Pre-ignition Prevention
Program (PPP) Consortium
Contact Information
Thomas Briggs, Ph.D.
Principal Engineer
Advanced Combustion & Emissions
Engine and Vehicle R&D
Engine, Emissions, & Vehicle Research
(210) 522-5153
thomas.briggs@swri.org
The Pre-ignition Prevention Program (PPP) Consortium is a two-year consortium that will focus on pre-competitive technology and investigate the effects of lube composition, lube and fuel interaction, and engine hardware on low-speed pre-ignition. The PPP Consortium was formed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), and it will begin in January 2011.
Pre-ignition Prevention Program Consortium Background
Because of the rising price of oil and the growing concern over CO2 emissions, fuel economy has become a more significant factor in the automobile industry than at any time in the past 10 years. In addition, in the U.S. market, the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will increase the focus on improving fuel consumption in light-duty vehicles. OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and engine suppliers are taking steps to improve fuel consumption, primarily by downsizing and boosting, which consists of reducing engine displacement while increasing the specific power output by turbocharging to maintain the larger engine's torque and power output. Unfortunately, downsized and boosted engines exhibit a destructive abnormal combustion mode called low-speed pre-ignition, or LSPI.
PPP Consortium Goals
The primary objective of the proposed consortium is to develop a fundamental understanding of the factors that lead to low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) and design a solution to eliminate it.
Additional consortium objectives include:
- Understand the effect of the physical and chemical properties of lube oil and its interaction with fuel on LSPI
- Understand how hardware design can be used to mitigate the effects of lube oil on LSPI
- Develop a fuel and/or lube specification and test methodology that allows SwRI to identify fluids that improve LSPI performance
Engines Used in the PPP Consortium
The engines that will be used represent a cross-section of currently available and potential future engines. SwRI will use one small bore (1.6L to 2.0L L4) engine and one larger bore (3.5L V6) to ensure that the measurements and developed solutions are universal. Both engines will be fully instrumented using custom-designed data acquisition for measurement of LSPI.
PPP Consortium Participants
The Pre-ignition Prevention Program Consortium is open to all interested industry clients.
PPP Consortium Deliverables
Consortium deliverables include:
- A royalty-free, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to all intellectual property (IP) generated on this program
- A royalty-free, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to the background IP already generated by SwRI
- Detailed technical information on all test procedures and methods
- All data generated by the consortium
- Monthly progress reports
- Monthly conference calls
- A comprehensive final report
- Program Advisory Committee (PAC) meetings to review project progress at four-month intervals
Consortium Schedule
The program began January 1, 2011, and will run through January 1, 2013. There was a kickoff PAC meeting at SwRI in January 2011, followed by PAC meetings approximately every four months.
PPP Consortium Price
The total price for participation in this two-year program is $225,000 for automotive OEMs, lubricant suppliers, and additive suppliers, and $175,000 for other interested parties (e.g., other automotive suppliers). The minimum aggregate amount required to begin work is $1.35 million and funding of at least $2.25 million is required to consider the program fully funded.
Related Terminology
pre-ignition prevention program consortium • low-speed pre-ignition elimination • lube composition • lube and fuel interaction • lubrication composition • low-speed pre-ignition • LSPI
