Study of different fuel injection and air management strategies as a tool for emissions control in a compression ignition engine (Diesel engine)

En la actualidad, la industria del transporte es la encargada de satisfacer las necesidades logísticas del mundo. Los combustibles fósiles continúan siendo la principal fuente de energía de esta industria, y el motor Diésel, una de las tecnologías principales en la transformación de la energía química de estos combustibles en energía mecánica a través del proceso de combustión. Asociado a este proceso de transformación de la energía, un conjunto de efectos indeseados como las emisiones contaminantes o los gases de efecto invernadero han hecho movilizar a la comunidad científica. Dicha comunidad, ha realizado importantes esfuerzos en la investigación de soluciones limpias y eficientes que ayuden a minimizar los efectos indeseados del uso del motor Diésel. Sumado a los esfuerzos en la investigación, diferentes organizaciones gubernamentales han generado normativas que regulan estas emisiones contaminantes y la industria del motor ha reaccionado integrando soluciones tecnológicas que han hecho evolucionar la configuración original del motor Diésel. Debido a razones principalmente geopolíticas, el desarrollo económico a nivel mundial no se ha dado de manera homogénea, y en la actualidad, existe una disparidad global en cuanto a las exigencias en normativa de emisiones y la implementación de tecnologías para su control, siendo estas afectadas principalmente por sus costos. Es en este contexto donde se enmarca esta tesis doctoral, cuyo objetivo principal es el estudio de diferentes estrategias de inyección y de renovación de la carga como herramienta de control de emisiones en motores de encendido por compresión, teniendo en cuenta el costo de su integración. Se busca poder definir los límites de estas estrategias de bajo costo, determinando así su potencial real en la futura normativa de los mercados emergentes. Para abordar dicho objetivo, la tesis se ha desarrollado en tres etapas. En la primera, se ha realizado una aproximación teórico-experimental a las estrategias de inyección mediante modelado 3D-CFD y ensayos paramétricos en motor que permiten establecer como los parámetros de inyección responden al objetivo planteado. En la segunda etapa, se han estudiado las estrategias de renovación de la carga. Primero desde el modelado 1D para luego su posterior evaluación mediante su ensayo experimental en motor definiendo de esta manera las ventajas e inconvenientes de cada estrategia. En la tercera y última etapa, se han combinado todas las estrategias previamente estudiadas desde una aproximación experimental. De esta manera se puede alcanzar el objetivo de la tesis doctoral donde se ha comprobado la viabilidad de estas estrategias de bajo costo y se ha determinado su verdadero potencial como herramientas de control de las emisiones contaminantes.En l'actualitat, la indústria del transport és l'encarregada de satisfer les necessitats logístiques del món. Els combustibles fòssils continuen sent la principal font d'energia d'aquesta indústria, i el motor Diésel, una de les tecnologies principals en la transformació de l'energia química d'aquests combustibles en energia mecànica a través del procés de combustió. Associat a aquest procés de transformació de l'energia, un conjunt d'efectes indesitjats com les emissions contaminants o els gasos d'efecte hivernacle han fet mobilitzar a la comunitat científica. Aquesta comunitat, ha realitzat importants esforços en la recerca de solucions netes i eficients que ajuden a minimitzar els efectes indesitjats de l'ús del motor Diésel. Sumat als esforços en la recerca, diferents organitzacions governamentals han generat normatives que regulen aquestes emissions contaminants i la indústria del motor ha reaccionat integrant solucions tecnològiques que han fet evolucionar la configuració original del motor Diésel. A causa de raons principalment geopolítiques, el desenvolupament econòmic a nivell mundial no s'ha donat de manera homogènia, i en l'actualitat, existeix una disparitat global quant a les exigències en normativa d'emissions i la implementació de tecnologies per al seu control, sent aquestes afectades principalment pels seus costos. És en aquest context on s'emmarca aquesta tesi doctoral, que el seu objectiu principal és l'estudi de diferents estratègies d'injecció i de renovació de la càrrega com a eina de control d'emissions en motors d'encès per compressió, tenint en compte el cost de la seua integració. Se cerca poder definir els límits d'aquestes estratègies de baix cost, determinant així el seu potencial real en la futura normativa dels mercats emergents. Per a abordar dita objectiva, la tesi s'ha desenvolupat en tres etapes. En la primera, s'ha realitzat una aproximació teòric-experimental a les estratègies d'injecció mitjançant modelatge 3D-CFD i assajos paramètrics en motor que permeten establir com els paràmetres d'injecció responen a l'objectiu plantejat. En la segona etapa, s'han estudiat les estratègies de renovació de la càrrega. Primer des del modelatge 1D per a després la seua posterior avaluació mitjançant el seu assaig experimental en motor definint d'aquesta manera els avantatges i inconvenients de cada estratègia. En la tercera i última etapa, s'han combinat totes les estratègies prèviament estudiades des d'una aproximació experimental. D'aquesta manera es pot aconseguir l'objectiu de la tesi doctoral on s'ha comprovat la viabilitat d'aquestes estratègies de baix cost i s'ha determinat el seu vertader potencial com a eines de control de les emissions contaminants.Nowadays, the transport industry is responsible for accomplish the world's logistics requirements. Fossil fuels continue to be the main source of energy for this industry, and the Diesel engine, one of the main technologies in the transformation of the chemical energy of these fuels into mechanical energy through combustion. Associated with this process of energy transformation, a set of undesired effects such as pollutant emissions or greenhouse gases have challenged the scientific community that has made significant research efforts aiming clean and efficient solutions. Added to the scientific community efforts, different governmental organizations have created regulations in order to control these pollutant emissions and the engine industry has reacted by integrating technological solutions that have evolved the original configuration of the Diesel engine. Due mainly to geopolitical reasons, economic development worldwide has not occurred in a homogeneous manner, and currently, there is a global disparity regarding the requirements in emission regulations and the implementation of technologies for their control, mainly driven by their costs. It is in this framework where is set this doctoral thesis, with the main objective to study different injection and air management strategies as a tool for emission control in compression ignition engines, taking into account the cost of their integration. The aim is to be able to define the limits of these low-cost strategies, thus determining their real potential in the future regulations of emerging markets. To address this objective, the thesis has been developed in three stages. In the first one, a theoretical-experimental approach to the injection strategies has been carried out using 3D-CFD modeling and parametric engine tests which allow us to establish how the injection parameters help to reach the depicted thesis objective. In the second stage, the air management strategies have been studied. First, from the 1D modeling point of view in order to select the best option for this platform, and later to proceed with the experimental validation of this selection. Through the described approach is possible defining the advantages and disadvantages of each air management strategy. In the third and final stage, all previously studied strategies have been combined from an experimental approach. In this way, the evaluation of these cost-effective strategies has been defined and the fully potential as a tool for emissions control has been determined thus the objective of the doctoral thesis could be achieved.Estepa Ruiz, D. (2018). Study of different fuel injection and air management strategies as a tool for emissions control in a compression ignition engine (Diesel engine) [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/113076TESI

Experimental Study of Two Air Management Strategies for Emissions Control in Heavy Duty Engines at Medium to High Loads

"This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Energy & Fuels, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://pubs.acs.org/page/policy/articlesonrequest/index.html"[EN] Different air management strategies, Miller timing and internal EGR (iEGR), have been studied on internal combustion engines with the objective of decreasing NOx emissions. This paper explores heavy duty diesel engine performance by the application of both strategies separately through two different camshaft configurations, mounted and tested in the same engine. On one side, in the case of Miller timing, the early intake valve closing is explored, and on other side, for iEGR, the study is carried out opening the exhaust valve during the intake process. The engine emission and performance study is achieved through the application of a methodology which begins with the selection of the operating points focusing on medium to high loads. It continues with the exploration of different camshaft profiles by mean of a 1D model. Through the 1D model, two camshaft profiles are selected and tested in the test cell, determining the intake valve closing conditions followed by the identification of the thermodynamic behavior during the compression stroke before the injection. Later on, the combustion and emissions formation analysis is performed to conclude with the fuel consumption study for each implemented strategy taking into consideration the important influence of each camshaft profile in the pumping loop. A short discussion on the transient performance effect of each air management strategy completes the scope of the study.Daniel Estepa is partially supported through contract FPI-S2-2015-1091 of Programa de Apoyo para la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID) of Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Bermúdez, V.; Molina, S.; Novella Rosa, R.; Estepa-Ruiz, D. (2017). Experimental Study of Two Air Management Strategies for Emissions Control in Heavy Duty Engines at Medium to High Loads. Energy & Fuels. 31(9):10011-10022. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b00945S100111002231

Miller cycle for improved efficiency, load range and emissions in a heavy-duty engine running under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion

[EN] The low temperature, premixed combustion strategies are being investigated in the recent years as a mean to break the NOx-soot trade-off appearing during the diffusive conventional diesel combustion. This approach relies on promoting premixed combustion events with shortened duration, which reduces the heat transfer losses, improves the thermal efficiency, and allows a simultaneous reduction of engine-out NOx and soot emissions. However, since the combustion onset only depends on chemical kinetics, most of these strategies cannot be implemented at medium and high loads due to excessive pressure gradients, which lead to unacceptable noise levels and reliability issues. This experimental work investigates the potential of the Miller cycle as a strategy to minimize the aforementioned challenges when operating under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion. Moreover, the coupled effect of the Miller cycle with the fuel reactivity modulation is also explored as a way for improving the combustion control. For this purpose, parametric studies varying the effective compression ratio and gasoline fraction have been done in a single-cylinder heavy-duty engine operating at 14 bar indicated mean effective pressure and 1200 rev/min as a baseline condition. The results show that this strategy allows better control of the in-cylinder thermodynamic conditions, enabling a simultaneous reduction of nitrogen oxides and soot emissions down to the EURO VI limits, while keeping a reduced fuel consumption and suitable in-cylinder maximum pressure gradients.The authors thanks VOLVO Group Trucks Technology for supporting this research. The authors also acknowledge the Spanish economy and competitiveness ministry for partially supporting this research (HiReCo TRA2014-58870-R). Daniel Estepa is partially supported through contract FPI-S2-2015-1091 of Programa de Apoyo para la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID) of Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Molina, S.; García Martínez, A.; Monsalve-Serrano, J.; Estepa-Ruiz, D. (2018). Miller cycle for improved efficiency, load range and emissions in a heavy-duty engine running under reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion. Applied Thermal Engineering. 136:161-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.02.106S16116813

Desarrollo de un sistema de detección de espurios a partir del hardware del anillo de Usenns ®

La detección de cambios en el estado fisológico y psicológico de una persona, provocados por un estímulo concreto, es un campo que está siendo ampliamente explorado en los últimos tiempos, debido a sus posibles aplicaciones en ámbitos como el de la salud o el marketing. Para ello, se necesitan datos que sean recogidos por sensores biométricos, los cuales cada vez están haciéndose más ligeros y precisos. Dos de estos biosensores son los llamados GSR (Galvanic Skin Response), que registra cambios en la conductancia de la piel originados por la activación y desactivación de las glándulas sudoríparas y BVP (Blood Volume Pulse), un detector del ritmo cardíaco mediante luz infrarroja. En este proyecto se utilizarán estos dos sensores, con el objetivo de desarrollar un sistema capaz de detectar anomalias de tipo fisológico y psicológico inducidas en un sujeto. Para ello, se creará una base de datos de estos sujetos formada por medidas normales, donde no se les haya inducido ningún tipo de estrés y, a partir de esa base de datos se creará un clasificador capaz de dictaminar si una nueva muestra es normal o anómala. Se comenzará decidiendo si pueden utilizarse unos sensores desarrollados por BitBrain Technologies implantados en un dispositivo llamado Anillo de Usenns. Para ello serán comparados con una tecnologiaa similar de la marca TMSI, cuyos sensores, de tipo mèdico, son ampliamente utilizados en mediciones de laboratorio con un alto rendimiento en la medición de estas señales biolóogicas. Una vez realizado este paso se readaptarán los sensores elegidos de forma que se ajusten a los requisitos del sistema que se quiere crear, creándose para ello un nuevo hardware y software. Siguiendo un protocolo de toma de datos periódicas se obtendrá una base de datos de varios sujetos, que serán consideradas como medidas normales. Por otro lado, se realizarán a los mismos sujetos pruebas de tipo físico y cognitivo en las que se tomará una medida también, considerada anómala. Una vez recopilados todos los datos, se extraerán varias características de las señales, que serán tratadas de diversas formas para dar lugar a varios posibles clasificadores. Una vez desarrollados los clasificadores, éstos serán comparados y evaluados para determinar cuáles son los más adecuados dependiendo de la aplicación para la que se vayan a utilizar, y se seleccionará al más adecuado para el detector de anomalías fisiológicas y psicológicas que se quiere implementar. También será estudiado el rendimiento del sistema en el caso de no disponer de una base de datos previa del sujeto cuya muestra se quiere clasificar. Para finalizar, serán detallados los resultados y conclusiones extraídos de este trabajo, así como las posibles aplicaciones y mejores futuras

Journey Safety Assessment to Urban Aerial Ropeways Transport Systems Based on Continuous Inspection During Operation

International audienceThis article proposes a continuous inspection method to assess the journey safety applied to aerial cable vehicles of mass transportation—a type of detachable gondola lift in terms of commercial operation in an urban area, specifically referring to the device coupling assembly on the track rope. The inspection method has been developed on the basis of a continual measurement process of the recorded strain conditions on a principal component of the coupling assembly. The selected component is commonly referred to as moving jaw. The proposed inspection procedure is structured based on the following set of consecutive stages: (i) characterization of the load states generated by the commercial operation of the system; (ii) definition of the sections of greater sensitivity to the strains caused by the load states, by means of finite elements; (iii) development of a measurement system; (iv) calibration of the measuring system with controlled tests; and (v) implementation and continuous records data in commercial operation

Targeting and stimulation of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) innate immune system with LPS/dsRNA-loaded nanoliposomes

Herein we report the use of immunostimulant-loaded nanoliposomes (called NLcliposomes) as a strategy to protect fish against bacterial and/or viral infections. This work entailed developing a method for in vivo tracking of the liposomes administered to adult zebrafish that enables evaluation of their in vivo dynamics and characterisation of their tissue distribution. The NLc liposomes, which co-encapsulate poly(I:C) and LPS, accumulate in immune tissues and in immunologically relevant cells such as macrophages, as has been assessed in trout primary cell cultures. They protect zebrafish against otherwise lethal bacterial (Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1) and viral (Spring Viraemia of Carp Virus) infections regardless of whether they are administered by injection or by immersion, as demonstrated in a series of in vivo infection experiments with adult zebrafish. Importantly, protection was not achieved in fish that had been treated with empty liposomes or with a mixture of the free immunostimulants. Our findings indicate that stimulation of the innate immune system with co-encapsulated immunostimulants in nano-liposomes is a promising strategy to simultaneously improve the levels of protection against bacterial and viral infections in fish

Quantum artificial vision for defect detection in manufacturing

In this paper we consider several algorithms for quantum computer vision using Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices, and benchmark them for a real problem against their classical counterparts. Specifically, we consider two approaches: a quantum Support Vector Machine (QSVM) on a universal gate-based quantum computer, and QBoost on a quantum annealer. The quantum vision systems are benchmarked for an unbalanced dataset of images where the aim is to detect defects in manufactured car pieces. We see that the quantum algorithms outperform their classical counterparts in several ways, with QBoost allowing for larger problems to be analyzed with present-day quantum annealers. Data preprocessing, including dimensionality reduction and contrast enhancement, is also discussed, as well as hyperparameter tuning in QBoost. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first implementation of quantum computer vision systems for a problem of industrial relevance in a manufacturing production line.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, 16 tables, revised versio

About Liability and its Relation to the Damages

The concept of civil liabilty from a damage point of view as a source has different legal dimensions. This relationship between civil liability and damage relied upon its elements, the type of obligations generated and how this is characterized. The former takes into account the insights of colombian higher courts, which are prone to determine a linkage between characteristics of the damages and the granting of an indemnity for the prejudices cause

Analytical evaluation of normalization criteria for the diffraction efficiency of blazed gratings on LCoS devices

Through analytical expressions, three experimental-based normalizations are evaluated for the diffraction efficiency of blazed gratings on LCoS devices. We find that non-inclusion of the fill factor, usually the case, leads to wrong conclusions.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain (FIS2017-82919-R (MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE)); Generalitat Valenciana, Spain (IDIFEDER/2021/014, potential FEDER funding); Universidad de Alicante, Spain (UATALENTO18-10)

Traumatic Diaphragmatic Hernia. A Case Report

Diaphragmatic trauma is secondary to penetrating injuries and blunt abdominal and thoracic trauma. Traumatic diaphragmatic hernia is an uncommon entity. Its diagnosis poses a real challenge to internists, surgeons and radiologists since it requires a high level of suspicion and appropriate use of diagnostic imaging. Surgical treatment is always needed. For these reasons, we present the case of a patient operated on due to a stab wound to the chest who was subsequently diagnosed with a traumatic diaphragmatic hernia on the left side of the chest. He underwent surgery again and had a successful postoperative recovery