Internal Combustion Engine Sector Enters new Development Era

In 2007, China's internal combustion engine industry realized gross output of RMB226.4 billion, sales value of RMB229.3 billion, and production volume of 57 million and 1 billion kilo watt. China has grown to be a deserved big power of manufacturing internal combustion engines.

In the 100th celebration of China's internal combustion engine industry, Tan Xuguang, Director General of China Internal Combustion Engine Industry Association, introduced the century's road of the industry. Basically, China's internal combustion engine industry experienced five stages of development.

The first stage was the early days of development. At the beginning of last century, Guangzhou Jun He An Machine Factory and Shanghai Qiuxin Machine and Ship Factory successively manufactured gas engine between 2.9 and 7.4 kilo watt in the year of 1908 and 1909, symbolizing the birth of China's internal combustion engine industry. But until the founding of new China, the manufacturing of internal combustion engine in China was mainly repair and imitation, the manufacturing method was mostly one-piece production, the scale was small, the equipment was simple, and key components like oil pump, lubricating nipple and crankshaft needed to be purchased from foreign countries.

The second stage was started from the founding of new China to the late 1950s. During the stage China began to develop diesel engine by its own instead of surveying, drawing and imitating. The first small and medium power diesel engine independent development by China appeared; small and medium power multi-cylinder diesel engines formed a complete series. At the same time, China successfully developed the first batch low speed engine and applied it in large diesel warships.

The third stage was from late 1950s to early 1980s (the beginning of reform and opening). In this stage, the internal combustion engine industry introduced lots of technologies and equipment. In 1950s, China introduces a passel of considerably influent internal combustion technologies and equipment. For example, the First Automobile Factory in Changchun constructed CA10 gasoline workshop in 1956, giving an end to the history that China couldn't produce automobile and auto-use engine in a large quantity. Along with the deepening of reform and opening in 1980s, internal combustion engine products, equipment, technologies and funds kept flowing to China market from advanced industrial countries, and some leading products of relatively advanced high-speed diesel engine market appeared.

The following two stages were the most thriving stages of China's internal combustion engine industry. China laid basis for its position as a major internal combustion engine manufacturer during the two stages.

The fourth stage was from 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century when China entered into WTO. China completed the transition to be a major internal combustion engine manufacturer in the world. This was mainly manifested by the following: the output of automobile mating power ranked to be the third in the world; the output of tractor and combine harvester was far beyond other countries; the output of engineering machinery mating power products was in the front rank internationally; the output of auto bike-used internal combustion engine and single-cylinder diesel engine ranked the first; the gross output of internal combustion engine was in the front rank; big shipboard machinery was in short supply and required to be developed speedily.

During the stage, the major internal combustion engine companies in the world came into China in succession by means of joint-venture and cooperation. China plugged into the world internal combustion engine system through massive joint participation and cooperation. From the end of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century, the technology level and production and sales volume of China's internal combustion industry obtained a rapid promotion, forming a pattern of developing both domestic market and foreign market at the same time and creating necessary condition for the industry to plug into the world system.

Now China's internal combustion engine industry is in the fifth stage, namely the innovative development period of the new century. Mainly rely on myself, introduce, digest and absorb and then re-innovate technology as well as integrated innovation are becoming the mainstreams of technology innovation of internal combustion engine industry, the technology introduction and independent development and operation of key assembly become a leading form.

Technology development in car engine field is primarily introducing, digesting, absorbing and re-innovating. According to the percentage of vehicle, independent brands account for 30 percent of the car engine field. In commercial vehicle diesel engine field, a leading developing mode of mainly relying-on-myself and integrated innovation has already been formed. According to the vehicle percentage, independent brands diesel engine have taken up more than 60 percent of the domestic market. In farm machine system, multi-cylinder diesel engine has an independently developed front, "made in China" diesel engine could basically satisfy the demand of matched power of China's farm machine.

Developed from scratch, grown from small to large and from weak to strong, China is increasingly expanding the market scale and growing to be a big manufacturer of internal combustion engine. At the same time, China's internal combustion engine industry is accelerating the process of linking up with the international system in respect of technology and environment protection regulations and is marching toward a manufacturing power.

As far as rail injection technology is concerned, China has developed electric control gasoline and diesel engine independently, which could meet emission standard higher than Europe III standard. Lots of enterprises constructed software and hardware platform for electric control rail injection technology, and they have made progress in the independent research and development of high pressure common rail injection system. As for turbo charger and inter-cooled technology, charging technology is widespread in vehicle use diesel engine in China and has been applied in some gasoline engines. And for the electric control technology, China has been able to develop whole power device electric control system. In the recent ten years, patents in respect of internal combustion engine in China have been increased by nearly ten times.

In recent years, the particulate matter emission (PM) of vehicle use diesel engine dropped by 50 percent in China, nitrogen oxides (NOC) fell by 40 percent. What more, China carried out non-road mobile machinery emission regulations relatively early throughout the world, and sets up national standard for non-road mobile machinery, namely GB/T 20891-2007 Limits and Measurement Methods for Exhaust Pollutants from Diesel Engines of Mon-road Mobile Machinery(I,II)..