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Four of these Particulate Reduction Systems (PMS) were tested on a passenger car and one of them on a HDV. Expectation of the research team was that they would reach at least a PM-reduction of 30% under all realistic operating conditions. The standard German filter test procedure for PMS was performed but moreover, the response to various operating conditions was tested including worst case situations. Besides the legislated CO, NOx and PM exhaust-gas emissions, also the particle count and NO2 were measured. The best filtration efficiency with one PMS was indeed 63%. However, under critical but realistic conditions filtration of 3 of 4 PMS was measured substantially lower than the expected 30 %, depending on operating conditions and prior history, and could even completely fail. Scatter between repeated cycles was very large and results were not reproducible. Even worse, with all 4 PMS deposited soot, stored in these systems during light load operation was intermittently blown-off.

The objective of this study was to examine the operating characteristics of a light duty multi cylinder compression ignition engine with regular gasoline fuel at low engine speed and load. The effects of fuel stratification by means of multiple injections as well as the sensitivity of auto-ignition and burn rate to intake pressure and temperature are presented. The measurements used in this study included gaseous emissions, filter smoke opacity and in-cylinder indicated information. It was found that stable, low emission operation was possible with raised intake manifold pressure and temperature, and that fuel stratification can lead to an increase in stability and a reduced reliance on increased temperature and pressure. It was also found that the auto-ignition delay sensitivity of gasoline to intake temperature and pressure was low within the operating window considered in this study.

An infrared laser absorption technique has been developed to measure in-cylinder concentrations of CO in an optical, automotive HCCI engine. The diagnostic employs a distributed-feedback, tunable diode laser selected to emit light at the R15 line of the first overtone of CO near 2.3 μm. The collimated laser beam makes multiple passes through the cylinder to increase its path length and its sampling volume. High-frequency modulation of the laser output (wavelength modulation spectroscopy) further enhances the signal-to-noise ratio and detection limits of CO. The diagnostic has been tested in the motored and fired engine, exhibiting better than 200-ppm sensitivity for 50-cycle ensemble-average values of CO concentration with 1-ms time resolution. Fired results demonstrate the ability of the diagnostic to quantify CO production during negative valve overlap (NVO) for a range of fueling conditions.

Amount and size distribution of wear particles in engine lubricating oil are indicators of the current machine condition. A change in size distribution, especially a rise in the amount of larger particles, often indicates a starting wear of some machine parts. Monitoring wear particles contained in lubricating oil during normal machine operation can help to identify the need for maintenance and more important to prevent sudden failure of the machine. An optical method is used to image a thin layer of oil to count and classify contained particles. Therefore, a continuous flow of undiluted oil from the oil circuit of the machine is pumped through the measurement instrument. Inside the instrument, the oil flow is directed through a thin transparent flow cell. Images are taken using a bright LED flashlight source, a magnification lens, and a digital camera. Algorithms have been developed to process and analyze the images.

Multiple-ribbed V belts have been widely used in automotive accessory drive systems to transmit power from crankshaft to power steering pump, alternator, and air conditioning (A/C) compressor. Overload under severe environmental conditions can lead to excessive slippage in the belt pulley interface in poorly designed accessory drive systems. This can lead to undesirable noise that increases warranty cost substantially. The mechanisms of this tribology phenomenon, noise features and system response are of utmost interest to the accessory drive system engineers. As accessory belt systems are usually used in ambient condition, the presence of water or moisture on belt is unavoidable under rainy or highly humid conditions. It has been found that the wet friction with negative coefficient of friction (cof)-velocity slope can lead to self-excited vibrations and squeal noise.

Blade tip clearance is a key design parameter for gas turbine designers. This parameter is often measured during engine testing and development phases as part of design validation but has yet to be utilized during normal engine fleet operation. Although blade tip clearance measurements are often mentioned for fleet operation in the context of active clearance control, the use of blade tip clearance measurements can provide an additional benefit for engine health monitoring. This paper explores the use of blade tip clearance sensors for engine condition monitoring of hot section blades. Blade tip clearance, especially in the first stage turbine, has an impact on exhaust gas temperature. The use of tip clearance measurements can provide supplementary information to traditional EGT measurements by providing a direct measurement of wear on the blade tips.

Performance penalties associated with infrared (IR)-signature suppression (IRSS), e.g., increased engine back pressure, weight, drag, cost, and complexity, can shift the engine operating point to higher combustion temperatures. Extra weight degrades aircraft flight performance in terms of reduced range, higher length needed for takeoff, reduced maneuverability, etc. Lift-induced drag penalty due to increased weight shifts the aircraft gas turbine engine operating point to a higher combustion temperature. But the divergent section of the convergent-divergent (C-D) nozzle gives the extra thrust up to optimal flow expansion, which more than compensates the increased lift-induced drag corresponding to its weight. Thus, for the same thrust, an engine with a C-D nozzle operates at a lower combustion temperature than with a convergent nozzle.

The European Union has defined legally binding CO2-fleet targets for new cars until 2030. Therefore, improvement of fuel economy and carbon dioxide emission reduction is becoming one of the most important issues for the car manufacturers. Today’s conventional car powertrain systems are reaching their technical limits and will not be able to meet future CO2 targets without further improvement in combustion efficiency, using low carbon fuels (LCF), and at least mild electrification. This paper demonstrates a highly efficient and performant combustion engine concept with a passive pre-chamber spark plug, operating at stoichiometric conditions and powered with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Even from fossil origin, LPG features many advantages such as low carbon/hydrogen ratio, low price and broad availability. In future, it can be produced from renewables and it is in liquid state under relatively low pressures, allowing the use of conventional injection and fuel supply components.

Strict regulations on air pollution motivates clean combustion research for fossil fuels. To numerically mimic real gasoline fuel reactivity, surrogates are proposed to facilitate advanced engine design and predict emissions by chemical kinetic modelling. However, chemical kinetic models could not accurately predict non-regular emissions, e.g. aldehydes, ketones and unsaturated hydrocarbons, which are important air pollutants. In this work, we propose to use machine-learning algorithms to achieve better predictions. Combustion chemistry of fuels constituting of 10 neat fuels, 6 primary reference fuels (PRF) and 6 FGX surrogates were tested in a jet stirred reactor. Experimental data were collected in the same setup to maintain data uniformity and consistency under following conditions: residence time at 1.0 second, fuel concentration at 0.25%, equivalence ratio at 1.0, and temperature range from 750 to 1100K.

The present work investigates a means of controlling engine hydrocarbon startup and shutdown emissions in a Wankel engine which uses a novel rotor cooling method. Mechanically the engine employs a self-pressurizing air-cooled rotor system (SPARCS) configured to provide improved cooling versus a simple air-cooled rotor arrangement. The novelty of the SPARCS system is that it uses the fact that blowby past the sealing grid is inevitable in a Wankel engine as a means of increasing the density of the medium used for cooling the rotor. Unfortunately, the design also means that when the engine is shutdown, due to the overpressure within the engine core and the fact that fuel vapour and lubricating oil are to be found within it, unburned hydrocarbons can leak into the combustion chambers, and thence to the atmosphere via either or both of the intake and exhaust ports.

In this experimental study, an attempt is made to enhance the performance characteristics of diesel fuel with two different natural additives (NA). Borassus Flabelifer (NB1) and Oryza Sativa straws (NB2) were chosen as natural additives. The selected natural additives were milled for 150 hours using a planetary ball mill and their particle sizes ranging from 120 to 125 nm. The milled natural additives were doped into neat diesel using a magnetic stirrer followed by ultrasonication and their stability was ascertained. The presence of high carbon and oxygen content was noted on EDS results of milled powder. The properties of fuel were analyzed as per ASTM standards and it was observed that there was a marginal decrease in calorific value, flash point, and fire point of the fuel.

Air conditioning systems are one of the significant auxiliary loads on the vehicle powertrain. In an Electric Vehicle (EV) where the available energy is limited, it becomes crucial to optimize the overall energy consumption of the auxiliary loads. The major power consuming components in an automotive HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) are: Compressor, Cabin blower, Condenser cooling fan and the Control devices. Significant progress is already made in enhancing the energy efficiency of the above-mentioned power consuming components part of vehicle HVAC system. Alternate energy sources are being explored recently, to reduce the energy demand from vehicle. One such proposal is to harness the abundant solar energy available, through solar panels and consume this energy to supplement the power required for HVAC system components. Solar panels convert solar energy to electrical energy by the principle of the photovoltaic effect.

During hot ambient, the cabin temperature of vehicle undergoing soaking may rise up to 70oC. Warm temperature and seats often turn uncomfortable to the passenger. The high temperature may result in thermal degradation of various plastic components, which in turn may release hazardous gases [2]. Usual practice to improve air quality inside the cabin includes switching on the air conditioning while keeping the window panes open. Such a practice minimizes the stabilization time to achieve comfortable cabin temperature. However, significant power requirement by the air-conditioning system during cool down cycle results in excess fuel consumption [7]. To eliminate these problems, the SOLAR POWERED INCABIN EVAPORATIVE COOLING SYSTEM can be installed in the car. This system uses a solar panel which converts the Solar energy into the Electrical energy. This energy can be used to recharge small battery or can be directly used to give necessary power for the cooling system.

The motivation of this work is to respond to high cabin temperatures within a parked/stationary vehicle which may cause discomfort and lead to vehicular heatstroke. The system also intends to ensure sufficient limits of oxygen within the vehicle cabin to prevent asphyxiation to the cabin occupants. The rise in global temperature is affecting the quality of air and comfort of occupants inside a parked car. There have been several cases reported of pets and children being left unattended or unsupervised in a parked car for a long period of time which have led to their deaths due to asphyxiation. The use of cost-effective materials like high density plastics for interior cabin trim have also been proven to contribute to cancer because of the emission of benzene a carcinogen by these plastics when exposed to extreme temperatures for long periods of time.