Performance Design of an Exhaust Superheater for Waste Heat Recovery of Construction Equipment

Although fuel cost has been the largest portion of annual operating costs of construction equipment, it is possible to save the energy and reduce cost using fuel economy enhancement technology. In this study, an organic Rankine cycle is applied to an excavator in order to recover waste heat, reproduce it into electrical energy, and consequently reduce the fuel consumption by 10 %. A design process was carried out to develop an exhaust gas superheater that recovers the waste heat from exhaust gas through a composite-dimensional thermal flow analysis. A one-dimensional code was developed to perform a size design for the exhaust gas superheater. The ranges for the major design parameters were determined to satisfy the target of the heat recovery, as well as the pressure drop at both fluid sides. Performance analysis was done through onedimensional design code results, which were compared with three-dimensional CFD analysis. By utilizing a 3D commercial code, the arrangement of the tubes was selected and the working fluid pressure drop was reduced through a detailed layout design. The design procedure was verified by a performance evaluation of the prototype, which yielded only a 7 % tolerance in heat recovery.     

Research on the coefficient of sound absorption in turbid water

China’s coastal waters are turbid and the properties of the seabed are complex. This negatively impacts the performance of underwater detection equipment. The properties of sound absorption in turbid water are not well understood. In this paper, the coefficient of sound absorption in turbid water was measured by the reverberation technique. All work was done in a reverberation barrel made of seamless aluminum. First, pure water was poured into the reverberation barrel and its reverberation time measured. Next, various concentrations of turbid water were poured into the barrel and their reverberation time measured. After all data had been gathered, the coefficient of sound absorption in turbid water of different concentrations was calculated. From this we determined a law of sound absorption in turbid water as summarized in the paper.     

A system dynamics approach to land use/transportation system performance modeling Part I: Methodology

This paper presents a system dynamics approach to simultaneous land use/transportation system performance modeling. A model is designed based on the causality functions and feedback loop structure between a large number of physical, socioeconomic, and policy variables. The model consists of 7 sub‐models: population, migration of population, household, job growth‐employment‐land availability, housing development, travel demand, and traffic congestion level. The model is formulated in DYNAMO simulation language, and tested on a data set from Montgomery County, MD. In Part I: Methodology, the overall approach and the structure of the model system is discussed and the causal‐loop diagrams and major equations are presented. In Part II: Application, the model is calibrated and tested with data from Montgomery County, MD. Least square method and overall system behavior are used to estimate the model parameters. The model is fitted with the 1970–80 data and validated with the 1980–1990 data. Robustness and sensitivities with respect to input parameters such as birth rate or regional economy growth are analyzed. The model performance as a policy analysis tool is examined by predicting the year by year impacts of highway capacity expansion on land use and transportation system performance. While this is a first attempt in using dynamic system simulation modeling in simultaneous treatment of land use and transportation system interactions, and model development and application are limited due to data availability, the results indicate that the proposed method is a promising approach in dealing with complex urban land use/transportation modeling.     

How remote is remote pilotage?

“Today, the idea of allowing aircraft pilots to operate as they see fit, without any control from the land, is unthinkable. Will the same things apply to ships in twenty to thirty years’ time?”Current maritime pilotage regimes are clearly seen in some quarters as too restrictive and old fashioned. Change is “in the air” and VTS, pilotage, and the relationship between them cannot be immune to it. Subject to the attainment of the appropriate standards by both ships and their crews there is no practical reason why more flexible Vessel Traffic Management cannot be introduced. The required technology is largely available and, with the introduction of AIS, the required dynamic data can be available. Technical problems foreseen are believed capable of solution. The more significant obstacles to implementation are, therefore, largely political, commercial, organisational, and cultural. These issues are discussed in this paper taking into account the viewpoints of major stakeholders.     

结构动力学基于摄动法的高阶非线性随机有限元方法研究(英文)

Several algorithms were proposed relating to the development of a framework of the perturbation-based stochastic finite element method (PSFEM) for large variation nonlinear dynamic problems. For this purpose, algorithms and a framework related to SFEM based on the stochastic virtual work principle were studied. To prove the validity and practicality of the algorithms and framework, numerical examples for nonlinear dynamic problems with large variations were calculated and compared with the Monte-Carlo Simulation method. This comparison shows that the proposed approaches are accurate and effective for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of structures with random parameters.     

Nonlinear Robust Control of Torque Converter Clutch Slip System for Passenger Vehicles Using Advanced Torque Estimation Algorithms

In this paper, a torque-estimation-based robust controller for passenger car torque converter clutch slip system is presented. The proposed robust controller uses only the measurements available from inexpensive sensors that are installed in current passenger vehicles for torque estimation and feedback control. A conventional full state observer along with a neural-network-based open-loop hydraulic actuator observer is designed to estimate the unknown driving load, and a neural-network-based turbine torque estimator considering the temperature of oil circulating the torque converter is developed for improved turbine torque estimation accuracy. The stability of the internal dynamics is also investigated, and the performance and robustness of the robust controller is validated by simulation studies.     

Major sources of hydrocarbon emissions in a premixed charge compression ignition engine

Although premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) combustion engines are praised for potentially high efficiency and clean exhaust, experimental engines built to date emit more hydrocarbons (HCs) and carbon monoxide (CO) than the conventional machines. These compounds are not only strictly controlled components of the exhaust gas of road vehicles but are also an energy loss indicator. The prime objective of this study was to investigate the major sources of the HCs formed in the combustion chamber of an experimental PCCI engine in order to suggest some effective technologies for HC reduction. In this study, to explore the dominant sources of HC emissions in both operation modes, a single cylinder engine was prepared such that it could operate using either conventional diesel combustion or PCCI combustion. Specifically, the contributions of the top-ring crevice volume in the combustion chamber and the bulk quenching of the lean mixture were investigated. To understand the influence of the shape and magnitude of the crevice on HC emissions, the engine was operated with 12 specially prepared pistons with different top-ring crevices installed one after another. The engine emitted proportionally more HCs as the depth of the crevice increased as long as the width remained narrower than the prevailing quench distance. The top-ring-crevice-originated exhaust HCs comprised approximately 31% of the total HC emissions in the baseline condition. In a series of tests to estimate the effects of bulk quench on exhaust HC emissions, intake air was heated from 300K to 400K in steps of 25K. With the intake air heated, HC and CO emissions decreased with a gradually diminishing rate to zero at 375K. In conclusion, the most dominant sources of HC emissions in PCCI engines were the crevice volumes in the combustion chamber and the bulk quenching of the lean mixtures. The key methods for reducing HC emissions in PCCI engines are minimizing crevice volume in the combustion chamber and maximizing intake air temperature allowed based on the permissible NOx level.     

Aerodynamic design optimization of rear body shapes of a sedan for drag reduction

This study proposes an aerodynamically optimized outer shape of a sedan by using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN), which focused on modifying the rear body shapes of the sedan. To determine the optimization variables, the unsteady flow field around the sedan driving at very fast speeds was analyzed by CFD simulation, and fluctuations of the drag coefficient (C _D ) and pressure around the car were calculated. After consideration of the baseline result of CFD, 6 local parts from the end of the sedan were chosen as the design variables for optimization. Moreover, an ANN approximation model was established with 64 experimental points generated by the D-optimal methodology. As a result, an aerodynamically optimized shape for the rear end of the sedan in which the aerodynamic performance is improved by about 5.64% when compared to the baseline vehicle is proposed. Finally, it is expected that within the accepted range of shape modifications for a rear body, the aerodynamic performance of a sedan can be enhanced so that the fuel efficiency of the sedan can be improved. The YF SONATA, a sedan manufactured by Hyundai Motors Corporate, played a major role in this research as the baseline vehicle.     

A self-powering system based on tire deformation during driving

Tire intelligence is vital in the improvement of the safety of vehicles because the tire supports the car body and is the contact point between the vehicle and the road. To create an intelligent tire, sensors must be installed to measure the behavior of the tire. However, it is difficult to apply a wired sensor system on the wheel of the tire. Hence, it is necessary to implement a self-powering, wireless system (a type of energy harvesting system) that can be mounted inside the tire. The purpose of this study is to convert the strain energy caused by deformation of the tire while driving into useful electrical energy to supply the sensor system. A flexible piezofiber is utilized for the energy conversion. The variation in strain, due to changes in speed, load, and the internal pressure of the tire, was measured along two axial directions to evaluate the amount of available strain energy. The amount of strain changed from 0.15% to 0.8%. To predict the amount of available energy from a tire, we perform an analysis of the relationship between the strain and the voltage. In addition, experiments for impedance matching between piezofiber and related circuits were conducted to optimize the external loads for transferring energy efficiently. Based on the procedure mentioned above, at least 0.58 mJ of electrical energy can be generated by using the laterally oriented strain (1500 to 2500 micro strain). The result of this study is expected to enhance the potential realization of self-generating wireless sensor systems for so-called ??intelligent?? tires.