Thesis (M.S. in Mechanical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Sinibaldi, Jose O. ; Milsaps, Knox T. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Laminar flame speed test, Test faculty characterization for bio-diesel characterization, Combustion Chamber, Ignition, Fuelling. Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-70). Also available in print.

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Fuel-optimal rendezvous in orbit is examined using thrust-impulses and coasting arcs. Necessary conditions for the optimality of fuel-optimal rendezvous with and without radial constraints are derived. These conditions are then used to verify the optimality of trajectories obtained from a parameter-optimization technique. For rendezvous problems with radial constraint, locally optimal trajectories include constrained arcs or touch-point arcs. Numerical procedures to compute the costates and the jumps in the costates at the touch point and at the entry point to the constraint arc are provided. Locally optimal solutions for non-optimal trajectories with a minimum radius-constraint are obtained using criteria due to Lion and Handelsmann. Numerical solutions show that multiple-impulse trajectories almost always result in a lower cost function than the corresponding two impulse trajectories. It is also observed that trajectories comprised of only touch-point arcs can often be improved by using an additional impulse. / M. S.

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis comprises of the testing and evaluation of a modern diesel engine running on both biodiesel and mineral diesel on the upgraded Bio-fuels Testing Facility (BTF) at Stellenbosch University. The project was motivated by the need to install a modern diesel engine onto the existing BTF test rig for biodiesel testing. In this project, the BTF was re-designed to support a new Volkswagen 1.9L TDI engine. The capabilities of the BTF were then expanded further by the implementation of a low-cost pressure indicating system, utilising an optical pressure transducer. During the testing of biodiesel, it was found that the calorific value of the biodiesel was 14% lower than that of the tested mineral diesel. The ignition quality (cetane index) of the biodiesel was also lower than that of the mineral diesel. Even so, the engine only experienced a maximum power loss of 4.2%. During heat-release analysis, it was determined that there was no significant difference in the combustion process of biodiesel and that of mineral diesel. The conclusion could be made that biodiesel is suitable for use in modern TDI engines. Testing validated the operation of the upgraded test cell, and in trials it was determined that the test results are highly repeatable. The pressure indicating set proved to have some limitations. Only simplified heat-release analyses and reasonable indicated power calculations could be performed with the indicating set. Recommendations were made for improvement in future research. / Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies