NEW Engine Ferrari’s Oval V12_ Volkswagen’s Oval Pistons _ Tank Tech _ Torch Ignition!

Ferrari has patented a new V12 engine, featuring groundbreaking solutions that will allow the V12 to survive even with the stringent Euro 7 environmental standards, while also becoming significantly more compact, maintaining its full volume and power. And while other bloggers are talking about previously unseen innovations and the challenges these solutions may bring, the truth is, Ferrari has already thought this through, it's all been carefully designed, and it's perfectly feasible for Ferrari to pull it off. In this overview, we'll break down these solutions in detail. The Ferrari patent reveals three innovations planned to be combined into a single V12 engine. Oval pistons, coupled connecting rods, and pre-chambers. Let's start with the oval pistons. We first saw such a solution in Honda's racing motorcycles, which tried to outsmart the rules of the time in order to compete with two-stroke engines. Back then, there were restrictions on the maximum number of cylinders, specifically four cylinders, and an engine capacity up to 500 cubic centimeters. To work within these technical regulations and achieve the same power output from a four-stroke engine as a two-stroke engine, Honda merged two cylinders into one. This created a V4 engine with oval pistons and eight valves per cylinder. The main idea behind this was that eight valves per cylinder would allow more air to flow in and thus burn more fuel, which was expected to provide a performance advantage. While they still couldn't compete with the two-strokes of the era, Honda's motorcycles were heavier, but the technology was tested, reliability issues were solved, and they even released a limited series of street motorcycles featuring these oval pistons. It turns out that Volkswagen also experimented with oval pistons in the 90s. In the image, we see two blocks of roughly the same size, but the block with oval cylinders allowed the engine capacity to increase from 1.6 liters to 2.3 liters. This was a diesel engine. So, even back in the 90s, Volkswagen saw potential in oval pistons and cylinders, though at that time it was impractical from a budget perspective and the technology wasn't advanced enough to implement it. As for Ferrari, the solutions in this patent are primarily focused on reducing the length of the engine. Therefore, unlike Honda, Ferrari has oriented the oval pistons 90 degrees differently. This allows the 12 pistons to be packed more compactly while maintaining the full engine volume. Additionally, instead of double-connecting rods, Ferrari uses single-connecting rods with chains. We'll revisit that later. But the oval shape doesn't just make the engine shorter. It also offers another advantage. Since the piston's tilt is now along the narrower part of the oval, unlike Honda's design, it results in less overall friction. In theory, this means the engine will have a slightly higher efficiency, higher RPMs, and potentially more power. Of course, this will also lead to higher rolling resistance. But Ferrari can take advantage of advanced 3D printing technology to mitigate this issue, unlike what Honda dealt with 50 years ago. As for the valves, while Ferrari hasn't revealed all the details, it's likely they'll follow Honda's path. 8 valves for better scavenging, meaning there will be a total of 96 valves. But Ferrari also has another patent designed specifically for the Euro 7 emission standards. This involves using pre-chambers and two spark plugs. According to the patent, a small amount of fuel is injected before the first spark plug ignites to improve cold starts and low load performance. This results in quicker exhaust temperature build-up and faster catalyst warming, which is a big win for emissions. If we recall the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar, it uses four electric catalytic converter heaters that require 16 kilowatts of power. Ferrari, on the other hand, might implement the pre-chamber system to achieve faster warm-ups. In the primary engine operation, ignition happens in the pre-chamber, where a small amount of fuel is injected and then the second spark plug ignites it. This creates a flame front that evenly ignites the fuel-air mixture in the main combustion chamber, improving burn efficiency, reducing the risk of knocking and allowing for higher compression ratios. This improves both emissions and performance. Pre-chambers have been used since 1992 in Volgas and were later applied in Formula One and in street cars like Maserati MC20. So Ferrari could implement this pre-chamber technology into their V12 with oval pistons, which is especially useful in an oval cylinder for evenly igniting the entire fuel-air mixture. Many may also wonder about the sealing rings. Honestly, I don't see much of an issue here. Honda solved it in their motorcycles and while there were only 300 production bikes, they didn't encounter sealing ring problems. Ferrari, judging by their patents, has developed four sealing rings. Now, let's address what has raised the most questions, the coupled connecting rods. Instead of using double connecting rods, Ferrari opted for single ones and one connecting rod is attached to the other, hence the name coupled. This reduces the number of journals on the crankshaft by two. Making it smaller, lighter and stronger. But coupled rods do have a significant downside. Since they have different lengths and different motion trajectories, the piston on the main rod and the coupled one will move differently within the cylinder and will even have different compression ratios. But coupled connecting rods aren't a new solution. For instance, the Soviet V-2 tank engine from the 30s used coupled rods. This engine also featured a V-12 configuration, direct injection and an aluminum block. It was installed in the T-34 tank. Ferrari's engine will be similar. Most likely the pistons will have different strokes and compression ratios. But as forums describe, the varying piston speeds and balancing in the tank engine evened things out and there wasn't much imbalance in the engine's operation. The main issue back then was that the load on the primary rod was significantly higher, which prevented the engine from reaching high RPMs nearly 100 years ago. And there was uneven piston wear between the primary and coupled heads, which Ferrari will likely face too. But again, this is Ferrari. Who needs a million-mile lifespan anyway? This solution also has advantages. Less weight on the rods, a lighter crankshaft, less vibration due to no offset cylinders, and of course, the engine length can be reduced. So, what do we have in the end? Honda showed 50 years ago that oval pistons work. And they're a reliable solution. Nowadays, 3D modeling and 3D printing have advanced much further, making pistons in supercars lighter and more reliable. The oval piston could even increase efficiency by reducing friction, although the durability of such a piston will definitely be lower. The use of pre-chambers solves the issue of evenly igniting the fuel mixture in an oval cylinder and improves emissions, a technology previously used in Volga's Formula One and Maserati's. Coupled connecting rods have been around for nearly 100 years, and with modern technologies, Ferrari can overcome the challenges of this setup. Thanks to these innovations, Ferrari will be able to create the most compact V12 in history, which will be one-third smaller while maintaining its full volume. It will also become more eco-friendly, have a better center of gravity, and still leave room for a small electric motor. In the end, this will allow Ferrari's V12 to continue to exist with its magnificent sound, even under the strict Euro 7 standards.