Strategic Research Partnership on Automotive Powertrain & Fuels in Universiti Malaysia Pahang, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka & Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia

Malaysia has been known as one of the competitive automotive manufacturers and consumers in the ASEAN region. This is as a result of the government initiative of promoting the automotive industry as one of the key industries in Malaysia. However, depleting fuel sources, unstable oil price (Yr 2008, USD50/barrel – Yr 2011, USD100/barrel) and the increasing climate problems have prompt major research and development works on optimum automotive powertrain technologies with reduced emissions. Among the universities in the Malaysia Technical University Network (MTUN), three universities - Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP), Universiti Teknikal Malaysia (UTeM) & Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) - have take up the challenge in championing R & D works in producing efficient powertrain and emissions control systems. In this paper, existing research efforts and a proposed strategic partnership are outlined. This initiative will focus on strengthening the research and consultancy capabilities that include utilization of research facilities and expertise among the universities. It is also expected that the outcomes from the partnership will foster better engagement between automotive related industries and universities, at the same time resolving the related R & D issues

Kajian motivasi ekstrinsik di antara Pelajar Lepasan Sijil dan Diploma Politeknik Jabatan Kejuruteraan Awam KUiTTHO

Kajian ini dijalankan untuk menyelidiki pengaruh dorongan keluarga, cara pengajaran pensyarah, pengaruh rakan sebaya dan kemudahan infrastruktur terhadap motivasi ekstrinsik bagi pelajar tahun tiga dan tahun empat lepasan sijil dan diploma politeknik Jabatan Kejuruteraan Awain Kolej Universiti Teknologi Tun Hussein Onn. Sampel kajian ini beijumlah 87 orang bagi pelajar lepasan sijil politeknik dan 38 orang bagi lepasan diploma politeknik. Data kajian telah diperolehi melalui borang soal selidik dan telah dianalisis menggunakan perisian SPSS (Statical Package For Sciences). Hasil kajian telah dipersembahkan dalam bentuk jadual dan histohgrapi. Analisis kajian mendapati bahawa kedua-dua kumpulan setuju bahawa faktor-faktor di atas memberi kesan kepada motivasi ekstrinsik mereka. Dengan kata lain faktpr-faktor tersebut penting dalam membentuk pelajar mencapai kecemerlangan akademik

Optimized scheduling for an airconditioning system based on indoor thermal comfort using the multiobjective improved global particle swarm optimization

In energy management system (EMS), the scheduling of air-conditioning (AC) system has been shown to reduce considerable amount of its power consumption with relatively low implementation cost. However, most scheduling methods lack a systematic approach to ensuring optimal power consumption reduction and comfort experienced by occupants. The main contribution of this paper is a new optimized AC scheduling approach that focuses on indoor thermal comfort using a new multi-objective optimization algorithm, called the improved global particle swarm optimization (IGPSO), which able to find better optimal solutions faster than its original version, the global particle swarm optimization (GPSO) algorithm. IGPSO is used to model the building characteristics and to find optimum indoor temperature values for the room/building. The proposed technique is based on predicted mean vote (PMV) comfort index that is able to reduce AC power consumption while maintaining indoor comfort throughout its operation. The schedule is set in advance by making use of weather forecast and the estimation of building characteristic parameters. This technique can be implemented on existing buildings with existing HVAC systems with minimal modifications to the HVAC infrastructure. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to provide good PMV while consuming less power compared to the commonly used extended pre-cooling technique

Kepentingan mata pelajaran kokurikulum di kalangan pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi: tinjauan ke atas pelajar tahun akhir Ijazah Sarjana Muda Kejuruteraan Elektrik di KUITTHO

Kajian ini dilakukan adalah untuk mengetahui kepentingan mata pelajaran kokurikulum kepada pelajar-pelajar di institusi pengajian tinggi. Di dalam kajian ini borang soal selidik telah digunakan bagi mendapatkan maklumat yang diperlukan Seramai 80 orang responden daripada pelajar tahun akhir ijazah saijana muda kejuruteraan elektrik KUiTTHO telah dipilih bagi menjalankan kajian ini. Analisis data telah dibuat dengan menggunakan kaedah Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) bagi mendapatkan nilai peratusan dan min. Hasil kajian telah menunjukkan 33.8% daripada responden melibatkan diri di dalam aktiviti kokurikulum adalah sebagai memenuhi syarat wajib yang telah ditetapkan oleh pihak KUiTTHO. Hasil kajian juga menunjukkan 71.3% daripada responden lebih tertarik kepada kegiatan kokurikulum berbentuk sukan dan rekreasi. Hasil kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa kebanyakan daripada responden mempunyai pandangan yang positif terhadap kepentingan melibatkan diri di dalam kegiatan kokurikulum. Namun begitu, diharapkan agar cadangan yang dikemukakan akan dapat meningkatkan lagi kesedaran di kalangan pelajar-pelajar IPT terhadap kepentingan melibatkan diri di dalam kegiatan kokurikulu

Automotive real-time data acquisition using Wi-Fi connected embedded system

The advancement in embedded systems, which includes the mass deployment of internet-connected electronics, allows the concept of Internet of Things (IoT), to become a reality. This paper discusses one example of how an internet-connected embedded system is utilized in an automotive system. An Electronic Control Unit (ECU), which functions as a control unit in a fuel injection system, are equipped with Wi-Fi capability and installed on 110cc motorcycle. The ECU is connected to multiple sensors that is used by the ECU as part of control system, as well as giving raw data in real time to the server by using Wi-Fi as the communication medium. The server will accumulate data transmitted from ECU by using MQTT protocol, chosen due to its minimal data profile. The data can be visualized through web portal, or opened by any other web-enabled devices. The data collected may also be used later for any other purposes, such as On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) system, etc

Development of an experimental test bench for an electronically control fuel injection system

Electronic fuel injection (EFI) system is a fuel delivery system that is controlled electronically with an electronic control unit (ECU) used in most modern vehicle’s engine. As the fuel injection runs on a vehicle engine, it is difficult to observe the overall behavior of the fuel injection system. A test bench for a 4-cylinder engine is generally developed to run the ECU without the real engine. The development of the test bench described in this paper includes the fabrication of the mechanical model of the test bench, the use of a signal generator for the input signals representing the various signals of an engine and the development of a computer control algorithm for the four-cylinder engine to provide optimum power and fuel efficiency for the engine. The input signal generation of the crankshaft signal and throttle position signal that are similar to the real signal provided by an engine is also discussed. The development of a cost-effective ECU that calculates the suitable amount of fuel to be delivered at correct timings and sequence is also explained. The important part of this paper is the control of the amount of time needed for the injectors to remain open to give the accurate amount fuel injected as well as to control the injection timing of a 4-cylinder engine sequence. The test bench can also be used for several experiments that require the measurement of fuel injected such as fuel injector performance test

Modeling and control of an engine fuel injection system

Control of automotive exhaust emission has become an important research area to meet the more stringent automotive emission regulations. Beside the modification on internal combustion engine, control engineering is seen as another approach to improve and meet these requirements. This paper focuses on the design and development of a control system to reduce the harmful waste of automotive exhaust emission. The control system aims to regulate the amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber such that the air to fuel ratio (AFR) is maintained within the allowable range. The control process in this paper is demonstrated based on an analytical engine model that clearly describes engine’s air and fuel dynamic with no loss of engine system performance. Since the dynamics of the internal combustion engine and fuel injection systems are highly nonlinear, a linear model is obtained in this paper, based on a system identification approach to allow methodical application of linear control theories. The linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control strategy is employed in this paper. The LQG controller, designed based on the linear model of the engine system, results in good controlled output response and provides better controlled output response by reducing the transient effect occurred in LQG controller design

Electronic control unit design for a retrofit fuel injection system of a 4-stroke 1-cylinder small engine

Most motorcycles in developing countries use carburetor systems as the fuel delivery method especially for models with the cubic capacity of less than 125cc. However, small gasoline fuelled engines operating using carburetor system suffer from low operating efficiency, waste of fuel and produce higher level of hazardous emissions to the environment. In this study, an electronic control unit (ECU) is designed and simulated for a retrofit fuel injection (FIS) system. The ECU is targeted to have a simple design, reliable and offers all of the necessary functions of the modern ECU. The simulation results shows that the designed ECU can determine the injection period as close to the proposed value and can drive the injector efficiently based on the generated PWM pulse

Performance and emission characteristics of direct injection C.I engine retrofitted with mono-CNG system

Diesel engines are widely used in logistics and haulage as vehicular prime movers. In the mechanized and fast-moving forward world of today, the consumption of petroleum products has become an important yardstick of a country's prosperity. This ever-increasing consumption has led the world to face the twin challenge of energy shortage and environmental deterioration. Natural gas has been one of the highly considered alternative fuels for both spark ignition (S.1) and compressed ignition (C.I.) engines. The advantages and benefits of CNG have made it the preferred choice as alternative fuel in the transportation sector. This present study focused on the effects of retrofitted direct injection C.I. engine with mono-CNG system to its performance and exhaust emissions. The engine speed was varied from 850 rpm to 2500 rpm, with load test conditions of ONm, 27.12Nm and 53.23Nm, using an engine dynamometer. Results indicated that CNG has the potential to provide better fuel consumption compared to diesel fuel. Meanwhile, the characteristics of exhaust gas emissions such as smoke opacity and C02 gave promising results compared to CO, HC and NOX, for diesel combustion

Gas Chromatography Analysis of a C1-C5 Hydrocarbon Column

Gas chromatography (GC) equipment classified chemical elements in a sample through a separation method based on the relative molecular mass. This paper describes the replacement of a capillary C5 and above Hydrocarbon Column of a Perkin Elmer Clarus 500 GC with a capillary C1-C5 hydrocarbon column from a different manufacturer. The use of appropriate carrier gas and a new standard procedure for C1-C5 hydrocarbons column, which produce the fastest appearance, largest and most stable detector signal area’s patterns microVolt-seconds as qualitative and quantitative results were analysed. Several injector temperatures, sample split ratios, carrier gas flow rates and detector temperature were experimented. The effectiveness of nitrogen, helium and hydrogen as carrier gas were observed. The outcome showed that the combination of different column and GC equipment manufacturer works properly without any error. From the qualitative analysis of element configuration, the optimum setting found are; 250°C injector temperature, 1:15 split ratio, 2.5 ml / min flow rate and 275 ° C detector temperature. Hydrogen gas was found to be the best carrier for natural gas samples containing compounds that allot over a wide temperature range. In addition, a quantitative reference standard, detector signal area microVolt-seconds against concentration of Methane gas was prepared to be used as a benchmark for C1-C5 hydrocarbon conversion reaction analysis