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In today’s automobile industry refined NVH performance is a key feature and of high importance governing occupant comfort and overall quality impression of vehicle. In this paper interior noise and vibration measurement is done on one of the light truck and few dominant low frequency noise booms were observed in operation range. Modal analysis was done for the cabin at virtual as well as experimental level and few modes were found close to these noise booms. Vibrations were measured across the cabin mounts and it was found that the isolation of front mounts is not effective at lower frequencies. Taking this as an input, the mount design was modified to shift the natural frequency and hence improve the isolation behavior at the lowest dominant frequency. This was followed by static and dynamic measurement of the mounts at test rig level to characterize the dynamic performance and stiffness conclusion.

In meeting the stringent emission norms the injector selection plays a vital role. Selection of optimum injection parameters helps in achieving good spray targeting and efficient atomization of fuel to generate optimum mixing effect. The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the effect of injection parameters on a heavy duty diesel engine performance and emission characteristics. The injection parameters such as hydraulic through flow, cone angle, number of holes & hole diameter are studied on 6-cylinder turbocharged common rail diesel engine (BS-IV). The influence of these parameters and their combinations along with the various injection strategies are analyzed using different parametric variations in order to see the combustion and performance trend of engine. The performance of the various hardware configurations are then evaluated and discussed based on the fuel consumption and exhaust emission values.

The intensifying demand of cleaner fuelled vehicles considering current norms of BSIV and upcoming stringent norms of BSVI with low cost solutions has promoted the development of CNG and dual fuel vehicles. CNG vehicle is anticipated to discover its extensive use for environment fortification and effective deployment of energy capitals. Thus, CNG vehicles can be pretty effective in averting environment deterioration. CNG has low carbon to hydrogen ratio, this leads to very low CO2 emissions compared to gasoline and diesel vehicles. CNG engines have the potential of low NOx and particulate emissions. Natural gas vehicle development has been directed on the way to current use of direct injection and port injection with S.I. engines. Generally for low cost development, all OEMs prefer optimization of existing engines. Similarly for this project, a diesel engine was converted to S.I. engine for development of low emission CNG engine.

With implementation of stringent BSVI emission norms and regulations like OBD-II on vehicle, it is essential to define the life of exhaust after treatment along with the vehicle. Diesel after treatment generally consists of DOC, DPF and SCR. Lubricating oil contains phosphorus and zinc which adversely affect the DOC. Unburned hydrocarbons (UNHBC) and SOF in tail pipe get accumulated in the DPF. This requires regeneration process where in, high temperatures in exhaust after treatment (EATS) burn the adsorbed Sulphur or phosphorus, thereby improving the conversion efficiencies. Repeated regenerations lead to ash accumulation in DPF and this reduces its capability for soot accumulation. Sulphur in the exhaust impacts SCR through NOx conversion. The present study analyzes the effect of (1) Chemical aging (2) Thermal aging on 3.77 liter diesel engine after treatment. A test cycle was prepared to run the durability for EATS.

Crankshaft is one of the critical components of an engine (5C: cylinder head, connecting rod, crankshaft, camshaft and cylinder block). It is subjected to repetitive and dynamic loads due to cyclic operation of an engine, inertia forces due to uneven mass distribution with failure zones as fillets and holes in journal locations. Fatigue is most common cause in failure of the crankshaft. Its failure will cause serious damage to the engine so its reliability verification must be performed. The load is applied as per the firing order of the cylinder for 2 revolutions of crankshaft, to cover firing condition of each cylinder. Loads with respect to crank angle or time are applied at respective locations and results are taken on 360 steps for 2 complete revolutions of crank. The topic was chosen because of increasing interest in higher payloads, lower weight, higher efficiency and shorter load cycles in crankshaft equipment.

During the last few decades, concerns have grown on the negative effects that diesel particulate matter has on health. Because of this, particulate emissions were subjected to restrictions and various emission-reduction technologies were developed. It is ironic that some of these technologies led to reductions in the legislated total particulate mass while neglecting the number of particles. Focusing on the mass is not necessarily correct, because it might well be that not the mass but the number of particles and the characteristics of them (size, composition) have a higher impact on health. During the diesel engine combustion process, soot particles are produced which is very harmful for the atmosphere. Particulate matter is composed of much organic and inorganic composition which was analyzed after the optimization of SCR and EGR engine out.

SCR being an advanced active emission technology system for diesel engine, is one of the most cost-effective and fuel-efficient technologies available for complying with the stringent NOx emission legislations. SCR catalyst volume is being considered as the most concerned part for NOx reduction and durability and a key element leading to high financial assessments. The SCR Optimization reduces the possibility of ammonia slip and leads to high NOx conversion rates. By improving the performance of the SCR, the optimization solution also reduces the amount of catalyst needed, thereby reducing associated costs. The decrease in SCR catalyst volume by 1m3 with respect to current set-up will lead to 15% reduction in the total cost of catalyst. All the factors affecting the SCR catalyst volume were focused in detail and the plausible range of catalyst volume was investigated by comparative measurement of these factors.

Engine down speeding is rapidly picking up momentum in many segment of world market. Numerous engine down speeding packages from OEM have been tailored to take advantage of the increased efficiencies associated with engine down speeding. Running engine at lower rpm has numerous advantages. The most obvious of these is reduced fuel consumption, since the engine can spend more time running within its optimum efficiency range. By down speeding, the engine is made to run at low speeds and with high torques. For the same power, the engine is operated at higher specific load- Brake Mean Effective pressure (BMEP) which results in higher efficiency and reduced fuel consumption-Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC). The reasons for increased fuel efficiency are reduced engine friction due to low piston speeds, reduced relative heat transfer and increased thermodynamic efficiency.

The ever-increasing amalgamation of electronics with the automotive industry in the past decade has seen an integration of various sensors like temperature sensors, RPM sensors, wheel speed sensors, etc. on a vehicle. These sensors have enabled a deep insight into vehicle behavior and a good perception of the operating conditions of the vehicle. The accelerometer is one such sensor, the advancement in the semiconductor industry has bred accelerometer sensors in a MEMs form, which is very cost-effective and also facilitates easy integration because of the microform factor. Moreover, As dictated by AIS 140 norms the Telematics ECUs must have a Triaxial accelerometer & Triaxial Gyro sensor integrated inside them.

In order to stand apart from the competition, there is an ever growing demand in Indian commercial vehicle segments to reach higher fuel economy while achieving the emission goals set by the BS-VI norms. With emissions standard set by BS-VI, novel techniques to improve fuel efficiency have to be considered that have least impact with respect to NOx and soot emissions. The optimization of exhaust and intake valve lifts with respect to engine speed, technology commonly known as Variable Valve Lift and Timing (VVT/VVL), has been implemented in many passenger vehicles propelled by gasoline engine. The aim of this work is do initial assessment of utilizing the VVL method on a LMD commercial vehicle diesel engine. A 3.8 litre BS-VI turbocharged EGR engine is used for this study. Valve lift and timing optimization for better fuel efficiency at rated power engine speed is carried out by using one-dimensional thermodynamic simulation software AVL BOOST.

As the commercial vehicle engine heads towards the next generation of stringent emissions and fuel economy targets, all aspects of the internal combustion engine are subject to close scrutiny. Inherently, ICE’s are very inefficient, with efficiency varying between 18 ~ 40%. This efficiency is a function of friction losses, pumping losses and wasted heat. Currently, automotive OEM’s globally are hard at work trying to attack these issues with various solutions to achieve incremental gains. The leading trend is getting more power from less space, also known as downsizing. Due to the importance of downsizing, direct injection and other technologies, it is imperative to highlight another key area, where OEM’s are expanding their limits to gain those extra few kilometers per liter of fuel i.e. weight reduction. From an emissions perspective, it is estimated that every 50 kg of weight reduced from an average 1,500 kg vehicle cuts CO2 emissions by 4 ~ 5 grams.

Downsizing and Light weighting is the latest trend in the automotive industry to achieve more fuel efficient, compact and cost effective design of vehicles. Powertrain components compromise of more than 45% of the total vehicle weight. Automakers are putting significant efforts to reduce the weight of power train components. Integrated design of aluminum Engine Head and Intake manifold has been successfully implemented. Now currently we have identified the gear box housings for downsizing in light duty trucks i.e. Existing light duty trucks Cast Iron transmission. This design has been successfully modified with integrated clutch housing and transmission housing, using lightweight aluminum as the new material, using simulation tools. This lead to weight savings of up to 30% and cost savings of 20-25% as compared to existing cast iron designs. Using an integrated design reduces the assembly cost, makes the design more compact and gives better weight balance.

With the improvement of standard of living, air conditioning has widely been applied in buses. However, in air conditioning buses air distribution is still needs to be improved, One of the main reasons for this sub-quality comfort is two air flow louvers arrangement for 3x2 layout air conditioner buses. Air conditioning buses hatrack louvers are an integral part in providing comfort to passengers. General trend of the numbers of louvers provided to passengers is two louvers for three seats. Disadvantage of having conventional two louvers is that, there is always one passenger left with no option of directing air towards that person. This lead to an opportunity to design three louvers type hatrack instated of conventional two louvers hatrack, for 3x2 seating layout of buses. This way all three passengers can control the louvers for their own comfort and mass of air flow is sufficient for third passenger as well.

Air motion in a cylinder in a compression ignition engine affects on mixing of air-fuel, quality of combustion and emission produced. With upcoming stringent norms for diesel engines, it is necessary to enhance air-fuel mixing for proper combustion. Swirl and tumble are forms of air motion. Swirl is a rotational motion of a bulk mass within cylinder. Swirl is generated by shaping and countering intake manifold and valve ports. Swirl enhances air-fuel mixing and helps to spread flame-front during combustion. The objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of different swirl ratios on NOx and soot emission characteristics inside the cylinder of a DI Diesel engine. The effects of different geometrical parameters of helical port were studied and the swirl ratios are optimized by optimizing the geometrical parameter of helical port. This can be done by different manufacturing, polishing and grinding processes.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is one of the most effective methods for reducing the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) of diesel engines. EGR system has already been used to mass-produce diesel engines, in which EGR is used at the low and medium load of engine operating condition, resulting in NOx reduction. In order to meet future emission standards, EGR must be done over wider range of engine operation, and heavier EGR rate will be needed. It is especially important for EGR to be done in a high engine load range since the amount of NOx is larger than the other engine operation conditions. EGR systems adapted to the diesel engines of trucks usually recirculate exhaust gas utilizing the pressure difference between upstream part of the turbocharger turbine and downstream part of the compressor. The venturi throat diameter plays the vital role for the flow of EGR across the exhaust and intake.

Direct injection compression ignition engines have proved to be the best option in light duty applications but rapid depleting sources of conventional fossil fuels, their rising prices and ever increasing environmental issues are the major concerns. Alternate fuels, particularly bio fuels are receiving increasing attention during the last few years. Biodiesel has already been commercialized in the transport sector. In the present work, a turbocharged, intercooled, DI diesel engine has been alternatively fuelled with biodiesel and its 20% blend with commercial diesel. The effect of biodiesel addition to diesel on engine performance, combustion, and emissions were studied in a turbocharged, high-pressure common rail diesel engine. Biodiesel/diesel blends with different biodiesel fractions were used and compared with neat biodiesel and diesel at different engine loads and speeds.

Future emissions regulations like BSIV and above in India, Diesel engine manufacturers are forced to find complex ways to reduce exhaust gas pollutant emissions, in particular NOx and particulate matter (PM). Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) into the engine intake is an established technology to reduce NOx emissions. The distribution of EGR in each cylinder plays vital role in combustion process and hence it will affect exhaust emissions. The influence of EGR mixture design and its effect on distribution across the cylinder has significant impact on the NOx-PM trade-off which is studied on light duty direct injection diesel engine. A simulation and experimental study of EGR mixer design is conducted to explain this effect and the distribution of EGR across the cylinder at different EGR flow rate.

Diesel engines are facing stringent norms and future survival with its lower availability is one of the biggest concerns for OEMs of heavy duty commercial vehicles. This is leading to uplifting of new, latent and innovative techniques to achieve these norms with best possible BSFC to reduce overall diesel consumption. The prime objective of this study is to identify and explore the latent strength of pre and post injection on engine performance, emissions and oil dilution due to soot. The post injection strategy has the potential to reduce soot with almost same NOx and fuel consumption depending on the delay of post injection and its quantity. It aids to increase the engine out temperatures for assistance of after-treatment devices, thus meeting higher temperature requirements for NOx and PM conversion for stringent norms of BSVI.

Diesel engines have always been popular for their low end torque and lugging abilities. With their higher thermal efficiencies through technical advancements, diesel engines are preferred powertrains in mass transportation of goods as well as people [14] [15]. A diesel engine always banks on excess air, which is subjected to higher compression ratios so as to achieve temperatures, enough to facilitate auto-ignition of diesel. With the advent of turbocharging and intercooling, the air availability is further enhanced, ensuring better combustion efficiency, lesser HC, CO and particulate matter (PM) emissions together with improved fuel efficiencies [2] [15]. Higher air availability also has its own shortcomings in the form of higher NOx (Nitrogen oxides) emissions. With stringent emission norms in place, reduction of NOx as well as PM, without sacrificing performance and fuel economy, is of utmost importance.

The Advancement in Connected vehicles Technology in recent years has propelled the use of concepts like the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data in the automotive industry. The progressive electrification of the powertrain has led to the integration of various sensors in the vehicle. The data generated by these sensors are continuously streamed through a telematics device on the vehicle. Data analytics of this data can lead to a variety of applications. Predictive maintenance is one such area where machine learning algorithms are applied to relevant data to predict failure. Field vehicle malfunction or breakdown is costly for manufacturers’ aftermarket services. In the case of commercial vehicles, downtime is the biggest concern for the customer. The use of predictive maintenance techniques can prevent many critical failures by tending to the root cause in the early stages of failure. Engine overheating is one such problem that transpires in diesel engines.