Search Results

The dynamic effects of a coolant flow rate variation on knock tendency are experimentally investigated on a small S.I. engine. The analysis concerns the transient response of the unburned gas temperature and the knock onset to a step variation in load and coolant flow rate. This phenomenological investigation aims at preventing knock through a proper thermal management as an efficient alternative to the currently adopted strategies. Moreover, the proposed approach may result particularly useful for hybrid-electric powertrain, where the engine is expected to operate in the highest efficiency region by adopting high compression ratios and full stoichiometric map. The analysis is carried out through an experimental campaign, where the control of cylinder wall temperature is achieved by means of an electrically driven water pump. The spark advance and the air/fuel ratio have been properly varied in order to operate with advanced spark timing and stoichiometric mixture at full load.

Variable-displacement lubricating pumps are an attractive solution for reducing fuel consumption and emissions in motorcycle engines. In this prospective, modeling and experimental analysis are very useful means for a deeper understanding of pump operation and for effectively implementing pump control. Zero-dimensional simulation results of a 7-vane pump were compared with the experimental data of dynamic piezo-resistive pressure transducers fitted into the casing of a pump prototype, which was operated under steady-state conditions at different rotational speeds and eccentricity values. The experimental data exhibit oscillations which were explained by taking into account the pressure transducers dynamics, as a result of the transducer location in the pump casing, of the air dissolved in the hydraulic fluid and of the geometry of the tubing/transducer system.

This work presents a methodology for the optimal thermal management of different powertrain devices, with particular regard to ICEs, power electronic units (IGBT) and PEM Fuel cells. The methodology makes use of Model Predictive Control by means of a zero-dimensional model for the heat transfer between the device and the coolant. The control is based on the careful monitoring of the coolant thermal state by means of a metrics for the occurrence of nucleate boiling. The introduction of an electrically driven pump for the control of the coolant flow rate is considered. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is presented with reference to an ICE operation. Experimental tests show the advantages of the methodology during warm-up, under fully warmed operation and for the avoidance of after-boiling.

The possibility to mitigate the knock onset by means of a controlled coolant flow rate is investigated. The study is carried out on a small displacement, N.A. 4-valve per cylinder SI engine. The substitution of the standard belt-driven pump with an electrically driven one allows the variation of the coolant flow rate regardless of engine speed and permits, therefore, the adoption of a controlled coolant flow rate. The first set of experimental tests aims at evaluating the engine operating condition and the coolant flow rate, which are more favorable to the knock onset. Starting from this condition, subsequent experimental tests are carried out for transient engine operating conditions, by varying the coolant flow rates and evaluating, therefore, its effects on cylinder pressure fluctuations. In all the experiments, the spark advance and the equivalence ratio are controlled by the ECU according to the production engine map.

The road transportation sector is undergoing significant changes, and new green scenarios for sustainable mobility are being proposed. In this context, a diversification of the vehicles’ propulsion, based on electric powertrains and/or alternative fuels and technological improvements of the electric vehicles charging stations, are necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The adoption of internal combustion engines operating with alternative fuels, like methanol, may represent a viable solution for overcoming the limitations of actual grid connected charging infrastructure, giving the possibility to realize off-grid charging stations. This work aims, therefore, at investigating this last aspect, by evaluating the performance of an internal combustion engine fueled with methanol for stationary applications, in order to fulfill the potential demand of an on off-grid charging station.