Active coolant control strategies in automotive engines

The coolant flow rate in conventional cooling systems in automotive engines is subject to the mechanical water pump speed, and high efficiency in terms of fuel economy and exhaust emission is not possible given this limitation. A new technology must be developed for engine cooling systems. The electronic water pump is used as a substitute for the mechanical water pump in new engine cooling systems. The new cooling system provides more flexible control of the coolant flow rate and engine temperature, which previously relied strongly on engine driving conditions such as load and speed. In this study, the feasibility of two new cooling strategies was investigated using a simulation model that was validated with temperatures measured in a diesel engine. Results revealed that active coolant control using an electronic water pump and valves substantially contributed to a reduction of coolant warm-up time during cold engine starts. Harmful emissions and fuel consumption are expected to decrease as a result of a reduction in warm-up time.     

Modeling and simulation of fuel cell hybrid vehicles

A comprehensive procedure for mathematical modeling and validation of a fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) is presented in this paper. The subsystems are modeled based on lab testing and in-field vehicle testing results from the Tongji University Start prototype vehicle. An FCHV-SIM (fuel cell hybrid vehicle simulation) model is then developed based on the experimental data. Model validation results confirm that the FCHV-SIM model is reasonably accurate and suitable for model-based control development.     

Development of the Sungkyunkwan University Driving Simulator (SKUD) for Human-Machine Interface studies of Car Navigation Systems

Driving simulators are useful tools that can be used not only to test the components of future cars, but also to evaluate the telematics service and HMI (Human-Machine Interface). However, driving simulators that are currently available cannot be implemented to test and evaluate a real commercial telematics service system because the GPS (Global Positioning System), which contains basic functional support for the telematics module, does not work in the VR (virtual reality) environment. A driving simulator, together with the GPS simulator, can be used to study the HMI to evaluate commercial CNS (Car Navigation Systems). In this paper, Sungkyunkwan University Driving Simulator (SKUD) is developed with a GPS simulator that is able to emulate GPS satellite signals and includes the NMEA-0183 protocol and RS232C communication standards. Furthermore, using the SKUD, the HMI of the real commercial CNS could be investigated with driver workload assessment methods.     

Accelerated life prediction of fillet-type,gas-welded joints

In this paper, in order to save time and cost for the fatigue design and to develop the optimum approaches for accelerated life prediction of the fillet gas welded joints, the (Δσ)_R − N_f relationship was obtained from actual fatigue test data, including welding residual stress. Based on these results, the (Δσ_a)_R − (N_f)_ALP relationship derived from the method of statistical probability analysis was compared with the actual fatigue test data. From the result, the optimum statistical distribution for the accelerated life prediction was analyzed to be the lognormal distribution for the fillet-type, gas-welded joint. The mean accuracy of the accelerated life prediction was assessed to be 85∼95% of the actual test life at the 95% reliability level and ±15% standard deviation. Therefore, it is expected that the accelerated life prediction will provide a useful method for determining the criterion for fatigue design and for predicting a specific target life.     

Effect of various LPG supply systems on exhaust particle emission in spark-ignited combustion engine

The particle size distribution and particle number (PN) concentration emitted by internal combustion engine are a subject of significant environmental concern because of their adverse health effects and environmental impact. This subject has recently attracted the attention of the Particle Measurement Programme (PMP). In 2007, the UN-ECE GRPE PMP proposed a new method to measure particle emissions in the diluted exhaust of automotive engines and a regulation limit (<6.0×10¹¹ #/km, number of particles). The specific PN regulation of spark-ignited combustion engine will be regulated starting on September 1, 2014 (EURO 6). In this study, three types of LPG supply systems (a mixer system and a multi-point injection system with gas-phase or liquid-phase LPG fuel) were used for a comparison of the particulate emission characteristics, including the nano-sized particle number density. Each of the three LPG vehicles with various LPG injection systems contained a multi-cylinder engine with same displacement volumes of 2,000 cm³ and a three-way catalytic converter. The test fuel that was used in this study for the spark-ignited combustion engine was n-butane basis LPG fuel, which is primarily used for taxi vehicles in Korea. The characteristics of nano-particle size distribution and number concentration of particle sizes ranging from 20 to 1,000 nm (aerodynamic diameter) that were emitted from the three LPG vehicles with various LPG supply systems were investigated by using a condensation particle counter (CPC), which is recommended by the PMP under both the NEDC and FTP-75 test modes on a chassis dynamometer. The experimental results indicate that the PN emission characteristics that were obtained by the CPC system using the PMP procedure are sufficiently reliable compared to other regulated emissions. Additionally, the sources of PN emissions in ascending order of magnitude are as follows: mixer type, gas-phase LPG injection (LPGi) and liquid-phase LPG injection (LPLi) passenger vehicles. The liquid-phase LPG injection system produced relatively large particle sizes and number concentrations compared to the gaseous system, regardless of the vehicle driving cycle. This phenomenon can be explained by unburned micro-fuel droplets that were generated due to a relatively short homogeneous fuel-air mixture duration in the engine intake manifold. Also the particle number emissions from the LPG vehicle were influenced by the vehicle driving cycle.     

Model development and experimental research on an air spring with auxiliary reservoir

This paper focuses on the dynamic stiffness and overall equivalent damping of an air spring connected to an orifice and an auxiliary reservoir, with respect to the displacement excitation frequency, orifice area, and auxiliary reservoir volume. A theoretical model of this air spring with its auxiliary reservoir is derived by utilizing the energy conservation equation, gas state equation, and orifice flow rate equation. Simulation results from the presented model reveal that, when the air spring is subject to harmonic displacement excitation, its dynamic stiffness increases with an increase in excitation frequency and decrease in orifice area. Smaller orifice areas and lower excitation frequencies result in higher overall equivalent damping. A validation experiment is also implemented. When compared with experimental results, simulations show consistent varying trends of the dynamic stiffness and overall equivalent damping. The model developed here can correctly describe the behavior of the air spring with auxiliary reservoir, indicating that it is reasonable and feasible.     

Effects of split injection,oxygen enriched air and heavy EGR on soot emissions in a diesel engine

The effects of split injection, oxygen enriched air, and heavy exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on soot emissions in a direct injection diesel engine were studied using the KIVA-3V code. When split injection is applied, the second injection of fuel into a cylinder results in two separate stoichiometric zones, which helps soot oxidation. As a result, soot emissions are decreased. When oxygen enriched air is applied together with split injection, a higher concentration of oxygen causes higher temperatures in the cylinder. The increase in temperature promotes the growth reaction of acetylene with soot. However, it does not improve acetylene formation during the second injection of fuel. As more acetylene is consumed in the growth reaction with soot, the concentration of acetylene in the cylinder is decreased, which leads to a decrease in soot formation and thus soot emissions. A combination of split injection, a high concentration of oxygen, and a high EGR ratio shows the best results in terms of diesel emissions. In this paper, the split injection scheme of 75.8.25, in which 75% of total fuel is injected in the first pulse, followed by 8°CA of dwell time, and 25% of fuel is injected in the second pulse, with an oxygen concentration of 23% in volume and an EGR ratio of 30% shows a 45% reduction in soot emissions, with the same NOx emissions as in single injection.     

Analysis of the performance of the evaporator of automotive air conditioning system

The purpose of this research was to establish a theoretical model for the evaporator of automotive air conditioning system and conducting simulations to evaluate the effect of operation parameters, environmental conditions, and design parameters on the performance of evaporator. An automotive air conditioning system primarily consists of four components: the compressor, the condenser, the refrigerant controller, and the evaporator. The refrigerant flow in the evaporator can be divided into two regions: the evaporating region and the superheat region. The refrigerant in the first region is a two-phase flow, while the refrigerant in the latter region is in the state of superheated vapor. The air flowing through the interior of the evaporator can also be divided into two zones: the unsaturated zone and the saturated zone. Water vapor is condensed in the saturated zone while in the unsaturated zone, no water condenses. Because the refrigerant flow and the airflow are perpendicular to each other, the distribution of refrigerant in the evaporating region and the superheat region does not coincide with the distribution of air in the unsaturated zone and the saturated zone. This study examines the effects of different design parameters, environmental conditions and operating parameters on the cooling capacity and superheat of an air conditioning system. Design parameters include the length of the refrigerant channel, the length of the air channel, and the thickness of the fins. Environmental conditions include the air inlet temperature and absolute humidity. Operation conditions include the refrigerant inlet enthalpy, inlet air flow rate, and refrigerant mass flow rate. Results of simulation demonstrated that fins with 50 micron meters width has the greatest cooling capacity for identical outer dimensions; thicker or thinner fins only decreased cooling capacity. Under different outer dimensions, longer refrigerant tubes and air channels created a greater cooling capacity. However, the increase in cooling capacity becomes less and less if the refrigerant flow was fixed because the heat transfer capability of the gaseous refrigerant was limited. In this study, an increase of 19% in cooling capacity can be reached as the length of refrigerant channels was increased, and the increased length of the air channels can promote the cooling capacity by 22%. Besides, it was found in this study that a decrease in the refrigerant inlet enthalpy, the inlet air flow rate, the air inlet temperature, and the inlet absolute humidity, or an increase in the refrigerant mass flow rate, would extend the superheat region and decrease the refrigerant’s superheat. It was also found that the cooling capacity of air conditioners is extremely sensitive to changes in the refrigerant mass flow rate and the inlet enthalpy, and variations more than 50% were found in the operating ranges examined in this study. However, changes in the inlet temperature, absolute humidity, and inlet air flow rate only resulted in variations between 10% and 20% in the examined ranges of conditions. Finally, a correlation among these variables and the simulated cooling capacity was obtained in this study, enabling the relevant researchers to evaluate automotive air conditioning performance under different environmental conditions and operation parameters more easily.     

Design of 2-speed transmission for electric commercial vehicle

As environmental and economic interests increase, the need for eco-friendly vehicle such as an electric vehicle (EV) has increased rapidly. Various research of enhancing EV powertrain efficiency and relibility have been studied. In this study, 2-speed shift gears mechanism is designed by using simpson type planetary gear train. This transmission has two planetary gear unit. Gear position is determinded by which ring gear is fixed. Internal components of the transmission are designed for satisfying the required specification of EV. We analyze gear strength, gear mesh efficiency, and transmission efficiency. By manufacturing the transmission prototype and performing some experiments, we verify the application suitability of this transmission.     

Development of an autonomous braking system using the predicted stopping distance

An autonomous braking system is designed using the prediction of the stopping distance. The stopping distance needs to be determined by considering several factors such as the desired deceleration and the speed of the hydraulic brake actuator. In particular, the actuator speed is very critical because it affects the shape of the deceleration response and it determines the accuracy of the predicted stopping distance. The autonomous braking control algorithm is designed based on the predicted stopping distance. The proposed autonomous braking system has been validated in autonomous vehicle tests and demonstrates that the subject vehicle can avoid the collision effectively.