found during symmetrical port timing.