Automotive Experiences

Fueling the Future: The Case for Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles in Sustainable Transportation

Indra Chandra Setiawan, Muji Setiyo — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:02:47 +0000

In the global pursuit of transportation decarbonization, this essay asserts that heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology represents a more compelling path forward than light-duty FCEVs. The inherent advantages of fuel cells, such as extended range, rapid refueling, and sustained performance, make them well-suited for demanding applications like trucking and public transit. Heavy-duty FCEVs offer significant potential for emissions reduction, integration with existing infrastructure, and economies of scale through commercial fleet adoption. While the upfront investment is substantial, the essay examines how operational benefits can gradually offset costs, emphasizing the importance of heavy-duty FCEVs in sustainable transportation solutions.

Experimental Investigation for Enhancement of Heat Transfer Coefficient in Car Radiator by Using Multiwall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) Nanofluid

M. Peeraiah, K. Nagamalleswara Rao, B. Balakrishna — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 14:43:13 +0000

Improving heat transfer coefficient is a significant subject of study in many engineering domains. The use of nanofluids in car radiators might boost the heat transfer coefficient. The current study investigates a car's radiator's heat transfer coefficient and thermal conductivity. The heat transmission parameters of a car radiator were analyzed for coolant mass flow rates ranging from 600 to 1200 liters/hour and nanofluid concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 0.8% by volume. The primary coolant was prepared by combining water and ethylene glycol in a 60:40% combination with multi-walled carbon nanotube nanoparticles. The coolant's input temperatures were varied between 30 °C and 80 °C by impinging an air jet into the car radiator through a hallow cone nozzle plate with and without spacing. The result demonstrates that the volume flow rate of coolant on the tube side increases considerably as the heat transfer coefficient increases. At a nanoparticle concentration of 0.8 vol. %, the nanofluid's total heat transfer coefficient is enhanced by 12% compared with the base fluid. The heat transfer coefficient is improved by 42.6% for 0.8% volume of MWNCT nanofluid without spacing of the hallow cone nozzle plate and by 51.9% with spacing of the hallow cone nozzle plate.

Study on Solar Powered Electric Vehicle with Thermal Management Systems on the Electrical Device Performance

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:13:04 +0000

This study aims to determine the reliability of applying a thermal management system in conjunction with Internet of Things in solar electric cars. In conventional electric cars or those whose driving energy source comes from gasoline fuel; the applied thermal management system is mainly used as a coolant for the internal combustion engine. However, for electric cars the thermal management system may be used for the main components such as controllers that convert solar module energy into electricity and batteries. Results from tests utilizing six DC fans for air cooling of the thermal management system yield two variations of battery charging conditions from the solar modules, namely variations of 25 and 400 turns of the trimmer constant current step-up charger. Test results from the proposed thermal management system show that the highest step-up charger temperature is 35.75 °C with voltage of 57.64 V for the variation of 25 laps. The test results on the battery voltage and temperature show that the highest battery temperature reaches 31.75 °C with voltage of 57.3 V at the variation of 25 rounds.

Application of Multi-objective Adjoint-based Aerodynamic Optimisation on Generic Road Vehicle with Rear Spoiler

Aan Yudianto — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:19:41 +0000

Finding possible solutions where there are multiple conflicting objectives to be simultaneously satisfied is a challenging situation. Multi-objective optimisation of a rear spoiler on a generic road vehicle model is carried out by using adjoint-based optimisation coupled with Computational Fluid Dynamics. The study aims to reduce the vehicle drag and increase vehicle downforce simultaneously by optimising the shape of the spoiler, by allowing the deformation to achieve the most optimised shape assuming no manufacturing constraint. The OpenFOAM software was used for the solver. A strategy for multi-objective optimisation was proposed by assigning appropriate objective function weight, leading to some possible solutions and Pareto front of the proposed design family. Five optimisation solutions of the non-dominated solution Pareto front resulting from the spoiler shape optimisation are presented, explaining the trade-off between conflicting drag and downforce objectives on the vehicle model. The baseline geometry of the simulation is in good agreement with the experimental measurement. The analysis of the shape changes in the proposed optimisation is deeply investigated in terms of the optimised geometry deformation, velocity contour comparison, recirculating region on the base, pressure coefficient comparison and stream-wise velocity component at the slant region of the model. The adjoint-based optimisation method in the presence study can handle multiple objective optimisations and generate possible optimised spoiler shapes to reduce drag and increase downforce. Free deformation of the shape yields in the unique shapes of the spoiler, enabling to manipulate of the base flow at the rear of the vehicle model.

Investigating Knocking Potential, Cycle Stability, and Emission Characteristics in Lean Spark Ignition Engine with Gasoline, Ethanol, and Methanol

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:36:45 +0000

In this paper, an investigation of the use of gasoline-ethanol-methanol on the spark ignition engine is presented, it is not common practice on public roads to use three fuels simultaneously in a spark-ignition engine. Using methanol reduces the ignition delay during combustion, especially at lean air-fuel ratios, and reduces knocking potential in small amounts. The best result ignition delay with value λ= 1,3 obtained in the E5M15 mixture with SoC occurred at 325 CA^o, while the value λ= 1,0 also obtained on the same mixture with SoC occurred at 321,5 CA^o. The CCV results indicate a more sloping increase in the COV (coefficient of variation) value when using GEM fuel, particularly with the addition of more methanol. The addition of methanol enhances combustion progression and improves the ability of the fuel blend to sustain combustion under lean conditions. Regarding the torque and power values, at λ= 1,0; 1,1; 1,2 are not significantly different, while the value λ= 1,3 is below the other λ values.

Investigation of the Vehicle Driving Trajectory During Turning at Intersectional Roads Using Deep Learning Model

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:53:08 +0000

Two-thirds of vehicle accidents in Malaysia occurred at the straight type of roads, followed by intersection-type roads. Despite the deployment of traffic lights on the road, accidents still occur which are caused by illegal maneuvers, speeding or misjudgment of other’s actions. Hence, motivated by the lack of previous research regarding causes of accidents on intersectional roads, this study aims to observe the pattern of the vehicles’ speed and turning angle during the right turn after the traffic stop at the intersection road. To obtain these parameters, video samples of vehicles at two types of intersections were obtained and analyzed via YOLOV7 and DeepSORT. The two road intersections researched are four-legged intersection and three-legged intersection. 153 and 35 vehicle samples were collected from these types of road intersections, respectively. It was observed that 78 and 75 vehicles exit towards the nearest and furthest lanes at four-leg controlled crossings on divided roads. While, at a single-lane to a dual carriageway road intersection, 26 and 9 vehicles exit towards the nearest and furthest lanes, respectively. From the research, 16.52 - 17.53 km/h and 67.57°-73.33° are the most optimal turning speeds and angles respectively for vehicles at four-leg controlled crossings. Whereas 14.48 - 15.51 km/h and 144.77° - 154.403° are the most optimal turning speeds and angles respectively for vehicles at a single-lane to a dual carriageway road intersection.

Characterizing of Bio-Graphene Nanoparticles of Sago Waste as a Homogeneous Combustion Catalyst

Hendry Y. Nanlohy, Helen Riupassa, Muji Setiyo — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:30:42 +0000

Alternative fuels were developed by blending crude coconut oil and bio-graphene nanoparticles. Bio-graphene, derived from sago waste via pyrolysis and ground using a ball mill, underwent FTIR testing to assess its energy absorption capabilities. SEM analysis was conducted to examine the surface morphology of bio-graphene with and without crude coconut oil. The findings indicate that incorporating bio-graphene can enhance mechanical properties, facilitating rapid heat absorption, as evidenced by reduced flashpoint and viscosity. In addition, the results show an increase in fuel mass, broadening of molecular contacts, increased reactivity, and increased heat absorption for easier ignition. This phenomenon indicates that BioGNPs have great potential for biofuel use as a homogeneous combustion catalyst.

Performance of Transition Metal Supported Al2O3 Coated on Honeycomb Catalysts and Its Segmentation on Exhaust Gasses Oxidation

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 04:01:18 +0000

The oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) and unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) under segmented honeycomb catalysts was investigated using actual exhaust gas mixtures from a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine of a motorcycle. The honeycomb catalysts were prepared through a wet process, resulting in four types coated with transition metals (Cu, Cr, Fe, and Ni) supported on Al₂O₃. The oxidation of CO and HC was monitored using an exhaust gas analyzer across a range of air-to-fuel ratios (AFR), from lean to rich, under stationary conditions. The results demonstrate that the honeycomb catalysts effectively decreased CO and HC concentrations in the exhaust gas. Among the transition metal oxide honeycomb catalysts, Cr and Ni exhibited high CO and HC conversion rates, surpassing those observed with Cu. The average CO and HC conversion calculations, spanning from lean to rich air-to-fuel ratios, were consistent with the actual conversion rates achieved. Furthermore, the study investigated the effect of honeycomb segmentation on CO and HC conversion. Surprisingly, the catalytic performance of Cr and Ni remained high even with longer gaps in the honeycomb. Interestingly, the conversion of CO and HC over the iron oxide honeycomb catalyst increased as the gap in the honeycomb became longer. This is likely due to an increase in the gap size and enhanced re-mixing of reactants (CO, HC, and O2) caused by recirculation. Thus, this study provides valuable elucidation on the potential application of segmented honeycomb catalysts for reducing CO and HC emissions in exhaust gases.

Characterization of Combustion in Cylindrical Meso-Scale Combustor with Wire Mesh Flame Holder as Initiation of Energy Source for Future Vehicles

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 04:14:48 +0000

The research aims to analyze and reveal combustion characteristics in a Cylindrical Meso Scale (CMS) Combustor with a wire mesh flame holder as a reference for designing a compact, efficient, and high-density energy source for future vehicles. This experiment analyzes the combustion ’s of a butane gas (C4H10)-air mixture in a cylindrical meso-scale (CMS) combustor with the addition of wire mesh flame holder on the stability of the combustion flame, as initiation of future vehicle energy source. The diameter of the CMS combustor with wire mesh flame holder is varied to give an idea of the effect of heat loss on the combustion flame's characteristics. The results show that the wire mesh as a flame holder is essential in the combustion stabilization mechanism. A stable flame can be stabilized in a CMS combustor with wire mesh. Variations in the diameter of the CMS combustor will result in variations in the surface-to-volume ratio, heat loss, and contact area of the wire mesh flame holder. At a large diameter, it produces the characteristics of a combustion flame with a more stable flame stability limit than a smaller diameter, a dimmer flame visualization than a smaller diameter at the same air and fuel discharge, a more distributed flame mode map area than the smaller diameter, lower flame temperature and combustor wall temperature than the smaller diameter, and relatively higher energy output than the smaller diameter.