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ERRATUM: In the article Reference 24 should read as follows: 24. Han, T., Booth, A., Song, S., Styles, D., and Hoard, J., “Review and A Conceptual Model of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Cooler Fouling Deposition and Removal Mechanism” Proceedings of the Int. Conf. on Heat Exchanger Fouling and Cleaning, 2015”

Engine cooling module air flows depend on package components and vehicle front end geometry. For years, in the early stages of vehicle development, front end geometry air flows were determined from 3/8 scale models or retrofit of similar existing vehicles. As time to market has become much shorter, finite element modeling of air flows is the only tool available. This paper describes how finite element simulations of front end air flows can be run early in the development program independent of any specific engine cooling module configuration and then coupled with traditional one-dimensional component performance models to predict cooling module air flows. The CFD simulation thus replaces the previous scale model testing process. The CFD simulations are used to determine the two parameters that characterize the front end geometry flow resistance (recovery coefficient and internal loss coefficient).

Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI), a Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) strategy for diesel engines is of increasing interest due to its potential to simultaneously reduce soot and NOx emissions. However, the influence of mixture preparation on combustion phasing and heat release rate in LTC is not fully understood. In the present study, the influence of injection timing on mixture preparation, combustion and emissions in PCCI mode is investigated by experimental and computational methods. A sequential coupling approach of 3D CFD with a Stochastic Reactor Model (SRM) is used to simulate the PCCI engine. The SRM accounts for detailed chemical kinetics, convective heat transfer and turbulent micro-mixing. In this integrated approach, the temperature-equivalence ratio statistics obtained using KIVA 3V are mapped onto the stochastic particle ensemble used in the SRM.

The effect that thermally and compositionally stratified flowfields have on the spatial progression of iso-octane-fueled homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion were directly observed using highspeed chemiluminescence imaging. The stratified in-cylinder conditions were produced by independently feeding the intake valves of a four-valve engine with thermally and compositionally different mixtures of air, vaporized fuel, and argon. Results obtained under homogeneous conditions, acquired for comparison to stratified operation, showed a small natural progression of the combustion from the intake side to the exhaust side of the engine, a presumed result of natural thermal stratification created from heat transfer between the in-cylinder gases and the cylinder walls. Large differences in the spatial progression of the HCCI combustion were observed under stratified operating conditions.

Aerodynamic had played a primary role in high performance car since the late 1960s, when introduction of the first inverted wings appeared in some formulas. Race car aerodynamic optimisation is one of the most important reason behind the car performance. Moreover, for high performance car using naturally aspired engine, car aerodynamic has a strong influence also on engine performance by its influence on the engine airbox. To improve engine performance, a detailed fluid dynamic analysis of the car/airbox interaction is highly recommended. To design an airbox geometry, a wide range of aspects must be considered because its geometry influences both car chassis design and whole car aerodynamic efficiency. To study the unsteady fluid dynamic phenomena inside an airbox, numerical approach could be considered as the best way to reach a complete integration between chassis, car aerodynamic design, and airbox design.

A realistic modeling of the wall heat transfer is essential for an accurate analysis and simulation of the working cycle of internal combustion engines. Empirical heat transfer formulations still dominate the application in engine process simulations because of their simplicity. However, experiments have shown that existing correlations do not provide satisfactory results for all the possible operation modes of hydrogen internal combustion engines. This paper describes the application of a flow field-based heat transfer model according to Schubert et al. [1]. The models strength is a more realistic description of the required characteristic velocity; considering the influence of the injection on the global turbulence and on the in-cylinder flow field results in a better prediction of the wall heat transfer during the compression stroke and for operations with multiple injections. Further an empirical hypothesis on the turbulence generation during combustion is presented.

LCDs are effective to display abundant information in a compact space. Therefore, the use of TFT or DOT metric displays in dashboard instrument display is getting popular in recent years. However, it is important issue for car makers how to let users know information about vehicle functions or outside environment and manage plentiful information. In this paper, the Rapid Control Prototyping (RCP) tool is proposed to design and standardize HMI logic associated with display contents in TFT or dot type LCD applied to an instrument cluster. In addition, it is possible to estimate HMI logic in advance by using this RCP. By this process, we can minimize the design and validation time of the vehicle specific HMI logic and improve the quality. As a result, we can dramatically reduce the total period of developing an instrument cluster.

Optimization of the engine cold start is critical for gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines to meet increasingly stringent emission regulations, since the emissions during the first 20 seconds of the cold start constitute more than 80% of the hydrocarbon (HC) emissions for the entire EPA FTP75 drive cycle. However, Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) engine cold start optimization is very challenging due to the rapidly changing engine speed, cold thermal environment and low cranking fuel pressure. One approach to reduce HC emissions for DISI engines is to adopt retarded spark so that engines generate high heat fluxes for faster catalyst light-off during the cold idle. This approach typically degrades the engine combustion stability and presents additional challenges to the engine cold start. This paper describes a CFD modeling based approach to address these challenges for the Ford 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine cold start.

A small hybrid system was developed for the 2009 model hybrid vehicle. The Intelligent Power Unit (IPU), which consists of a high-voltage battery and a Power Control Unit (PCU), occupies 19% less volume and is 28% lighter than the previous model(1). In order to reduce the size and weight of the IPU, the number of nickel-metal hydride battery modules was reduced, enabling the battery box to be made smaller and lighter. In order to provide the necessary output with fewer battery modules, the length of the battery electrodes was increased, thus raising the output from each battery module. The volume and weight of the PCU were reduced by integrating the inverter, DC-DC converter, and ECU into a single package. The size reduction of the IPU enabled the IPU to be installed at the bottom of the luggage compartment. As a result, the available space in the luggage compartment is the same as that of a conventional vehicle.

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is allowing diesel engines to reach NOx emission levels which are unachievable in-cylinder. This technology is still evolving, and new catalyst formulations which provide higher performance and greater durability continue to be developed. Usually, their performance is measured on a flow reactor using ammonia as the reductant. However, in mobile applications a urea-water solution is used instead, and urea decomposition by thermolysis and hydrolysis provides the required ammonia to the catalyst. It is well known that urea decomposition is incomplete by the inlet face of the converter, and this is at least one reason why on-engine performance is generally lower than would be expected from reactor tests. Previous modeling of urea-water droplets has focused on developing detailed sub-models that can be implemented into computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes.

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) are widely used to meet 2007 and beyond EPA Particulate Matter (PM) emissions requirements. During the soot loading process, soot is collected inside a porous wall and eventually forms a soot cake layer on the surface of the DPF inlet channel walls. A densely packaged soot layer and reduced pore size due to Particulate Matter (PM) deposition will reduce overall DPF wall permeability which results in increasing pressure drop across the DPF substrate. A regeneration process needs to be enacted to burn out all the soot collected inside the DPF. Soot mass is not always evenly distributed as the distribution is affected by the flow and temperature distribution at the DPF inlet. As a result, the heat release which is determined by the burn rate is locally dependent. High temperature gradients are often found inside DPF substrate as a result of these locally dependent burn rates.

Wet clutches are widely used in automotive systems. They are essential parts of automatic transmissions, modern All-Wheel-Drive systems or dual-clutch transmissions. Regardless of the area of application, a good knowledge of clutch friction behaviors is crucial for the clutch control system development. This paper considers two important factors of the wet clutch dynamics: coefficient of friction behavior and thermal dynamics. An Active Limited Slip Differential wet clutch with carbon fiber-based friction lining material is experimentally characterized by using a precise wet clutch setup. The characterization of the coefficient of friction behavior includes influence of clutch slip speed, applied force, and friction surface temperature. The clutch thermal dynamics is characterized based on the heat power balance law applied to the clutch separator plate with a variable heat transfer coefficient. The results of the thermal model experimental validation are presented, as well.

NVH refinement is an important aspect of the powertrain development and vehicle integration process. The depletion of fossil-based fuels and increase in price of gasoline have prompted most vehicle manufacturers to embrace propulsion technologies with varying degrees and types of hybridization. Many different hybrid vehicle systems are either on the market, or under development, even up to all-electric vehicles. Each hybrid vehicle configuration brings unique NVH challenges that result from a variety of sources. This paper begins with an introductory discussion of hybrid propulsion technologies and associated unique vehicle NVH challenges inherent in the operation of such hybrid vehicles. Following this, the paper outlines a two-dimensional landscape of typical customer vehicle maneuvers mapped against hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) operational modes.

The high cost and competitive nature of automotive product development necessitates the search for less expensive and faster methods of predicting vehicle performance. Continual improvements in High Performance Computing (HPC) and new computational schemes allow for the digital evaluation of vehicle comfort parameters including wind noise. Recently, the commercially available Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code PowerFlow, was evaluated for its accuracy in predicting wind noise generated by an external automotive tow mirror. This was accomplished by running simulations of several mirror configurations, choosing the quietest mirror based on the predicted performance, prototyping it, and finally, confirming the prediction with noise measurements taken in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel. Two testing methods, beam-forming and direct noise measurements, were employed to correlate the physical data with itself before correlating with simulation.

Honda has succeeded in developing the new fuel cell (FC) vehicle designed into a dynamic, full-cabin sedan, the FCX Clarity, originating from the new V Flow FC platform. The key technology is V Flow FC Stack, featuring V Flow cell structure in which the fuel gases run from top to bottom vertically through the wave flow-channels. According to this unique structure, the fuel cell stack sits longitudinally along the center tunnel, and a Vertebral layout has emerged. The Vertebral layout results in Volume efficient package and low-floor platform. The V Flow FC stack has achieved a high output of 100kW and improved the output density with 50% by volume and 67% by mass, compared to the previous 2005 model. The V Flow cell structure utilizes gravity for water drainage and reduces the channel depth creating thinner cells. The wave-shaped vertical gas flow channel provides horizontal and more efficient coolant flow distribution allowing the reduction of the number of cooling layer.

Since 1992, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has been working on the development of fuel cell system technology. TMC is designing principal components in-house, including fuel cell stacks, high-pressure hydrogen storage tank systems, and hybrid systems. TMC developed the ‘02 model TOYOTA FCHV, the world-first market-ready fuel cell vehicle, and started limited lease of the vehicles in December 2002. In June 2008, TMC developed a new TOYOTA FCHV-adv which obtained vehicle type certification in Japan, and is currently available for leasing in Japan and the United States. In the development of the TOYOTA FCHV-adv, TMC has improved the cruising range and cold start/drive capability from the previous TOYOTA FCHV. The TOYOTA FCHV-adv has achieved an actual cruising range of over 500 km, which is equivalent to that of current gasoline vehicles. In addition, the TOYOTA FCHV-adv has proven starting/driving capability at -30°C temperature.

The objective of this research is a detailed investigation of multiple injections in a highly-dilute diesel low temperature combustion (LTC) regime. This research concentrates on understanding the performance and emissions benefits of multiple injections via experiments and simulations in a 0.48L signal cylinder light-duty engine operating at 2000 r/min and 5.5 bar IMEP. Controlled experiments in the single-cylinder engine are then combined with three computational tools, namely heat release analysis of measured cylinder pressure, a phenomenological spray model using in-cylinder thermodynamics [1], and KIVA-3V Chemkin CFD computations recently tested at LTC conditions [2]. This study examines the effects of fuel split distribution, injection event timing, rail pressure, and boost pressure which are each explored within a defined operation range in LTC.

An experimental investigation has been carried out to quantify the performance enhancements with a suction line heat exchanger (SLHX) in an AC system. An off-the shelf double pipe cross fluted SLHX is used for this investigation. System level bench tests are conducted with an AC system from a 2008 MY mid-sized sedan. The cabin interior condition is held constant at 25°C and 50% RH. The dry bulb temperature for the engine compartment is varied from 25 to 45°C. The compressor speed is varied from 800 to 3000 rpm and the air velocity over the condenser is varied from 2 to 10 m/s. Based on the tests conducted on the AC system without and with SLHX, system performance (COP) has been improved by 7%. Additional tests have been planned with modified SLHX.

This paper reports an active heat sink (AHS) that allows high-density electronic components to operate at a stable temperature over a broad range of ambient conditions. AHS receives heat at high flux and transfers it at reduced flux to environment, coolant fluid (e.g., air or engine coolant), or structures. Temperature of the heat load can be controlled electronically. Target applications for AHS include thermal management of the new class of high-power electronics being developed for electric hybrid vehicles. AHS also enables precise control over junction temperature (and, thus, light color) of high-power light-emitting diodes (LED) used for solid-state headlights and allows for compact air-cooled heat sinks. Depending on the configuration, AHS thermal resistance can be as low as 0.1 degC/W. AHS physics, engineering design, and performance simulations are presented.

A systematic methodology has been employed to develop the Duratec 3.5L EcoBoost combustion system, with focus on the optimization of the combustion system including injector spray pattern, intake port design, piston geometry, cylinder head geometry. The development methodology was led by CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modeling together with a testing program that uses optical, single-cylinder, and multi-cylinder engines. The current study shows the effect of several spray patterns on air-fuel mixing, in-cylinder flow development, surface wetting, and turbulence intensity. A few sets of injector spray patterns are studied; some that have a wide total cone angle, some that have a narrow cone angle and a couple of optimized injector spray patterns. The effect of the spray pattern at part load, full load and cold start operation was investigated and the methodology for choosing an optimized injector is presented.