1

SuperTruck Program: Engine Project Review

Recovery Act – Class 8 Truck Freight Efficiency 

Improvement Project

PI: Sandeep Singh (Engine)

Detroit Diesel Corporation

June 20, 2014

Project ID: ACE058

This presentation does not contain any proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information
2

Overview

 Project start: April 2010

 Project end: March 2015

 Percent complete: 80%

 WHR performance trade-offs and cooling 

challenges on-board vehicle.

 Complex controls architecture and integration 

of powertrain and novel technologies.

 Reliability of prototype systems in 

development and demonstration phase.

 Low temperature transient emissions controls.

 Realistic 55% engine BTE roadmap.

Budget

Timeline Barriers & Challenges

Partners  Engine Budget $31,633,001

 DOE Share* $12,883,779

 Detroit Share* $12,883,779

* Program spending through March 2014 

for engine R&D; vehicle R&D expenses 

reported separately.

 Department of Energy

 Oak Ridge National Laboratory

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology

 Atkinson LLC

 Daimler Trucks North America

 Daimler Advanced Engineering
Daimler Truck SuperTruck Program

3

Develop and demonstrate a 50% increase in vehicle freight efficiency:

 30% increase via vehicle improvements.

 20% increase via engine improvements; specifically 50% brake thermal efficiency.

 Identify pathway to 55% brake thermal efficiency via modeling and analysis.

Approach and Relevance

 ARRAVT080 – DTNA SuperTruck vehicle program; PI – Derek Rotz

 ACE058 – Detroit Diesel SuperTruck engine; PI – Sandeep Singh

Engine Downspeed & Downsize 
4

SuperTruck Demonstration Status

 Prototype A-sample SuperTruck vehicle built and being utilized for testing and development.

 Successful integration of complex technologies – EHR, hybrid & HV systems, controllers and 

network architecture, new cooling layout, new hydraulic systems, powertrain.

 Final demonstration truck builds in progress.

46.8%

47.9%

1.3%

2.3%

PY3 PY4

Brake Thermal Efficiency

Engine WHR

48.1% 

50.2% 

Enablers for Project Year 4 (PY4) 

BTE Improvement  2.1%

 Further increase in compression ratio 

(CR), piston bowl and matching injector 

profile optimization.

 Third iteration of turbo-charger.

 Optimized liner cooling.

 EGR waste heat recovery.

 WHR component and calibration 

optimization.

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
SuperTruck Core Engine BTE Status

47.9% BTE SuperTruck Core Engine 

Technology Package

• Downsizing to 10.7L from 14.8L

• Reduced EGR & optimized turbocharger 

and air system match

• Higher compression ratio, piston bowl 

optimization, matching injector nozzles

• Variable speed water pump

• Low viscosity oil and higher oil film 

temperatures

• Piston kit improvements

• High efficiency, lower restriction 

aftertreatment

+ + + + 

5

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
Piston and Compression Ratio

6

Fuel Injection System

 Optimized combustion package for best fuel 

economy.

 Peak firing pressure increased by 15%.

 Plans to test even higher CR. (55% scoping)

 Efficient part load operation, but challenges with 

high load durability, head & block design and 

material, NVH, emissions.

 Best injector and piston combination 

selected after extensive testing.

 Combination of single cylinder and 

multicylinder platforms used for this 

investigation.

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
Air Handling 

 Turbo sized for reduced EGR and 

air mass contributing to lower 

pumping losses.

 Tuned for a downsped engine.

 Engine air system design leverages a 

lower power rating required for the 

aerodynamically and parasitically 

efficient SuperTruck.

 Approach requires a very high 

efficiency SCR and low 

backpressure aftertreatment (ATS).

7

 Variable speed water 

pump, lower viscosity oil, 

bundled cylinder kit 

improvements. 

 Altered cooling to midstroke area of the liner 

(Detroit/MIT).

Parasitic Reductions

Further Investigations

(55% Scoping)...

 Next evolution of liner 

cooling optimization 

(Detroit/MIT).

 New lubricant formulation 

(MIT+oil supplier). 

 Oil circuit and pump 

optimizations (MIT). 

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
SuperTruck Engine Control Approach

8

 Model based controls (MBC) optimize fuel 

economy and constraint emissions in real 

time.

 Extensive transient & steady state mapping 

used to calibrate engine models.

 Both offline & real time optimization of 

engine set-points for improved transient 

performance & fuel economy.

Approach and Relevance
9 

Engine Controller Accomplishments

 Controller implemented on a micro-autobox on-board vehicle.

 Standardized and reduced calibration process for each hardware iteration.

 Real time optimization on dynamometer successfully drives the engine to a 

broad range of emissions/fuel economy trade-offs. 

 Preparation for demonstration vehicle testing is currently underway, to 

quantify transient fuel economy impact on the vehicle.

 Future development of MBC includes

 Predictive route adaptation

 Environmental and aging adaptation

 Virtual sensing for diagnostics

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
10

• Low EGR reduces 

pumping losses.

• Lower backpressure 

further reduces pumping 

losses.

• Higher engine out 

NOx:PM ratio lends to an 

over the road passive 

regeneration tendency. 

• Savings in over the road 

active regeneration fuel.

ATS Engine 

• Lower backpressure 

device

• High performance SCR 

catalyst, thin-wall DPF, 

high flow DEF doser 

• Insulated exhaust and 

ATS on the vehicle

• Very high NOx 

conversion over the 

road to maintain 

emissions compliance 

with high engine out 

NOx (steady state)

Aftertreatment System

• EPA10 RMC and road load compliance demonstrated.

• Low temperature transient challenges being addressed 

by engine+ATS systems approach

• Real world degradation/ aging of a system required to 

consistently perform at high efficiency is a challenge

Emissions 

Compliance 

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
Waste Heat Recovery (WHR)

11

 System functional on A-sample SuperTruck 

prototype.

 Successful integration with the HV hybrid 

system and a modified cooling package.

Scroll Expander Boiler 

Prototype Components 

Coupled Expander Generator

Stator model

Wound field,

no-rare earth

e-machine

Technical Accomplishments and Progress

Lab schematic of 

Rankine heat engine
WHR Progress & Accomplishments

12

• Primary contributor to PY4 efficiency improvement 

is EGR heat recovery and component optimizations.

• Current approach has numerous vehicle integration 

challenges.

• Analytical stretch projections assume improved 

component efficiencies, CAC heat recovery, and a 

low temperature condenser approach.

• Analytical stretch may prove to be impractical with 

state of the art vehicle technology. 

Technical Accomplishments and Progress
WHR Vehicle Integration

13

Underhood cooling

challenges, bigger

condenser radiator

Texh,avg 

Smaller,

efficient,

boiler

Tamb 

Tb,avg 

Tc,avg 

Bigger

Tb,avg boiler

Tc,avg Compact

condenser

radiator

 WHR vehicle cooling requires a holistic 

approach.

 Integrated vehicle, engine & WHR 

system models leveraged for design and 

layout.

Process Temperature Impact on Design 

Electrical Vs. Mechanical Feedback

Electrical Mechanical

Pros Better energy 

management

Higher efficiency

Cons Hybrid

dependent

System sealing challenges w/ 

shaft seals, mag coupling etc.

Barriers & Challenges
ORNL Collaboration on Dual Fuel

• Explore dual-fuel operation within the constraints of a stock engine

• Potential petroleum displacement in conventional modes

• Potential ɳ% and emissions impact in low temperature combustion (LTC) 

modes (55% BTE scoping)

• Evaluate LTC and limitations on a multi-cylinder engine

• Combustion stability & phasing

• High PMAX, dP/dt & EGR

• Detroit engine modified for PFI natural gas, DI diesel

• Fyda Energy Solutions providing Sequential PFI hardware

• Engine installation and system integration underway, dual-fuel experiments 

scheduled for Summer 2014

• Fundamentally targeting a more optimum ROHR at part load, within the 

mechanical constraints of the engine

14

Approach and Relevance
55% BTE Scoping Activities in 2014

15

Sub-System Testing Analytical 

Combustion 

Even Higher CR

LTC & Dual fuel

WHR 

 

Friction Reduction 

Air System 

Ideal HRR scoping

In-cylinder insulation

Mechanical

Feedback

Component optimization,

Beyond exhaust recovery,

Low temperature condensation

Further EGR 

reduction

Engine 

Simulations 

Parameterized models 

for engine design & 

configuration impact 

on part load efficiency 

Liner insulation iterations, 

New oils

Oil circuit 

modifications

High efficiency turbo,

Low restrictions E-TC 

Preliminary analytical 

estimates for 55%

BTE roadmap

Approach and Relevance
SuperTruck Partnerships and Collaborations

Collaborations/Partnerships

Department of Energy:  Roland Gravel  Gurpreet Singh

 Ken Howden  Carl Maronde

16

Engine

Powertrain/Parasitics Fleet

Hybrid

Transmission

Aero/Cooling

Atkinson LLC 

Aftertreatment
SuperTruck Program Summary

 50.2% engine BTE demonstrated including WHR.

 Weight neutral engine target; downsized engine with WHR.

 WHR functional on prototype A-sample SuperTruck.

 Remaining 1 year of SuperTruck.

 Demonstrate efficacy and FE advantage of model based real time engine controls onboard the demonstrator SuperTruck vehicle.

 Performance and controls tuning for engine & WHR ongoing for demonstrator 

chassis.

 Demonstrator chassis and truck build ongoing; FE and performance demonstration to 

start September.

 Sub-system level testing and analysis for 55% BTE building blocks initiated.

 Final reporting.

17

Summary and Future Work