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Research Thrusts |
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Engineering Education Innovation
As the world continues to change with globalization and technological advances so must engineering education p...
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Advanced Power System
In the face of an impending energy crisis, the Advanced Power Systems research center is exploring alternative...
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Space Systems
The Space Systems Research group is creating innovative electric propulsion systems to make space travel more ...
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Mechanics of Multi-scale Materials
The Mechanics of Multi-scale Materials research group uncovers the relationships of structures across the full...
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Multi-scale Sensors and Systems
The Multi-scale Sensors and Systems Research Group specializes in the design, fabrication, integration, and te...
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Sustainable Manufacturing and Design
Many of the campus research efforts on sustainability are coordinated by the Sustainable Futures Institute (SF...
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Research Projects
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Development of an Improved Efficiency Low Emission DI-SI Ethanol Flex Fuel Powertrain for Hybrid Applications |
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Project Date:
10/2008-10/2010 |
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Jeffrey Naber
Primary Investigator
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John Beard
Co-Primary Investigator
Jeremy Worm, ME--EM Research Engineer
Co-Primary Investigator
Jay Meldrum, Keweenaw Research Center
Co-Primary Investigator
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Sponsor:
State of Michigan - Michigan Public Service Commission
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Develop technologies to improve the efficiency and reduce the emissions of unburned hydrocarbons (HC) for an advanced direct-injection (DI) spark-ignited (SI) ethanol Flex-Fuel engine for hybrid and plug-in hybrid applications for production in 2012. This will be accomplished through engine and injector testing, analysis, controls, modeling of engines and engine sub-systems, and by developing improved predictive combustion, injection, and crank-start HC emissions models for incorporation into GM’s engine simulation tools to be used by GM research, advanced engineering, and production groups.
The automotive market is and will continue to be a competitive world-wide market. Energy costs are and will continue to increase. The State of Michigan, its companies and workers face these facts daily. The risk and reward is not higher in any other industry for Michigan. A 1% market share in the North American automotive market is worth $4.3 billion dollars accounting for the OEM’s, suppliers, and retailers. Although it is difficult to quantify the impact of this proposed work alone, if it impacts just 1% of this 1% percent market share that would be $43 million dollars a year and a return of nearly 30-times the investment here in a single year.
Technical Opportunities and Challenges for a Flex-Fuel Hybrid
Ethanol and gasoline are both excellent fuels for spark-ignition engines, but differences in their fuel structure result in considerably different operational characteristic in an engine. Ethanol only has 63% of the energy density of gasoline on a volumetric basis, has a fuel-to-air ratio at ideal combustion conditions 1.6 times higher than that of gasoline, and requires nearly 4 times the energy to vaporize for the equivalent energy content of gasoline. However, the pump octane rating of ethanol at 98 is well above that of regular 87 octane and even premium 93 octane gasoline. One considerable technical challenge for ethanol and flex-fuel engines is during engine start. Injecting more ethanol with a higher energy required to vaporize the fuel can result in a poorly prepared air-fuel mixture for ignition and flame kernel development. This results in poorer combustion and higher unburned hydrocarbon (HC) emissions. Hybrid applications which have more engine start-stops compound the problem and can result in even higher HC emissions. On top of this, hybrids are required to meet the lowest HC emissions standards (US Tier II, Bin 2) in the world. Thus, to date no OEM produces a flex-fuel hybrid powertrain because of these challenges. However, further technological development with advanced high pressure direct injection (DI) fuel systems, early activating variable cam timing (VCT), improved engine simulation and control these issues can be overcome. Additionally, with these same tools and methods we will be able to improve the operating efficiency of the IC engine by taking advantage of the higher octane rating of ethanol and dilution tolerance through the use of improved combustion system designs and advanced control methodology, including a Michigan Tech patented combustion knock detection and control method. Finally, we will develop a prototype 4-cylinder engine with variable compression ratio (VCR) that would be available in the 2016 time frame. Such an engine would enable compression ratio to be optimized for any mix of ethanol and gasoline in the tank, which will significantly improving flex fuel operating efficiency over that of current engines whose compression ratio is limited by gasoline octane levels.
Program Objectives to Meet Above Goals and Challenges
1) Improve the energy efficiency of a flex-fuel, direct-injection (DI), spark-ignition (SI) IC engine through combustion system design, operational calibration, and control.
2) Development of technologies and methods for reduction of crank-start emissions compatible and synergistic with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drive systems utilizing advanced DI fueling with improved cam-positioning during cranking and run-up.
3) Optimize a DI-SI engine for blends of gasoline and ethanol from straight gasoline to E85.
Development of improved physically-based predictive simulation tools for DI fuelling, hydrocarbon emissions, and combustion, and integration of these submodels into the 1-D engine simulation tool used by GM for new product design and analysis. Model validation and engine parameterizations will be performed using data from the Michigan Tech, GM, and Argonne National Laboratories engine test and injector characterization programs and externally published research.
4) Build upon previous accomplishments to design, build and test a prototype Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) engine to determine the potential improvement in operating efficiency for ethanol/gasoline fuel blends for a targeted production introduction in 2016.
This Michigan Tech design has already been proven on a running single cylinder engine. This proposed activity will extend the concept to a modern GM multi-cylinder engine (the same engine type used for the rest of the research), and will quantify the net efficiency gains.
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