Experimental study on performance characteristics of cold storage heat exchanger for ISG vehicle

The ISG (Idle Stop and Go) system isvery useful in the automobile industry because it increases fuel consumption and reduces green house gas emissions. However, when the engine is on standby, the air-conditioning system does not work due to compressor inactivity, causing thermal discomfort to passengers. This study examines the thermal storage system, which is a cold storage heat exchanger integrated with a current evaporator. The experiments were conducted for an optimum cold storage heat exchanger design with various fin heights and densities, a number of stacking evaporator plates, refrigerant flow circuits inside the evaporator, and PCMs (Phase Change Materials) in the heat exchanger. The effects of coldness-release performance were examined with various ambient temperatures and air flow volume rates to the cold storage heat exchanger. The visualization of PCM’s freezing and melting was conducted with the cold storage heat exchanger. From the results, we found that the air discharge temperature of the air-conditioning system that was applied to the optimum cold storage heat exchanger was delayed around 540 seconds compared to the current air-conditioning system to reach 24 °C. Thus we can say that the cold storage heat exchanger integrated with an evaporator is an effective solution for ISG vehicles in maintaining thermal comfort in vehicle cabins during short engine stops.     

Power control strategy for preventing thermal failure of passively cooled automotive battery packs

Safety mechanism is required for an automotive battery pack to prevent thermal failure which could lead to catastrophic events. Passively cooled battery packs can prevent thermal failure by conducting adaptive control of battery power without any external cooling device. The key to this power control is how to secure battery safety while minimizing energy loss. This paper proposes a novel, adaptive power control strategy for automotive passive-cooling battery packs. Four different cases with electrochemical battery model are simulated and compared to each other according to a city driving profile. Driving simulation result confirmed that the present power control algorithm is an effective solution for preventing thermal failure along with improving energy efficiency of automotive battery packs.     

Réflexions sur le transfert méthodologique de l’analyse qualitative d’accidents de la circulation routière issue de l’étude détaillée des accidents (EDA) fran?aise aux procédures d’accidents colombiennes

Nearly 90% of the traffic accidents that occur worldwide happen in developing countries. Yet road safety remains a little-studied subject in these countries, and notably accidentology studies, which provide a wealth of information. One of the major problems in studying road accidents in developing countries lies in the lack of reliable accident data. Indeed, while the comprehensive accident analysis methodologies used in developed countries provide an understanding of the origin of accidents and accident processes, as well as making it possible to define suitable, effective actions, they require reliable and relatively detailed accident data. These methodologies are notably based on detailed accident studies (DASs) and their adaptation to the analysis of accident reports. Colombia has an infrastructure for gathering and storing traffic accident data that can be used to perform comprehensive accident analyses. This article defines the feasibility of a technology transfer (clinical accident analysis) to the Colombian equivalent of accident reports. These observations are part of a doctoral thesis prepared jointly by the IFSTTAR Accident Mechanisms Research Unit and the University of the Andes in Bogotá.     

Design of a Stroke Dependent Damper for the Front Axle Suspension of a Truck Using Multibody System Dynamics and Numerical Optimization

Summary A stroke dependent damper is designed for the front axle suspension of a truck. The damper supplies extra damping for inward deflections rising above 4 cm. In this way the damper should reduce extreme suspension deflections without deteriorating the comfort of the truck. But the question is which stroke dependent damping curve yields the best compromise between suspension deflection working space and comfort. Therefore an optimization problem is defined to minimize the maximum inward suspension deflection subject to constraints on the chassis acceleration for three typical road undulations. The optimization problem is solved using sequential linear programming (SLP) and multibody dynamics simulation software. Several optimization runs have been carried out for a small two degree of freedom vehicle model and a large full-scale model of the truck semi-trailer combination. The results show that the stroke dependent damping can reduce large deflections at incidental road disturbances, but that the optimum stroke dependent damping curve is related to the acceleration bound. By means of vehicle model simulation and numerical optimization we have been able to quantify this trade-off between suspension deflection working space and truck comfort.     

A New Method for Accurately Estimating the Weight of Moving Vehicles Using Piezoelectric Sensors and Adaptive-footprint Tire Model

Summary This paper presents new methods for estimating the axle weight of a moving vehicle, using two piezoelectric sensors and adaptive-footprint tire model. It is more difficult to weigh vehicles in motion accurately than to weigh standing vehicles. The difficulties in weighing moving vehicles result from sensor limitations as well as dynamic loading effects induced by vehicle/pavement interactions. For example, two identical vehicles with the same weight will generate sensor signals that differ in the shape and the peak value, depending the tire pressure, vehicle speed, road roughness, and sensor characteristics. This paper develops a method that is much less sensitive to these variable factors in determining the axle weight of a moving vehicle. In the developed method, first the piezoelectric sensor signal is reconstructed using the inverse dynamics of a high-pass filter representing the piezoelectric sensor. Then, the reconstructed signal, is normalized, using the nominal road/tire contact length obtained using an adaptive-footprint tire model, and then integrated. Experiments are performed with 3 vehicles of known weight ranging from 1,400 kg to 28,040 kg. The developed method is compared to two other algorithms. Results show that the developed method is most consistent and accurate.     

Understanding and Modeling the Human Driver

Summary This paper examines the role of the human driver as the primary control element within the traditional driver-vehicle system. Lateral and longitudinal control tasks such as path-following, obstacle avoidance, and headway control are examples of steering and braking activities performed by the human driver. Physical limitations as well as various attributes that make the human driver unique and help to characterize human control behavior are described. Example driver models containing such traits and that are commonly used to predict the performance of the combined driver-vehicle system in lateral and longitudinal control tasks are identified.     

Investigation on Spray Behavior and NOx Conversion Characteristic of a Secondary Injector for a Lean NOx Trap Catalyst

Lean NOx trap (LNT) catalyst has been used to reduce NOx emissions from diesel engines. The LNT absorbs NOx in lean condition and discharges N2 by reducing NOx in rich conditions. Thus, it is necessary to make exhaust gas lean or rich conditions for controlling LNT system. For making a rich condition, a secondary injector was adopted to inject a diesel fuel into the exhaust pipe. In the case of secondary injector, the behavior of spray is easily affected by high temperature (i.e., 250 ～ 350 °C) occurred in the exhaust manifold. Therefore, it is needed to investigate the spray behavior of diesel fuel injected into an exhaust manifold, as well as the conversion characteristics for a lean NOx trap of a diesel engine with LNT catalyst. The characteristics of exhaust emissions in NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) mode were analyzed and spray behaviors were visualized in various exhaust gas conditions. The results show that as the exhaust gas mass flow increases, the spray cone angle becomes broad and the fuel is directed to the flow field. Besides, the cone angle of spray is decreased by centrifugal force caused in exhaust gas flow field. In addition, the effects of nozzle installation degree, injection quantity, and exhaust gas flow on NOx conversion performance were clarified.     

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高速列车用轨道制动装置

在市场经济条件下，发展俄罗斯的高速铁路运输业是很迫切的任务。由于客车运行速度的提高，与其他形式的高速工具相比，即使2站间的运输距离很长，铁路运输的竞争力也在不断增强。然而，摆在面前的突出问题是要提高列车运行的安全性，解决这个问题，在很大程度上取决于制动系统的工作效率和工作稳定性。     

Importance of ocean circulation in ecological modeling: An example from the North Sea

There is an increasing number of ecological models for the North Sea around. Skogen and Moll (2000) [Skogen, M.D., Moll, A. 2000. Interannual variability of the North Sea primary production: comparison from two model studies. Continental Shelf Research 20 (2), 129–151] compared the interannual variability of the North Sea primary production using two state-of-the-art ecological models, NORWECOM and ECOHAM1. Their conclusion was that the two models agreed on an annual mean primary production, its variability and the timing and size of the peak production. On the other hand, there was a low (even negative dependent of area) correlation in the production in different years between the two models.In the present work, these conclusions are brought further. To try to better understand the observed differences between the two models, the two ecological models are run in an identical physical setting. With such a set-up also the interannual variability between the two models is in agreement, and it is concluded that the single most important factor for a reliable modeling of phytoplankton and nutrient distributions and transports within the North Sea is a proper physical model.