Engine performance characteristics and evaluation of variation in the length of intake plenum

In the engine with multipoint fuel injection system using electronically controlled fuel injectors has an intake manifold in which only the air flows and, the fuel is injected into the intake valve. Since the intake manifolds transport mainly air, the supercharging effects of the variable length intake plenum will be different from carbureted engine. Engine tests have been carried out with the aim of constituting a base study to design a new variable length intake manifold plenum. The objective in this research is to study the engine performance characteristics and to evaluate the effects of the variation in the length of intake plenum. The engine test bed used for experimental work consists of a control panel, a hydraulic dynamometer and measurement instruments to measure the parameters of engine performance characteristics. The control panel is being used to perform administrative and management operating system. Besides that, the hydraulic dynamometer was used to measure the power of an engine by using a cell filled with liquid to increase its load. Thus, measurement instrument is provided in this test to measure the as brake torque, brake power, thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption. The results showed that the variation in the plenum length causes an improvement on the engine performance characteristics especially on the fuel consumption at high load and low engine speeds which are put forward the system using for urban roads. From this experiment, it will show the behavior of engine performance

Development of Malaysian urban drive cycle using vehicle and engine parameters

Vehicles travelling in actual urban areas are mostly in idle, low or medium speeds, which reflects engine part-load condition. These regularly visited engine conditions, in reality affect the fuel economy during actual driving. Thus, understanding the characteristics of the actual driving conditions will enable many other benefits besides legislation. This paper presents the development of a preliminary Malaysian urban drive cycle with the inclusion of the engine parameters and characteristics, acquired through an actual urban driving on numerous urban roads in Malaysia that represents the actual consumer’s daily driving experience. The actual engine parameters and its characteristics are integrated into the assessment measures in an attempt to formulate representable drive cycle and fuel consumption data. The initial drive cycle is composed of 17 sequences selected from the actual on-the-road conditions to represent the Malaysian urban driving. The average fuel economy of the established Malaysian urban drive cycle was then measured on a test bench using the same engine from the vehicle. The recorded fuel economy with Malaysian urban drive cycle is 8.5% below the actual Malaysian urban driving which is closer estimation to the actual driving compared to the current in-practice NEDC which shows to be 43.1% below the actual Malaysian urban driving. Thus, Malaysian urban drive cycle is better in representing the Malaysian urban driving conditions compared to the NEDC in terms of the average fuel economy measurements

Investigation of Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) Application on a Naturally Aspirated Engine

Increasing oil prices and emission legislation have forced automotive company to investigate new methods and technologies to reduce the harmful effect produced from the motor vehicle, particularly CO2 (Carbon-Dioxide). A lot of studies and researches have been put into in order to achieve a zero emission vehicle with the usage of electricity rather than fossil fuel, but the challenge to cost and environmental effect makes an IC engine is still being the predominant power plant for automobile in this century. One of the popular techniques among engine manufacturers to have a better engine efficiency is cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation is a promising method to reduce the fuel consumption and emission by forced the engine to operate at higher load. However, the higher combustion pressure and extreme temperature at firing cylinders will result in higher NOx composition. This paper will investigate further the engine performance, fuel economy and emission by using one-dimensional (1-D) simulation tool. A standard 1.6 litre naturally aspirated four in-line cylinders, port fuel injection engine is modelled and correlated to the measured test data. The model is then simulated with cylinder deactivation mode by deactivating the intake and exhaust valves at cylinders no 2 and no 3 as well as fuel injection at various engine speeds at part load conditions to show improvements in fuel consumption, CO2  emissions, pumping losses and effects on CO and NOx emission. This correlated model is then used to investigate the application of EGR in order to reduce the emission level. Also, the effects on in-cylinder combustion as well as pumping losses are presented. The study shows that the application of EGR is very significant for engine with CDA mechanism to ensure the overall engine fuel consumption and emissions are reduce simultaneously

Investigation of Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) Application on a Naturally Aspirated Engine

Increasing oil prices and emission legislation have forced automotive company to investigate new methods and technologies to reduce the harmful effect produced from the motor vehicle, particularly CO2 (Carbon-Dioxide). A lot of studies and researches have been put into in order to achieve a zero emission vehicle with the usage of electricity rather than fossil fuel, but the challenge to cost and environmental effect makes an IC engine is still being the predominant power plant for automobile in this century. One of the popular techniques among engine manufacturers to have a better engine efficiency is cylinder deactivation. Cylinder deactivation is a promising method to reduce the fuel consumption and emission by forced the engine to operate at higher load. However, the higher combustion pressure and extreme temperature at firing cylinders will result in higher NOx composition. This paper will investigate further the engine performance, fuel economy and emission by using one-dimensional (1-D) simulation tool. A standard 1.6 litre naturally aspirated four in-line cylinders, port fuel injection engine is modelled and correlated to the measured test data. The model is then simulated with cylinder deactivation mode by deactivating the intake and exhaust valves at cylinders no 2 and no 3 as well as fuel injection at various engine speeds at part load conditions to show improvements in fuel consumption, CO2  emissions, pumping losses and effects on CO and NOx emission. This correlated model is then used to investigate the application of EGR in order to reduce the emission level. Also, the effects on in-cylinder combustion as well as pumping losses are presented. The study shows that the application of EGR is very significant for engine with CDA mechanism to ensure the overall engine fuel consumption and emissions are reduce simultaneously

A document analysis of the visibility of sustainability in TVE teacher education programme: the case of a Malaysian HEI

There has been a global call for institutions of learning to engage in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) by leading world organisations. Although scholars advocate for an interdisciplinary approach to sustainability, the research literature shows that majority of sustainability issues are addressed through fields such as environmental and developmental education. There has also been a call for the integration of Sustainable Development (SD) in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes by various scholars and bodies such as the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The issue, however, is that Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) programmes are not yet embracing this call to integrate ESD into their programmes. Hence, it is imperative to reiterate the intersection between TVE and SD and how the former can contribute significantly to the SD agenda. Therefore, by completing a qualitative documentary analysis of a TVE programme, using a Malaysian Higher Education Institution (HEI) as a case study, this paper discusses the visibility of sustainability in TVE programmes as well as explores the overarching goal of ESD and why it is especially crucial for TVE. Findings reveal that the concept of sustainability is only barely reflected in the TVE teacher training curriculum. Recommendations for practice change and further research are presented and discussed

Simulation of fuel economy for Malaysian urban driving

By understanding the implications of real-world driving conditions, improved fuel economy via a strategy of key technologies can be implemented to assist fuel economy validation during development programs. Vehicles in real-world driving conditions regularly travel at idle, low and medium speeds, particularly for urban driving, and this has a crucial weight in overall vehicle fuel economy, given the residencies at the lower engine speed and load region. This paper presents the validation of the derived engine conditions representing Malaysian actual urban driving in an attempt to formulate representative fuel economy data. The measurements were conducted through on-road urban driving within Kuala Lumpur to establish representative driving conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed conditions was then validated in terms of fuel economy using a simulation. The discrepancy between the fuel economy in the proposed conditions and the real-world measurements has improved, falling to 11.9% compared to 43.1% reported by the NEDC

Vehicle Fuel Economy Improvement through Vehicle Optimization in 1-D Simulation Cycle towards Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV)

The high average of fuel consumption in vehicle for ASEAN countries compared to global average has led to the establishment of Energy Efficient Vehicle (EEV) by National Automotive Policy (NAP) 2014. PROTON Saga 1.3L 4-speed automatic transmission (4AT) with 6.80 L/100km fuel consumption, it is crucial to reduce the fuel consumption in order to fulfil the NAP 14 target which is 6.0 L/100km so that it stays competitive in the market and also to support the ASEAN emission legislation. The objectives of this research are to design and develop a 1-Dimensional 4-AT vehicle model for fuel economy and performance analysis as well as to evaluate and optimize vehicle model to achieve the product target and legislation requirements. The PROTON Saga 1.3L 4-AT vehicle model which is a B-Segment passenger vehicle will be developed using 1-Dimensional simulation software. The correlation between the base vehicle model and actual vehicle model is 0.14% for fuel consumption and 2.22% for 0-100km/h, since the value is less than 4%, the vehicle model can be concluded as valid and authentic. All the data and engine maps used in this research are provided by PROTON Engineering Department to support the accuracy of findings. For each parameter considered in this research, the optimization was performed in simulation where it begins from the current vehicle engine configuration and then applying each parameter at each step until the anticipated configuration of vehicle has achieved. The parameters involved in this research are vehicle weight, aerodynamic, rolling resistance, final gear ratio, and idle speed. Stop start system was used as an advanced alternative way to mitigate the fuel consumption since it is cost consuming. The fuel consumption for an optimized model is 6.01 L/100km with 0.17% difference with the real target which is 6.0 L/100km. The current vehicle model fuel consumption is 6.80 L/100km, thus, it has been successfully reduced to 6.01 L/100km which is equivalent to 11.62% without implementing stop start system and 25.03% with the implementation of stop start system. It seems that the beneficial to examine various possible solution concepts, and to establish understanding on the effectiveness and synergies between powertrain technologies and vehicle design in reducing the overall fuel consumption ad emission

Analysis of Auto Release Seatbelt System for Multipurpose Vehicle

An automatic seat belt release system is provided for installation in conjunction with the vehicle's seat belt system. In the event that the vehicle sustains an impact of sufficient magnitude to necessitate the emergency release of the seat belt system, an electrically operated actuator located near the seat belt is actuated to release the seat belt system after 5 seconds time interval. The aim of this study is to design and develop coding language for Auto Release Seatbelt System. The system for Auto Release Seatbelt is installed inside the passenger cabin and the release mechanism fixed at the seatbelt buckle. The system is tested after the installation on a multipurpose vehicle (MPV). The 12V cigarette lighter socket is used to power the system. A crash collision impact sensor, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a developer board, and a solenoid actuator comprise in the designed emergency release system. The crash collision impact sensor identifies when the vehicle collides, and the gyroscope sensor determines the vehicle's orientation after the impact, if the gyroscope detects no change in orientation, it triggers the development board's preset timer. The solenoid is activated to press the custom release mechanism that will remove the seat belt once the specified time period has passed

Analysis of Air Flow, Air and Fuel Induction for Internal Combustion Engine

In an internal combustion engine, performance, efficiency and emission formation depends on the formation of air-fuel mixture inside the engine cylinder. The fluid flow dynamics plays an important role for air-fuel mixture preparation to obtain the better engine combustion, performance and efficiency. This review article discuss the rotating flow (swirl and tumble) in premixed spark-ignition engine and its effect on turbulence generation and flame propagation. Rotating flow can substantially increase turbulence intensity for the duration of the combustion period. This review paper discusses the in-cylinder swirl and tumble flow that affects air induction during the combustion process in internal combustion engine. Alternatively, this study using computer simulation (Computational Fluid Dynamic, CFD) which offer the opportunity to carry out repetitive parameter studies. An integration-type flowmeter (IFM) also has been used which consists of ultrasonic flowmeter, that integrates the flowrate during the intake process, gives accurate measurements regardless of sampling time and frequency. Research parameter in this study was swirl and tumble that represents the fluid flow behavior occurred inside combustion chamber. Fuel injection and air mass also were the important parameters that have been discussed about in air induction process.  The results obtain from the numerical analysis can be employed to examine the homogeneity of air-fuel mixture structure for better combustion process and engine performance

Investigation The Influences of Electric Motor and Electric Go Kart Performance

This researcher focused at every type of electric motor and every force applied to a go kart. The goal of this research is to choose a prototype of an electric motor drive mechanism and test its performance on an electric go-kart. Furthermore, the purpose of this study is to establish the power requirements of an Electric Go-Kart, as well as its specific motion capabilities and performance specifications factors, in order to access the performance of the Electric Go-Kart motion. The benefit of developed electric go kart is to help decrease the pollution emitted and as a substitute to the typical combustion engine vehicle. However, due to its high congestion and pollution issue, a pollution with free vehicle created. In the first phase of the project, the researcher surveyed information related to the typical of electric motor that use in electric go kart. The second phase of the project is mainly on calculating the forces acted on the Electric Go Kart itself. Three main factor of movement behavior on go kart determined rolling resistance 54.88N, air resistance 28.4N and force gravity going uphill 552.98N. After that, the researcher selects drive system components with required specifications. The Brushless DC Motor was selected with 2000W 48V whose maximum output torque is 27.6Nm. Towards the end phase of the project, the electric go kart prototype was developed with actual size of go kart 1.94m length, 1.4m width and 0.5m height. Electric motor was analyzed on the motor speed, torque and power to make sure that the performance was approximately the set specifications. In conclusion, the project was success and it can produce a good performance at the go kart