Zurich start-up develops virtual engine tuning

Developed by two young Swiss entrepreneurs, Christophe Barro and Panagiotis Kyrtatos, these combustion and emission models can be used as virtual sensors in a physical engine to simulate performance.

They can then be used for continuous re-tuning of the engines for specific emission limits and minimisation of fuel consumption, modelling performance that can be improved by (for example) changing nominal speed or replacing individual components to make the engine run more efficiently at lower speeds. With the help of their virtual testbed, Barro and Kyrtatos are able to calculate in advance how a motor will run with certain settings and which of its components need to be modified in order to achieve the necessary savings.

“Even a saving in the low single-digit percentage range can make a big difference in the shipping business”, said Barro. “We reckon that one of our simulation units will cost between 20,000 and 30,000 Swiss francs per ship. Although that sounds like a lot of money, it’s still a good investment, as the amount is recouped in savings within a year.”

These sensors have a big advantage over their physical counterparts because they can be placed anywhere in the engine, the company claims. This saves shipping companies the task of continuously recalibrating and/or replacing sensors.