Research activities arising from the University of Kent

In this paper I describe research activities in the field of optical fiber sensing undertaken by me after leaving the Applied Optics Group at the University of Kent. The main topics covered are long period gratings, neural network based signal processing, plasmonic sensors, and polymer fiber gratings. I also give a summary of my two periods of research at the University of Kent, covering 1985–1988 and 1991–2001

Energy scavenging in a vehicle's exhaust system

Present- day development of power transmission systems, especially the ones based on combustion engines, is trying to cope with the issue of improving the energy efficiency of energy processing systems. One of the directions is to use the techniques of thermal energy recovery from an engine's exhaust system. Vast part of the energy produced while burning the air- fuel mixture is lost in the cooling and exhaust systems. Research in this area was conducted by numerous teams, both abroad and in Poland, while focusing on use of Peltirea cells. The results of their research demonstrated small efficiency of these cells. In this paper, the authors have focused on modifications of the exhaust system in order to improve heat exchange between the exhaust system's elements and TEG. The research was conducted while using the ECOTEC 1.8 litre engine from Opel, the X18XE model. The engine was installed in a testbed, in the mechatronic lab at the Faculty of Automotive and Construction Machinery Engineering (SIMR) of Warsaw University of Technology. Spartan HE923 radiators were installed on the cold end of the module. The paper presents the results of the research related to interworking of TEG's with the exhaust system's heat-generating elements of various shapes. The paper reviews the energy efficiency of TEG depending on diverse parameters of gas flow. A parallel system has been assumed (controlled stream and pressure of the flowing exhaust gases without any interference as regards the speed of the of combustion engine). The factor-related experiment accounts for the influence that the pressure and temperature difference, depending on the volume and discharge of exhaust fumes, have on the efficiency of TEG for the same temperature. The results of the experiment are presented in the last section of the article

Wykorzystanie metod pozyskania informacji zawartych w elektronicznych podzespołach pojazdów do poprawy parametrów pracy silnika dwupaliwowego

This article presents methods of acquisition of information from vehicle electronic components, with the purpose of its use to control the additional devices. These additional devices can comprise an LPG fitting, which was installed on a tested vehicle. Also, the way of modifying the contents of the engine control unit has been shown in order to examine the influence of the serial settings of the injection timing. Information that can be obtained from the CAN (Controller Area Network) allow for the lack of interference with the original manufacturer wiring, not disturbing the analogue signals at the same time. Modification of controller memory contents enables the improvement of performance parameters, especially in the case of the compression-ignition engine being fuelled with the addition of LPG. In the Summary section, the dynamometer test results of the modified vehicle have been presented. The tests were conducted for different control parameters during powering with Diesel fuel exclusively, as well as with the addition of LPG.W artykule przedstawiono metody pozyskiwania informacji z elektronicznych podzespołów pojazdów w celu wykorzystania ich do sterowania dodatkowymi urządzeniami. Tymi dodatkowymi urządzeniami może być instalacja LPG, która została zainstalowana w badanym pojeździe. Przedstawiono również sposób modyfikacji zawartości jednostki sterującej silnika w celu zbadania wpływu seryjnych nastaw kąta wyprzedzenia wtrysku. Informacje, które można pozyskać z sieci CAN pozwalają na brak ingerencji w fabryczną instalację elektryczną, nie zakłócając tym samym sygnałów analogowych. Modyfikacja zawartości pamięci sterownika pozwala na poprawę parametrów użytkowych, zwłaszcza w przypadku zasilania silnika o zapłonie samoczynnym dodatkiem LPG. W podsumowaniu zaprezentowano wyniki badań hamownianych modyfikowanego pojazdu. Badania przeprowadzono dla różnych parametrów sterowania podczas zasilania wyłącznie olejem napędowym jak również z dodatkiem LPG

Zastosowanie modelowania komputerowego do planowania zabiegów chirurgii szczękowej

The article describes application of reverse engineering techniques for modeling the appearance and the planning of correction of mandibular prognathism and FEM numerical analysis process components designed to perform anastomoses condylar fracture.W artykule przedstawiono zastosowanie technik inżynierii odwrotnej dla modelowania wyglądu i planowania zabiegu korekcji progenii. Przeprowadzono proces analizy numerycznej MES elementów przeznaczonych do wykonania zespoleń wyrostka kłykciowego