Honda Power Unit Hardware & Software

[NL_Fer]

I believe Redbull is interested in a partner for Alpha Tauri, to take up some off the cost. But not sure if Honda wants a small team like that. I mean it is notting more than a small operation in Faenza, mostly production of the chassis parts, which cannot be sourced from Redbull. Development is done in the UK. It would take a total ramp up to built a top team out of that for Honda.

McLaren’s mother company is in financial trouble again. I still see another McLaren-Honda teamup. They are both matured and healthier than they were in 2014.

[FW17]

Maybe Honda will task Red Bull to start another team which they would take over in 2026

[JordanMugen]

Marko denied those rumours recently and professed it made no sense for RB to sell AT unless they got some kind of synergy with the buyer. That wouldn't be the case if Honda is a standalone engine project instead of a partner.

I think Honda would be better off with their own team. (Edit - Obviously Red Bull - Honda would be best of all! Red Bull Racing are a slick operation and I'm not sure Honda could do better on chassis matters, at least not in the short to medium term.)

Whether that's buying Mercedes-AMG F1 Team, Alpine F1 Team or Aston Martin Racing F1, or lesser preference Williams Racing which needs more investment.

There is a good synergy of Honda with Italy, but as stated AlphaTauri has limited facilities on site (thought the team could simply use a Honda wind tunnel in Japan) and Red Bull may not want to sell the Italian team anyway

I think purchasing a controlling stake in the Ineos-Mercedes team should be the priority as it is a good, well-resourced operation. Welcome home Honda, if possible!

This time old Mercedes cars painted in Honda colours for showcar duties, instead of old Honda F1 cars painted in Mercedes colours.

Falling that Aston Martin Racing has a new factory while Alpine has a partial new factory, so either of those should be not too bad purchase options.

Heck, for an automaker, F1 may reopen the option for new entrants to simply pay $200m and not faff around with needing to buy an existing team? That would make it easier. It would be a shame to see Andretti discriminated against compared to Honda (or Porsche etc) but would one put it past Formula One Management?

But this time (the third time with a works team) would Honda really commit to F1 unequivocally like Ferrari, or would they do like themselves or Renault previously and withdraw the works team after some number of seasons?

Would Honda have been more successful if continuing with the original works team from 1960's to the present day? Likewise Renault continuing with their original team from 1970's to present day?

[Rushu]

[Exclusive Report] Honda's "carbon-neutral fuel" to be used in F1 in 2021. What on earth did they do? The raw materials are completely different, but the ingredients are exactly the same as those from fossil fuels.

That Honda used carbon-neutral fuel for the 2021 season, according to Yasuaki Asaki, now head of HRC Sakura's four-wheel race development department.

　F1 has also decided to use 100% carbon-neutral fuel from 2026. Other categories have already introduced this fuel or are preparing to do so.

　In such a situation, Honda introduced the product ahead of its competitors as of 2021. It has demonstrated the same performance as conventional fuels. Moreover, the material used for the carbon neutral fuel was prepared by Honda, not by ExxonMobil, a fuel manufacturer with which Honda had a partnership at the time.

What exactly was being done? We interviewed Dr. Kotaro Hashimoto of the Advanced Power Unit and Energy Research Laboratory at Honda R&D, who was involved in the development of carbon-neutral fuel at the time.

「During the 2021 season, Honda developed a high-performance component in the fuel that is carbon neutral!」

Dr. Hashimoto states.

「What we did was to make 58.5% of the high-performance component in the gasoline a renewable component.」

「The e-methanol was made from hydrogen created using renewable electricity and carbon from the inedible parts of plants, in this case woody biomass. We synthesized that e-methanol with second-generation bio-chemicals and even chemicals to create the high-performance components of F1 fuel!」

「Theoretically, it is possible to make the product without chemicals and with 100% renewable ingredients.However, Honda was only supposed to do F1 until 2021, so due to time constraints, we decided to use chemicals this time. As a result, 58.5% were carbon neutral. We gave it to ExxonMobil and they blended it into gasoline for F1!」

「Although the raw materials are different, the resulting product has exactly the same ingredients as those derived from fossil fuels.」

What Honda created this time is a "high-performance component" of gasoline, which is used to increase the output of F1 engines. Fuel used in F1 is basically regulated to have to be the same ingredients used in commercial gasoline, and the available ingredients are very limited. Dr. Hashimoto says that from among these, he selected the most suitable material for today's F1 engines and created the ingredients for them.

「The current regulations specify the fuel flow rate. In order to increase output, we have to increase the calorific value of the fuel. On top of that, the thermal efficiency must also be high, otherwise the output will not increase.」

「In order to increase efficiency, the compression ratio must be increased and the ignition must be done at the ideal point. However, as pressure builds up, abnormal combustion (knocking) will occur, so we must make sure that does not happen either!」

Dr. Hashimoto explains the development of high-performance components for F1 fuel.

「Therefore, we searched for hydrocarbons with high calorific value that would not cause abnormal combustion in F1 engines. We derived this by calculation. For that calculation, for example, just looking at a single isooctane (saturated hydrocarbon/octane isomer) yields about 1,000 chemical reaction formulas.」

「What ignites the fuel is an oxidation reaction, but if we look at it in detail, many reactions are taking place. By looking at these reactions one by one, we can see under what conditions ignition occurs. By solving it, we can determine which ingredients are good for the fuel.」

In this case, a portion of this high-performance component was made carbon neutral, but Dr. Hashimoto says it is quite possible to replace the entire portion of gasoline with carbon neutral.

It can be done 100%. Technically, there is no problem at all. But you have to make a lot of them, and that cannot be done by Honda. But there must be some way to make it.」

Honda's carbon-neutral fuel, which was first introduced in F1 in 2021, is not just for the purpose of achieving carbon neutrality in motorsports.; it is a step, and a big step, toward changing the future of motorization from F1.


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[Tommy Cookers]

what e-methanol ??

what rubbish !!

[Hoffman900]

what e-methanol ??

what rubbish !!

The only thing that makes them “green” is that trees grow faster than coal and oil reserves form, they’re not any better from an environmental standpoint.

I really don’t see anyone pursuing any type of alcohol based fuel with the fuel flow limit. The energy density isn’t there.

[Iik]

Side by side 19 and 21/22 RBPT PU side view https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216d.jpg
Side view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216f.jpg
Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

[Iik]

@inu_tire

[etusch]

Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

[henry]

Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

I believe that is the blow off for overpressure in the intake. They used to blow off into the inlet for the compressor but now they blow off into the exhaust.

[etusch]

Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

I believe that is the blow off for overpressure in the intake. They used to blow off into the inlet for the compressor but now they blow off into the exhaust.

Thank you

[KAIZEN]

Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

CAC Bypass 2 (Charge Air Cooler Bypass 2)

It means that it does not pass through the intercooler (bypass).

The POV (pop-off valve) that releases excess boost pressure is set to return to the induction pod from the front of the plenum chamber after passing through the intercooler.

CB2 is connected to the exhaust before passing through the intercooler.

The POV returns the air to the induction pod after it has been compressed by the compressor, so the energy used to compress it is wasted.

The CB2 connects the excess compressed air to the exhaust and uses it to turn the exhaust turbine, so there is little energy loss.

Not available from 2022.

[AR3-GP]

Front right view RBPT PU https://mono-log.jp/archives/img/2022/12/221216g.jpg

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

Not available from 2022.

Does that mean the photo above this not the '22 Honda engine?

[Wazari]

Thank you @lik

I wonder what is the pipe comming from exhaust towards intake. Is there anyone to guess or know it ?

Not available from 2022.

Does that mean the photo above this not the '22 Honda engine?

That is the PU run during 2021.

[Helix]

what e-methanol ??

what rubbish !!

I thought it was strange too, but a friend of mine who speaks Japanese explained it:

If 再生可能電力を使って作った水素 is meant, it is "hydrogen produced using electricity from renewable sources". 再生可能 - regeneration 電力 - electricity; を - particle indicating addition. 使って - made, 作った - used = made using. 水素 - hydrogen.

I hope the translation from Russian is correct.