<div>A growing global population and improved standard of living in developing countries have resulted in an unprecedented increase in energy demand over the past several decades. While renewable energy sources are increasing, a huge portion of energy is still converted into useful work using heat engines. The combustion process in diesel and petrol engines releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as an unwanted side-effect of the energy conversion process. By improving the efficiency of internal combustion engines, more chemical energy stored in petroleum resources can be realized as useful work and, therefore, reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. This research focused on improving the thermal efficiency of opposed-piston engines, which, unlike traditional reciprocating engines, do not use a cylinder head. The cylinder head is a major source of heat loss in reciprocating engines. Therefore, the opposed-piston engine has the potential to improve overall engine efficiency relative to inline or V-configuration engines.</div><div><br></div>The objective of this research project was to further improve the design of opposed-piston engines by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to optimize the engine geometry. The CFD method investigated the effect of intake port geometry and exhaust piston lead angle on the scavenging process and in-cylinder turbulence. After the CFD data was analyzed, scavenging efficiency was found insensitive to transfer port geometry and exhaust piston lead angle with a maximum change of 0.61%. Trapping efficiency was altered exclusively by exhaust piston lead angle and changed from 18% to 26% as the lead angle was increased. The in-cylinder turbulence parameters of the engine (normalized swirl circulation, normalized tumble circulation, and normalized TKE) experienced more complex relationships. All turbulence parameters were sensitive to changing transfer port geometry and exhaust piston lead angle. Some examples of trends seen during the analysis include: an increase in normalized swirl circulation from 0.01 to 4.45 due to changes in swirl angle, a change in normalized tumble circulation from -28.52 to 21.11 as swirl angle increased, and an increase in normalized tumble circulation from 14.20 to 33.68 as exhaust piston lead angle was increased. Based on the present work, an optimum configuration was identified for a swirl angle of 15°, a tilt angle of 10°, and an exhaust piston lead angle of 20°. Future work includes expanding the numerical model’s domain to support a complete cylinder-port configuration, adding combustion products to the diffusivity equation in the UDF, and running additional test cases to describe the entire input space for the sensitivity analysis.<br>

Thesis (PhD)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Control of beta-type free-piston Stirling engines has been the topic of research and development for many years. In this dissertation, an alternative approach to free-piston Stirling engine control, namely direct piston displacement control, is proposed. Direct piston displacement control entails the instantaneous and direct control of the piston displacement to control the engine according to preferred criteria, e.g. maximum power conversion or efficiency. To control free-piston engines in this manner, it is necessary to independently control both the displacement of the displacer and the power piston in real time. The primary arrangement by which to achieve this is through external control of the instantaneous forces exerted by the linear electrical machines fixed to the pistons. The challenge of displacement control is whether suitable linear machine technology exists or whether technology could be established that would adhere to the requirements of real time direct control. To answer the question whether direct piston displacement control is at all possible, a process was followed to set specifications that linear machines should adhere to and to set design guidelines for linear machines and free-piston Stirling engines. The first step was to establish the ability to simulate free-piston Stirling engine dynamics accurately. This was done by adapting a second order formulation and to verify and improve the accuracy thereof by comparing simulated results with experimental results of one of the best documented Stirling engines, namely the GPU-3 engine. It was found that this second order formulation could simulate the GPU-3 engine to a fair degree of accuracy. Key indicators were defined and later refined with the view of setting specifications. A case study of the influence of a range of variations, including operational, dimensional and other variations, on the dynamics of the GPU-3 was then undertaken. From the findings of this case study, specifications of the key indicators and design guidelines were established. A design optimisation approach was proposed to evaluate linear machine topologies. This approach makes specific provision for the specifications that linear machines need to adhere to, as well as for representative dynamic responses of the forces exerted on the linear machine by the displacer or the power piston. These representative responses and the associated piston displacement were determined for the displacer, the power piston and the combination of the two from the study conducted to set specifications. An air-core, longitudinal flux linear machine with surface mounted permanent magnets (LFPM) was then evaluated to determine its suitability for direct piston displacement control. This linear machine topology was optimised for the traditional approach to establish a benchmark with which to compare subsequent optimisations. The LFPM linear machine not only compared well with other topologies for the traditional application in resonant free-piston Stirling engines, but it was found also to be able to perform displacement control for both the displacer and the power piston. For both pistons, displacement should however be limited to sinusoidal displacement, and in the case of the displacer, an important qualification is that the linear machine should be assisted by spring forces to reach practical design optimisations. Direct piston displacement control is shown to be possible. Future work should concentrate on the practical implementation thereof in free-piston Stirling engines. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die beheer van beta-tipe vrysuier Stirling enjins is al vir baie jare die onderwerp van navorsing en ontwikkeling. In hierdie proefskrif word ’n alternatiewe benadering tot vrysuier Stirlingenjins voorgestel, naamlik direkte suierverplasingsbeheer. Direkte suierverplasingsbeheer behels die oombliklike en direkte beheer van die suierverplasing om die enjin volgens voorkeur kriteria, soos maksimum drywingsomsetting of benuttingsgraad, te beheer. Om vrysuier enjins op hierdie wyse te beheer, is dit noodsaaklik om intyds die verplasing van beide die verplaser en die werksuier onafhanklik te beheer. Die primêre wyse om dit te bereik is deur eksterne beheer van die oomblikskragte wat uitgevoer word deur die lineêre masjiene wat vas is aan die suiers. Die uitdaging van verplasingsbeheer is of toepaslike lineêre masjien tegnologie bestaan en of tegnologie gevestig kan word wat sal voldoen aan die vereistes van intydse direkte beheer. Om die vraag te beantwoord of direkte suierverplasingsbeheer hoegenaamd moontlik is, is ’n proses gevolg om spesifikasies daar te stel waaraan lineêre masjiene moet voldoen en om ontwerpsriglyne vir lineêre masjiene en vrysuier Stirling enjins te stel. Die eerste stap was om die vermoë daar te stel om vrysuier Stirling enjin dinamika akkuraat te simuleer. Dit is gedoen deur ’n tweede orde formulering aan te pas en om die akkuraatheid daarvan te kontroleer en te verbeter deur gesimuleerde resultate met eksperimentele resultate van een van die bes gedokumenteerde Stirling enjins, naamlik die GPU-3 enjin, te vergelyk. Daar is bevind dat die tweede orde formulering die GPU-3 tot ’n redelike mate akkuraat kon simuleer. Sleutel aanwysers is gedefinieer en later verfyn met die oog op die daarstelling van spesifikasies. ’n Gevallestudie van die invloed van ’n reeks variasies, insluitende operasionele, dimensionele en ander variasies, op die dinamika van die GPU-3 is onderneem. Gegrond op die bevindinge van hierdie gevallestudie kon spesifikasies en ontwerpsriglyne vasgestel word. ’n Ontwerpsoptimeringsbenadering is voorgestel om lineêre masjiene te evalueer. Hierdie benadering maak spesifiek voorsiening vir die spesifikasies waaraan lineêre masjiene moet voldoen, sowel as verteenwoordigende dinamiese response van die kragte wat op die lineêre masjien van die verplaser en die werksuier uitgeoefen word. Vanaf die bevindinge van die studie wat uitgevoer is om spesifikasies daar te stel, is verteenwoordigende response en gepaardgaande suierverplasing bepaal vir die verplaser, die werksuier en die kombinasie van die twee. ’n Lugkern, longitudinale vloed lineêre masjien met oppervlak-gemonteerde permanente magnete (LVPM) is toe geëvalueer om die geskiktheid daarvan te bepaal vir direkte suierverplasingsbeheer. Hierdie lineêre masjien topologie is geoptimeer vir die tradisionele benadering om ’n maatstaf te vestig waarteen daaropvolgende optimerings vergelyk kan word. Die LVPM lineêre masjien vergelyk nie net goed met ander topologieë vir die tradisionele toepassing in resonante vrysuier Stirling enjins nie, maar daar is ook bevind dat dit in staat is om verplasingsbeheer te doen vir beide die verplaser en die werksuier. Vir beide suiers moet die verplasing egter tot sinusvormige verplasing beperk word en in die geval van die verplaser, is ’n belangrike kwalifikasie dat die lineêre masjien ondersteun moet word deur veerkragte om praktiese ontwerpsoptimerings te bereik. Daar is aangetoon dat direkte suierverplasingsbeheer moontlik is. Toekomstige werk moet konsentreer op die praktiese implementering daarvan in vrysuier Stirling enjins.

A significant proportion of the world's population and physical assets are located in low lying coastal zones. Accurate prediction of wave induced run-up and overtopping of sea defences are important in defining the extent and severity of wave action, and in assessing risk to people and property from severe storms and tsunamis. This thesis describes a one-dimensional numerical model based on the Boussinesq equations of Madsen and Sorensen (1992) and the non-linear shallow water equations. The model is suitable for simulating propagation of weakly non-linear and weakly dispersive waves from intermediate to zero depth, such that any inundation and/or overtopping caused by the incoming waves is also calculated as part of the simulation. Wave breaking is approximated by locally switching to the non-linear shallow water equations, which can model broken waves as bores. A piston paddle wavemaker is incorporated into the model for complete reproduction of laboratory experiments. A domain mapping technique is used in the vicinity of the paddle to transform a time-varying domain into a fixed domain, so that the governing equations can be more readily solved. First, various aspects of the numerical model are verified against known analytical and newly derived semi-analytical solutions. The complete model is then validated with laboratory measurements of run-up and overtopping involving solitary waves. NewWave focused wave groups, which give the expected shape of extreme wave events in a linear random sea, are used for further validation. Simulations of experiments of wave group run-up on a plane beach yield very good agreement with the measured run-up distances and free surface time series. Wave-by-wave overtopping induced by focused wave groups is also successfully simulated with the model, with satisfactory agreement between the experimental and the predicted overtopping volumes. Repeated simulations, now driven by second order paddle displacement signals, give insight into second order error waves spuriously generated by using paddle signals derived from linear theory. Separation of harmonics reveals that the long error wave is significantly affecting the wave group shape and leading to enhanced runu-up distances and overtopping volumes. An extensive parameter study is carried out using the numerical model investigating the influence on wave group run-up of linear wave amplitude at focus, linear focus location, and wave group phase at focus. For a given amplitude, both the phase and the focus location significantly affect the wave group run-up. It is also found that the peak optimised run-up increases with the wave amplitude, but wave breaking becomes an inhibiting factor for larger waves. This methodology is proposed for extreme storm wave induced run-up analysis.

Neste trabalho, foram determinadas as propriedades de tração, fadiga convencional e fadiga por fretting, do aço DIN 1.4112 (DIN X 90 Cr Mo V 18) nitretado por plasma, usado na fabricação de anéis de pistão de motores de combustão interna. Os corpos de prova tratados a 500ºC durante 5 horas. O material nitretado não apresentou valores de alongamento e redução de área possíveis de serem medidos e, tanto o limite de escoamento como o limite de resistência à tração, tiveram valores próximos aos do material temperado e revenido. Os ensaios de fadiga convencional e fadiga por fretting foram realizados em temperatura ambiente, sob carregamento cíclico tração-tração com R=0,1 e freqüência de 30 Hz. O fretting foi conseguido pressionando blocos de contato, feitos a partir de um ferro fundido cinzento, contra o corpo de prova de fadiga, com uma força normal de 100 N. Com o levantamento das curvas S-N para os dois ensaios, foi obtido o fator de redução de resistência FRR=1,62, que o fenômeno de fretting causa na fadiga convencional. Nos ensaios de fadiga por fretting, o pico da força de atrito aumentou com a tensão axial cíclica aplicada, atingindo um valor mínimo de 28 N e no máximo de 76 N. A camada nitretada apresentou microdureza máxima 1288 HV100 e espessura da camada de 91 &#956m. A metalografia revelou na camada nitretada, uma camada de compostos, a zona de difusão e uma zona de transição para o subtrato bem definidas. Foram encontrados nitretos dos tipos &#949 (Fe2-3N) e &#947\'(Fe4N) na superfície da camada nitretada. A análise fratográfica, revelou, em tração, o trincamento da superfície devido à baixa tenacidade da camada nitretada, além da programação de trincas por fadiga abaixo da camada nitretada, nos ensaios de fadiga convencional. Os ensaios de fadiga por fretting produziram acumulação de detritos e a formação de trincas secundárias na área ) na área de contato de fretting. / In the present work, the fretting and plain fatigue properties of plasma nitrided martensitic stainless steel, DIN 1.4112 (DIN X 90 Cr Mo V 18), used in piston rings, were investigated. Both fretting and plain fatigue specimens were treated at 500°C for 5 h. The fretting pads were made of gray cast iron. Both fretting and plain fatigue tests were carried out under a load-controlled condition under stress rate, R=0.1 and frequency of 30 Hz. The S-N curves generated with and without fretting showed the strength reduction factor SRF=1.62 when fretting was applied. In the fretting fatigue, frictional force increased with axial cyclic stress and reached a minimum value of 28 N and maximum value of 60 N. Microhardness measurements have shown that the nitrided case presented a maximum hardness of 1288 HV100 and thickness of 91 &#956m. X-ray diffraction techniques indicated that the compound layer consists of &#949 (Fe2-3N) and &#947\' (Fe4N) phases. Fractographic observations showed superficial cracking in tensile specimens due to the low toughness of the nitrided case and fatigue crack growth below this layer in plain fatigue specimens. Fretting fatigue tests produced accumulation of debris and the formation of secondary cracks at the contact area.

<p>The advantages of high efficiency, reliability, flexibility and high power to weight ratio make axial piston pumps popular for use in a wide variety of applications like construction and agricultural machinery, off road vehicles and aerospace applications. However, a major drawback which limits their extensive use in other commercial applications is noise. One of the important components in axial piston machines is the valve plate, which influences the transition of the suction and delivery flows into and out of the displacement chamber. Appropriate design of the valve plate can play a significant role in influencing the rate of compression and expansion in the displacement chamber, and hence contribute towards the abatement of noise in axial piston machines. Furthermore, the relief grooves in valve plates makes them relatively less sensitive to operating conditions for the operation of the pump. The high sensitivity of the valve plate design towards the pressure build up in the displacement chamber and towards the noise sources are big motivation factors towards rigorously exploring the design space to find suitable designs to meet the objective of noise reduction. This motivates the development of an advanced computational tool, colloquially called 'MiNoS', where a powerful optimization algorithm has been combined together with a novel parametrization scheme for valve plate design and a 1D simulation model of swash plate type axial piston machines to find optimized designs which can contribute towards noise reduction in swash plate type axial piston machines. Furthermore, incorporation of the appropriate constraint also helps in avoiding designs susceptible to the onset of cavitation in the displacement chamber. A case study performed using the developed computational tool has been shown later in this work.</p>

Le moteur Stirling a été développé il y’a 200 ans. Cependant son développement n’a jamais connu un grand essor. Le contexte énergétique actuel a relancé l’intérêt porté à ces machines. En effet la possibilité de le faire fonctionner à partir de n’importe quelle source de chaleur externe lui permet d’être associé à des sources d’énergie renouvelable comme l’énergie solaire. Au-delà des avantages écologiques, le développement par W. Beale à la fin des années 1960 d’un moteur Stirling à pistons libres (ou FPSE pour Free Piston Stirling Engine) a ajouté de nouveaux intérêts à un tel moteur. Cette nouvelle architecture permet au moteur de fonctionner sans système d’entrainement des pistons. Dans de telles machines, le mouvement des pistons n’est plus déterminé par la géométrie du système d’entrainement. Ces derniers sont mis en mouvement par les forces de pressions occurrents à l’intérieur du moteur. La dynamique des pistons et la thermodynamique du système sont alors couplées, rendant plus complexe la modélisation complète du système.Cette thèse présente une nouvelle technique de modélisation des machines Stirling à pistons libres, intitulée LHA5V pour Linear Harmonic Analysis 5 Volumes, permettant de coupler la thermodynamique du système et la réponse mécanique des pistons libres. Celle-ci repose alors sur la décomposition du moteur Stirling en cinq sous systèmes ouverts : deux espaces à volume variables, deux échangeurs de chaleur et le régénérateur. Nous supposons que les variables d’état varient périodiquement et le modèle détermine comment celles-ci varient en valeur moyenne, en amplitude et en phase afin de satisfaire les équations de conservation de la masse et de l’énergie. L’aspect innovant du modèle thermique repose sur la prise en compte implicite des pertes inhérentes au fonctionnement. Celles-ci ont en effet un impact direct sur le mouvement des pistons. Par ailleurs cette thèse présente également un modèle de génératrice électrique linéaire pouvant être couplé à la partie thermique. Le modèle électrique repose sur un calcul analytique de la force de poussée du stator sur la partie mobile. Le calcul des flux et du niveau d’induction dans le circuit magnétique est effectué à partir d’un réseau de perméances judicieusement paramétré.Que ce soit pour la modélisation thermique ou la modélisation électrique, chacun des modèles a été conçu pour avoir un temps de calcul faible, tout en restant le plus précis possible sur la prédiction des performances. Ceux-ci ont à chaque fois été confrontés à des données expérimentales, ou à d’autres techniques de modélisation plus fines de façon concluante. / Though the Stirling engine was invented two centuries ago, it has never really grown to a fully marketable level. The current energy context has renewed the interest in this engine. Their ability to work with any external source of heat allow them to be associated with renewable energy such as solar energy. Beyond its ecological benefits, the invention of the free piston Stirling engine by W. Beale at the end of the 1960’s further increased the interest in Stirling engines. This novel structure allows the engine to operate without mechanical interface between pistons, which are driven entirely by the gas or other spring forces. In such engines, the pistons kinematics and the system thermodynamics are intimately coupled, thus increasing the complexity of the complete system computer modelling.This PhD presents an innovative technique to model a free piston Stirling engine that takes into account the coupling between the system thermodynamics and the mechanical response of the free pistons. This technique has been named LHA5V standing for Linear Harmonic Analysis 5 Volumes. It consists in splitting the engine in five open sub-systems: the compression and expansion spaces, the heater, the cooler and the regenerator. We hypothesize that the state variables are periodic, and the model then determines the variations of their mean, amplitude and phase values in order to satisfy the mass and energy conservation equations. This PhD also presents a model for a linear electric alternator, which can be coupled to the power piston. This electrical model is based on an analytical calculation of the thrust between the stator and the magnets. Magnetic flux and induction in the iron are determined by a carefully tuned reluctance network.Both thermal and electrical models have been designed to optimize both computing time and accuracy. The models generated have systematically been compared to experimental data or finite element analysis, with satisfactory results.

The piston-driven oscillator is traditionally modeled by directly applying boundary conditions to the acoustic wave equations; with better models re-deriving the wave equations but retaining nonlinear and viscous effects. These better models are required as the acoustic solution exhibits singularity near the natural frequencies of the cavity, with an unbounded (and therefore unphysical) solution. Recently, a technique has been developed to model general pressure oscillations in propulsion systems and combustion devices. Here, it is shown that this technique applies equally well to the piston-driven gas-column oscillator; and that the piston experiment provides strong evidence for the validity of the general theory. Using a modified piston-tube apparatus, agreement between predicted and observed limit-cycle amplitudes is observed to be on the order of 1%.

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.

The piston ring in a marine two-stroke diesel engine operates in demanding conditions, involving high temperatures and pressures. Its main purposes are to seal the combustion chamber of the engine, minimize the frictional contact against the cylinder liner and transfer heat from the piston. The development of new piston ring designs for marine diesel engines is mainly based on engineering knowledge and expertise but is somewhat unstructured. A new method which may be used to overcome this lack of structure is to simulate the working conditions for the piston ring. This is the main objective of this thesis work, to invent a simulation method which allows accurate and distinct results to be obtained and thereby knowledge about piston ring performance. The simulation method is based on a three-dimensional geometric model of the piston ring, where the radial geometry should be described by the lathe curve from industry. It should also be implemented and function automatically as a simulation tool. In short terms, the calculated stresses and strains in the material, the contact pressure against the cylinder liner and the piston ring twist should be evaluated. The simulation tool should be able to model two different types of piston ring designs, namely straight cut design and CPR design, and both with optional dimensions. Validation of the results are performed with a simulation model which uses fewer dimensions, but also utilizes engineering knowledge from the marine industry. In addition to this, some more advanced investigations have been performed in order to demonstrate the capacity and power of the simulation tool. The simulation method appears to perform well and according to the simple model, but it also shows good prediction in more advanced investigations. For example, piston rings in overheated engines tend to twist more than usual, which could be seen in real investigations, and the behavior is easily recreated with the simulation tool. Also investigations with reduced cross sections, which is well known within high-speed engines, are performed. The method is executed automatically with the developed simulation tool which is based on ANSYS, a commercial simulation software. This software, that is commonly used in development work, uses a finite element method to solve the problem. The simulation tool is used as an external input which configures the geometry, finite element formulation and the result rendering. / Kolvringen i en marin tvåtaktsmotor arbetar under krävande förhållanden i form av hög temperatur och högt tryck. Dess huvudsyften är att täta motorns förbränningskammare, minimera friktion mot cylindern och transportera värme från kolven. Utvecklingen av nya kolvringsmodeller för marint bruk är huvudsakligen baserat på ingenjörskunskap och expertkunnande vilket dock lett till en viss osäkerhet. En modern metod för att bemästra denna osäkerhet är att simulera kolvringen och dess förhållanden i motorn. Det huvudsakliga målet är att skapa en simuleringsmetod som ger noggranna och tydliga resultat och därav kunskap om kolvringens påfrestningar och egenskaper under drift av motorn. Simuleringsmetoden är skapad för en tredimensionell geometri som är beskriven av bl.a. den svarvkurva som används inom industrin. Metoden skall även vara implementerad och fungera automatiskt som ett beräkningsverktyg vilket inom en rimlig tidsrymd skall beräkna intresseområden såsom spänningar, kontakttryck och twist. Det skall även vara konstruerat så att två olika kolvringmodeller skall kunna simuleras, nämligen rakskuren ring och gastät ring, och båda med valbara dimensioner. Simuleringsmetoden är bekräftad genom att jämföra med en enklare simuleringsmodell samt teknisk kunskap och resonemang. Utöver att bekräfta modellen genomförs även en del mer avancerade undersökningar för att kunna återge simuleringsverktygets verkliga effektivitet. Resultaten återger rätt karaktär och i rätt storleksordning i jämförelse med den enklare modellen men visar även på sanningenliga resultat vid mer avancerade tester. Exempelvis har överhettade motorer ofta en förstärkt twist, vilket är uppmärksammat vid mätningar, och sådana effekter kan återges med simuleringsverktyget. Även tester med förändrade tvärsnittsprofiler, vilka ofta används inom fordonsindustrin, och vilken effekt dessa profiler får på twistningen har genomförts. Metoden och det automatiska simuleringsverktyget är implementerat i den kommersiella programvaran ANSYS. Programmet använder sig av finita elementmetoden för att lösa problem och är ett vanligt program inom flera olika utvecklingsområden. Verktyget används som en extern inläsning till programmet vilket konfigurerar geometrin, finita elementformuleringen och resultatrenderingen.

This study separated two parts: PART ¢¹ Meteorologically adjusted trends of ozone Since meteorological changes strongly affect ambient ozone concentrations, trends in concentrations of ozone upon the adjustment of meteorological variations are important of evaluating emission reduction efforts. This work is to study meteorological effects on the long-term trends of ozone concentration using a multi-variable additive model in Kaohsiung. The long-term trends of ozone concentration were analyzed using the Holland model (without meteorological-adjusted) and the robust MM Regression model (with meteorological-adjusted) based on the data of eight EPA air quality stations from 1997 to 2006 in Kaohsiung area. According to the result of the simulation, the simulated value of the robust MM-Regression model present more valid than the Holland model.The simulated results show that the long-term ozone concentration increases at 13.84% (or 13.06%) monthly (or annually) after meteorological adjustments, less than at 26.10% (or 23.80%) without meteorological adjustments in Kaohsiung county. The simulated results show that the long-term ozone concentration increases at 9.01% (or 6.88%) monthly (or annually) after meteorological adjustments, less than at 22.01% (or 19.67%) without meteorological adjustments in Kaohsiung city. Wind speed, duration of sunshine and pressure are the three dominant factors that influence the ground-level ozone levels in Kaohsiung area. PART ¢º Dispersion of air pollutants in the Hsuehshan Tunnel Concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) were measured from November 14 ¡V 17 2008 in a cross-mountain Hsuehshan traffic tunnel stretching 12.9 km and containing eastward and westward channels. Air pollutants of CO (carbon monoxide) and NOx (nitrogen oxides) will be monitored at the inlet, outlet and vertical shafts of the tunnel. Meanwhile, numerical simulation of three-dimensional turbulent flow will be performed using STAR-CD software. Traffic and pollutant concentrations during the weekends exceeded those during the weekdays. Measured concentrations of CO at the two tunnel outlets (14.5 ¡V 22.8 ppm) were approximately three times higher than those at the two tunnel inlets (3.2 ¡V 7.3 ppm), while concentrations of NOx at the two tunnel outlets (1.9 ¡V 2.9 ppm) were approximately four to five times higher than those at the two tunnel inlets (0.3 ¡V 0.8 ppm). The outlet of vertical draft 2 had the highest pollutant concentrations (CO = 12.3 ppm; NOx = 1.9 ppm), followed by vertical drafts 1 and 3. Three-dimensional turbulence modeling results indicate that airflow in the tunnel was primarily driven by the combined effects of axial fans and vehicles. Results of this study demonstrate that simulated pollutant concentrations increase downstream and are vertically stratified, due to tailpipe exhausts close to tunnel floor. Simulations agreed fairly well with measurements.