In-cylinder fuel and lubricant effects on gasoline engine friction

The purpose of the research reported in this thesis was to investigate the viability and quantify the potential gains of improving fuel economy of the gasoline engine through strategic application of additives. An increased awareness of the link between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming means that there is a desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. There is therefore a growing emphasis on improving the fuel economy performance of vehicles. The addition of friction modifier additives to the fuel is one way to achieve this. Using bespoke in-cylinder sampling techniques, an understanding of the operation of the piston assembly, a system responsible for much of the power loss in the internal combustion engine, is developed. Validation is given to the hypothesis that fuel economy gains can be achieved through the application of friction modifier administered to the engine via the gasoline. Results show gasoline administered friction modifier additive can accumulate in the piston assembly lubricant at levels 77 times greater than the initial fuel treatment level. The performance of a large number of friction modifier additives were uniquely screened in a novel bench-top test which simulated the arduous in-cylinder conditions found in a firing gasoline engine. The test generated vast amounts of information which led to high performance formulations capable of reducing the friction coefficient in both the boundary and mixed lubrication regimes by around 50% when compared with the result for the base oil alone. Surface analysis techniques were also employed 0!l engineering surfaces coated with friction modifier additives and add to the knowledge of their mechanism of action. Finally a series of engine tests were conducted which prove the effectiveness of friction modifier administered to the engine via the gasoline. A fuel economy improvement of approximately 2% was seen where friction modifier gasoline was employed. Application of successful technology such as this is shown to correspond to the projected saving of around 502 million litres of gasoline and 388,000 tonnes of carbon (C02) per year in the UK alone

Automated construction of evolutionary algorithm operators for the bi-objective water distribution network design problem using a genetic programming based hyper-heuristic approach

The water distribution network (WDN) design problem is primarily concerned with finding the optimal pipe sizes that provide the best service for minimal cost; a problem of continuing importance both in the UK and internationally. Consequently, many methods for solving this problem have been proposed in the literature, often using tailored, hand-crafted approaches to more effectively optimise this difficult problem. In this paper we investigate a novel hyper-heuristic approach that uses genetic programming (GP) to evolve mutation operators for evolutionary algorithms (EAs) which are specialised for a bi-objective formulation of the WDN design problem (minimising WDN cost and head deficit). Once generated, the evolved operators can then be used ad infinitum in any EA on any WDN to improve performance. A novel multi-objective method is demonstrated that evolves a set of mutation operators for one training WDN. The best operators are evaluated in detail by applying them to three test networks of varying complexity. An experiment is conducted in which 83 operators are evolved. The best 10 are examined in detail. One operator, GP1, is shown to be especially effective and incorporates interesting domain-specific learning (pipe smoothing) while GP5 demonstrates the ability of the method to find known, well-used operators like a Gaussian. © IWA Publishing 2014J.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Mouchel Ltd

Development of Integrated Project Tracks for a College-Wide Multidisciplinary Engineering Design Program at RIT

Since 2002, the Kate Gleason College of Engineering (KGCOE) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has seen its Multidisciplinary Senior Design (MSD) program grow from a small pilot project into a college-wide initiative involving four departments and almost 400 students annually. While subtle adjustments have been made each year, a major redesign effort was undertaken prior to the 2006 academic year to improve program alignment with departmental objectives, to improve delivery efficiency and effectiveness, and to improve student and faculty satisfaction. Coordination of related projects and sharing of information between approximately 60 design teams in a given year, and preserving continuity of information from one year to the next has proven to be a challenging hurdle. This paper addresses the project definition process, which was overhauled to focus on the definition of related projects within a set of disciplinary “tracks,” consistent with academic programs and faculty interests. Emphasis was placed on the development of reusable and scalable platforms to lay the foundation for future project extensions, and to encourage cross-project and cross-department collaboration. The process by which project tracks, project families and individual projects were identified, screened, modified and ultimately selected will be discussed. The integral relationship between the Design Project Management course, which trains the future project managers and technical leaders of the multidisciplinary project teams, and the project definition process will be illustrated. The development of the Aerospace Systems and Technology Track, with particular emphasis on the Microsystems Engineering (KGCOE) and Technology for the Future Exploration of Outer Space Regions (METEOR) family of projects will be used as a case example to illustrate the process

54 Paediatric traumatic cardiac arrest in England and Wales a 10 year epidemiological study

© 2017, Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions. INTRODUCTION: Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) has traditionally been described as futile, with poor outcomes. Reported survival rates vary widely, with higher rates observed from mechanisms leading to a respiratory cause of traumatic cardiac arrest (e.g., drowning and hanging). Currently there is little evidence regarding outcomes following TCA in children. The primary aim of our study was to describe 30 day survival following TCA. Secondary aims were to provide an analysis of injury patterns (severe haemorrhage or traumatic brain injury), describe the functional outcome at discharge and to report the association between survival and interventions performed.METHODS: Using the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database, we conducted a population-based analysis of all paediatric