In order to achieve target greenhouse gas reductions, 1 in 10 new vehicles must have CO2 emissions of <100g/km by 2012.  Various technologies, such as electromagnetic valve actuation, integrated starter-alternators, turbo-compressors and torque boost systems are emerging in order to meet this goal.  However, one consequence of the increased use of electrical actuation is the increase in electrical power required by the vehicle: to levels as high as 10kW.

The efficient generation of relatively large quantities of electrical energy in vehicles is becoming an increasingly important issue.  An attractive solution to meeting these demands is to extract electrical energy by means of a generator driven by a high-speed exhaust mounted turbine.

The TIGERS project, conducted in partnership with Visteon and the University of Sheffield, is a multi-disciplinary system level design in which the electrical generation capabilities of the turbo-generator are optimally matched to the requirements of the load and energy storage system.

The goal of the project is the realisation of a high power density SR Drive^® machine together with its power electronic converter and the associated energy storage and control systems.

DTI Foresight Vehicle funded project TIGERS, “Turbo-generator Integrated Gas Energy Recovery System.”