Winning innovation with Marc Márquez · Winning innovation with Marc Márquez Today, 24-year-old...
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Around 20,000 liters to travel 9,000 kilometers repsol news I + D Innovation Winning innovation with Marc Márquez Today, 24-year-old Marc Márquez was named World Champion for the sixth time, and for the fourth time in the premier class of motorcycle racing. His success is a result of his talent, athletic abilities and determination, but also the teamwork, innovation and technology that’s needed for a competition as demanding as MotoGP. The rider is the one who gets on the bike, but he doesn’t race alone. He’s surrounded by a large team, a group of professionals from various disciplines that allow him to reach more than 300 kilometers per hour on straights, and nearly impossible angles on curves (up to 68 degrees). Among this team are the 20 engineers from Honda and Repsol, who have worked side by side for more than 20 years to find the best combination of engine, fuel, lubricant and all the other elements—many of them derived from petroleum—that make up a motorcycle. Around 10,000 hours of work During the season, and in the months of preparation leading up to it, hundreds of tests and adjustments were needed. Between training and races, Marc Márquez traveled about 9,000 kilometers on his Honda RC213V, the approximate distance between Madrid and Beijing, before claiming victory once again. The researchers at the Repsol Technology Center in Móstoles, Madrid, with more than 56,000 square meters of facilities and laboratories, have been working since the mid-1990s to manufacture the best custom fuels and lubricants using the most cutting-edge technology. This year they’ve dedicated around 10,000 hours to the competition program. “The engine, the gasoline and the oil have to be developed together in order to make them the best they can be,” says Santiago Maroto, a researcher at the Repsol Technology Center. “It’s the best way to achieve maximum performance and maximum efficiency. Without this joint work it would be impossible to win a World Championship,” he adds. Chemistry on wheels Many of the materials used to manufacture the unique motorcycle that Marc Márquez rides are chemical products. From the fairing to the tires, the seat to the fenders, and even the sponsor stickers. That polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane foam and synthetic rubber that make up the different components of the Honda RC213V make it lighter, and its elements more durable and comfortable. 9 7 2 5 3 4 6 14 12 11 10 1 8 13 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Fuel and lubricant formulation Verification of the properties and performance in the engine lab at the Repsol Technology Center and the Honda Research Institute facilities in Saitama, Japan Fuel and lubricant manufacture at the Repsol Technology Center Fuel homologation. A 5-liter sample (1.3-gallon) is sent to a laboratory designated by the Fédération Internationale de Motorcyclisme A certificate is issued after homologation, which allows us to identity each batch of gasoline manufactured Drums sent to the area manager on the Repsol Honda Team Gasoline checked to ensure it has not been adulterated Competition-level gasoline and lubricants in the motorcycles of champions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Campus Repsol · C/ Méndez Álvaro, 44 28045. Madrid · Tlf: 917538787 - 917537189 Dirección de Comunicación [email protected] ZIP. 3,2 Mb PDF. 2,8 Mb Grips: polyurethane Seat filling: polyurethane foam Lubricant Petrol Adhesive glue: EVA hotmelt Wheel rim Paint: acrylics base Oil tank cap: polypropylene Cable housing: polyethylene Helmet: polyurethane foam + carbon fibre Windscreen: methyl methacrylate Adhesives: polyethylene film Fairing: carbon fibre Gloves: carbon fibre Mudguards: PP + carbon fibre Tyres: synthetic rubber For example, technological innovation has made the tires safer, and allows them to last 400 times longer than they did in the past. The same thing is true of the rider’s helmet, which now offers greater protection thanks to the use of polyurethane foam. Plastics also play a very important role. Because they’re extremely malleable, they help improve the motorcycle’s aerodynamics, above all in the fairing, the windshield and the tail piece. This is a key aspect of racing, shaving off thousandths of a second to edge out competitors. In terms of aesthetics, polyol-based paints allow the motorcycle to maintain a perfect appearance all season long, while also improving resistance to external, climatological and even mechanical forces. Pushing the limits In a world where the major motorcycle manufacturers and energy companies are working hard to be the best, competing is a challenge in and of itself. On top of that, the work of these researchers gets more complicated every year, as the rules that govern championships become increasingly demanding. The underlying goal is to improve fairness and security, as well as to limit costs. In this context, lubricants are also fundamental to ensure reliability and optimal tuning for engines that reach up to 18,000 revolutions per minute— even more so as MotoGP continues to the reduce the number of motorcycles that can be used each season (seven this year). In a competition in which a few thousandths of a second can make all the difference, the small variations introduced to gasoline and lubricants are subtle enough that not all riders can detect them. According to Santiago Maroto, “the rider is a fundamental part of development, as he must be able to perceive, calibrate and transmit the changes made to the engine, fuel and oil.” About 4,800 liters of oil per year Each season, the design of new lubricants starts on a computer, with around 200 simulations and several formulas that are manufactured on a small scale. Afterward, using the process of elimination, between 40 and 60 gasoline types are tested in the engines at the Repsol Technology Center. Two or three formulas are then sent to the Honda R&D testing ground in Saitama, Japan. Once the team gives the go-ahead, the chosen oil is mass produced back at the Repsol Technology Center. For the MotoGP Repsol Honda motorcycles ridden by Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa, 4,800 liters are manufactured each year—both for the World Championship and for engine development at the Honda facilities in Japan. The same thing happens with gasoline, of which 40,000 liters are produced annually. From the racetrack to the streets Repsol’s work is closely linked to competition, and above all to MotoGP, which offers the world’s most demanding testing grounds. It allows the company to test their products under extreme conditions—the same products that will be offered to customers a few years down the road. “When it comes to technology, the most important thing is to be able to transfer all the knowledge developed in competition to the products that are sold at our service stations,” says Dolores Cárdenas, a researcher at the Repsol Technology Center.In fact, the team of people that works for top-level competitions is the same one that designs the fuels and lubricants Repsol sells. That’s why the knowledge gained from competition is so important. In 2016, Repsol invested a total of 78 million euros in project research and development, and applied for 13 patents. Since 1995, teamwork and shared knowledge between the researchers and technicians of Honda and Repsol, season after season, has led to the best record of any motorcycle team in history: 13 individual titles, more than 150 victories and 400 podium appearances in 500cc and MotoGP. Download all the images in this News Download the complete articles in this News 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Repsol gasoline and lubricants: the race to the MotoGP circuit Ricardo Tormo Circuit. Valencia. Marc Márquez
Transcript of Winning innovation with Marc Márquez · Winning innovation with Marc Márquez Today, 24-year-old...
Around 20,000 liters to travel 9,000 kilometers
repsol newsI + D Innovation
Winning innovation with Marc Márquez
Today, 24-year-old Marc Márquez was named World Champion for the sixth time, and for the fourth time in the premier class of motorcycle racing. His success is a result of his talent, athletic abilities and determination, but also the teamwork, innovation and technology that’s needed for a competition as demanding as MotoGP.
The rider is the one who gets on the bike, but he doesn’t race alone. He’s surrounded by a large team, a group of professionals from various disciplines that allow him to reach more than 300 kilometers per hour on straights, and nearly impossible angles on curves (up to 68 degrees). Among this team are the 20 engineers from Honda and Repsol, who have worked side by side for more than 20 years to find the best combination of engine, fuel, lubricant and all the other elements—many of them derived from petroleum—that make up a motorcycle.
Around 10,000 hours of workDuring the season, and in the months of preparation leading up to it, hundreds of tests and adjustments were needed. Between training and races, Marc Márquez traveled about 9,000 kilometers on his Honda RC213V, the approximate distance between Madrid and Beijing, before claiming victory once again.
The researchers at the Repsol Technology Center in Móstoles, Madrid, with more than 56,000 square meters of facilities and laboratories, have been working since the mid-1990s to manufacture the best custom fuels and lubricants using the most cutting-edge technology. This year they’ve dedicated around 10,000 hours to the competition program.
“The engine, the gasoline and the oil have to be developed together in order to make them the best they can be,” says Santiago Maroto, a researcher at the Repsol Technology Center. “It’s the best way to achieve maximum performance and maximum efficiency. Without this joint work it would be impossible to win a World Championship,” he adds.
Chemistry on wheels Many of the materials used to manufacture the unique motorcycle that Marc Márquez rides are chemical products. From the fairing to the tires, the seat to the fenders, and even the sponsor stickers.
That polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane foam and synthetic rubber that make up the different components of the Honda RC213V make it lighter, and its elements more durable and comfortable.
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Fuel and lubricant formulation
Verification of the properties and performance in the engine lab at the Repsol Technology Center and the Honda Research Institute facilities in Saitama, Japan
Fuel and lubricant manufacture at the Repsol Technology Center
Fuel homologation. A 5-liter sample (1.3-gallon) is sent to a laboratory designatedby the Fédération Internationale de Motorcyclisme
A certificate is issued after homologation, which allows us to identity each batch of gasoline manufactured
Drums sent to the area manager on the Repsol Honda Team
Gasoline checked to ensure it has not been adulterated
Competition-level gasoline and lubricants in the motorcycles of champions
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Campus Repsol · C/ Méndez Álvaro, 4428045. Madrid · Tlf: 917538787 - 917537189
Dirección de Comunicació[email protected]
ZIP. 3,2 Mb
PDF. 2,8 Mb
Grips: polyurethane
Seat filling: polyurethane foam
Lubricant
Petrol
Adhesive glue: EVA hotmelt
Wheel rim Paint: acrylics base
Oil tank cap: polypropylene
Cable housing: polyethylene
Helmet: polyurethane foam + carbon fibre
Windscreen: methyl methacrylate
Adhesives: polyethylene film
Fairing: carbon fibre
Gloves: carbon fibre
Mudguards: PP + carbon fibre
Tyres: synthetic rubber
For example, technological innovation has made the tires safer, and allows them to last 400 times longer than they did in the past. The same thing is true of the rider’s helmet, which now offers greater protection thanks to the use of polyurethane foam.
Plastics also play a very important role. Because they’re extremely malleable, they help improve the motorcycle’s aerodynamics, above all in the fairing, the windshield and the tail piece. This is a key aspect of racing, shaving off thousandths of a second to edge out competitors.
In terms of aesthetics, polyol-based paints allow the motorcycle to maintain a perfect appearance all season long, while also improving resistance to external, climatological and even mechanical forces.
Pushing the limitsIn a world where the major motorcycle manufacturers and energy companies are working hard to be the best, competing is a challenge in and of itself. On top of that, the work of these researchers gets more complicated every year, as the rules that govern championships become increasingly demanding. The underlying goal is to improve fairness and security, as well as to limit costs.
In this context, lubricants are also fundamental to ensure reliability and optimal tuning for engines that reach up to 18,000 revolutions per minute— even more so as MotoGP continues to the reduce the number of motorcycles that can be used each season (seven this year).
In a competition in which a few thousandths of a second can make all the difference, the small variations introduced to gasoline and lubricants are subtle enough that not all riders can detect them. According to Santiago Maroto, “the rider is a fundamental part of development, as he must be able to perceive, calibrate and transmit the changes made to the engine, fuel and oil.”
About 4,800 liters of oil per yearEach season, the design of new lubricants starts on a computer, with around 200 simulations and several formulas that are manufactured on a small scale. Afterward, using the process of elimination, between 40 and 60 gasoline types are tested in the engines at the Repsol Technology Center. Two or three formulas are then sent to the Honda R&D testing ground in Saitama, Japan.
Once the team gives the go-ahead, the chosen oil is mass produced back at the Repsol Technology Center. For the MotoGP Repsol Honda motorcycles ridden by Marc Márquez and Dani Pedrosa, 4,800 liters are manufactured each year—both for the World Championship and for engine development at the Honda facilities in Japan. The same thing happens with gasoline, of which 40,000 liters are produced annually.
From the racetrack to the streetsRepsol’s work is closely linked to competition, and above all to MotoGP, which offers the world’s most demanding testing grounds. It allows the company to test their products under extreme conditions—the same products that will be offered to customers a few years down the road.
“When it comes to technology, the most important thing is to be able to transfer all the knowledge developed in competition to the products that are sold at our service stations,” says Dolores Cárdenas, a researcher at the Repsol Technology Center.In fact, the team of people that works for top-level competitions is the same one that designs the fuels and lubricants Repsol sells. That’s why the knowledge gained from competition is so important. In 2016, Repsol invested a total of 78 million euros in project research and development, and applied for 13 patents.
Since 1995, teamwork and shared knowledge between the researchers and technicians of Honda and Repsol, season after season, has led to the best record of any motorcycle team in history: 13 individual titles, more than 150 victories and 400 podium appearances in 500cc and MotoGP.
Downloadall the imagesin this News
Download the complete articlesin this News
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Repsol gasoline and lubricants: the race to the MotoGP circuitRicardo Tormo Circuit.Valencia.
Marc Márquez
