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Zero-dimensional heat release rate models have the advantage of being both easy to handle and computationally efficient. In addition, they are capable of predicting the effects of important engine parameters on the combustion process. In this study, a zero-dimensional combustion model based on physical and chemical sub-models for local processes like injection, spray formation, ignition and combustion is presented. In terms of injection simulation, the presented model accounts for a phenomenological nozzle flow model considering the nozzle passage inlet configuration and an approach for modeling the characteristics of the Diesel spray and consequently the mixing process. A formulation for modeling the effects of intake swirl flow pattern, squish flow and injection characteristics on the in-cylinder turbulent kinetic energy is presented and compared with the CFD simulation results.

Introducing new exhaust-gas aftertreatment concepts at mass production level places exacting demands on the overall development process - from defining process engineering to developing and calibrating appropriate control-unit algorithms. Strategies for operating and controlling exhaust-gas aftertreatment components, such as oxidation and selective catalytic reduction catalysts (DOC and SCR), diesel particulate filters (DPF) and SCR on DPF systems (SCR/DPF), have a major influence on meeting statutory exhaust-emission standards. Therefore it is not only necessary to consider the physical behavior of individual components in the powertrain but also the way in which they interact as the basis for ensuring efficient operation of the overall system.

Life Cycle Value Assessment (LCVA) is a decision making tool which considers environmental, economic and/or social aspects for the entire life cycle of a product or process from “cradle-to-grave”. LCVA can be used for a wide range of public policy and business decisions with the analysis being performed at various levels of rigour. By its nature, LCVA utilizes data sets of varying qualities drawn from a wide range of sources. The uncertainties in the input data obviously lead to uncertainties in the results of the LCVA analysis. To establish confidence in an LCVA's recommendations, it is important to consider these uncertainties and incorporate an assessment of uncertainty into the LCVA process. However, the diverse nature of the data sets being used makes it difficult to rigorously establish data uncertainty levels. In addition, the complexity of most life cycle models makes it difficult to trace uncertainty through the analysis process.

High speed Schlieren video and pressure trace analyses were used to study the turbulence effects on burning velocities in a constant volume combustion chamber. Propane-air and methane-air mixtures of equivalence ratios between 0.75 and 0.96 were ignited at 101 kPa and 296 K. Schlieren images of flame growth were recorded on video at 2000 frames per second while combustion chamber pressure was simultaneously recorded. Turbulence at ignition was up to 7 m/s intensity with 2 mm or 8 mm integral scale, produced by pulling a perforated plate across the chamber prior to ignition. In the analysis, the turbulence parameters during combustion were adjusted for the effect of decay and rapid distortion in a closed chamber. Results of both video and pressure trace analyses show a linear relationship between turbulent burning velocity and turbulence intensity as expected.

As the late combustion phase in SI engines is of high importance for a further reduction of fuel consumption and especially emissions, the impacts of unburnt mass, located in a small volume with a relatively large surface near the wall and in the top land volume, is of high relevance throughout the range of operation. To investigate and quantify the respective interactions, a state of the art Mercedes-Benz single cylinder research SI-engine was equipped with extensive measurement technology. To detect the axial and radial temperature distribution, several surface thermocouples were applied in two layers around the top land volume. As an additional reference, multiple surface thermocouples in the cylinder head complement the highly dynamic temperature measurements in the boundary zones of the combustion chamber.

The University of Alberta Clean Snowmobile Challenge Team used a modified 2000 Bombardier Ski-Doo MXZ-X for the 2002 Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC). A Suzuki GSX-R 600 engine with a custom tuned port fuel injection system and custom exhaust system weree installed to maximize power while reducing emissions and noise from the snowmobile. This design was intended to meet the objectives of the CSC2002 competition which were a 50% reduction in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions and a reduction in noise to 74 dBA at 15 m (50 ft.) and wide open throttle (WOT). The reduction in emissions was easily achieved through the use of a four stroke engine with fuel injection and exhaust catalyst. The team was unable to meet the noise reduction goal although the entry was significantly quieter than the stock control snowmobile.

The different roles played by small and large eddies in engine combustion were studied. Experiments compared natural gas combustion in a converted, single cylinder Volvo TD 102 engine and in a 125 mm cubical cell. Turbulence is used to enhance flame growth, ideally giving better efficiency and reduced cyclic variation. Both engine and test cell results showed that flame growth rate correlated best with the level of high frequency, small eddy turbulence. The more effective, small eddy turbulence also tended to lower cyclic variations. Large scales and bulk flows convected the flame relative to cool surfaces and were most important to the initial flame kernel.

The effects of turbulence on 60% stoichiometric, premixed methane-air flame propagation were investigated using high speed schlieren video and pressure trace analyses. The mixtures were centrally spark-ignited at 300 K and 101 kPa in a 125 mm cubical chamber. Turbulence was up to 2 m/s intensity with 2 to 8 mm integral scale. With quiescent mixtures, buoyancy convected the slow-burning flame upward onto the upper wall, resulting in dramatic heat loss. With turbulence, the burning rate was enhanced profoundly, though partial flame quenching resulted in cyclic variability at higher turbulence levels. Despite this partial quenching, these ultra-lean flames generally resisted total extinguishment over the conditions tested.

The oil supply of combustion engines today is typically realized by oil pumps with constant displacement. To secure the operational safety in hot idling these pumps are oversized, what causes low efficiency in most of operating speeds. IAV developed a vane-type oil pump, which allows to infinitely regulate the delivery rate. Because of no oil release over a pressure limiting valve the pump achieves a higher efficiency in a wide range of operation. The design of the theoretical delivery characteristic allows the calculated and particular increase of oil pressure to avoid critical operating conditions and to support hydraulically operated functions as variable camshaft timing.

State-of-the-art powertrain concepts with automatic transmission must comply with increasingly stringent legislation on emissions and fuel consumption while fulfilling or surpassing customers' expectations as to driveability. In this respect, automated manual transmissions (AMT) and automated shift transmissions (AST) must compete with conventional automatic transmissions (AT) and continuously variable transmissions (CVT). In order to exploit the theoretical advantages of ASTs and put them into practice, complex ECU functions are needed to coordinate engine and transmission. Adaptive control, sophisticated clutch management and an intelligent shifting strategy allow shifting quality and shifting points to be simultaneously optimized to the effect that performance and comfort are increased while fuel consumption is reduced.

It is commonly stated that natural gas-fueled forklifts produce less emissions than propane-fueled forklifts. However, there is relatively little proof. This paper reports on a detailed comparative study at one plant in Edmonton, Canada where a fleet of forklift trucks is used for indoor material movement. (For convenience, the acronym NGV, ie. Natural Gas Vehicle is used to designate natural gas-fueled and LPG, ie. Liquified Petroleum Gas, is used to designate propane-fueled forklifts). Until recently the forklift trucks (of various ages) were LPG carburetted units with two-way catalytic converters. Prompted partially by worker health concerns, the forklifts were converted to fuel injected, closed-loop controlled NGV systems with three-way catalytic converters. The NGV-converted forklifts reduced emissions by 77% (NOX) and 76% (CO) when compared to just-tuned LPG forklifts.

The effects of Variable Valve Timing (VVT) on Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine energy distribution and waste heat recovery are investigated using a fully flexible Electromagnetic Variable Valve Timing (EVVT) system. The experiment is carried out in a single cylinder, 657 cc, port fuel injection engine fueled with n-heptane. Exergy analysis is performed to understand the relative contribution of different loss mechanisms in HCCI engines and how VVT changes these contributions. It is found that HCCI engine brake thermal efficiency, the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) power to heat ratio, the first and the second law efficiencies are improved with proper valve timing. Further analysis is performed by applying the first and second law of thermodynamics to compare HCCI energy and exergy distribution to Spark Ignition (SI) combustion using Primary Reference Fuel (PRF). HCCI demonstrates higher fuel efficiency and power to heat and energy loss ratios compared to SI.

This study describes the design and proof-of-concept testing of a system which has enabled sub-zero cold starting of a port-injected V6 engine fuelled with M100. At -30°C, the engine could reach running speed about 5s after the beginning of cranking. At a given temperature, starts were achieved using a fraction of the mixture enrichment normally required for the more volatile M85 fuels. During cold start cranking, firing is achieved using a high energy plasma jet ignition system. The achievement of stable idling following first fire is made possible through the use of an Exhaust Charged Cycle (ECC) camshaft design. The ECC camshaft promptly recirculates hot exhaust products, unburnt methanol and partial combustion products back into the cylinder to enhance combustion. The combined plasma jet/ECC system demonstrated exceptionally good combustion stability during fast idle following sub-zero cold starts.

Although HCCI engines promise low NOx emissions with high efficiency, they suffer from a narrow operating range between knock and misfire because they lack a direct means of controlling combustion timing. A series of previous studies showed that reformer gas, (RG, defined as a mixture of light gases dominated by hydrogen and carbon monoxide), can be used to control combustion timing without changing mixture dilution, (λ or EGR) which control engine load. The effect of RG blending on combustion timing was found to be mainly related to the difference in auto-ignition characteristics between the RG and base fuel. The practical effectiveness of RG depends on local production using a fuel processor that consumes the same base fuel as the engine and efficiently produces high-hydrogen RG as a blending additive.

Automotive tailpipe emissions are a significant contribution to urban air quality problems.(1) However, it is difficult to quantify the extent of that contribution and to quantify any progress in solving the problem. Emissions inventories are commonly based on vehicle registrations, assumed mileage and a set of emission factors. The emission factors are based on dynamometer testing of selected vehicles undertightly controlled conditions. Actual vehicle operation in any urban area encompasses a wider range of vehicles, operating conditions and ambient conditions. Given the highly tuned nature of current engine management systems, the actual in-use emissions levels can be highly sensitive to non-standard ambient and operating situations.(2,3,4,5) This paper describes an on-board system used to record ambient conditions, driving behavior, vehicle operating parameters, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

This paper demonstrates vehicle emission factor measurement using an on-board, on-road system and examines the effects of ambient temperature on those emission factors. Vehicle operating parameters, fuel consumption and emissions were measured on-road using a portable measurement system designed for ease of use with a range of vehicles, drivers and driving situations. The results reported here come from repeated trips over a 17.4 km urban / suburban route with a particular driver and vehicle. As such, the emission factors developed here do not represent the current on-road fleet. However, they show the strong influence of actual operating conditions (particularly ambient temperature) and of the vehicle control system's response to non-standard conditions. This leads to an appreciation for on-road testing as a means to illustrate vehicle emission behavior in real conditions and to highlight conditions which may require more detailed study.

The use of cylinder pressure transducers in engine control systems will permit optimum performance under all operating conditions. Previous research has shown that it is possible to automatically detect and evaluate knocking combustion based on low frequency (1 point per crank angle degree) pressure data from research and production engines. However, the previous work was done in a single cylinder research engine and a production engine with relatively slow combustion and large knock pressure peaks. In this study, a spark-plug-mounted pressure transducer and an in-cylinder flush mounted pressure transducer were used to monitor the combustion pressure in a modern four cylinder engine during knocking and normal full load operation over a speed range of 1800 RPM to 4000 RPM. This engine features much more rapid combustion and much smaller knock pressure peaks.

Under the persistent pressure to further reduce fuel consumption worldwide, it is necessary to advance the processes that influence the efficiency of gasoline engines. In doing so, harnessing the entire potential of fully variable mechanical valve trains will involve targeting efforts on optimizing all design parameters. A new type of valve timing system is used to portray thermodynamic and mechanical as well as electronic aspects of developing fully variable mechanical valve timing and lift systems

A physico-chemical model of a Cu-zeolite SCR/DPF-system involving NH₃ storage and SCR reactions as well as soot oxidation reactions with NO₂ has been developed and validated based on fundamental experimental investigations on synthetic gas test bench. The goal of the work was the quantitative modeling of NOx and NH₃ tailpipe emissions in transient test cycles in order to use the model for concept design analysis and the development of control strategies. Another focus was put on the impact of soot on SCR/DPF systems. In temperature-programmed desorption experiments, soot-loaded SCR/DPF filters showed a higher NH₃ storage capacity compared to soot-free samples. The measured effect was small, but could affect the NH₃ slip in vehicle applications. A bimodal desorption characteristic was measured for different adsorption temperatures and heating rates.

Global warming is a climate phenomenon with world-wide ecological, economic and social impact which calls for strong measures in reducing automotive fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions. In this regard, turbocharging and the associated designing of the air path of the engine are key technologies in elaborating more efficient and downsized engines. Engine performance simulation or development, parameterization and testing of model-based air path control strategies require adequate performance maps characterizing the working behavior of turbochargers. The working behavior is typically identified on test rig which is expensive in terms of costs and time required. Hence, the objective of the research project “virtual Exhaust Gas Turbocharger” (vEGTC) is an alternative approach which considers a physical modeled vEGTC to allow a founded prediction of efficiency, pressure rise as well as pressure losses of an arbitrary turbocharger with known geometry.