F1's new heartbeat: 2014 V6 turbo engines

Renault “Energy F1″ 2014 V6 engine (Source: Renault Sport F1)

Yesterday, Renault Sport released some images of their 2014 V6 engine along with an audio file as to how they will sound.

The new engines clearly sound very different from the current V8′s but contrary to the belief that the difference in sound is due to the reduction in the number of cylinders, it is more due to the turbochargers taking in the exhaust air and therefore the sound of the exhausts being attenuated.

One thing to note is that in the audio clip, the engine has been heavily short-shifted and as a result, the sound might be a bit more representative when we hear them reaching the rev limits on each gear.

Coming to the details of the engine, as shown in the above picture, there are five basic parts: MGUK, MGUH, Intercooler, Energy Store and Turbocharger.

Let’s take a look at each of them in detail:

MGUK: Motor Generator Unit (Kinetic)

This is basically the KERS, which will recover energy from the kinetic energy under braking. Maximum energy from the MGUK to the Energy Store (ES) is limited to 2MJ per lap, while from ES to MGUK should not be more than 4MJ per lap.

From this it may be understood that contrary to the present, KERS that has been stored on the previous lap might be used on the next lap as well. But that will also depend on the amount of recovery the driver does by making adjustments on his steering wheel.

When we compare the current KERS capacity to that of the 2014 MGUK, we see that next year the MGUK will have a much larger say in the lap times. Here are a few comparisons:

Max. Output/Lap: 2013 KERS- 60 kW, 2014 MGUK- 120 kW

Max. Energy released/Lap: 2013 KERS- 400 kJ, 2014 MGUK- 4 MJ

Power output (HP): 2013 KERS- 80 HP for 6 seconds, 2014 MGUK- 161 HP for 33.3 seconds

Turbocharger

Turbocharger

This is the big change aimed at improving fuel efficiency and as a result making the sport ‘greener’. The above image shows how a turbocharger works. It consists of two main components: a turbine and a compressor (impeller).

The hot air from the exhaust spins the turbine, which in turn spins the impeller. The work of the impeller is to compress the incoming air so that more amount of air can enter the cylinders in one stroke. The main advantage of this is more power output is possible without increase in the engine’s weight.

The turbine is connected to the impeller with the help of a shaft that can rotate either inside a fluid medium or on specialised ball bearings. Turbines can be of various sizes and sometimes that can limit the amount of boost produced depending on the engine RPM.

For example: at higher RPM’s there is more pressure in the exhausts, which can rotate the turbine at higher speeds provided the turbine has the capacity to rotate at such high speeds. If the turbine blades are small, then however large the pressure might be they won’t rotate beyond a certain limit.

To overcome that, many technologies such as twin-turbos, variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) etc. are used in road cars. But such technologies will not be permitted for the next year at least with the regulations clearly banning VGT and restricting the number of turbochargers to 1.

Intercooler

The work of the intercooler is to cool down the air coming from the turbocharger before it enters the cylinders. As cooler air has more density, it helps in packing even more air inside the cylinders before combustion. The hot compressed (inside) air becomes cooler after heat transfer takes place from the inside air to the tubes of the intercooler to the outside air.

MGUH: Motor Generator Unit (Heat)

This unit is connected to the turbocharger and its work is to recover the energy from the turbo unit.

Energy Store

Here all the energy recovered from the MGUH and MGUK will be stored, which can be used to propel the car apart from the engine itself. According to the regulations, it is the part of the Energy Recovery System (ERS) that stores energy, including its safety control electronics and a minimal housing.

It won’t be long before Mercedes and the Ferrari unveil their V6 units and it will be interesting to see how these three differ from each other. Such differences and attention to detail is what will decide who will start winning early next year.