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In-cylinder fluid dynamics enhance performance and emission characteristics in internal combustion (IC) engines. Techniques such as helical ports, valve shrouding, masking, and modifications to piston profiles or vanes in ports are employed to achieve the desired in-cylinder flows in these engines. However, due to space constraints, modifications to the cylinder head are typically minimal. The literature suggests that introducing baffles into the combustion chamber of an IC engine can enhance in-cylinder flows, air-fuel mixing, and, subsequently, stratification. Studies have indicated that the height of the baffles plays a significant role in determining the level of improvement in in-cylinder flow and air-fuel mixing. Therefore, this study employs Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to investigate the impact of baffle height on in-cylinder flow and air-fuel mixing in a four-stroke, four-valve, spray-guided gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine.

This research paper focuses on the modelling and analysis of a flywheel energy storage system (FESS) specifically designed for electric vehicles (EVs) with a particular emphasis on the flywheel rotor system associated with active magnetic bearings. The methodology used simulation approaches to investigate the dynamics of the flywheel system. The objective of this study is to explore the effects of implementing the flywheel energy storage system on the performance of the EV. The paper presents a comprehensive model of the flywheel energy storage system, considering the mechanical and electrical aspects. The mechanical model accounts for the dynamic behaviors of the flywheel, including parameters such as rotational speed, inertia, and friction. The electrical model describes the interaction between the flywheel and the power electronics, such as the converter and motor/generator. To evaluate the benefits of the flywheel energy storage system, simulations are conducted.

The Indian Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued a notification of Bharat Stage (BS) VI emission standards for all major on-road vehicle categories in India directly, skipping BS V. In BS VI emission norms and performance of two wheeler engine, its very important to control the engine parameters. Hence some stringent tolerance applied to the engine parts dimensional specification. One of the main part of the engine is Cyl. head, in which combustion chamber is one of the critical parameter. Cyl. head combustion chamber volume plays critical role for emission norms and performance of engine and it should be measured accurately. Current industry practice for cyl. head combustion chamber volume inspection method with help of liquid filling inside the chamber. This method has got some limitation for achieving R&R less than or equal to 10% due to many uncertainties are included.

Light weight technologies are inevitable in the automotive industry to increase fuel efficiency and meet emission norms. An engine cylinder block is one of the major elements contributing approximately 3-4 % of the automobile weight. Aluminum cylinder block with cast-in liner is almost 40-55 % lighter than a conventional cast iron block [1] and hence the manufacturing processes and challenges associated with them are of high interest. A heterogeneous cast-in liner of gray cast iron in cast aluminum offers a low cost option, but the mechanical bond created between the liner and aluminum interface is prone to gap formation which affects the engine in terms of in-effective heat transfer, distortion and higher blow-by, and thereby high oil consumption & higher emissions. This study aims at reducing this interface bonding gap by in-depth study of critical process parameters involved in manufacturing of cylinder blocks.

Two-wheelers especially scooters constitute a majority market share in Asian countries. A hybrid drive-train integration of electric motor/motors with a conventional IC engine is a suitable solution to achieve reduction in CO2 emissions and as an alternative to IC Engine only vehicles. A model based supervisory controller is proposed, considering the behavior of the electrical drive, IC engine as well as the transmission, which determines the modes of operation. The controller determines the commanded torque split between the engine and electric motor across all modes of operations. With the information about the driving cycle, an optimal controller based on dynamic programming that minimizes fuel and equivalent electrical energy consumption with charge sustaining feature is proposed. This supervisory controller was simulated for hybrid configuration running on WMTC driving cycle to minimize equivalent energy consumption.

This paper explains reduction of vibration and acoustic noise in Permanent magnet synchronous (PMS) hub type motor. Electric motors are widely used in electric vehicles as main propulsion system to drive loads. This research paper presents a performance analysis of electric motors using vibration measurement focused on the vibration and noise caused by mechanical source, electrical source & PID controllers. Vibration of electric motors and systems containing motors are areas identified for consideration. Electric motor vibration &noise is discussed from the viewpoint of its causes. A proportional–integral–derivative controller (PID controller or three-term controller) is a control loop mechanism. A PID controller combines proportional control with additional integral and derivative adjustments which help the unit automatically compensate for changes in the system.

The closed loop air fuel ratio control is one of the essential algorithm to control emissions in internal combustion engine-based vehicle fleets. In order to address this, system and component level diagnostics need to explore extensively. In the presented work, a data-driven method is proposed and implemented to monitor the health of switch type oxygen sensor (lambda sensor). As the response of the lambda sensor present in a vehicle varies over the mile-age which will directly affect the tailpipe emission of the vehicle. Lambda sensor monitoring is the key challenge in OBD-II regulations. A simplified linear model for lambda sensor is derived which includes the lambda sensor gain KL. The recursive least square estimation algorithm is employed to search the value of the lambda sensor gain KL for which the model can estimate the lambda sensor output signal. The lambda gain has the correlation with state of health of the lambda sensor.

Hybrid drive trains have to be cost effective for implementation in small two-wheelers especially scooters which constitute the majority of the market in several Asian countries. Integrating an electric motor with the conventional IC Engine drivetrain while retaining the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) is a cost-effective proposition. Such a development will need accounting for the behaviour of the engine, electrical drive and the belt driven CVT. A map-based engine model and a physics-based CVT model were developed in Simulink and validated with experimental data on the WMTC drive-cycle. A steady state map-based emission model and a motor model were also used. Simulations were performed on two parallel hybrid layouts namely P2 wherein the electric motor was placed before the CVT and P3 where the motor was placed in the final drive after the CVT while retaining the base 110 cc scooter powertrain.

The three-way catalytic converter (TWC) is a vital component of the S.I. (Spark Ignition) engine to meet the current emission norms. TWC can perform the three conversion processes simultaneously. Hence, health diagnosis and performance monitoring of TWC is a major requirement of the power-train control system. In TWC modeling, the chemical species CO, THC, NOx, O2, and CO2 are the major components of the redox reaction over the wash-coat surface which impacts the overall conversion efficiency of the gases. This research work examines a generalized chemical model for a fresh catalytic converter validated for significant engine operating points in an urban drive cycle. The gas concentration measurements across the catalyst are harvested from an engine dynamo-meter test-bed. This work attempts to find the best method to optimize the chemical kinetic parameter of the Arrhenius equation parameters.

This paper presents results from tests using a fuel injection system which uses an ultrasonic atomizer paired with a port fuel injector (PFI). This concept was tested on a four stroke 200 cc spark-ignited two-wheeler engine. A throttle body with a PFI mounted on it was added to the air intake path of the engine, replacing the conventional carburetor. The ultrasonic disc was mounted in such a way, that the injected fuel from the PFI, falls directly on the face of the disc. The atomizer and the PFI were timed and synchronized appropriately using an Arduino® microcontroller, to promote atomization and vaporization of the fuel injected. The atomizer disc was excited using a high frequency oscillator circuit. The engine could be tested at various speeds and loads, corresponding to points which lie on the local drive duty cycle. The engine test results showed improvement in the engine exhaust emissions.

The upcoming Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) emission legislation has put enormous pressure on the future of small diesel engines which are widely used in the Indian market. The present work investigates the emission reduction potential of a common rail direct injection single cylinder diesel engine by adopting a holistic approach of lowering the compression ratio, boosting the intake air and down-speeding the engine. Experimental investigations were conducted across the entire operating map of a mass-production, light-duty diesel engine to examine the benefits of the proposed approach and the results are quantified for the modified Indian drive cycle (MIDC). By reducing the compression ratio from 18:1 to 14:1, the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and soot emissions are reduced by 40% and 75% respectively. However, a significant penalty in fuel economy, unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are observed with the reduced compression ratio.

Flow variations from one cycle to the next significantly influence the mixture formation and combustion processes in engines. Therefore, it is important to understand the fluid motion and its cycle-to-cycle variations (CCVs) inside the engine cylinder. Researchers have generally investigated the cycle-to-cycle flow variations in moderate- to large-sized engines. In the present work, we have performed the flow measurement and analysis in a small spark-ignition engine. Experiments are conducted in an optically accessible, single-cylinder, port-fuel-injection engine with displacement volume of 110 cm3 at different throttle openings (i.e. 50% and WOT) using particle image velocimetry. Images are captured at different crank angle positions during both intake and compression strokes over a tumble measurement plane, bisecting the intake and exhaust valves and passing through the cylinder axis.

The distribution of fuel-air mixture inside the engine cylinder strongly influences the combustion process. Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) is commonly used for fuel distribution measurement, however, it is mostly reported on moderate- to large-sized engines. In the present work, PLIF is applied to measure the fuel distribution inside the cylinder of a small, four-stroke, port-fuel-injection (PFI), spark-ignition engine with displacement volume of 110 cm3. Iso-octane was used as the base fuel, and 3-pentanone (15% by volume) was added as a fluorescent tracer in the base fuel. The effect of equivalence ratio, considering ϕ = 1.2, 1.0, and 0.8, on in-cylinder fuel distribution was studied with low throttle opening of 25% at 1200 rpm. PLIF images were recorded at different crank angle degrees during both intake and compression strokes over a swirl measurement plane located at the TDC position.

This paper presents the experimental investigation of combustion stability and nano-particle emissions from the CNG-diesel RCCI engine. A modified automotive diesel engine is used to operate in RCCI combustion mode. An open ECU is used to control the low and high reactivity fuel injection events. The engine is tested for fixed engine speed and two different engine load conditions. The tests performed for various port-injected CNG masses and diesel injection timings, including single and double diesel injection strategy. Several consecutive engine cycles are recorded using in-cylinder combustion pressure measurement system. Statistical and return map techniques are used to investigate the combustion stability in the CNG-diesel RCCI engine. Differential mobility spectrometer is used for the measurement of particle number concentration and particle-size and number distribution. It is found that advanced diesel injection timing leading to higher cyclic combustion variations.

Stringent emission regulations on one hand and increasing demand for better fuel economy along with lower noise levels on the other hand require adoption of advanced common-rail direct-injection technologies in diesel engines. In the present work, a small 0.9-l, naturally aspirated, two-cylinder, common-rail direct-injection diesel engine is used for the analysis of combustion noise at different engine operating conditions. Experiments are conducted at different loads and engine speeds, incorporating both single and multiple (i.e. pilot and main) injections along with different injection timings. In the case of multiple injections, the influence of pilot injection quantity is also evaluated on the combustion noise while maintaining the same load. In-cylinder pressure was recorded with the resolution of 0.1 crank angle degree, and it was used for the quantitative analysis of noise assessed from the resulting cylinder pressure spectra, and sound pressure level.

In a direct-injection (DI) engine, charge motion and mixture preparation are among the most important factors deciding the performance and emissions. This work was focused on studying the effect of injector positioning on fuel-air mixture preparation and fuel impingement on in-cylinder surfaces during the homogeneous mode of operation in a naturally aspirated, small bore, 0.2 l, light-duty, air-cooled, four-stroke, spark-ignition engine modified to operate under the DI mode. A commercially available, six-hole, solenoid-operated injector was used. Two injector locations were identified based on the availability of the space on the cylinder head. One location yielded the spray-guided (SG) configuration, with one of the spray plumes targeted towards the spark plug. In the second location, the spray plumes were targeted towards the piston top in a wall-guided (WG) configuration so as to minimize the impingement of fuel on the liner.

As per the OBD II regulations, it is essential to detect and monitor the misfire event in an I.C. engine. Misfiring of an I.C. engine affects the quality of combustion and degrades the performance of catalyst convertor which can lead to an increase of emissions. Misfire event can be categorized as partial or complete, based on amount of combustion occurred during that particular engine cycle. Most of the production engine for non-two wheeler vehicle identifies misfire by monitoring angular acceleration of the engine crank-shaft. However, single cylinder engine with lower capacity (less than 300 cubic centimeter) provides challenges to identify misfire due to low mechanical inertia of the I.C. engine using the same approach. The problem of misfire identification for this category of I.C. engine turn out to be more challenging due to presence of various load disturbances on the powertrain.

In this work methanol was port injected while diesel was injected using a common rail system in a single cylinder non-road CI engine. Experiments were conducted with single (SPI) and double (DPI - pilot and main) injection of the directly injected diesel at 75% load and at a constant speed of 1500 rpm. The effects of methanol to diesel energy share (MDES) and injection scheduling on combustion stability, efficiency and emissions were evaluated. Initially, in the SPI mode, the methanol to diesel Energy Share (MDES) was varied, while the injection timing of diesel was always fixed for best brake thermal efficiency (BTE). Increase in the MDES resulted in a reduction in NOx and smoke emissions because of the high latent heat of vaporization of methanol and the oxygen available. Enhanced premixed combustion led to a raise in brake thermal efficiency (BTE). Coefficient of variation of IMEP, peak pressure and BTE were deteriorated which limited the usable MDES to 43%.

Biodiesel makes an attractive option to replace fossil diesel owing to its applicability in diesel engines without major modifications. An increase in NO emissions with biodiesel compared to diesel is a major concern for its wider use. Blending alcohols, such as methanol, with biodiesel is a potential remedy to mitigate NO formation, as suggested by experiments. However, computational investigations studying the effect of biodiesel-methanol blends on NO formation are scarce. A combined experimental and computational approach is adopted here to investigate the NO formation mechanism with neat biodiesel and biodiesel-methanol blend fueled light duty diesel engine. Firstly, a new compact kinetic model is utilized consisting of oxidation reactions for methyl butanoate and n-dodecane as a surrogate for biodiesel. A surrogate is defined to represent biodiesel based on a combined property and functional group based approach.

Predicting the brake performance and characteristics is a crucial task in the vehicle development activity. Performance prediction is a challenge because of the involvement of various parts in the brake assembly like booster, master cylinder, calipers, disc and drum brakes. Determination of these characteristics through vehicle level tests requires a lot of time and money. This performance prediction is achieved by theoretical calculations involving vehicle dynamics. The final output must satisfy the regulations. This project involves the creation of a standalone application using MATLAB to predict the various brake performances such as: booster characteristics, adhesion curves, deceleration and pedal effort curves, behavior of brakes during brake and booster failed conditions and braking force diagrams based on the given user inputs. Previously, MS Excel and an application developed in the TK Solver environment was used to predict the brake performance curves.