Phenomenological two-phase multi-zone combustion model for direct-injection diesel engines

This paper proposed a quasi-dimensional combustion model from a new observed two-phase penetration and combustion phenomenon in diesel spray. In the model, fuel spray was divided into two of liquid and gas phase areas. Considering the phenomenon that separation of gas and liquid phase in diesel spray occurs during spray penetration, gas and liquid area of spray are discretized respectively. Liquid phase areas play important role in fuel mass transport, however gas phase areas are the main region for fuel combustion in the model. Fuel and air mixing rate of gas phase zone is the key for the calculation of combustion rate. Validation experiments are designed by using optimal Latin hypercube design method. Comparison of calculations and experiments show that the model is able to predict diesel engine performance at different engine speeds, loads, and injection pressure and timing, and provides guidance for the design of engines.     

Performance analysis of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack operated under marine environmental conditions

The marine environmental condition, especially NaCl, has been identified as one of the major sources of contamination on the performance of open cathode Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) system, when the power source is based on fuel cells for marine applications like submarines, navy ships etc., In the present paper, we have studied the performance of PEMFCs under the marine environment for a longer duration and also the recovery mechanism of the PEMFC power pack after contamination. It has been observed that the NaCl is a major contaminant for PEMFC, compared to NO _x and SO _x , which are major contaminants for fuel cells operating in the land regions. We have observed a performance loss of 60 % in PEMFC, when operated for 48 h, due to poisoning of PEMFC by NaCl vapours. The recovery of the stack is attempted by repeated water washing on the cathode side of the fuel cell, presuming that the salts get deposited only on the surface of the electrodes and the performance is easily recoverable. The recovery mechanisms are analysed by constant-current discharging operation and by modified experimental methods and are reported here. The performance vagaries in fuel cells due to sea water contamination is also analysed by linear fit and it is found that the rate of power increment after water wash is higher than the rate of power increment, around 11.5 W/10?h compared to normal environmental conditions, which is 4.1 W/10?h.     

The perception and image of shipping

The image of the shipping industry plays a vital role in developing maritime transport as a major future, sustainable transport alternative. In particular, it is crucial to understand the image the shipping industry has among young people and the anatomy of the concept in order to be able to effectively promote careers in shipping, to cultivate shipping as an attractive labour market and to develop attractive educational programmes. The focus of this paper is the image of the shipping industry. This study reports on the findings of a large-scale survey of the image of shipping- and image-related concepts among upper secondary school pupils in Sweden, Norway and Greece. We define and analyse empirically by means of multivariate statistical analysis the anatomy of the image concept. We identify various image dimensions, estimate how young people rate the shipping industry along these dimensions and estimate their relative importance to young people who are planning their future careers. The results from this study can be used as a base for describing and explaining the images that young people have of the shipping industry. Such knowledge is fundamental for deriving and developing constructive strategies to promote careers in shipping, to adapt shipping to the expectations of young people and to develop creative and relevant educational programmes. Finally, understanding the image of shipping among young people is important not only for the shipping industry, but for other stakeholders as well, such as ship-owners associations, trade associations, labour unions, transport authorities and administrations and policy makers at the national and supra-national level.     

Development of jacket platform tsunami risk rating system in waters offshore North Borneo

This work details the simulation of tsunami waves generated by seaquakes in the Manila Trench and their effect on fixed oil and gas jacket platforms in waters offshore North Borneo. For this study, a four-leg living quarter jacket platform located in a water depth of 63m is modelled in SACS v5.3. Malaysia has traditionally been perceived to be safe from the hazards of earthquakes and tsunamis. Local design practices tend to neglect tsunami waves and include no such provisions. In 2004, a 9.3M _w seaquake occurred off the northwest coast of Aceh, which generated tsunami waves that caused destruction in Malaysia totalling US$ 25 million and 68 deaths. This event prompted an awareness of the need to study the reliability of fixed offshore platforms scattered throughout Malaysian waters. In this paper, we present a review of research on the seismicity of the Manila Trench, which is perceived to be high risk for Southeast Asia. From the tsunami numerical model TUNA-M2, we extract computer-simulated tsunami waves at prescribed grid points in the vicinity of the platforms in the region. Using wave heights as input, we simulate the tsunami using SACS v5.3 structural analysis software of offshore platforms, which is widely accepted by the industry. We employ the nonlinear solitary wave theory in our tsunami loading calculations for the platforms, and formulate a platform-specific risk quantification system. We then perform an intensive structural sensitivity analysis and derive a corresponding platform-specific risk rating model.     

Run-off-road and recovery – state estimation and vehicle control strategies

Despite many advances in vehicle safety technology, traffic fatalities remain a devastating burden on society. With over two-thirds of all fatal single-vehicle crashes occurring off the roadway, run-off-road (ROR) crashes have become the focus of much roadway safety research. Current countermeasures, including roadway infrastructure modifications and some on-board vehicle safety systems, remain limited in their approach as they do not directly address the critical factor of driver behaviour. It has been shown that ROR crashes are often the result of poor driver performance leading up to the crash. In this study, the performance of two control algorithms, sliding control and linear quadratic control, was investigated for use in an autonomous ROR vehicle recovery system. The two controllers were simulated amongst a variety of ROR conditions where typical driver performance was inadequate to safely operate the vehicle. The sliding controller recovered the fastest within the nominal conditions but exhibited large variability in performance amongst the more extreme ROR scenarios. Despite some small sacrifices in lateral error and yaw rate, the linear quadratic controller demonstrated a higher level of consistency and stability amongst the various conditions examined. Overall, the linear quadratic controller recovered the vehicle 25% faster than the sliding controller while using 70% less steering, which combined with its robust performance, indicates its high potential as an autonomous ROR countermeasure.     

Demonstration of vehicular visible light communication based on LED headlamp

With the emergence of LED lighting, IT convergence technology using the visible spectrum of LEDs, such as Visible Light Communication (VLC), has been highlighted. Among the many VLC applications, vehicular VLCs based on LED headlamps and transportation lighting infrastructure, such as street lamps, traffic lights, etc., are considered good alternatives for Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) or Active Safety applications. This paper introduces a demonstration system of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) VLC based on LED headlamps. By applying an inverse 4-PPM modulation scheme satisfying a 75 % dimming level under the light distribution regulation of LED headlamp, the proposed system showed its capability for V2V VLC with a 10 kbps data rate for more than 30 m under day time conditions. By measuring the BER performance according to distance, outdoor V2V VLC was possible for more than 30 m even in the day time.     

Cooperative control for friction and regenerative braking systems considering dynamic characteristic and temperature condition

The braking system of hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is composed of friction and regenerative braking system, meaning that braking torque is generated by the collaboration of the friction and regenerative braking system. With the attributes, there are two problems in the HEV braking system. First, rapid deceleration occurs due to dynamic characteristic difference when shifting the friction and regenerative braking systems. Second, the friction braking torque alters with temperature because the friction coefficient changes with the temperature. These problems cause the vehicle to be unstable. In this paper, the concurrence control and compensation control were proposed to solve these problems. And also, the concurrence control and compensation control were combined for the stability of the braking system. In order to confirm the effect of these control algorithms, the experiment and simulation were conducted. Consequently, it was confirmed that the control algorithm of this study improved the vehicle safety and stability.     

Laboratory alignment procedure for improving reproducibility of tyre wet grip measurement

Since 2012, the Korean and EU governments have been running a tyre labelling system. All tyres sold in Korea have to carry a label that displays information of two performance criteria: rolling resistance and wet grip. The rolling resistance of the tyres determines their fuel efficiency grading, and the wet grip of the tyres determines their braking safety grading. The rolling resistance and wet grip measurements must be reproducible, so the same tests on the same tyres in different laboratories must produce the same results to ensure a fair comparison between tyres from different suppliers. In addition, a good reproducibility of testing results prevents market surveillance authorities from obtaining results different from those provided by suppliers when testing the same tyres. The laboratory alignment procedure for the rolling resistance measurements was developed and published as the EU Commission Regulation No. 1235 in 2011. However, the laboratory alignment procedure for the wet grip measurements has not yet been developed. Therefore, there are many differences in the wet grip test results among test laboratories throughout the world. The new procedure that is proposed for the wet grip measurement alignment for tyre testing laboratories can improve the reproducibility of the wet grip testing results, and five laboratory alignment tests were carried out between KATECH and five other test laboratories in the world to evaluate the results of the proposed procedure.     

Urban driving cycle for performance evaluation of electric vehicles

Nowadays, a number of environmental issues have seriously come to the fore. For this reason, the R & D spending on eco-friendly vehicles that use electric power has been gradually increasing. In general, fuel economy and pollutant emissions of both conventional and eco-friendly vehicles are measured through chassis dynamometer tests that are performed on a variety of driving cycles before an actual driving test. There are a number of driving cycles that have been developed for the for performance evaluation of conventional vehicles. However, there is a lack of research into driving cycle for EV. Because large differences exist between the drive system and driving charateristics of EV and that of CV, a study on driving cycle for EV should be conducted. In this study, the necessity of an urban driving cycle for the performance evaluation of electric vehicles is confirmed by developing the driving cycle. First, the Gwacheon-city Urban Driving Cycle for Electric Vehicles (GUDC-EV) is developed by using driving data obtained through actual driving experiments and statistical analysis. Second, GUDC-EV is verified by constructing EV simulators and performing simulations that use the actual driving data. The simulation results are then compared against existing urban driving cycles, such as FTP-72, NEDC, and Japan 10–15. These results confirm that GUDC-EV can be used as an urban driving cycle to evaluate the performance of electric vehicles and validate the necessity of development of the driving cycle for electric vehicles.     

Revisiting the application of simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation towards signal timing optimization

Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation (SPSA) has gained favor as an efficient optimization method for calibrating computationally intensive, “black box” traffic flow simulations. Few recent studies have investigated the efficiency of SPSA for traffic signal timing optimization. It is important for this to be investigated, because significant room for improvement exists in the area of signal optimization. Some signal timing methods and products perform optimization very quickly, but deliver mediocre solutions. Other methods and products deliver high-quality solutions, but at a very slow rate. When using commercialized desktop signal timing products, engineers are often forced to choose between speed and solution quality. Real-time adaptive control products, which must optimize timings within seconds on a cycle-by-cycle basis, have limited time to reach a high-quality solution. The existing literature indicates that SPSA provides the potential for upgrading both off-line and on-line solutions alike, by delivering high-quality solutions within seconds. This article describes an extensive set of optimization tests involving SPSA and genetic algorithms (GAs). The final results suggest that GA was slightly more efficient than SPSA. Moreover, the results suggest today's signal timing solutions could be improved significantly by incorporating GA, SPSA, and “playbooks” of preoptimized starting points. However, it may take another 5–10 years before our computers become fast enough to simultaneously optimize coordination settings (i.e., cycle length, phasing sequence, and offsets) at numerous intersections, using the most powerful heuristic methods, at speeds that are compatible with real-time adaptive solutions.