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The variety of increasingly complex powertrains including Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) is associated with a number of challenges to measure exhaust gas emissions: Although the conventional constant volume sampling (CVS) and exhaust gas measurement systems remain a high precision emission measurement concept new questions occur that need to be answered, such as mass transport, catalyst cooling during ICE-off and emission measurement accuracy. Mass transport of exhaust emissions from the transfer tube into the dilution tunnel during engine-off complicates phase assignment. This includes the investigation of the physical processes that are diffusion on basis of concentration differences, extraction due to the CVS underpressure and convection because of density diversities. Catalyst cooling will be investigated using a temperature sensor positioned at the oxy catalyst of a Diesel-PHEV.

Impingement of injected fuel spray against the cylinder liner (wall wetting) is one of the main obstacles that must be overcome in order for early injection Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (EI HCCI) combustion. In the strategies to reduce or prevent wall wetting explored in the past, limiting the spray cone angle was proved to be a useful approach. This paper is presented to study the effect of the spray cone angle on the mixture formation, particularly the region near the cylinder wall (wall wetting region), and CO/Soot emissions of an EI HCCI diesel engine. Three-dimensional modeling was performed in AVL FIRE code. The calculation grid was divided into three regions which were defined as the combustion chamber region, the wall wetting region, and the central regions. The history of the CO/soot mass of each region and the equivalent ratio/temperature (φ-T map) of wall wetting region were analyzed.

This paper investigates the torsional dynamic behaviour of a Dual Mass Flywheel (DMF) both numerically and experimentally. First, the experimental setup is described, followed by a mathematical description in the frequency domain of the mechanical system under test, using a lumped parameter model. An analytical expression for the frequency response function describing the rotational dynamics is derived and compared with experimental data. Sine sweep tests are used to characterise the system, imposing constant amplitude excitation, i.e. the torque applied to the engine side of the DMF. Moreover a method for enhancing the dynamic performance of the electric motor torque control is suggested in order to use it as a torsional shaker.

In recent years, Magneto-rheological (MR) fluid has drawn a lot of attention for its applications in a variety of torque transmission devices, such as brakes, clutches and soft starters of mechanical equipment. Compared with the conventional clutch of vehicle, the novel MR clutch has the advantages of fast response with electronic signal, accuracy control and simple structure without mechanical wear in plates. Besides, MR clutch may be helpful to fast response of vehicle in some situation. Nowadays, most applications of MR fluids in the torque transmission field mainly are used in low-power situation. As far as we know, the proposed effective methods enhancing the output torque of MR devices will increase either the number of fluid gaps or the magnetic field in the MR fluid. This article presents a novel vehicle clutch utilizing magnetorheological fluid and multiple-disc structure.

A boost system with an auxiliary gas turbine used to recover diesel engine power at plateau conditions is proposed. System matching calculation, preliminary design, and performance simulation of the compressor with double parameter output are presented, as well as the preliminary design, flow simulation, and combustion process of the combustion chamber. Results show that the new system has better recovery performance and higher fuel economy potential than the simple charging scheme. For future research work, possible improvements and development direction are recommended.

The customer of today is sensitive towards shift quality. The demand is for a crisp and precise gear shift with low shift effort. The impulses from synchronizers make shifts feel notchy. After synchronization the blocker ring releases the sleeve. The sleeve then hits the teeth of the clutch body ring. The second impulse causes a phenomenon called double bump. This can be felt at the hand and makes a shift feel notchy or sluggish. An ideal way to overcome this is to optimize the detent profile. This paper explains in detail the various factors that contribute to the perceived shift feel. Various methods to optimize the forces on the knob by changing the detent profile are discussed. Gear Shift Quality Assessment (referred as GSQA henceforth) is a tool to acquire the required shift feel data. Using this tool shift efforts and kinematics of a 5 speed manual transmission are plotted for illustration. The calculations required to optimize the detent profile are explained in detail.

In order to introduce Dana's Variglide Continuously Variable Planetary (CVP) technology to the mobility industry, Dana has produced demonstrator transmissions for use in a rear wheel drive C-class car and in a fork lift truck. The intention is to illustrate how the CVP can be combined with conventional transmission technology to produce either a continuously variable transmission with the ratio range comparable to that of the latest step ratio transmissions, or used in a simple IVT configuration for off-highway applications. The co-axial design of the CVP allows it to package well into current drivetrain solutions. The ratio control of the device is fast, precise, and stable and the CVP does not require high power consumption for clamping. Multiple power flow configurations of the CVP are shown to blend well with current conventional transmission technology as well as future hybrid configurations.

Dry dual clutch transmission (DCT) has played an important role in the high performance applications as well as low-cost market sectors in Asia, with a potential as the future mainstream transmission technology due to its high mechanical efficiency and driving comfort. Control system simplification and cost reduction has been critical in making dry DCT more competitive against other transmission technologies. Specifically, DCT clutch actuation system is a key component with a great potential for cost-saving as well as performance improvement. In this paper, a new motor driven clutch actuator with a force-aid lever has been proposed. A spring is added to assist clutch apply that can effectively reduce the motor size and energy consumption. The goal of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of this new clutch actuator, and the force-aid lever actuator's principle, physical structure design, and validation results are discussed in details.

The traditional automotive torque converter (TC) is equipped with a single-blade stator, at the suction side of which there is an apparent boundary layer separation at stalling condition because of its large impending angle. The separation flow behind the suction side of stator blade is found to create large area of low-energy flow which blocks effective flow passage area, produces more energy losses, decreases impeller torque capacity and transmission efficiency. It is found effective to suppress the boundary layer separation by separating the original single-blade stator into a primary and a secondary part. The gap between them guides high-energy flow at the pressurized side of the primary blade to the suction side of the secondary one, which helps to make boundary layer flow stable. As a result, the impeller torque capacity and torque ratio at low-speed ratio increase tremendously at the cost of little drop of maximum efficiency.

1 The modern engine is capable of producing high torque and horsepower. Now the customer wants state of the art comfort and ergonomics.Thus the manufacturers are focusing on reducing the clutch pedal effort and providing a pleasurable driving experience. In heavy traffic conditions where the clutch is used frequently, the pedal effort required to disengage the clutch should be in comfortable range. Often drivers who drive HCV complain about knee pain which is caused due to high pedal effort, this occurs when ergonomics of ABC (accelerator, brake and clutch) pedals is not designed properly. Thus there is a need to reduce the driving fatigue by optimizing the clutch system. Latest technologies like turbo charging and pressure injection have increased the engine power and torque but have also led to increase the clamp load of clutch. Thus the release load required to disengage the clutch has also increased.

This paper proposes the several methods for recovering the performance of degraded fuel cell stack for FCEV. Recovery procedure is focused on the reduction of oxidized layer and desorption of sulfonated anion formed on the surface of platinum catalyst during automotive operation at cathode side. As a result of application of recovering methods, it is possible to partially rehabilitate the performance of fuel cell stack by ca. 20-30%. In additions, it is expected that the durability of fuel cell can be improved ultimately with an application of recovery process.

This paper presents a detailed design study and associated considerations supporting the development of high-performance plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Due to increasingly strict governmental regulations and increased consumer demand, automotive manufacturers have been tasked with the reduction of fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. PHEV powertrains can provide a needed balance in terms of fuel economy and vehicle performance by exploiting regenerative braking, pure electric vehicle operation, engine load-point shifting, and power-enhancing hybrid traction modes. Thus, properly designed PHEV powertrains can reduce fuel consumption while increasing vehicle utility and performance.

This paper focuses on the thermodynamic analysis of Solid Oxide fuel cell (SOFC). In the present work the SOFC has been modeled to work with internal reforming of fuel which takes place at high temperature and direct energy conversion from chemical energy to electrical energy takes place. The fuel-cell effluent is high temperature steam which can be used for co-generation purposes. Syn-gas has been used here as fuel which is essentially produced by steam reforming of methane in the internal reformer of the SOFC. A thermodynamic model of SOFC has been developed for planar cell configuration to evaluate various losses in the energy conversion process within the fuel cell. Cycle parameters like fuel utilization ratio and air-recirculation ratio has been varied to evaluate the thermodynamic performance of the fuel-cell. Output performance parameters like terminal voltage, cell-efficiency and power output have been evaluated for various values of current densities.

The powersplit transaxle is a key subsystem of Ford Motor Company's hybrid electric vehicle line up. The powersplit transaxle consists of a planetary gear, four reduction gears and various types of bearings. During vehicle operation, the transaxle is continuously lubricated by a lube oil pump. All these components consume power to operate and they contribute to the total transaxle losses which ultimately influences energy usage and fuel economy. In order to enable further model-based development and optimization of the transaxle design relative to vehicle energy usage, it is essential to establish a physics-based transaxle model with losses distributed across components, including gears, bearings etc. In this work, such a model has been developed. The model accounts for individual bearing losses (speed, torque and temperature dependency), gear mesh losses, lube pump loss and oil churning loss.

This paper focuses on the potentials of a Belt-Starter-Generator (BSG) in the context of an ultra-light vehicle prototype with a target curb weight of only 600 kg. Therefore, two hybrid approaches with a voltage level below 60 V are described and their potentials regarding electrical driving and CO2 reduction are analysed in detail. Introducing the ‘Cars Ultra-Light Technology’ (CULT) project, the holistic lightweight approach is described as a main requirement for the further hybrid investigations. In addition, a P2-hybrid structure with a 12 V BSG on the transmission input shaft enabled unique features despite the low voltage level and limited electrical power resources. The CO2 reduction for this powertrain combination is described and compared to a conventional stop start configuration. The validation process on a dynamic test rig is presented as well.

The Advanced Light-Duty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis (ALPHA) tool was created by EPA to evaluate the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of Light-Duty (LD) vehicles [1]. ALPHA is a physics-based, forward-looking, full vehicle computer simulation capable of analyzing various vehicle types combined with different powertrain technologies. The software tool is a MATLAB/Simulink based desktop application. The ALPHA model has been updated from the previous version to include more realistic vehicle behavior and now includes internal auditing of all energy flows in the model. As a result of the model refinements and in preparation for the mid-term evaluation of the 2017-2025 LD GHG rule, we are revalidating the model with newly acquired vehicle data. This paper presents the benchmarking, modeling and continued testing of a 2013 Chevy Malibu 1LS. During the initial benchmarking phase, the engine and transmission were removed from the vehicle and tested and evaluated on separate test stands.

Test and validation of control systems for hybrid vehicle power trains provide a unique set of challenges. Not only does the electronic control unit (ECU), or pair of ECUs, need to smoothly coordinate power flow between two or more power plants, but it also must handle the power electronics' high-speed dynamics due to PWM signals frequently in the 10-20 kHz range. The trend in testing all-electric and hybrid-electric ECUs has moved toward using field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) as the processing node for simulating inverter and electric motor dynamics in real time. Acting as a purpose-built processor colocated with analog and digital input and output, the FPGA makes it possible for real-time simulation loop rates on the order of one microsecond.

In small car segment, as far as hybridization is concerned, the space and safety constraint demands use of lower voltage viz., 48 V as compared to >100-volt-systems used for vehicles in other segments. These systems also have advantage of reduced copper weight due to reduced current. As 12 V systems are replaced by the 48 V systems, the auxiliary 12 V loads would necessitate implementation of a DC-DC converter. Considering the requirements of auxiliary loads that are fed from 12 V battery, the power rating of the DC-DC converter can get considerably high resulting in increased size. Hence, it is advisable to re-design at least some of the 12 V auxiliary systems to 48 V such as the radiator fan motor. This, along with the issues faced in the existing PMDC Motor with regard to efficiency and sizing have generated interest to investigate better alternatives for the motor.

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a common problem in power electronics systems. Pulse-width modulation (PWM) control of semiconductor devices in a power converter circuit creates discontinuity in voltage and current with rich harmonics over a broad frequency range, creating both conducted and radiated noise. The increase in switching speed enabled by new power semiconductor devices helps to reduce converter size and reduce switching losses, but further exacerbates the EMI problem. Complying with regulatory EMI emission limits requires the use of EMI filters in almost all power converter designs, and EMI filters are often the dominant elements for system volume, weight, and cost. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) filtering is a critical driver for volume and weight for many applications, particularly in airborne and other mobile platforms.

Significant research has been underway for many years to develop technologies to electrochemically power vehicles with limited success. Unfortunately, most technologies fail to achieve theoretical performance and/or are prohibitively too expensive for mass marketed vehicles. Most of the issues with electrochemical technologies can ultimately be attributed to materials issues, whether it is cost, durability, or activity. A broad examination of potential electrochemical technologies is provided identifying key materials issues with each. Included are the results of recent research involving lithium-oxygen batteries. The observations from this research have identified the electrochemical product, lithium peroxide, and its properties to be the most pressing material issue for lithium-oxygen battery. A future research vision is proposed counter to the current research trend of electrocatalyst/electrolyte development.