Internal combustion engine analysis overview

We provide a total solution for engine research, development, optimization and also for component development and testing, such as ignition systems, exhaust systems, and valve control gear.

High-end isolated SIRIUS data acquisition systems and the award-winning DewesoftX data acquisition software offer easy measurement and analysis of internal combustion engines of any type (gasoline, diesel, etc.). The system supports angle and time-based measurement and uses highly sophisticated algorithms for online or offline mathematics and statistics to calculate heat release and other thermodynamic parameters.

The combustion analyzer system can either be used in-car (via the INCA interface) or it can be fully integrated into a test-bed environment. Additional synchronized acquisition from other data sources like video, GPS, CAN, FlexRay, XCP/CCP, and Ethernet, can easily be combined.

In addition to combustion analysis, the same system can be also used for power analysis. Availability to measure high voltage and current signals our solution is perfect for hybrid engine and powertrain testing. The combustion analyzer system can be used on all types of vehicles with internal combustion engines, such as passenger cars, trucks, ships, motorcycles, power-saw, etc.

Combustion analysis features

Our combustion analysis module has several features, which are thoroughly described and presented in the CEA webinar.

• Firing order: predefined from a drop-down menu or by custom input

• Cylinder deactivation: from a CAN or AI channel

• Zero level correction: separate correction mode for each cylinder (mixed sensor type)

• Polytropic coefficient: dual polytropic coefficient, for compression and for expansion

• Variable compression ratio: Switching between multiple volume curves based on a CAN or AI channel

• High angle resolution: from 2° to 0.025° angle resolution with raw data also available in the time domain

• Multiple combustion analyzers: an unlimited number can run in parallel

• New outputs

  • Compression curve: theoretical compression curve plot

  • Polytropic coefficient: Calculation of polytropic coefficient and automatic input of the calculated polytropic coefficient (dual-fuel engines)

  • Thermodynamics 2

• Automatic channel color and scaling information transfer from analog inputs

Suitable for All Fuel Types

The Dewesoft combustion analyzer is designed to handle all fuel types:

• gasoline,

• diesel,

• hydrogen,

• natural gas, or

• flex-fuel engines.

This makes Dewesoft combustion analyzer a very versatile solution for engine testing across various industries. Our system delivers accurate in-cylinder pressure analysis, efficiency calculations, and real-time combustion diagnostics. The analyzer supports conventional and alternative fuels, helping engineers develop cleaner, more efficient, and high-performance powertrains for the future.

Simple and intuitive measurement setup

The award-winning Dewesoft X data acquisition software offers an easy and very intuitive configuration process. Simply select the engine type with the number of cylinders and its geometrical parameters and you are ready to measure combustion. 

The cylinder menu offers a selection of the analog channel for each cylinder and allows you to define the alignment of the cylinder angles. In the engine setup section, additional injection channels and channels for transforming any input channel to angle based measurement can be selected.

The last step is to select the angle sensor type and define the desired output resolution (down to 0.1°). The TDC (Top Dead Centre) can be detected automatically, without firing, using the maximum pressure level or optionally with a dedicated TDC sensor.

When the configuration is complete you can select your desired calculation outputs. Overall or running-average, derivation, temperature, heat release, work, power are just some of the available possibilities.

Heat Release Calculation

The online heat release calculates the energy for each cycle and its related parameters. Another calculation is the exact angular progression (5, 10, 50 or 90%) of the energy. The SOC (start of combustion) and EOC (end of combustion) are calculated.

All these values are based on the heat release algorithm. The software will calculate and visualize all these values as well as the relevant mean values like IMEPg, PMEP, and IMEPn. 

All the parameters can be visualized online in a graphical or in a numerical views.

Combustion noise measurement and analysis

Combustion noise is becoming increasingly important as a major noise source in internal combustion engines and thus becoming an important decision parameter of buying combustion engines. The design and development of modern internal combustion engines are marked by a reduction in exhaust gas emissions and an increase in specific power and torque. Correspondingly, combustion noise excitation, and fuel consumption also have to be reduced.

Our combustion analyzer has the capability to measure the noise level caused by an internal combustion engine during operation. The combustion noise must be calculated in the time domain. The measured value is scaled from the Bar unit to the Pascal unit. This is then followed by the U-filter, which simulates the transfer function of the engine (1. and 2. filter in the overview).

Learn more - Combustion Noise Dewesoft X Online Manual.

Raw data storage, post processing and reporting capabilities

Since all the raw data from the sensors is stored in the data file you can apply all the mathematics easily later in post-processing. This allows delaying CPU intense calculations until after the measurement has finished. 

The stored data can easily be export to a variety of standard file formats compatible with today‘s most popular analysis software packages like FlexPro, MATLAB, Excel, AVL CONCERTOTM and many more. You can even export the whole measurement view to an AVI video file to create dynamic documentation or print a PDF report.

The data file can be viewed and analyzed on as many computers as needed without the need to purchase any additional software license form us. You can also distribute the data file outside of your company (e.g your customers) and anyone can view, reply and apply additional analysis. Simply let them download Dewesoft X software and open the shared data file.

Seamless integration with other measurement domains

The Dewesoft combustion analyzer goes beyond traditional combustion analysis by enabling seamless multi-domain measurements. It can be combined with our vibration analysis and order tracking features.

For more information please check:

• Dewesoft order analysis solution

• Dewesoft vibration analysis solutions

For more details you can check our case study on Synchronized Combustion and NVH Measurements on an Engine Test Bench.

Combustion Drivetrain Resources

Here are some additional resources about Dewesoft Combustion Analyzer:

• Combustion Engine Analysis Manual

• Combustion Engine Analysis Online Training Course

• Combustion analyzer webinar

• Hybrid engine testing webinar