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In order to detect degradation of engine oil lubricant, bench testing along with a number of diesel-powered Ford trucks were instruments and tested. The purpose of the bench testing was primarily to determine performance aspects such as repeatability, hysteresis effects and so on. Vehicle testing was conducted by designing and installing a separate oil reservoir along with a circulation system which was mounted in the vicinity of the oil pan. An innovative oil sensor was directly installed on the reservoir which can measure five (5) independent oil parameters (viscosity, density, permittivity, conductance, temperature). In addition, the concept is capable of detecting the oil level continuously during normal engine operation. The sensing system consists of an ultrasonic transducer for the oil level detection as well as a Tuning Fork mechanical resonator for the oil condition measurement.

Ethanol has been gaining attention as a partial substitute in North American pump gasoline in amounts up to 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, or what is commonly known as “E85”. The problems with E85 fuel for cold start emissions relative to gasoline fuel are the lower energy density and vapor pressure for combustion. Each contributes to excess E85 fuel injected during cold start for comparable combustion quality and drivability to gasoline. The excess emissions occur before the first three-way catalyst (TWC) converter is warmed-up and active for engine-out exhaust conversion. The treatment of non-methane organic gas (NMOG) emissions from the combustion of E85 and gasoline was evaluated using several different zeolite based hydrocarbon (HC) traps coated with different precious metal loadings and ratios. These catalyzed HC traps were evaluated in a flow reactor and also on a gasoline Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) with experimental flexible fuel capability.

The application of accelerated catalyst aging procedures on an engine dynamometer test bed for the purpose of demonstrating catalyst durability is examined. A proof-of-principle approach is followed using catalysts from vehicles certified to U.S. Tier 2 Bin 4 and California SULEV 2 levels. Accelerated durability demonstration methods based upon conventional fuel cut cycles were employed to age catalysts to levels predicted by quantification of thermal catalyst bed severity on the Standard Road Cycle (SRC) relative to the fuel cut aging cycle using the Bench Aging Time (BAT) equation. Emissions deterioration on the accelerated aging cycle is compared to the automobile manufacturers' certification values and to whole vehicle emissions performance results from several different in-use vehicle fleets. The influence of technology on whole vehicle emissions levels and deterioration characteristics is also evaluated.

In recognizing the potential for large, damaging impacts from climate change, California enacted Executive Order S-03-05, requiring a reduction in statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Given that the transportation light-duty vehicle (LDV) segment accounts for 28% of the state's GHG emissions today, it will be difficult to meet the 2050 goal unless a portfolio of near-zero carbon transportation solutions is pursued. Because it takes decades for a new propulsion system to capture a large fraction of the passenger vehicle market due to vehicle fleet turn-over rates, it is important to accelerate the introduction of these alternatives to ensure markets enter into early commercial volumes (10,000s) between 2015 and 2020. This report summarizes the results and conclusions of a modeling exercise that simulated GHG emissions from the LDV sector to 2050 in California.

This review summarizes the latest developments in diesel emissions regarding regulations, engines, NOx (nitrogen oxides) control, particulate matter (PM) reductions, and hydrocarbon (HC) and CO oxidation. Regulations are advancing with proposals for PN (particle number) regulations that require diesel particulate filters (DPFs) for Euro VI in 2013-14, and SULEV (super ultra low emission vehicle) fleet average light-duty (LD) emissions likely to be proposed in California for ~2017. CO₂ regulations will also impact diesel engines and emissions, probably long into the future. Engine technology is addressing these needs. Heavy-duty (HD) research engines show 90% lower NOx at the same PM or fuel consumption levels as a reference 2007 production engine. Work is starting on HD gasoline engines with promising results. In light duty (LD), engine downsizing is progressing and deNOx is emerging as a fuel savings strategy.

The response of the engineering system is often obtained by the use of numerical methods such as finite element method or boundary element method. However, the uncertainty of the acquired solutions cannot be measured using conventional methods. This uncertainty is attributed to two sources: errors in mathematical modeling and uncertainties in the parameter. The following paper addresses the second source of uncertainty for the steady state heat conduction problem where the material conductivity is uncertain. Material uncertainty is implemented into fuzzy boundary element method which obtains the exact worst case bounds on the response given the worst case bounds on the parameter uncertainty. The method assumes that a correct partial membership function is given. Numerical examples are shown to illustrate the behavior of the method.

Exhaust and evaporative emissions systems have been developed to match the characteristics and usage of the Toyota THS II plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). Based on the commercially available Prius, the Toyota PHEV features an additional external charging function, which allows it to be driven as an electric vehicle (EV) in urban areas, and as an hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) in high-speed/high-load and long-distance driving situations. To reduce exhaust emissions, the conventional catalyst warm up control has been enhanced to achieve emissions performance that satisfies California's Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) standards in every state of battery charge. In addition, a heat insulating fuel vapor containment system (FVS) has been developed using a plastic fuel tank based on the assumption that such a system can reduce the diffusion of vapor inside the fuel tank and the release of fuel vapor in to the atmosphere to the maximum possible extent.

The diesel engine can be an effective solution to meet future greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards, especially for larger segment vehicles. However, a key challenge facing the diesel is the upcoming LEV III and Tier 3 emission standards which will require significant reductions in hydrocarbon (HC) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. The challenge stems from the fact that diesel exhaust temperatures are much lower than gasoline engines, so the time required to achieve effective emissions control after a cold-start with typical aftertreatment devices is considerably longer. To address this challenge, a novel diesel cold-start emission control strategy was investigated on a 2L class diesel engine. This strategy combines several technologies to reduce tailpipe HC and NOx emissions before the start of the second hill of the FTP75. The technologies include both engine tuning and aftertreatment changes.

Power electronics products such as inverters and converters involve the use of Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) between high power packages and a heat exchanger for thermal management. Conventional TIMs such as thermal greases, gels, solders and phase change materials (PCMs) face challenges to meet the need of these products to operate reliably at much higher temperatures. This has driven the development of new TIMs such as Transient Liquid Phase Sintering (TLPS) Conductive Adhesives. TLPS adhesives have been developed for many potential applications due to various advantages like lead free, flux-less and particularly their low temperature processability, which enables the use of heat sensitive components in the design. With all these motivations, a project was launched and completed to assess TLPS adhesives as a unique TIM for high temperature automotive applications due to its high bulk thermal conductivity and metallic joint formation at interfaces.

The first objective of this work is to develop a numerical simulation model of the spark ignited (SI) engine combustion, taking into account knock avoidance and heat transfer between in-cylinder gas and combustion chamber wall. Secondly, the model was utilized to investigate the potential of reducing heat losses by applying a heat insulation coating to the combustion chamber wall, thereby improving engine thermal efficiency. A reduction in heat losses is related to important operating factors of improving SI engine thermal efficiency. However, reducing heat losses tends to accompany increased combustion chamber wall temperatures, resulting in the onset of knock in SI engines. Thus, the numerical model was intended to make it possible to investigate the interaction of the heat losses and knock occurrence. The present paper consists of Part 1 and 2.

The objective of this work is to develop a numerical simulation model of spark ignited (SI) engine combustion and thereby to investigate the possibility of reducing heat losses and improving thermal efficiency by applying a low thermal conductivity and specific heat material, so-called heat insulation coating, to the combustion chamber wall surface. A reduction in heat loss is very important for improving SI engine thermal efficiency. However, reducing heat losses tends to increase combustion chamber wall temperatures, resulting in the onset of knock in SI engines. Thus, the numerical model made it possible to investigate the interaction of the heat losses and knock occurrence and to optimize spark ignition timing to achieve higher efficiency. Part 2 of this work deals with the investigations on the effects of heat insulation coatings applied to the combustion chamber wall surfaces on heat losses, knock occurrence and thermal efficiency.

A passive thermal management system (TMS) using composite phase change material (PCM) for large-capacity, rectangular lithium-ion batteries is designed. A battery module consisting of six Li-ion cells connected in series was investigated as a basic unit. The passive TMS for the module has three configurations according to the contact area between cells and the composite PCM, i.e., surrounding, front-contacted and side-contacted schemes. Firstly, heat generation rate of the battery cell was calculated using the Bernardi equation based on experimentally measured heat source terms (i.e. the internal resistance and the entropy coefficient). Physical and thermal properties such as density, phase change temperature, latent heat and thermal conductivity of the composite PCM were also obtained by experimental methods. Thereafter, thermal response of the battery modules with the three TMS configurations was simulated using 3D finite element analysis (FEA) modeling in ANSYS Fluent.

A pre-treatment technique for improving coating adhesion on stainless steel has been developed. This method dramatically enhances the adhesion between the stainless steel and the coating by pre-treating the stainless steel with a known nickel strike plating for a short period of time. Furthermore, when this process was applied to stainless fuel filler pipes to improve corrosion resistance, layout restrictions and chipping covers became unnecessary, costs were reduced, and vehicle weight was lowered.

Effectiveness of current electromagnetic shielding techniques in composite aircraft has been called into question several times before and is a subject of interest and research in the aerospace industry. We present an analytical approach to understand the issues in detail. It was found using first order approximations that a panel with Aluminum expanded metallic foil (ExMF) along with carbon fiber plies used on composite aircraft provides fair albeit lower electromagnetic shielding from source frequencies of a few KHz until well into MHz range when compared to an aluminum panel used on metallic aircraft. This was primarily attributed to relatively large skin depth value at low frequencies which was due to: a) low electrical conductivity of aluminum ExMF when compared to bulk aluminum; b) low electrical conductivity of resin impregnated carbon fiber layers and; c) very thin layer of aluminum ExMF used.

The deposition of thick, pore-free, high-performance copper alloy matrix composite coatings is a topic of interest for several industrial applications, including friction materials, high-strength electrical contacts, and welding electrodes, among others. This study investigates the use of cold spray to deposit CuCrZr/Al2O3 cermet coatings on aluminum alloy 6060. The objective is to integrate copper-based materials with aluminum-based materials, ensuring a high degree of mechanical and thermal contact, using a low temperature process that does not adversely affect the properties of the base materials. This technique can be used to produce integral coolers and aluminum-based bearings for automotive and motorcycle applications. Fused and crushed alumina and gas-atomized CuCrZr powder blends have been used as initial feedstocks, with compositional weight ratios of 65/35 and 80/20 (ceramic/metal).

This paper covers the mathematical modeling of governing equations for the coupled heat and mass transfer phenomena during adsorption and desorption. Also the main focus is given on the methodology for numerical simulation for solving these partial differential equations for carbon canister. A comprehensive literature review is presented to summarize the target requirements of allowed evaporative emission level of gasoline vapour in grams per day based on global standards like, EU6, EPA stage II enhanced, CARB LEVII, PZEV and SULEV. In order to meet these stringent emission norms, presence of carbon canister is mandatory. The simulation results are compared for the gasoline vehicle application at various climatic temperature conditions in India, in which the canister sizing vs allowable emission targets are summarized.

Chassis dynamometer tests were conducted on three Class III on-highway motorcycles produced for the North American market and equipped with advanced emission control technologies in order to inform emissions inventories and compare the impacts of existing Tier 2 (E0) fuel with more market representative Tier 3 and LEV III certification fuels with 10% ethanol. For this study, the motorcycles were tested over the US Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and the World Motorcycle Test Cycle (WMTC) certification test cycles as well as a sample of real-world motorcycle driving informally referred to as the Real World Driving Cycle (RWDC). The primary interest was to understand the emissions changes of the selected motorcycles with the use of certification fuels containing 10% ethanol compared to 0% ethanol over the three test cycles.

Water transport at high current densities is of main concern for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The water content of the membrane must be high enough to provide maximum electrical conductivity and thus optimal stack performance. Dry-out may also lead to membrane degradation. However, a too high level of humidity leads to cell flooding, blocking the air and fuel flows to the catalyst sites and thus the reactions, resulting in a drop-in efficiency. Fuel cells water transport physics requires further investigation due to its complexity [1,2] and numerical modelling can improve the fundamental understanding of the phenomena. In this work, a 3D comprehensive model for fuel cells is presented. The PEM fuel cell is modelled in Siemens Simcenter STAR-CCM+ [3]. Anode and cathode GDL are modelled as porous media, with electrochemical reactions calculated in an infinitely thin catalyst layer.

An engine cooling system in a vehicle engine is a must, which carries away unutilized heat produced in the engine cylinder. However, usage of low thermal conductivity engine coolant limits the ability of the cooling system to extract the heat, which ultimately results in difficulties in maintaining the compact size of the cooling system. Also, increasing the cooling rate by conventional technologies i.e. providing fins and microchannel has already reached their limits. Researchers are thus focusing on immersing and analyzing new types of cooling fluids in recent days. In the present study, the thermal performance of two different nanofluids, Al2O3 and CuO in a flat tube automobile radiator has been studied. Experimental results have been obtained for 0.02% volume concentration of both Al2O3 and CuO nanofluid, and water as coolants. A numerical model considering the ε-NTU method is also developed using MATLAB code. The analytical results are validated with experimental results.

As an appropriate material for automotive thermoelectric generators, which directly convert waste heat of exhaust gas into electricity, we have developed Mg2(Si1-xSnx) thermoelectric materials with high thermoelectric performance. The performance is evaluated with the dimensionless figure of merit (ZT), and the ZT has been improved through the development of the fabrication process and the investigation of the optimum composition and dopant element. A novel liquid-solid reaction synthesis method incorporating hotpressing for the sample fabrication was effective in reducing the thermal conductivity. The n-type Mg2(Si0.50Sn0.50) doped with Sb attained a high ZT of 1.1 at 620 K. The p-type Mg2(Si0.25Sn0.75) doped with Li and Ag simultaneously achieved a ZT of 0.3 at 600 K. The effective maximum power of n-type thermoelectric element and that of p-type were calculated with the thermoelectromotive force and the mean resistivity.