Benchmarking of off-road machinery operations with the use of geo-referenced data

Past research has revealed that farmers do not have the resources to evaluate the efficiency of their off-road machines and in order for them to do so, relevant data must be collected from those machines. The rise of modern on-board computer systems now allows researchers, farmers and off-road machinery manufacturers to collect data from off-road machines while they complete farm operations. The analysis of off-road machinery related data would allow for the benchmarking of machinery productivity, efficiency, performance and cost. Geo-referenced machinery performance data, provides an opportunity for the analysis of machinery performance in relation to unique spatial aspects of agricultural fields to determine their effects on the operation. The goal of this study was to identify, analyze and benchmark relevant geo-referenced machinery performance data based on selected productivity, efficiency, performance and cost indicators. The methodology was applied to corn planting operations on a farm in east-central Iowa involving a 24-row planter. The methodology was applied to two fields that were selected based on their differences in shape and slope (%). Field one featured a water way which split the field into two right triangles, while field two featured a high average slope (%). Field one, was found to be the more productive and efficient operation compared to field two. Actual field capacity, field efficiency, fuel efficiency and cost were 9.46 ha h-1, 56.3%, 4.27 L ha-1 and $6.54 ha-1 for field one, respectively, compared to field two’s 7.48 ha h-1, 44.5$7.84 ha-1. The key factor that contributed to the differences was that the tractor/planter was unproductive for 49% of the time it was in field two, compared to only 11.2% of the time in field one. The large amount of unproductive time reduced the productivity and efficiency of field two and increased the cost. A row-by-row analysis was conducted on the second operation to determine if field slope (%) was correlated with energy efficiency. The correlation analysis returned an R2 value of 0.0511, indicating no relationship existed. Engine power was found to vary significantly between certain rows. The average power in the rows was found to be 92 kW with a standard deviation of 33 kW. The average engine speed for fourteen of the seventeen rows was 1426 r min-1, compared to an average of 900 r min-1 for the remaining three rows. It was determined that the machine operator must have reduced the engine throttle when working in three of the rows. The benchmarking methodology was also used to determine the effects of the water way in field one on tractor turning performance. The presence of the water way caused the tractor to make a different shaped turn at the water way edge of the field. The average time for the tractor to complete a turn at the water way edge of the field was found to be 5.8 seconds greater than the opposite side of the field where no water way was present. The extra turning time required at the water way edge of the field increased the total turning time by 13.5%. Some assumptions were made concerning this field to predict field efficiency if the water way did not exist. Field efficiency was predicted to increase from 50.2% to 69.9%, if the water way was not present. . The benchmarking of individual machine operations conducted on a farm could be combined to benchmark the productivity, efficiency, performance and cost of all the machine operations conducted on a farm. This would empower farm managers to budget time and money more accurately for future machine operations by reviewing past benchmarking records. Farm mangers would also be able to evaluate each individual machine and operator on their farm to identify opportunities to improve their overall operation

Study and program plan for improved heavy duty gas turbine engine ceramic component development

Fuel economy in a commercially viable gas turbine engine was demonstrated through use of ceramic materials. Study results show that increased turbine inlet and generator inlet temperatures, through the use of ceramic materials, contribute the greatest amount to achieving fuel economy goals. Improved component efficiencies show significant additional gains in fuel economy

Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport

The transport sector continues to shift towards alternative powertrains, particularly with the UK Government’s announcement to end the sale of petrol and diesel passenger cars by 2030 and increasing support for alternatives. Despite this announcement, the internal combustion continues to play a significant role both in the passenger car market through the use of hybrids and sustainable low carbon fuels, as well as a key role in other sectors such as heavy-duty vehicles and off-highway applications across the globe. Building on the industry-leading IC Engines conference, the 2021 Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport conference (7-8 December 2021, London, UK) focussed on the internal combustion engine’s role in Net-Zero transport as well as covered developments in the wide range of propulsion systems available (electric, fuel cell, sustainable fuels etc) and their associated powertrains. To achieve the net-zero transport across the globe, the life-cycle analysis of future powertrain and energy was also discussed. Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport provided a forum for engine, fuels, e-machine, fuel cell and powertrain experts to look closely at developments in powertrain technology required, to meet the demands of the net-zero future and global competition in all sectors of the road transportation, off-highway and stationary power industries

Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport

The transport sector continues to shift towards alternative powertrains, particularly with the UK Government’s announcement to end the sale of petrol and diesel passenger cars by 2030 and increasing support for alternatives. Despite this announcement, the internal combustion continues to play a significant role both in the passenger car market through the use of hybrids and sustainable low carbon fuels, as well as a key role in other sectors such as heavy-duty vehicles and off-highway applications across the globe. Building on the industry-leading IC Engines conference, the 2021 Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport conference (7-8 December 2021, London, UK) focussed on the internal combustion engine’s role in Net-Zero transport as well as covered developments in the wide range of propulsion systems available (electric, fuel cell, sustainable fuels etc) and their associated powertrains. To achieve the net-zero transport across the globe, the life-cycle analysis of future powertrain and energy was also discussed. Powertrain Systems for Net-Zero Transport provided a forum for engine, fuels, e-machine, fuel cell and powertrain experts to look closely at developments in powertrain technology required, to meet the demands of the net-zero future and global competition in all sectors of the road transportation, off-highway and stationary power industries

Effects of Temperature on the Performance of a Small Internal Combustion Engine at Altitude

The effects of atmospheric pressure and temperature variations on the performance of small internal combustion (IC) engines operating at altitudes significantly above sea level are not widely documented. Using an altitude chamber and fuel-injected twostroke engine, data were collected while varying air temperature along with pressure. The peak engine power was 4.1 kW at roughly sea level standard conditions and dropped to 3.5 kW at the standard conditions for an altitude of 1.5 km. At a combination of pressure and temperature corresponding to an altitude of 3 km, peak power fell further to 2.5 kW. The combined effects of standard atmospheric conditions showed pressure dominated temperature and resulted in around a 3.5% loss of power and brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) along with a 3% increase in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) per 300 m increase in altitude

Study of Transit Bus Duty Cycle and its Influence on Fuel Economy and Emissions of Diesel-Electric Hybrids

The Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions (CAFEE) of West Virginia University (WVU) is developing the Integrated Bus Information System (IBIS), an information resource on transit bus emissions for vehicle procurement purposes. IBIS provides the transit bus industry with exhaust emissions information, including an emissions database, and predictive models for fuel economy (F.E.) and emissions. Inputs for the models are in the form of drive cycle metrics, but the knowledge of such metrics is not readily available for transit agencies.;The first part of this dissertation was an effort to close the gap between engineering drive cycle metrics and the information available to transit bus operators. In cooperation with WMATA Transit, an extensive evaluation to characterize transit bus operation was performed. This evaluation was based on GPS and ECU logs of diverse bus routes. Instantaneous speed and road grade were determined for all the routes. Transit operation was classified in four main service groups: Inner-City, Urban, Suburban, and Commuter. Characterizing transit bus operation played an important role because it defined the parameters, and their ranges, to be used in F.E. and emissions models.;The second part of the dissertation studied the effects that drive cycles have over emissions and F.E. of diesel-electric hybrid buses, focusing specifically in MY 2007--2009 diesel-electric serieshybrid 40\u27 transit buses. Using ANL\u27s PSAT, the hybrid bus was dynamically modeled and validated against chassis dynamometer test data. As part of the vehicle dynamic model, a model was developed for fuel consumption and NOx emissions of the Cummins ISB 260H diesel engine. The vehicle model was simulated over a variety of duty cycles assuming zero grade, producing a database of instantaneous fuel and NOx rates, with all tests satisfying SAE J2711\u27s restriction for state of charge.;A regression based method was devised for predicting cycle F.E., CO 2, and NOx, in which the inputs were average speed, percentage idle, and characteristic acceleration. Fuel consumption and NOx were broken into the idle and driving contributions. The driving portion was predicted with average speed without idle and characteristic acceleration without grade, and then aggregated with the idle contribution. The proposed approach produced excellent predictions with coefficients of determination of 0.96 for F.E., 0.99 for CO2, and 0.99 for NOx.;A tool was developed to allow transit agencies to place hybrid buses in routes that take the most advantage of the hybrid-electric capabilities and to evaluate emissions impacts in strategic planning and vehicle procurement. The selection of the best routes is based on fuel savings. Depending on the route, hybrid transit buses have the potential for saving between 0.5 and 1.2 gallons of fuel per hour per vehicle and 5 to 12 kg of CO2 per hour

Proceedings of the 20th Automotive Technology Development Contractors' Coordination Meeting

Thirty-four papers are included which cover the following topics: stirling technology, gas turbines, ceramics, heavy duty transport, industry perspectives, and alternative fuels

Should we have a new engine? An automobile power systems evaluation. Volume 2: Technical reports

Alternative automotive powerplants were examined for possible introduction during the 1980-1990 time period. Technical analyses were made of the Stratified-Charge Otto, Diesel, Rankine (steam), Brayton (gas turbine), Stirling, Electric, and Hybrid powerplants as alternatives to the conventional Otto-cycle engine with its likely improvements. These alternatives were evaluated from a societal point of view in terms of energy consumption, urban air quality, cost to the consumer, materials availability, safety, and industry impact. The results show that goals for emission reduction and energy conservation for the automobile over the next 5-10 years can be met by improvements to the Otto-cycle engine and to the vehicle. This provides time for the necessary development work on the Brayton and Stirling engines, which offer the promise of eliminating the automobile as a significant source of urban air pollution, dramatically reducing fuel consumption, and being saleable at a price differential which can be recovered in fuel savings by the first owner. Specifically, the Brayton and Stirling engines require intensive component, system, and manufacturing process development at a funding level considerably higher than at present