Aspects of bovine caesarean section associated with calf mortality, dam survival and subsequent fertility.

Bovine caesarean section is a common surgery performed by cattle practitioners yet evidence for justifying many aspects of the surgical procedure is lacking. Between 2001 and 2007, questionnaires were used to gather information on 103 cases of caesarean section performed in one, predominantly dairy, veterinary practice. The results showed that the 14-day cow survival rate was 80.6%, and of those surviving beyond this period, 55.4% carried another calf to term, 27.7% were culled due to infertility and 16.9% were culled due to other reasons. Variables associated with reduced 14-day dam mortality included exteriorising the uterus during surgery (odds ratio [OR] 0.018, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.0019-0.17, P<0.001), dystocia where fetomaternal disproportion was present (OR 0.090, 95% CI 0.097-0.83, P=0.033), a female calf (OR 0.036, 95% CI 0.0019-0.69, P=0.027), no retained fetal membranes at the first post-operative revisit (OR 0.095, 95% CI 0.013-0.69, P=0.020) and removing abdominal blood clots during surgery (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.011-0.93, P=0.043). Using a Utrecht suture pattern on the uterus was associated with reduced culling due to infertility (OR 0.12, 95% CI 0.020-0.67, P=0.016). Incision infection was noted in 25.9% of cases where incision status was recorded but this was not associated with the type of local anaesthesia used. Overall calf survival up to the first post-operative visit (24-48 h) was 59.4%, and was associated with shorter duration of surgery, and dystocia due to fetomaternal disproportion. These results offer some evidence-based guidelines to optimise outcomes for this common surgery performed under field conditions

Design of Variable Geometry Waste Heat Recovery Turbine for High Efficiency Internal Combustion Engine

This study was carried out for a 1.25L Zetec-SE DOHC engine model but its application is generic to gasoline engine (light-duty engine) applications. An ORC model with a radial turbine sub-model is implemented in a light-duty gasoline I.C engine model, to evaluate the impact of the ORC with VGT on the engine fuel consumption, net power output and finally the ORC system efficiency as compared to ORC with FGT. The results showed that VGT can improve ORC system efficiency and net power output by an unweighted point of 5.6% and 3.07kW respectively at partial to high load conditions while benefits are even higher at the lower loads therefore making it an attractive technology given its ability to recover low-grade heat and the possibility to be implemented in decentralized lower-capacity power plant

Radial turbine expander design for organic rankine cycle, waste heat recovery in high efficiency, off-highway vehicles

Although state-of-the-art, heavy duty diesel engines of today can reach peak thermal efficiencies of approximately 45%, still most of the fuel energy is transformed into wasted heat in the internal combustion process. Recovering this wasted energy could increase the overall thermal efficiency of the engine as well as reduce the exhaust gas emissions. Compared to other Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) technologies, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems are regarded favourably due to their relative simplicity and small back pressure impact on engine performance and fuel consumption. The key elements affecting the efficiency of the ORC system are the type of working fluid selected and the design of the expander. In this simulation study, a zero-dimensional, design code has been developed to explore the impact of two, common, refrigerant working fluids on the design of a radial turbine expander. In addition, an off-design turbine analysis has been applied in order to evaluate the performance of the expander in the ORC cycle at various engine operating points. Moreover, the evaluation of ORC-diesel engine on improving fuel consumption, brake power, brake torque and exhaust gas emissions is investigated. Compared to a conventional diesel powertrain system, WHR showed an up to 5.7 % increase in brake torque and brake power and a 5.4% reduction in the brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc). The results also showed that the working fluid selection and the expander speed are critical parameters on the performance of the proposed hybrid powertrain configuration

Study on pollutants formation under knocking combustion conditions using an optical single cylinder SI research engine

The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the pollutants formation and cyclic emission variability under knocking combustion conditions. A great number of studies extensively describe the phenomenon of knock and its combustion characteristics as well as the effect of knock on engine performance; however the impact of knocking combustion on pollutants formation and how it affects cyclic emission variability has not been previously explored. In this study, an optical single cylinder SI research engine and fast response analyzers were employed to experimentally correlate knocking combustion characteristics with cyclic resolved emissions from cycle to cycle. High-speed natural light photography imaging and simultaneous in-cylinder pressure measurements were obtained from the optical research engine to interpret emissions formation under knocking combustion. The test protocol included the investigation of the effect of various engine parameters such as ignition timing and mixture air/fuel ratio on knocking combustion and pollutant formation. Results showed that at stoichiometric conditions by advancing spark timing from MBT to knock intensity equal to 6 bar, instantaneous NO and HC emissions are increased by up to 60% compared to the MBT operating conditions. A further increase of knock intensity at the limits of pre-ignition region was found to significantly drop NO emissions. Conversely, it was found that when knocking combustion occurs at lean conditions, NO emissions are enhanced as knock intensity is increased

Radial Expander Design for an Engine Organic Rankine Cycle Waste Heat Recovery System

© 2017 The Author(s). It is commonly accepted that waste heat recovery technologies are significant contenders in future powertrain thermal management to further minimize fuel consumption and CO 2 emissions. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems are currently regarded as amongst the most potent candidates in recovering engine exhaust energy and converting it to electrical power. Crucial areas for the maximization of the efficiency of the ORC system are the appropriate selection of working fluid and the optimization of the expander design. In this study, a novel design methodology of a radial turbine expander for a heavy duty engine ORC waste heat recovery system is presented. The preliminary design of the radial turbine expander includes the development and utilization of an in-house 0/1D code that can be coupled with various organic fluids properties for the calculation of the basic expander geometry. The initial mean-line model for a 200kW-class Diesel engine application investigated produced a solution for a 20kW turbine with 73% isentropic efficiency. The preliminarily optimized expander geometry was used as an input in a detailed CFD code to further optimize rotor geometry. The rotor geometric optimization showed that by increasing exit tip radius by 10% and adopting a 54°back-swept blade design, the maximum isentropic efficiency achieved can exceed 83%

Experimental Study of a Small Scale Organic Rankine Cycle Waste Heat Recovery System for a Heavy Duty Diesel Engine with Focus on the Radial Inflow Turbine Expander Performance

© 2018 The Authors. The purpose of this work is to experimentally evaluate the effect on fuel efficiency of a small scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as a waste heat recovery system (WHRS) in a heavy duty diesel engine that operates at steady state conditions. The WHRS consists of two operating loops, namely a thermal oil loop that extracts heat from the engine exhaust gases, and the working fluid loop which is the ORC system. The expansion machine of the ORC system is a radial inflow turbine with a novel back-swept blading that was designed from scratch and manufactured specifically for this WHR application. The engine test conditions include a partial engine load and speed operating point where various operating conditions of the ORC unit were tested and the maximum thermal efficiency of the ORC was defined close to 4.3%. Simultaneously, the maximum generated power was 6.3 kW at 20,000 rpm and pressure ratio of 5.9. The isentropic efficiency reached its peak of 35.2% at 20,000 rpm and 27% at 15,000 rpm. The experimental results were compared with the CFD results using the same off-design conditions, and the results were in good agreement with a maximum deviation of 1.15% in the total efficiency. Last but not least, the engine-WHRS energy balance is also discussed and presented.Innovate UK project (ref. TS/M012220/1)

Electric Boosting and Energy Recovery Systems for Engine Downsizing

Due to the increasing demand for better fuel economy and increasingly stringent emissions regulations, engine manufacturers have paid attention towards engine downsizing as the most suitable technology to meet these requirements. This study sheds light on the technology currently available or under development that enables engine downsizing in passenger cars. Pros and cons, and any recently published literature of these systems, will be considered. The study clearly shows that no certain boosting method is superior. Selection of the best boosting method depends largely on the application and complexity of the system

A Comparative Study of the Effect of Turbocompounding and ORC Waste Heat Recovery Systems on the Performance of a Turbocharged Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine

In this study the influence of utilization of two Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) strategies, namely organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and turbocompounding, have been investigated based on the performance of a heavy-duty diesel engine using 1-D simulation engine code (GT-Power) in terms of Brake Specific Fuel Consumptions (BSFC) at various engine speeds and Brake Mean Effective Pressures (BMEP). The model of a 6-cylinder turbocharged engine (Holset HDX55V) was calibrated using an experimental BSFC map to predict engine exhaust thermodynamic conditions such as exhaust mass flow rate and exhaust temperature under various operating conditions. These engine exhaust conditions were then utilized to feed the inlet conditions for both the ORC and turbocompounding models, evaluating the available exhaust energy to be recovered by each technology. Firstly the ORC system model was simulated to obtain the power that can be generated from the system. Having this additional power converted to useful work, the BSFC was observed to reduce around 2–5% depending upon engine’s speed and BMEP. The initial model of the engine was then modified by considering a second turbine representing turbocompounding heat recovery system. The BSFC was increased due to the back-pressure from the second turbine, but the energy generated from the turbine was sufficient to reduce the BSFC further. However, by application of turbocompounding no improvement in BSFC was achieved at low engine’s speeds. It is concluded that ORC heat recovery system produces a satisfactory results at low engine speeds with both low and high loads whereas at medium and high engine speeds turbocompounding heat recovery system causes higher BSFC reduction

Dynamic modeling and optimization of an ORC unit equipped with plate heat exchangers and turbomachines

Nowadays environmental concerns call for a transition towards an economy based on fossil fuels to a low carbon one. In order to achieve this goal, efficiency optimization of existing energy systems through waste heat to power conversion units based on bottoming Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) is one of the actions that appears to be suitable and effective both from cost and environmental perspectives. Indeed, these units are able to increase the overall efficiency of production processes, existing facilities and renewable power plants with a limited payback time. However, despite the increasing number of ORC installations at megawatt scale, the waste heat rejected by industrial processes has rather a widespread nature. Hence, ORC units with a power output in the range of kilowatts should be developed to address this opportunity for heat recovery and for business. In the current research activity, a dynamic model of an ORC system was developed in a commercial 1D Computer Aided Engineering software platform. Sub-models of the two plate heat exchangers and of the multi-stage centrifugal pump were developed and calibrated using performance data of industrial components at design and off-design conditions. On the other hand, the R245fa radial turbine design was accomplished using a design procedure that provided geometrical and performance data for the mapping of the device by means of a 1D tool. A steady-state off-design analysis at different operating conditions at the evaporator was further carried out optimizing pump and turbine speeds to maximize the net power output. Furthermore, the thermal inertial effects at the evaporator were assessed with reference to a sample heat load profile of the water hot source and at different time scales.The authors would like to acknowledge funding from Research Council UK (RCUK), Grant No. EP/K011820/1

CFD Modelling of a Twin Screw Expander Using a Single Domain Rotor Grid

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is widely recognized as a viable technology to convert low temperature heat into electricity. Compared to other emerging technologies, ORC systems have a number of advantages such as low maintenance, favourable operating pressures and autonomous operation. Among the ORC components, selection of the appropriate expander and working fluid affects the overall cycle’s efficiency, size and cost. Expanders are classified into dynamic and positive displacement machines. Twin screw expanders belong to the latter group and compared to other expanders have the advantage of high isentropic efficiency (up to 70%), high pressure ratios (typically 2-10), simple structure, potential operation at relatively high rotational speeds and high power outputs as well as capability to handle multiphase fluids. Despite the large number of publications on twin screw expanders, the experimental data are not readily available in open literature. Additionally, effects of oil and other liquids in multiphase screw machines are not fully understood. Therefore, better understanding of the distribution of vapour, liquid as well as oil in multiphase expanders and their influence on leakage flows will lead to better designs and improvements in both efficiency and reliability of such machines. Previous publications from the authors of this demonstrated that deforming numerical meshes generated by in-house grid generator for screw machines SCORG when used with commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solver can provide very good results in simulation of single and multiphase screw expanders. It was however noticed that sliding interfaces in most of commercial CFD codes introduce numerical errors which lead to inaccuracy in representing flows locally and affect accuracy of leakage flow calculation. In this work, an analysis of the performance prediction of a twin screw air expander with the novel single domain mesh for both rotors generated in SCORG is compared with the results obtained with the mesh consisting of two domains and measured results obtained on the test rig. Furthermore the performance of the same expander with oil injections is obtained using Euler-Euler multiphase model. The single domain numerical mesh for the screw expander rotors is obtained from SCORG. Stationary grids of the ports are generated using ANSYS commercial grid generator. The performance calculations are performed in ANSYS CFX® solver. The working fluid selected in this study is air. Two cases are explored, firstly the performance of an oil free twin screw expander and then the same methodology is applied for the prediction of the performance of an oil injected expander. The results showed significant improvement in performance prediction of the single phase air screw expander with the single domain numerical mesh especially in representing interlobe leakage flows. The non-homogeneous Euler-Euler multiphase model was used to evaluate effects of oil injection on flow and power. However, more importantly, the distribution of oil in such an expander was visualised. Following this work the future work is dedicated to evaluation of ORC expander with real fluid properties and oil injection