O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver potenciais materiais para aplicações automotivas, em particular como insertos para assento de válvula em motores de combustão interna à gasolina. O desenvolvimento compreendeu as etapas de processamento dos materiais via metalurgia do pó, tratamento térmico, caracterização microestrutural e mecânica, usinagem e desgaste dos mesmos. O desenvolvimento objetivou principalmente a redução de custo e a aplicação de elementos menos poluentes, excluindo-se, por exemplo, a aplicação do Co devido ao seu alto custo e do Pb devido aos seus efeitos toxicológicos e prejudiciais ao meio ambiente. A realização de uma pesquisa minuciosa na busca de patentes relacionadas indicou que os materiais estudados apresentam composições particulares, e, portanto inéditas. Os resultados encontrados nos ensaios de dureza e de resistência à compressão radial nas amostras tratadas termicamente apresentaram resultados superiores aos da liga comercial atualmente em uso. Testes de usinabilidade em amostras sem tratamento térmico apresentaram comportamento similar ao da liga comercial, indicando que a usinabilidade do material praticamente não foi afetada com a mudança na composição química. Após a etapa de tratamento térmico, as ligas obtidas apresentaram valores de esforços de corte superiores aos do material comercial. Os resultados dos testes de desgaste abrasivo em amostras tratadas termicamente apresentaram menores valores de coeficientes de atrito e perda de massa em todos os casos em relação ao material comercial. Este comportamento é devido aos benefícios introduzidos pelo tratamento térmico executado e pela adição de alguns elementos resistentes ao desgaste na forma de carbonetos de Nb e Ti/W. Os resultados dos esforços de corte apresentaram boa concordância com os resultados dos ensaios de desgaste. Os materiais produzidos apresentam-se como potenciais candidatos para substituir, com vantagens, inserto para assento de válvula a base de Fe-Co em motores de combustão interna a gasolina. / The aim of this work was the development of materials for automotive applications, in particular, valve seat inserts for gasoline combustion engines. The development involved the following activities: processing by powder metallurgy techniques, heat treatment, mechanical and microstructural characterization, machining and wear of materials. This work was undertaken aiming cost reduction of this component by the use of cheaper and less pollutant elements, eliminating the presence of Co and Pb due to their high cost and toxicological effects, respectively. The accomplishment of a thorough research into patents revealed that the materials studied here present particular compositions and were not yet produced. The results of hardness measurements and the transverse radial strength of the studied materials, after heat treatment, revealed superior properties than the commercial alloys applied at the moment. The machining tests of the material without heat treatment indicated a similar behaviour in comparison to the commercial alloy, suggesting that the new alloy chemistry composition was not deleterious in this sense. After heat treatment, the obtained alloys presented a cutting force increase in relation to the commercial alloy. Wear tests results of heat treated materials presented smaller friction coefficient and mass loss than the commercial alloy, in all cases. This was especially achieved due to the advantages offered by heat treatment allied to the addition of NbC and Ti/W carbides. The materials obtained here showed to be potential candidates to substitute with advantages, valve seat inserts made of Fe-Co alloys for gasoline combustion engines.

O presente estudo descreve as alterações metalúrgicas e topográficas do cilindro de blocos de motor de combustão interna fabricados em ferro fundido cinzento, após a realização de testes de durabilidade em dinamômetro. O motor testado tem tecnologia Flex-Fuel, e pode ser operado com qualquer proporção de mistura gasolina comum/etanol. Um motor foi testado com combustível etanol e o outro com gasolina comum, buscando-se assim representar duas condições extremas de trabalho em termos de combustível. A pesquisa constituiu-se da revisão bibliográfica e da parte prática que envolveu: a realização de testes de durabilidade de motor em dinamômetro; a caracterização metalúrgica e topográfica do cilindro após teste com ambos os combustíveis, utilizando técnicas de microscopia eletrônica de varredura, metalografia por microscopia óptica, perfilometria e quantificação de parâmetros de rugosidade, entre outros; a análise crítica, discussão dos resultados e apresentação da conclusão. / The present study approaches the metallurgical and topographical alterations on the cylinder of an internal combustion engine block made of gray cast iron, after durability dynamometer tests. The tested engine has flexible fuel technology (Flex-Fuel), and is capable to work with both gasoline/ethanol fuels, in any mixture proportion. One engine has been tested with ethanol and another one tested with gasoline, and so representing two extreme conditions on which the engine may work in terms of fuel. The research has been developed basically through the conceptual approach by the bibliographic review and the experimental steps that involved: general engine durability test at dynamometer bench; metallurgical and topographic characterization analysis at laboratory, after the test with both fuels, applying Scanning Electronic Microscopy SEM, optical microscopy metallography, profilometer and roughness parameters quantification, and so forth; critical analysis on the results, discussion and final conclusion.

A crescente demanda de diminuição das emissões e redução do consumo dos motores de combustão interna exige a melhoria dos métodos para diagnose, em tempo real, e para melhor controle do processo de combustão. Portanto, é desejável determinar a relação ar-combustível sobre uma extensa faixa de condições de operação para obter um melhor controle do motor. Este trabalho apresenta a aplicação do Método dos Momentos para obtenção de um modelo de estimação da relação ar-combustível, através do sinal de pressão no cilindro, em um motor ciclo Otto a etanol. O modelo obtido permitirá o desenvolvimento de novos sistemas de controle utilizando como estratégia a pressão no cilindro. / The increasing demands for low emission and low fuel consumption in internal combustion engines require improved methods for diagnosis, in real-time and best possible control of the combustion process. Therefore, determining air-fuel ratio over a wide range of engine operating conditions is desirable for better engine control. This work presents the Moment Method application for obtaining air-fuel ratio estimation model, by cylinder pressure sign, in Otto cycle engine powered by ethanol. The obtained model will allow the development of new control systems, for engine powered alcohol, using as strategy the cylinder pressure.

O presente estudo descreve as alterações metalúrgicas e topográficas do cilindro de blocos de motor de combustão interna fabricados em ferro fundido cinzento, após a realização de testes de durabilidade em dinamômetro. O motor testado tem tecnologia Flex-Fuel, e pode ser operado com qualquer proporção de mistura gasolina comum/etanol. Um motor foi testado com combustível etanol e o outro com gasolina comum, buscando-se assim representar duas condições extremas de trabalho em termos de combustível. A pesquisa constituiu-se da revisão bibliográfica e da parte prática que envolveu: a realização de testes de durabilidade de motor em dinamômetro; a caracterização metalúrgica e topográfica do cilindro após teste com ambos os combustíveis, utilizando técnicas de microscopia eletrônica de varredura, metalografia por microscopia óptica, perfilometria e quantificação de parâmetros de rugosidade, entre outros; a análise crítica, discussão dos resultados e apresentação da conclusão. / The present study approaches the metallurgical and topographical alterations on the cylinder of an internal combustion engine block made of gray cast iron, after durability dynamometer tests. The tested engine has flexible fuel technology (Flex-Fuel), and is capable to work with both gasoline/ethanol fuels, in any mixture proportion. One engine has been tested with ethanol and another one tested with gasoline, and so representing two extreme conditions on which the engine may work in terms of fuel. The research has been developed basically through the conceptual approach by the bibliographic review and the experimental steps that involved: general engine durability test at dynamometer bench; metallurgical and topographic characterization analysis at laboratory, after the test with both fuels, applying Scanning Electronic Microscopy SEM, optical microscopy metallography, profilometer and roughness parameters quantification, and so forth; critical analysis on the results, discussion and final conclusion.

Com o passar do tempo, nota-se um aumento gradativo da demanda por veículos mais econômicos e que disponham de itens capazes de aumentar o conforto e a segurança. Citase, como exemplo, o controle de cruzeiro (Cruise Control) que, atualmente presente em diversos veículos, é responsável por controlar a velocidade do veículo de maneira autônoma, sem a necessidade de intervenção do condutor no pedal de aceleração, resultando em um aumento de conforto ao reduzir o esforço para dirigir, além de prover efetividade para manter a velocidade do veículo em torno de um valor desejado. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de um controlador de cruzeiro para operar em um veículo modelo Volkswagen Polo Sedan 2.0L 2004, o qual não possui este recurso em seu estado de fábrica. Para a implementação deste recurso, o trabalho faz uso de uma unidade de gerenciamento eletrônico (conhecida também por Electronic Control Unit - ECU) desenvolvida em 2013, no âmbito do projeto Otto II (PEREIRA, 2013), para controle do motor presente no respectivo veículo, viabilizando, desta forma, a validação do controle de cruzeiro por meio de testes utilizando o veículo em um dinamômetro inercial. Entretanto, previamente ao projeto do controlador de cruzeiro, o presente trabalho teve como foco o aperfeiçoamento do funcionamento desta ECU, visando a sua evolução no que diz respeito ao estado da arte de unidades de gerenciamento eletrônico de motores. Para isto, em sua primeira fase, o trabalho realizou diversas melhorias nas malhas de controle já existentes no firmware de 2013, tais como controle de marcha lenta, controle da borboleta eletrônica e controle de partida. Ao mesmo tempo, novos recursos foram implementados em firmware: controle de torque, controle da mistura ar/combustível em malha fechada (sonda lambda), segurança na comunicação entre blocos da ECU, identificação de marcha, suporte para diagnóstico via OBD-II, dentre outros. Além destas atividades envolvendo desenvolvimento de firmware, o trabalho, ainda em sua primeira fase, promoveu o desenvolvimento de uma nova ferramenta de software que, além de ser capaz de monitorar diversos parâmetros da ECU em tempo real, integra diversas funções, tais como função de computador de bordo alternativo, opção para controle do motor através da simulação do pedal de aceleração, opção para alteração da rotação de marcha lenta e função para automatização do ensaio de identificação do veículo (tarefa necessária para o projeto do controlador de cruzeiro). / Over time, there is a gradual increase of the demand for economical vehicles equipped with items capable of increasing the comfort and safety. As an example, the Cruise Control, which is already available in several vehicles, is responsible to control the vehicle speed in an autonomous manner, without the driver intervention on the throttle pedal. As a result, a greater comfort is achieved by reducing the effort to drive, besides providing effectiveness to keep the vehicle speed around a desired value. In this context, this project aims the development of a Cruise Control applied to a vehicle Volkswagen Polo Sedan 2.0L 2004, in which such resource is not available. To implement this resource, the project uses an electronic engine management unit (also known as Electronic Control Unit - ECU) developed in 2013 by the Otto II project (PEREIRA, 2013). This ECU is responsible to control the engine of the respective vehicle, which allows the Cruise Control validation through a set of tests performed with the vehicle on an inertial dynamometer. However, prior to the Cruise Control design, this project focused on the ECU operation enhancement, in order to achieve the state of the art in electronic engine management units. For this goal, the project, during its first phase, performed several improvements on the control algorithms already existing in the firmware developed in 2013, such as idle speed control, electronic throttle valve control and engine starting control. At the same time, new features were fully implemented in firmware: torque control, closed loop air/fuel ratio control (lambda control), safety for the communication among ECU blocks, gear identification, support to OBD-II diagnostic, among others. In addition to the firmware development activities, the project, still in its first phase, developed a new software tool capable of monitoring several ECU parameters in real time, besides providing many functions, such as alternative board computer, an option to control the engine by simulating the throttle pedal, an option to change the idle speed and a function to automate the system identification test (task required for the Cruise Control design).

Motor a álcool teve grande aplicação no Brasil com a implantação do Proálcool, programa lançada na década de 1970, vislumbrando reduzir a dependência externa do petróleo. Ressalta-se que avanços na tecnologia do referido motor, bem como na produção de álcool, tornaram-no técnica e economicamente viável como substituto da gasolina em algumas regiões. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar o desempenho e a emissão de um motor ciclo Otto funcionando com dois tipos de álcool, 92,8 e 75 INPM, sendo o último considerado de baixo teor alcoólico, possibilitando variar a taxa de compressão. O ensaio foi realizado em bancada dinamométrica, no laboratório de motores da EESC/USP, campus de São Carlos. Para tanto, utilizou-se de motor de 1.000 \'CM POT.3\', oito válvulas e quatro cilindros. Os resultados evidenciaram que o combustível de baixo teor alcoólico aceitou aumento na taxa de compressão de 13,5:1 para 16,2:1, ressaltando-se que, nessa condição, houve aumento de torque e da potência máxima, redução de emissão de NOx e aumentos de consumo e de emissão de hidrocarboneto. / Ethanol engines had a great application in Brazil with the implantation of Proalcool, a program launched in 1970 decade, guessing the reduction in exterior oil dependence. Progress in technology in the cited engine, as well as in ethanol production have turned this combustible into a technically and economically viable option, as an oil substitute in some regions. The present work had the aim of evaluating the performance and emission of an Otto cycle engine working with two types of ethanol, 92.8 and 75 INPM, the latter considered as a low grade alcohol, enabling a variation in the compression rate. The experiment was performed at the dynamometer testing bench in the engine laboratory of EESC/USP, campus at São Carlos. With this intent a 1,000 \'CM POT.3\' engine, eight valves and four cylinders were utilized. The results have shown that the low grade alcoholic combustible accepted an enhancement in the compression rate from 13.5 to 16.2:1, emphasizing that in this condition there was increase maximum torque and maximum power, a reduction in NOx emission and a rise in the consumption and hydrocarbon emission.

Com o passar do tempo, nota-se um aumento gradativo da demanda por veículos mais econômicos e que disponham de itens capazes de aumentar o conforto e a segurança. Citase, como exemplo, o controle de cruzeiro (Cruise Control) que, atualmente presente em diversos veículos, é responsável por controlar a velocidade do veículo de maneira autônoma, sem a necessidade de intervenção do condutor no pedal de aceleração, resultando em um aumento de conforto ao reduzir o esforço para dirigir, além de prover efetividade para manter a velocidade do veículo em torno de um valor desejado. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de um controlador de cruzeiro para operar em um veículo modelo Volkswagen Polo Sedan 2.0L 2004, o qual não possui este recurso em seu estado de fábrica. Para a implementação deste recurso, o trabalho faz uso de uma unidade de gerenciamento eletrônico (conhecida também por Electronic Control Unit - ECU) desenvolvida em 2013, no âmbito do projeto Otto II (PEREIRA, 2013), para controle do motor presente no respectivo veículo, viabilizando, desta forma, a validação do controle de cruzeiro por meio de testes utilizando o veículo em um dinamômetro inercial. Entretanto, previamente ao projeto do controlador de cruzeiro, o presente trabalho teve como foco o aperfeiçoamento do funcionamento desta ECU, visando a sua evolução no que diz respeito ao estado da arte de unidades de gerenciamento eletrônico de motores. Para isto, em sua primeira fase, o trabalho realizou diversas melhorias nas malhas de controle já existentes no firmware de 2013, tais como controle de marcha lenta, controle da borboleta eletrônica e controle de partida. Ao mesmo tempo, novos recursos foram implementados em firmware: controle de torque, controle da mistura ar/combustível em malha fechada (sonda lambda), segurança na comunicação entre blocos da ECU, identificação de marcha, suporte para diagnóstico via OBD-II, dentre outros. Além destas atividades envolvendo desenvolvimento de firmware, o trabalho, ainda em sua primeira fase, promoveu o desenvolvimento de uma nova ferramenta de software que, além de ser capaz de monitorar diversos parâmetros da ECU em tempo real, integra diversas funções, tais como função de computador de bordo alternativo, opção para controle do motor através da simulação do pedal de aceleração, opção para alteração da rotação de marcha lenta e função para automatização do ensaio de identificação do veículo (tarefa necessária para o projeto do controlador de cruzeiro). / Over time, there is a gradual increase of the demand for economical vehicles equipped with items capable of increasing the comfort and safety. As an example, the Cruise Control, which is already available in several vehicles, is responsible to control the vehicle speed in an autonomous manner, without the driver intervention on the throttle pedal. As a result, a greater comfort is achieved by reducing the effort to drive, besides providing effectiveness to keep the vehicle speed around a desired value. In this context, this project aims the development of a Cruise Control applied to a vehicle Volkswagen Polo Sedan 2.0L 2004, in which such resource is not available. To implement this resource, the project uses an electronic engine management unit (also known as Electronic Control Unit - ECU) developed in 2013 by the Otto II project (PEREIRA, 2013). This ECU is responsible to control the engine of the respective vehicle, which allows the Cruise Control validation through a set of tests performed with the vehicle on an inertial dynamometer. However, prior to the Cruise Control design, this project focused on the ECU operation enhancement, in order to achieve the state of the art in electronic engine management units. For this goal, the project, during its first phase, performed several improvements on the control algorithms already existing in the firmware developed in 2013, such as idle speed control, electronic throttle valve control and engine starting control. At the same time, new features were fully implemented in firmware: torque control, closed loop air/fuel ratio control (lambda control), safety for the communication among ECU blocks, gear identification, support to OBD-II diagnostic, among others. In addition to the firmware development activities, the project, still in its first phase, developed a new software tool capable of monitoring several ECU parameters in real time, besides providing many functions, such as alternative board computer, an option to control the engine by simulating the throttle pedal, an option to change the idle speed and a function to automate the system identification test (task required for the Cruise Control design).

Esta dissertação analisa a viabilidade técnico-econômica de pequenas centrais de cogeração a gás natural no setor terciário do estado de São Paulo, os estudos de cogeração foram baseados em casos reais de estabelecimentos comerciais dos principais segmentos do setor terciário com demanda elétrica e térmica compatível ao balanço energético para a configuração de cogeração. A análise dos resultados inclui o fator de utilização de energia (FUE), investimentos iniciais, economia operacional (fluxo de caixa), retorno dos investimentos (Payback), taxa interna de retorno (TIR) e valor presente líquido (VPL). As tecnologias empregadas nos estudos foram gerador do tipo Motor a Combustão Interna (MCI) e Microturbina (TG), resfriador de líquido por absorção (ABS) e resfriador de líquido elétrico convencional. Foi realizada análise do potencial de mercado para aplicação de cogeração através do mapeamento dos principais segmentos do setor terciário e realizado o levantamento do estado da arte. Foram estudadas as legislações brasileiras tanto no que se refere à cogeração qualificada como geração distribuída, realizado análise de emissões com destaque ao comparativo entre emissão de CO2 das centrais de cogeração e a emissão de CO2 das termelétricas a gás natural. Foi realizado estudo do cenário energético brasileiro do ponto de vista geração e distribuição de energia elétrica, cenário da oferta de gás natural no Brasil e a sua estrutura de distribuição no estado de São Paulo e, por fim, foram destacados os benefícios e barreiras da cogeração no Brasil. Os resultados alcançados apontam para um revés na viabilidade financeira da cogeração devido aos consecutivos aumentos no preço da tarifa de gás natural, apesar de bastante racional e com benefícios diretos ao meio ambiente e ao país, fazem-se necessários incentivos específicos relacionados à tarifa do gás natural para o crescimento da aplicação de cogeração no setor terciário do estado de São Paulo. / This dissertation examines the technical and economic feasibility of small cogeneration plants powered by natural gas in the tertiary sector of the state of São Paulo. Cogeneration studies were based on real cases of commercial facilities of the main segments of the tertiary sector with electrical and thermal demands compatible for energy usage in cogeneration configuration. The analysis results include energy utilization factor (EUF), initial investments, operational savings (cash flow), return on investment (payback), internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV). The technologies investigated in the study were Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) and Microturbine (TG) generator, absorption chiller (ABS) and conventional electrical chiller. It was carried out an analysis of the potential market for application of cogeneration by mapping the main segments of the tertiary sector and conducted a survey of the state of the art. Brazilian laws were studied both with regard to qualified cogeneration and distributed generation, performed emissions analysis with emphasis on the comparative between CO2 emission from cogeneration plant and CO2 emission from power plants by natural gas. It was made a study of Brazilian energy scenario from the viewpoint of generating and distributing of electricity, scenario of supply of natural gas in Brazil and its distribution structure in the São Paulo state and, finally, it was appointed the benefits and barriers of cogeneration in Brazil. The results indicate a setback on the financial viability of cogeneration due to consecutive increases in the price of natural gas, although quite rational and with direct benefits to the environment and the country, it\'s necessary specific incentives related to the natural gas price for the growth of the application of cogeneration in the tertiary sector of the state of São Paulo.

The flow-reversal elliptical cylindrical end chamber mufflers of short length are used often in the modern day automotive exhaust systems. The conventional 1-D axial plane wave theory is not able to predict their acoustical attenuation performance in view of the fact that the chamber length is not enough for the evanescent 3-D modes generated at the junctions to decay sufficiently for frequencies below the cut-off frequency. Also, due to the large area expansion ratio at the inlet, the first few higher order modes get cut on even in the low frequency regime. This necessitates a 3-D FEM or 3-D BEM analysis, which is cumbersome and time consuming. Therefore, an ingenious 1-D transverse plane wave theory is developed by considering plane wave propagation along the major-axis of the elliptical section, whereby a 2-port axially short elliptical and circular chamber muffler is characterized by means of the transfer matrix [T] or impedance matrix [Z]. Two different approaches are followed: (1) a numerical scheme such as the Matrizant approach, and (2) an analytical approach based upon the Frobenius series solution of the Webster’s equation governing the transverse plane wave propagation. The convective effects of mean flow are neglected; however the dissipative effects at the ports are taken into account. The TL predicted by this 1-D transverse plane wave analysis is compared with that obtained by means of the 3-D analytical approach and numerical (FEM/BEM) methods. An excellent agreement is observed between this simplified 1-D approach and the 3-D approaches at least up to the cut-on frequency of the (1, 1) even mode in the case of elliptical cylindrical chambers, or the (1, 0) mode in the case of circular cylindrical chambers, thereby validating this 1-D transverse plane wave theory. The acoustical attenuation characteristics of such short chamber mufflers for various configurations are discussed, qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Moreover, the Frobenius series solution enables one to obtain non-dimensional frequencies for determining the resonance peak and trough in the TL graph. The use of this theory is, however, limited to configurations in which both the ports are located along the major axis in the case of elliptical chambers and along the same diameter for circular chambers. The method of cascading the [T] matrices of the 2-port elements cannot be used to analyze a network arrangement of 2-port elements owing to the non-unique direction of wave propagation in such a network of acoustic elements. Although, a few papers are found in the literature reporting the analysis of a network of 2-port acoustic elements, no work is seen on the analysis of a network of multi-port elements having more than two external ports. Therefore, a generalized algorithm is proposed for analyzing a general network arrangement of linear multi-port acoustic elements having N inlet ports and M outlet ports. Each of these multi-port elements constituting the network may be interconnected to each other in an arbitrary manner. By appropriate book-keeping of the equations obtained by the [Z] matrix characterizing each of the multi-port and 2-port elements along with the junction laws (which imply the equality of acoustic pressure and conservativeness of mass velocity at a multi-port junction), an overall connectivity matrix is obtained, whereupon a global [Z] matrix is obtained which characterizes the entire network. Generalized expressions are derived for the evaluation of acoustic performance evaluation parameters such as transmission loss (TL) and insertion loss (IL) for a multiple inlet and multiple outlet (MIMO) system. Some of the characteristic properties of a general multi-port element are also studied in this chapter. The 1-D axial and transverse plane wave analysis is used to characterize axially long and short chambers, respectively, in terms of the [Z] matrix. Different network arrangements of multi-port elements are constructed, wherein the TL performance of such MIMO networks obtained on the basis of either the 1-D axial or 1-D transverse plane wave theory are compared with 3-D FEA carried on a commercial software. The versatility of this algorithm is that it can deal with more than two external or terminal ports, i.e., one can have multiple inlets and outlets in a complicated acoustic network. A generalized approach/algorithm is presented to characterize rigid wall reactive multi-port chamber mufflers of different geometries by means of a 3-D analytical formulation based upon the modal expansion and the uniform piston-driven model. The geometries analyzed here are rectangular plenum chambers, circular cylindrical chamber mufflers with and without a pass tube, elliptical cylindrical chamber mufflers, spherical and hemispherical chambers, conical chamber mufflers with and without a co-axial pass tube and sectoral cylindrical chamber mufflers of circular and elliptical cross-section as well as sectoral conical chamber mufflers. Computer codes or subroutines have been developed wherein by choosing appropriate mode functions in the generalized pressure response function, one can characterize a multi-port chamber muffler of any of the aforementioned separable geometrical shapes in terms of the [Z] matrix, subsequent to which the TL performance of these chambers is evaluated in terms of the scattering matrix [S] parameters by making use of the relations between [Z] and [S] matrices derived earlier. Interestingly, the [Z] matrix approach combined with the uniform piston-driven model is indeed ideally suited for the 3-D analytical formulation inasmuch as regardless of the number of ports, one deals with only one area discontinuity at a time, thereby making the analysis convenient for a multi-port muffler configuration with arbitrary location of ports. The TL characteristics of SISO chambers corresponding to each of the aforementioned geometries (especially the elliptical cylindrical chamber) are analyzed in detail with respect to the effect of chamber dimensions (chamber length and transverse dimensions), and relative angular and axial location of ports. Furthermore, the analysis of SIDO (i.e., single inlet and double outlet) chamber mufflers is given special consideration. In particular, we examine (1) the effect of additional outlet port (second outlet port), (2) variation in the relative angular or axial location of the additional or second outlet port (keeping the location of the inlet port and the outlet ports of the original SISO chamber to be constant) and (3) the effect of interchanging the location of the inlet and outlet ports on the TL performance of these mufflers. Thus, design guidelines are developed for the optimal location of the inlet and outlet ports keeping in mind the broadband attenuation characteristics for a single inlet and multiple outlet (SIMO) system. The non-dimensional limits up to which a flow-reversal elliptical (or circular) cylindrical end chamber having an end-inlet and end-outlet configuration is acoustically short (so that the 1-D transverse plane wave theory is applicable) and the limits beyond which it is acoustically long (so that the 1-D axial plane wave theory is applicable) is determined in terms of the ratio or equivalently, in terms of the ratio. Towards this end, two different configurations of the elliptical cylindrical chamber are considered, namely, (1) End-Offset Inlet (located along the major-axis of the ellipse) and End-Centered Outlet (2) End-Offset Inlet and End-Offset Outlet (both the ports located on the major-axis of the ellipse and at equal offset distance from the center). The former configuration is analyzed using 3-D FEA simulations (on SYSNOISE) while the 3-D analytical uniform piston-driven model is used to analyze the latter configuration. The existence of the higher order evanescent modes in the axially long reversal chamber at low frequency (before the cut-on frequency of the (1, 1) even mode or (1, 0) mode) causes a shift in the resonance peak predicted by the 1-D axial plane wave theory and 3-D analytical approach. Thus, the 1-D axial plane wave analysis is corrected by introducing appropriate end correction due to the modified or effective length of the elliptical cylindrical chamber. An empirical formulae has been developed to obtain the average non-dimensional end correction for the aforementioned configurations as functions of the expansion ratio, (i.e., ), minor-axis to major-axis ratio, (i.e., ) and the center-offset distance ratio, (i.e., ). The intermediate limits between which the chamber is neither short nor long (acoustically) has also been obtained. Furthermore, an ingenious method (Quasi 1-D approach) of combining the 1-D transverse plane wave model with the 1-D axial plane wave model using the [Z] matrix is also proposed for the end-offset inlet and end-centered outlet configuration. A 3-D analytical procedure has also been developed which also enables one to determine the end-correction in axially long 2-port flow-reversal end chamber mufflers for different geometries such as rectangular, circular and elliptical cylindrical as well as conical chambers, a priori to the computation of TL. Using this novel analytical technique, we determine the end correction for arbitrary locations on the two end ports on the end face of an axially long flow-reversal end chamber. The applicability of this method is also demonstrated for determination of the end corrections for the 2-port circular cylindrical chamber configuration without and with a pass tube, elliptical cylindrical chambers as well as rectangular and conical chambers.

This work concerns a systematic study of IC engine operation with 100% biogas as fuel (as opposed to the dual-fuel mode) with particular emphasis on operational issues and the quest for high efficiency strategies. As a first step, a commercially available 1.2 kW genset engine is modified for biogas operation. The conventional premixing of air and biogas is compared with a new manifold injection strategy. The effect of biogas composition on engine performance is also studied. Results from the genset engine study indicate a very low overall efficiency of the system. This is mainly due to the very low compression ratio (4.5) of the engine. To gain further insight into factors that contribute to this low efficiency, thermodynamic engine simulations are conducted. Reasonable agreement with experiments is obtained after incorporating estimated combustion durations. Subsequently, the model is used as a tool to predict effect of different parameters such as compression ratio, spark timing and combustion durations on engine performance and efficiency. Simulations show that significant improvement in performance can be obtained at high compression ratios. As a step towards developing a more efficient system and based on insight obtained from simulations, a high compression ratio (9.2) engine is selected. This engine is coupled to a 3 kW alternator and operated on 100% biogas. Both strategies, i.e., premixing and manifold injection are implemented. The results show very high overall (chemical to electrical) efficiencies with a maximum value of 22% at 1.4 kW with the manifold injection strategy. The new manifold injection strategy proposed here is found to be clearly superior to the conventional premixing method. The main reasons are the higher volumetric efficiency (25% higher than that for the premixing mode of supply) and overall lean operation of the engine across the entire load range. Predictions show excellent agreement with measurements, enabling the model to be used as a tool for further study. Simulations suggest that a higher compression ratio (up to 13) and appropriate spark advance can lead to higher engine power output and efficiency.