Porsche's New Wheel-Shaped Pistons Are Lighter And Cooler

Whether you're driving aPorsche 911 GT3正轨orsending a 911 Turbo down the drag strip, heat plays a critical role. You need to generate heat in your tires for grip, and you need to keep oil temperatures down to ensure the longevity of your engine. The first one iseasy enough to achieve, but thermal management in the engine bay is decidedly more difficult to master.

For OEMs, a shift toward electrification suggests that what we currently have in a traditional engine design is adequate, butnot all manufacturers are convincedthat we're going to be saddled with EVs, and Porsche is among those looking to further refine the internal combustion engine. In new patent documents discovered byCarBuzz, we learn that the latest Zuffenhausen innovation sees the crown of a piston shaped like a wheel, and the potential benefits look promising.

The patent documentation notes a "piston head through which a wheel-shaped cooling channel runs; the cooling passage has spokes fluidically connected at a center point of the piston crown; and the spokes are unevenly distributed over the piston crown." It's simple enough to understand the basic principles: by adding these cooling channels, the piston can be made lighter and more efficient, burning up the air/fuel mixture more thoroughly. But why are these channels uneven?

For a start, only one side of the piston (that nearest the fuel injector and intake valves) is dealing with extraordinary heat. As such, "the piston crown comprises predetermined partial areas which are designed for high thermal stress, and the spokes are arranged more densely in the thermally highly stressed partial areas."