O presente trabalho tem como escopo validar qualitativa e quantitativamente o ensaio de swirl em cabeçotes de motores Diesel realizado de maneira contínua, comparando-o com o padrão estático amplamente aplicado na indústria no controle de qualidade deste componente. A modificação metodológica do ensaio permite ensaios muito mais velozes do que os atuais, podendo, com todas as verificações necessárias, ser extensível a uma linha de montagem, permitindo controle de qualidade diretamente após o processo de usinagem do fundido ou antes de montar o cabeçote no bloco do motor. O presente trabalho apresenta a metodologia aplicada para o tratamento do problema bem como os resultados obtidos até o momento, indicando também os que ainda serão obtidos. No escopo do projeto, apresenta-se de maneira sucinta todo o procedimento utilizado para as simulações estáticas e transiente dos métodos de medição a partir do método do volume finitos de um código comercial, destacando a metodologia para determinação das malhas, seleção dos modelos e esquemas de discretização utilizados, destacando por fim uma comparação entre diferentes aberturas de válvula do ensaio estático e os primeiros resultados da simulação com abertura de válvula ao longo do tempo de simulação. Do ponto de vista experimental, descreveu-se o equipamento utilizado bem como as adaptações realizadas, principalmente no que tangem a automação do controle de válvula, no escopo do presente projeto, apresentando por fim alguns resultados do ensaio contínuo na bancada em comparação com o estático. Os ensaios e simulações numéricas estática e transientes apresentaram coerência em seus resultados. As simulações, quando comparadas entre si e com os resultados do PIV, mostram que os perfis de escoamento são bastante parecidos em todas as situações, o que permite concluir que existe a possibilidade de se realizar o ensaio de swirl de forma dinâmica para esta configuração específica. / The present work aims to validate qualitatively and quantitatively the swirl test in diesel engine heads performed continuously, comparing it with the static standard widely applied in industry in the quality control of this component. The methodological modification of the test allows for tests much faster than the current ones and can be extensible to an assembly line, allowing quality control directly after the cast machining process or before mounting the engine block. The present work presents the applied methodology for the treatment of the problem as well as the results obtained so far, also indicating the ones that will be obtained. In the scope of the project, the whole procedure used for the static and transient simulations of the measurement methods based on the finite volume method of a commercial code is presented, highlighting the methodology for determining the meshes, selection of models and schemes of discretization. At last, a comparison between different valve openings of the static test and the first results of the simulation with valve opening during the simulation time will be presented. From the experimental point of view, the equipment used was described, as well as the adaptations made, mainly in what concerns the automation of valve control, within the scope of the present project. Some results of the continuous test in the bench are presented and compared with the static ones. The static and dynamic tests and simulations presented good coherence among their results. The simulations, when compared one with each other and to the PIV test results, showed great similarities among the in-cylinder flow velocity profiles, what might lead to the conclusion that it is possible to test cylinder heads dynamically, at least with the presented configuration.

Governments across the world are implementing legislation for ever more strict limits for vehicle emissions; combined with customer expectations for growing levels of performance and equipment, automotive manufacturers face a significant challenge. With the aim of meeting this challenge, downsizing is an established trend in passenger car engine development. However, since downsizing is commonly achieved through pressure charging (turbocharging, for example), the associated benefits in improved fuel economy and emissions are often obtained at the expense of engine dynamic response, and, consequently, vehicle driveability. This thesis presents predominantly simulation-based research into a novel combined charging system comprising a conventional turbocharger used in conjunction with a declutchable supercharger driven through a CVT. An initial investigation using this system in place of a variable geometry turbocharger on an already downsized passenger car diesel engine demonstrated greatly increased low speed torque as well as improved dynamic response. A downsizing project that involved replacing a naturally aspirated gasoline engine with a highly boosted engine with 40% of the original displacement formed the basis for more extensive investigations. Although it was unable to produce the low speed transient response of the naturally aspirated engine, in tip-in tests the CVT-supercharger system was shown to achieve the target torque much quicker than an equivalent system with a fixed supercharger drive ratio. However, balancing this with good fuel efficiency for the initial part load period was a complex trade-off. In vehicle acceleration simulations the CVT-supercharger system did not outperform the fixed drive ratio configuration, but on the CVT system the boost limit was reached at an early stage during the transients. Thus there may be potential to include an ‘over-boost’ facility, allowing boost pressure to temporarily exceed normal steady state limits in order to improve transient performance and bring it closer to that of the baseline vehicle. It is suggested that the CVT-supercharger provides the best flexibility for calibration and compromise between performance and fuel efficiency, perhaps incorporating different user-selectable modes (such as ‘economy’ and ‘sport’ modes).

A rápida evolução do mercado automotivo, em função de maiores restrições sobre as emissões, impulsionou a utilização de várias alternativas para melhorias dos motores diesel, entre elas as mudanças nos seus componentes com o auxílio de ferramentas de modelagem e a utilização de combustíveis alternativos. As características dos combustíveis afetarão a queima e, assim, alteram os resíduos do processo de combustão. Novos combustíveis podem também ser utilizados como uma alternativa para veículos de gerações anteriores com o intuito de reduzir as emissões. Este estudo mostra os efeitos da utilização do Biodiesel B20 e do Biodiesel Amyris em motores de combustão interna. Para isso, foram realizados testes de motores em salas dinamométricas, e seus resultados confrontados e discutidos. Além disso, são abordados os efeitos do combustível no processo da combustão. Esta Dissertação está concentrada, principalmente, na emissão de NOx e de material particulado, que são poluentes mais restritivos perante a Legislação brasileira de emissões CONAMA P7. / The fast evolution of the automotive market, in light of the more restrictive emissions requirements, spurred several alternatives for improvements of diesel engines; among them, changes in the engine components with the aid of modeling tools and use of alternative fuels. The fuel characteristics will affect the combustion and thus combustion process residues. New fuels also can be an alternative for vehicles of previous generations of emissions, aiming of reducing them. This study shows the effects of the B20 biodiesel and Amyris biodiesel in diesel engines. Engine tests were held in dynamometric testing cells and their results were compared and discussed. The effects of the different fuels in the combustion process are also discussed. This work is focused mainly in NOx (nitrogen oxide) and particulate matter emissions, which are more restrictive pollutants regarding the Brazilian emissions legislation CONAMA P7.

The automated testing of internal combustion engines is a field of considerable importance. This thesis describes a novel area in the form of dynamic testing. The investigation represents an original approach to the problem with which the author believes he has developed a new concept in engine testing. The resulting information, combined with an appreciation of the latest developments in automation equipment technology, has lead to a review of the requirements of a generalised engine test system together with an outline of the way in which it could be implemented. The automated engine test beds used during the work are described. The conventional methods of testing internal combustion engines are reviewed and a generalised approach to automating them proposed. This then leads to the suggestion of a new method using dynamic testing techniques specially evolved in the course of the work. On the basis of this the implementation of a dynamic full-load power curve as a replacement for its steady state equivalent was pursued. The second major use of dynamic techniques is for exhaust emission cycles. Both dynamic (USEPA Smoke Cycle) and steady-state (USEPA 13 Mode Cycle) cycles were performed. In the case of the former, outer digital loop techniques were used to improve control response. In performing the above work, use was made of both analog and digital simulation techniques for development purposes. This work was also extended by the development of a simulation of a material handling system to enable the control and optimisation of a production test facility to be studied. The testing methods associated with automated fault diagnosis are also analysed. On the basis of the above work an engine test system task analysis was generated and this new concept used to plan a microprocessor based engine test automation scheme.

The widespread use of finite element models in assessing system dynamics for noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) evaluation has led to recognition of the need for improved procedures for correlating models to experimental results. This study develops and applies a methodology to correlate an experimental modal analysis with a finite element modal analysis of valve trains in IC-engines. A pre-test analysis procedure is employed to guide the execution of tests used in the correlation process. This approach improves the efficiency of the test process, ensuring that the test article is neither under nor over-instrumented. The test-analysis model (TAM) that results from the pre-test simulation provides a means to compare the test and the model both during the experimental approach and during the model updating process. The validity of the correlation methodology is demonstrated through its application on the valve train of a single overhead cam (SOHC) engine.

A utilização de combustíveis fósseis é percebida, cada vez mais, de forma negativa, visto seus elevados níveis de emissão de gases de efeito estufa. Por conta disso, busca-se a ampliação do uso de combustíveis de origem renovável de forma a diminuir o impacto ambiental. Dentre esses, o etanol se destaca pelas excelentes características físico-químicas. Ao se reduzir o nível de pureza (diluição em agua) durante o processo de destilação desse combustível, obtém-se um sensível decréscimo da energia dispendida na sua produção. Isso se deve ao crescimento exponencial do consumo energético para obtenção de misturas com teor de etanol superiores à 80% v/v. Assim, a possível utilização de misturas superhidratadas, mesmo que apresentem menor poder calorífico, resultam em uma economia direta de energia no processo de obtenção. Dessa forma, esse trabalho avalia o impacto da utilização de misturas de etanol com elevadas concentrações de água em um motor monocilíndrico de testes, com volume deslocado de 0,668 L, injeção de combustível no coletor de admissão, e ignição por centelha. Inicialmente, avaliou-se via testes de bancada o efeito da substituição direta do etanol comercial por misturas com maior hidratação nos parâmetros de desempenho e emissões. Em seguida, buscou-se explorar as características anti-detonantes da água através do aumento da razão de compressão visando ao aumento de eficiência indicada do motor. Por fim, estudos numéricos foram conduzidos de forma a verificar o efeito da concentração de água sobre os valores de velocidade de chama e temperatura adiabática em uma chama livre unidimensional. Foram também determinados os valores de tempo de indução para condições de temperatura e pressão experimentais. Com isso, observou-se a possibilidade de operação com elevadas razões de compressão para maiores percentuais de água com sensível aumento da eficiência indicada e nível de emissões semelhantes ao etanol comercial. O aumento de água causou uma diminuição na velocidade de queima e na temperatura adiabática de chama, enquanto que o tempo de indução possuiu efeitos opostos dependentes da condição de operação. / The use of fossil fuels have faced several restrictions due its higher greenhouse gas emissions during the combustion process in internal combustion engines. Thus, there is an urge aiming to diversify the number of renewable fuels in order to decrease the environmental impact. Among them, ethanol is notorious, presenting excellent physico-chemical properties. Decreasing the ethanol level on ethanol-in-water mixtures after the distillation process, a lower energy expense can be achieved. This is related to the exponential growing in the energy consumption to obtain mixtures containing ethanol in water concentrations higher than 80% v/v. Therefore, the use of highly hydrated mixtures, despite the decrease in heat values, results in energy savings during its production process. This work evaluates the impact of using mixtures containing high water concentrations in a single cylinder engine, 0.668L, with port fuel injection, and spark ignition combustion. The direct replace of commercial ethanol by highly hydrated mixtures was evaluated through dynamometer tests, so performance and emissions parameters were obtained. After this, it was explored the knock resistance increase due to water addition by increasing the compression ratio, aiming at reaching higher indicated efficiency values. Finally, numerical studies were conducted in order to verify the effect of water concentration increase on laminar flame speed and adiabatic flame temperatures in a one dimensional free flame simulation software. In addition, the induction time for temperature and pressure conditions obtained from experimental results was assessed. As conclusions, the increase in water concentration enabled the use of high compression ratios resulting in higher indicated efficiency values than for commercial ethanol with the same exhaust emission concentrations. Higher water volumes resulted in lower laminar flame speeds and adiabatic flame temperatures. In addition, the induction time values presented two different behavior according to the operating conditions.

Thesis. 1976. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Engineering. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 80-81. / by Guido A. Danieli. / Ph.D.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1980. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Mohamad Metghalchi. / Sc.D.

This thesis proposes that internal combustion piston engines can help clear the way for a transformation in the energy, chemical, and refining industries that is akin to the transition computer technology experienced with the shift from large mainframes to small personal computers and large farms of individually small, modular processing units. This thesis provides a mathematical foundation, multi-dimensional optimizations, experimental results, an engine model, and a techno-economic assessment, all working towards quantifying the value of repurposing internal combustion piston engines for new applications in modular, small-scale technologies, particularly for energy and chemical engineering systems. Many chemical engineering and power generation industries have focused on increasing individual unit sizes and centralizing production. This "bigger is better" concept makes it difficult to evolve and incorporate change. Large systems are often designed with long lifetimes, incorporate innovation slowly, and necessitate high upfront investment costs. Breaking away from this cycle is essential for promoting change, especially change happening quickly in the energy and chemical engineering industries. The ability to evolve during a system's lifetime provides a competitive advantage in a field dominated by large and often very old equipment that cannot respond to technology change. This thesis specifically highlights the value of small, mass-manufactured internal combustion piston engines retrofitted to participate in non-automotive system designs. The applications are unconventional and stem first from the observation that, when normalized by power output, internal combustion engines are one hundred times less expensive than conventional, large power plants. This cost disparity motivated a look at scaling laws to determine if scaling across both individual unit size and number of units produced would predict the two order of magnitude difference seen here. For the first time, this thesis provides a mathematical analysis of scaling with a combination of both changing individual unit size and varying the total number of units produced. Different paths to meet a particular cumulative capacity are analyzed and show that total costs are path dependent and vary as a function of the unit size and number of units produced. The path dependence identified is fairly weak, however, and for all practical applications, the underlying scaling laws seem unaffected. This analysis continues to support the interest in pursuing designs built around small, modular infrastructure. Building on the observation that internal combustion engines are an inexpensive power-producing unit, the first optimization in this thesis focuses on quantifying the value of engine capacity committing to deliver power in the day-ahead electricity and reserve markets, specifically based on pricing from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). An optimization was written in Python to determine, based on engine cost, fuel cost, engine wear, engine lifetime, and electricity prices, when and how much of an engine's power should be committed to a particular energy market. The optimization aimed to maximize profit for the engine and generator (engine genset) system acting as a price-taker. The result is an annual profit on the order of \$30 per kilowatt. The most value in the engine genset is in its commitments to the spinning reserve market, where power is often committed but not always called on to deliver. This analysis highlights the benefits of modularity in energy generation and provides one example where the system is so inexpensive and short-lived, that the optimization views the engine replacement cost as a consumable operating expense rather than a capital cost. Having the opportunity to incorporate incremental technological improvements in a system's infrastructure throughout its lifetime allows introduction of new technology with higher efficiencies and better designs. An alternative to traditionally large infrastructure that locks in a design and today's state-of-the-art technology for the next 50 - 70 years, is a system designed to incorporate new technology in a modular fashion. The modular engine genset system used for power generation is one example of how this works in practice. The largest single component of this thesis is modeling, designing, retrofitting, and testing a reciprocating piston engine used as a compressor. Motivated again by the low cost of an internal combustion engine, this work looks at how an engine (which is, in its conventional form, essentially a reciprocating compressor) can be cost-effectively retrofitted to perform as a small-scale gas compressor. In the laboratory, an engine compressor was built by retrofitting a one-cylinder, 79 cc engine. Various retrofitting techniques were incorporated into the system design, and the engine compressor performance was quantified in each iteration. Because the retrofitted engine is now a power consumer rather than a power-producing unit, the engine compressor is driven in the laboratory with an electric motor. Experimentally, compressed air engine exhaust (starting at elevated inlet pressures) surpassed 650 psia (about 45 bar), which makes this system very attractive for many applications in chemical engineering and refining industries. A model of the engine compressor system was written in Python and incorporates experimentally-derived parameters to quantify gas leakage, engine friction, and flow (including backflow) through valves. The model as a whole was calibrated and verified with experimental data and is used to explore engine retrofits beyond what was tested in the laboratory. Along with the experimental and modeling work, a techno-economic assessment is included to compare the engine compressor system with state-of-the-art, commercially-available compressors. Included in the financial analysis is a case study where an engine compressor system is modeled to achieve specific compression needs. The result of the assessment is that, indeed, the low engine cost, even with the necessary retrofits, provides a cost advantage over incumbent compression technologies. Lastly, this thesis provides an algorithm and case study for another application of small-scale units in energy infrastructure, specifically in energy storage. This study focuses on quantifying the value of small-scale, onsite energy storage in shaving peak power demands. This case study focuses on university-level power demands. The analysis finds that, because peak power is so costly, even small amounts of energy storage, when dispatched optimally, can provide significant cost reductions. This provides another example of the value of small-scale implementations, particularly in energy infrastructure. While the study focuses on flywheels and batteries as the energy storage medium, engine gensets could also be used to deliver power and shave peak power demands. The overarching goal of this thesis is to introduce small-scale, modular infrastructure, with a particular focus on the opportunity to retrofit and repurpose inexpensive, mass-manufactured internal combustion engines in new and unconventional applications. The modeling and experimental work presented in this dissertation show very compelling results for engines incorporated into both energy generation infrastructure and chemical engineering industries via compression technologies. The low engine cost provides an opportunity to add retrofits whilst remaining cost competitive with the incumbent technology. This work supports the claim that modular infrastructure, built on the indivisible unit of an internal combustion engine, can revolutionize many industries by providing a low-cost mechanism for rapid change and promoting small-scale designs.

Thesis. 1978. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / M.S.