Development of an electronic control unit for the T63 gas turbine

Includes bibliographical references.Fundamental research has been undertaken at the SASOL Advanced Fuels Laboratory to investigate the effects of the chemistry and physical properties of both conventional and synthetic jet fuels on threshold combustion. This research was undertaken using a purpose built low pressure continuous combustion test facility. Researchers at the laboratory now wish to examine these effects on an aviation gas turbine in service for which “off-map” scheduling of fuel to the engine would be required. A two phase project was thus proposed to develop this capability; the work of this thesis embodies Phase I of that project

An independent controller for active diesel exhaust aftertreatment.

An independent controller was proposed to perform real-time diagnosis and modeling based control for diesel aftertreatment devices, such as the diesel particulate filters (DPF) and the lean NOx traps (LNT). The diesel aftertreatment devices for this research were in active flow control configuration. As opposed to passive aftertreatment control where the engine tailors the raw exhaust conditions, in active aftertreatment configuration, the raw exhaust conditions were modified with independent controls, such as aftertreatment temperature control, exhaust flow control, and aftertreatment excess air/fuel ratio (A) control. The determination of the diesel engine transient exhaust gas temperature is essential for effective active flow aftertreatment control schemes. To overcome the slow response of the high-inertia thermocouples used in the harsh diesel exhaust environment, a temperature response model was developed as part of this research. The temperature response model was verified by tests conducted on a Yanmar NFD170 single cylinder diesel engine setup. The model was then implemented into a National Instrument PCI-6023E multifunction data acquisition board with LabVIEW. The LabVIEW program was tested on the Yanmar engine setup and was capable of estimating the transient exhaust gas temperature in real-time using the temperature data obtained from two high-inertia thermocouples with a proper diameter ratio. The simplified transient aftertreatment model representing the regeneration behavior of the DPF and the performance of the LNT were also proposed. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .W88. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1499. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005

Engine Fuel Injection Timing : A Design for an Automatic Verification System

This thesis describes the development of an automatic testing system for the timing of the fuel injection of a 4-stroke engine. The fuel injection timing is managed by an electronic engine control unit which has a distributed modular design. New software and hardware updates are released every few months for the engine control unit. Furthermore, fuel injection timing must be tested for each new software release, because incorrect timing could potentially lead to engine failure. Thus, automating this frequent testing procedure, which can take 2–5 days manually, is expected to save both time and money. Therefore, the object of this work is to develop a design of an automatic fuel injection timing testing system. There are already abundant scientific studies available related to fuel injection timing and engine control unit. The majority of these studies in the literature review cover various topics about the effects of alternative injection technologies and fuels. A limited number of them comprise the subject of automatic fuel injection timing. Design science was chosen as the research method because of its suitability for product development projects. The most important research question is what the design architecture must be like for testing injection timing. This work started with a comprehensive analysis of the different factors that could affect the design. Underlying motivation for developing an automatic testing system, stakeholders involved, alternative ways for testing implementation, and various other points of view were covered. After defining the system requirements, the setup was built to measure the timing of fuel injection pulses from the engine control unit, which utilized the National Instruments Compact RIO hardware and software programmed with LabVIEW. This program automatically generates an Excel report of the timing test. The design of a testing system architecture that would allow measurements to be made from any of the 112 fuel injection terminals of the control unit was successfully developed. Measurements performed with Compact RIO hardware proved to be accurate and could determine the crankshaft angle with the required accuracy. The accuracy of the testing system was ±5 μs. Next, the development of communication between the testing hardware and the engine control unit’s configuration software was identified as the most important issue for future development of the testing system. The proposed testing system principle is probably feasible for developing any further automatic testing systems for any electric engine control unit in which fuel injection timing needs to be verified. Moreover, Compact RIO hardware and LabVIEW software can be recommended as a tool for developing similar verification systems because they are relatively easy to use, flexible, reliable, and capable of high-speed measurements.Tämä diplomityö kuvaa automaattisen testausjärjestelmän kehittämistä nelitahtimoottorin polttoaineen ruiskutussignaalien ajoitukselle. Ruiskutuksen ajoitusta hallitaan sähköisellä moottorinohjausyksiköllä, millä on hajautettu modulaarinen rakenne. Uusia moottorinohjausyksikön ohjelmisto- ja laitteistoversioita julkaistaan muutaman kuukauden välein. Polttoaineensyötön oikea ajoitus täytyy testata aina, kun uusia versioita julkaistaan, koska väärä ajoitus saattaa aiheuttaa moottorihäiriön. Usein toistuvan testauksen automatisoinnin odotetaan lyhentävän siihen käytettävää aikaa ja kustannuksia merkittävästi, mikä manuaalisesti tehtynä voi kestää 2–5 päivää. Työn tavoitteena on kehittää suunnitelma automaattisesta testausjärjestelmästä polttoaineen ruiskutuksen ajoitukselle. Polttoaineenruiskutukseen ja moottorinohjausyksiköihin liittyviä tieteellisiä julkaisuja on saatavilla runsaasti. Suurin osa kirjallisuuskatsauksessa käsitellyistä tutkimuksista kattaa eri aiheita vaihtoehtoisten ruiskutustekniikoiden ja polttoaineiden vaikutuksista polttomoottoriin. Vain muutama niistä käsittelee polttoaineensyötön automaattista testausta. Tutkimusmenetelmäksi valittiin suunnittelutiede, koska se soveltuu hyvin tuotekehitysprojekteihin. Tärkein tutkimuskysymys on: ”Minkälainen järjestelmän arkkitehtuurin täytyy olla ruiskutuksen ajoituksen testaamista varten?” Kysymyksen tutkiminen aloitettiin analysoimalla perusteellisesti eri tekijöitä, jotka voisivat vaikuttaa toteutukseen. Mikä on se perimmäinen syy miksi automaattinen testausjärjestelmä halutaan kehittää, mukana olevat sidosryhmät, vaihtoehtoiset toteutustavat sekä useita muita näkökulmia huomioitiin. Järjestelmävaatimusten määrittelyn jälkeen rakennettiin koelaite, jolla mitattiin polttoaineensyötön pulssien ajoitusta moottorinohjausyksiköstä, mikä hyödynsi National Instruments Compact RIO laitteistoa ja ohjelmistoa mikä kehitettiin LabVIEW -kehitysympäristössä. Ohjelma luo automaattisesti Excel raportin ajoitustesteistä. Onnistuneesti luotiin testausjärjestelmän arkkitehtuuri, mikä mahdollistaa mittausten tekemisen mistä tahansa hajautetun moottorinohjausyksikön 112 polttoaineensyötön liittimestä. Compact RIO laitteistolla tehdyt mittaukset osoittautuivat tarkoiksi ja se pystyy määrittämään kampiakselin kulman vaaditulla tarkkuudella. Testausjärjestelmän tarkkuus oli ±5 μs. Kommunikaation kehittäminen testauslaitteiston ja moottorinohjausyksikön konfigurointi ohjelmiston välille tunnistettiin kaikkein tärkeimmäksi asiaksi testausjärjestelmän jatkokehitykselle. Ehdotettu arkkitehtuuri on todennäköisesti sopiva ratkaisu automaattisen testausjärjestelmän kehittämiseksi mille tahansa sähköiselle moottorinohjausyksikölle, jonka polttoaineen ruiskutuksen ajoitus halutaan varmentaa. Lisäksi Compact RIO laitteistoa ja LabVIEW ohjelmistoa voidaan suositella työkaluiksi vastaavien testausjärjestelmien kehittämiseen koska ne ovat kohtuullisen helppokäyttöisiä, joustavia, luotettavia ja pystyvät nopeisiin mittauksiin

Developing vanadium redox flow technology on a 9-kW 26-kWh industrial scale test facility: Design review and early experiments

Redox Flow Batteries (RFBs) have a strong potential for future stationary storage, in view of the rapid expansion of renewable energy sources and smart grids. Their development and future success largely depend on the research on new materials, namely electrolytic solutions, membranes and electrodes, which is typically conduced on small single cells. A vast literature on these topics already exists. However, also the technological development plays a fundamental role in view of the successful application of RFBs in large plants. Despite that, very little research is reported in literature on the technology of large RFB systems. This paper presents the design, construction and early operation of a vanadium redox flow battery test facility of industrial size, dubbed IS-VRFB, where such technologies are developed and tested. In early experiments a peak power of 8.9 kW has been achieved with a stack specific power of 77Wkg−1. The maximum tested current density of 635 mA cm−2 has been reached with a cell voltage of 0.5 V, indicating that higher values can be obtained. The test facility is ready to be complemented with advanced diagnostic devices, including multichannel electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for studying aging and discrepancies in the cell behaviors

Switching Time Optimization via Time Optimal Control for Natural Gas Vehicle Refueling

The implementation of Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) refueling system using multipressure storage source requires a suitable controller to be developed. In this thesis, a refueling algorithm using Time Optimal Control (TOC) technique is proposed as a basis for determining the optimal switching time in NGV refueling using the mass and mass flowrate as the state variables, measured using Coriolis flowmeter. In order to implement TOC in actual NGV refueling process, a fully instrumented NGV laboratory test facility was designed and commissioned which includes three main parts: the NGV test rig, the Data Acquisition (DAQ) & Control System using FieldPoint, and the LabVIEW programming model. Performance measurements for experiments conducted at NGV test rig are based on two criteria, i. e., the refueling time and the total mass of natural gas stored. These become the performance measurements used to evaluate the performance of TOC and other NGV controller currently applied in the commercial NGV dispenser i. e., Kraus refueling algorithm. The performance of the refueling algorithms are evaluated based on three experiments: the first experiment is the performance of valves switching and refueling time transitions; the second experiment is the performance of refueling when the storage pressures are set to 3600 psig while the receiver tank is varied from 20 to 2000 psig; and the third experiment is the performance of refueling when the storage pressures are set to different pressures while the receiver tank is maintained at 20 psig. In conclusion, the results from the third experiment verifies the viability of TOC refueling compared to Kraus refueling to be used in NGV refueling using multi-pressure storage source, which average difference for refueling time and total mass loss are 25.33 seconds and 0.95 kg, respectively. By implementing the refueling algorithm in actual NGV refueling stations, it is expected to provide saving in term of the energy consumed by the compressor and contributing to the reduction in the NGV station congestion problem in the country

Design and Fabrication of a Low-Cost Turbine Engine Component Testbed (TECT)

With gas turbine engine testing becoming very expensive because of the increasing complexity involved with the engine, engine subsystems, and test support systems, a low-cost Turbine Engine Component Testbed (TECT) is proposed. This engine build is given the designation J1-H-02. In the present study, a small augmented gas turbine engine (GTE) is constructed. The TECT engine is built with modularity as a key design consideration to allow for flame-tube patterns and augmentor sections to be changed quickly for combustion experiments that have gained impetus due to combustion anomalies/instabilities inherent with future military engine augmentors. This testbed allows for an effective way to test new sensors or analytical techniques before full scale testing by allowing an intermediate Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at low-cost and quick schedule turnaround. The TECT was completed using a minor financial investment when matched to comparable capabilities. A data acquisition and control system was developed and tested that allows for real-time engine feedback and control schemes. The components were analyzed for the proper failure modes and performance was predicted using a combination of hand calculations and engine performance prediction software. The compressor performance was predicted using turbomachinery relationships and geometry, then compared with experimental data. The TECT engine was tested across its intended operational envelope at sea-level static (SLS) conditions, with the baseline performance data documented. The applied data reduction approaches were developed and presented

Optimal air and fuel-path control of a diesel engine

The work reported in this thesis explores innovative control structures and controller design for a heavy duty Caterpillar C6.6 diesel engine. The aim of the work is not only to demonstrate the optimisation of engine performance in terms of fuel consumption, NOx and soot emissions, but also to explore ways to reduce lengthy calibration time and its associated high costs. The test engine is equipped with high pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT). Consequently, there are two principal inputs in the air-path: EGR valve position and VGT vane position. The fuel injection system is common rail, with injectors electrically actuated and includes a multi-pulse injection mode. With two-pulse injection mode, there are as many as five control variables in the fuel-path needing to be adjusted for different engine operating conditions. [Continues.

Enhanced controls for oxy-fuel-fired batch tank during glass working period

One of the most dynamic developments in the glass industry has been the use of oxy-fuel combustion for melting glass. This new technology has not only increased the energy efficiency of the glass industry, but also has reduced its environmental impacts.;A model has been developed to take into account the effect of pulling the glass for nine hours during the working period on the reduced amount of fuel required for the batch tank, as well as the resulting transients.;The two primary goals of this thesis were to develop a transient transfer function for the batch tank and to develop an enhanced controller by the classical approach for the glass working period. Modeling theory was used to develop the transient transfer function for the batch tank. An enhanced controller was designed that incorporates the average rate at which glass is pulled from the batch tank

The Design and Development of Control System for High Vacuum Deoxygenated and Water-Removal Glove Box with Cycling Cleaning and Regeneration

This study proposed a high vacuum deoxygenated and water removal glove box control system. Through parameter setting, the system can automatically perform various glove box cleaning operations and quickly reach the micro-oxygen and micro-water concentration requirements. In addition, two sets of reaction tanks are built in the system, and the hardware pipeline switching design and monitoring software control are used to provide two sets of reaction tanks to execute the cycling cleaning and cycling regeneration operation procedures synchronously, which can effectively solve the problem of interruption of the experimental process, improve the efficiency of its cleaning operations, and greatly reduce the manpower and material costs of the glove box operation. In addition, the system can automatically record the relevant data during various operations for the analysis of glove box monitoring effectiveness