An Experimental and Computational Investigation on the Pre-Heating of Fuel to Improve Cold Starting of Diesel Engines

Author(s):  
Gurpreet S. Gambhir ◽  
Duane L. Abata ◽  
Donna J. Michalek

This paper describes the effect of elevated fuel temperature on cold starting operability in compression ignition engines. This study was based on the hypothesis that in a cold start condition, fuel heated to a temperature higher than the surrounding ambient air before it enters the combustion chamber would improve cold starting. Experiments on heating the injector and the fuel before the injection event were performed in a cold room facility with ambient temperatures varying from −20 degrees to 20 degrees Celsius. A computational analysis of the injector was conducted using Star-CD to more fully understand the physical phenomena involved and help explain results obtained from the experiment. Results indicated that fuel heating does affect the efflux velocity, Sauter mean diameter and the lifetime of a fuel droplet. Droplet break-up time and spray penetration are not much affected. Computational and experimental results were within 30% of each other. Results of this work should be useful in the design of improved cold starting methods of diesel fueled engines.

1958 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. MacDonald ◽  
J. M. Bell

This report presents effects of low temperatures on the feed consumption and efficiency of milk production of six mature, lactating, Holstein-Friesian cows that were confined in stanchions for three fortnightly experimental periods during which ambient temperatures measured in degree-hours per day (d-h/day) ranged from 110 to 1152 and daily minimum ambient air temperature (DMAAT) varied from 0° to 38°F. Applying results obtained, it was calculated that as temperatures decreased, i.e., d-h/day increased from 100 to 1200 and DMAAT decreased from 40° to 0°F, average daily intakes of total dry matter, hay, and gross and digestible Calories increased approximately 6.4 lb., 5.3 lb., 13 Therms and 9 Therms, respectively. Each of these increases was statistically significant at the 1 per cent level. Reductions in temperature also decreased gross and net caloric efficiencies of milk production approximately 10 and 8.5 per cent, respectively. These decreases were significant at the 2 per cent level. No correlation was evident between crude protein utilization and temperature.Results indicated that thermal stress was not overcome adequately by supplementary hay intake alone and that appetite stimulation by low temperatures had a carry-over effect continuing at least 24 hours. For continued efficient milk production during winters where low ambient temperatures are prevalent these results suggest it is necessary to provide some form of building insulation, ambient heat and/or provide a high energy supplement to otherwise adequate production rations.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 3125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan ◽  
Lin ◽  
Mao ◽  
Li ◽  
Yang ◽  
...  

This study presents the development and evaluation of a novel partially open-loop heat pump dryer with a unit-room (HPDU). The unit-room was designed to enable the ambient air to be mixed with the return air, thereby reducing the influence of the ambient air on the system performance, while maintaining a high system thermal efficiency. A modelling system for the HPDU was developed and validated based on a real-scale experimental study. By using the modelling system, the system characteristics under different ambient conditions and bypass factors were analyzed. The energy benefit of the proposed HPDU was quantified through a comparative study with a closed-loop heat pump dryer (CHPD). It is evident that a maximal specific moisture extraction rate (SMER) and a minimal total energy consumption (TEC) existed when changing the bypass factor of the HPDU under certain ambient temperatures. Compared to the CHPD, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the HPDU increased by up to 39.56%, presenting a significant energy benefit for the application of HPDU.


Author(s):  
Robert Brandon ◽  
Bryan Halliday ◽  
John S. Hoffman

The significant reduction in power output of small gas turbines at high ambient temperatures places the technology at a significant disadvantage compared with reciprocating engines. On site power applications in many jurisdictions are experiencing high power costs during summer peak times. A variable speed industrial fan combined with an evaporative cooler has been constructed and operated in the CETC laboratory in Ottawa, Canada to supply supercharged inlet air to a microturbine rated at 70 kW at ISO conditions. The supercharging system can raise the inlet air pressure by 10.5 kPa (42” wc). A mapping of the turbine performance has been done as a function of boost pressure, relative humidity and ambient air temperature. A net power increase has been observed from 57 kW to 70 kW at an ambient air temperature of 33°C (91°F) and RH of 60%, a 23% increase. Supercharging at lower temperatures yields lower net power increases since the microturbine generator rating is the limiting factor; for example an 11% increase in net power was observed at an inlet air temperature of 11°C (52°F) and RH of 60%. Supercharging was shown to decrease net fuel-to-electricity efficiency of this recuperated turbine by about 3%, at an air temperature of 33°C (91°F). An economic analysis using published power prices and weather data from Toronto explores the business case of using supercharging, with the best economies likely for multiple units or larger microturbines, such as 250 kW units. The objective of the project was to demonstrate the concept leading to a field trial in Toronto or in Calgary where the altitude offers a further benefit to the inlet air supercharging concept. Work is underway to design a control system suitable for field deployment for the concept.


2012 ◽  
Vol 433-440 ◽  
pp. 6390-6396
Author(s):  
Pei Yong Ni ◽  
Xiang Li Wang

The reduction of sauter mean diameter (SMD) of droplets means the percent of the evaporated fuel, which is important to the formation of the combustible mixture in a port-injection gasoline engine during cold-start. Three-dimensional numerical simulation of SMD of the droplets in the inlet port of a gasoline engine was employed using the CFD software. This paper presented the effect of multi-parameters on SMD of the droplets including initial droplet velocity, intake temperature, fuel temperature, injection timing and engine speed. The simulation results show that the most influential parameters on SMD of the droplets are intake temperature and fuel temperature. The fuel evaporation rates increase approximately linearly with the intake air temperature and fuel temperature increasing. The initial droplet velocity and injection timing have a little effect on the fuel evaporation. As engine speed increases, SMD of the droplets firstly decreases and then increases. After intake-valve-open (IVO), back flow of gas in cylinders results in steep reduction of droplet diameter.


2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Venter ◽  
Sandra De Vos

Various local and international research has been published on the effects of COVID-19 lockdown on ambient air quality. In most cases, a reduction in ambient NOx and PM concentrations have been observed with varying changes in ambient SO2 levels. Secunda, located in the Highveld Priority Area in Mpumalanga, South Africa is known for its large industrial facilities utilising coal as primary feedstock. The towns of Secunda and eMbalenhle provide the majority of the workforce to Sasol and has therefore been the focus of this study. The ambient air quality in the Secunda region was assessed due to the changes in human behaviour during lockdown, familiarity with the Sasol facility and the strategic locations of ambient air quality stations.Results show a clear decrease in ambient CO, NO2 and PM concentrations, especially during the first two weeks of lockdown. Only subtle changes were observed for ambient H2S and SO2 pollutant concentrations at the ambient monitoring stations. An increasing trend in all ambient species was observed towards the end and post lockdown, in contrast to declining ambient temperatures with the onset of winter. This is also contrary to the reduction in emissions from the factory that conducted annual maintenance in the month following lockdown (phase shutdown). This article concludes that human behaviour has a material local ambient impact on CO, NO2 and PM pollutant species, while H2S concentration profiles are more directly related to the industrial complex’s levels of activity. Ambient SO2 trends did not show a similar correlation with the facility’s activities (as H2S), but a stronger correlation was observed with the diverse local and regional sources in close proximity to Secunda and eMbalenhle. The influence of better dispersion especially on a local scale, brought about by more effective emission heights, is considered material. Moreover, meteorological factors, on local air quality, has been shown to be a material contributor to observed ambient air quality levels in the study domain


Author(s):  
Charles F. Bowman

With ever-increasing ambient temperatures many electric power plants that employ cooling lakes to reject their waste heat into the environment are struggling to maintain reasonable turbine backpressures during the hot summer months when electric load demand is often the greatest. Some consider adding mechanical draft cooling towers (MDCT) to further cool the condenser circulating water (CCW) prior to entering the main condenser, but the additional auxiliary power required to drive MDCT fans often consume the additional generator output resulting from the lower backpressure. Spray ponds offer significant advantages over MDCT including superior simplicity and operability, lower power requirements, and lower capital and maintenance costs. The Oriented Spray Cooling System (OSCS) is an evolutionary spray pond design. Unlike a conventional spray pond in which spray nozzles are arranged in a flat bed and spray upward, blocking the ambient air flow to the spray region as it travels down to the pond below, the OSCS nozzles are mounted on spray trees arranged in a circle and are tilted at an angle oriented towards the center of the circle. As a result, the water droplets drag air into the spray region while the warm air concentrated in the center of the circle rises. Both of these effects work together to increase air flow through the spray region. Increased air flow reduces the local wet-bulb temperature (LWBT) of the air in the spray pattern, promoting heat transfer and more efficient cooling. During the late 1970’s the author developed a purely analytical model to predict the thermal performance of the OSCS which was successfully compared with the OSCS at the Columbia Generating Station (CGS) in the mid 1980’s. This paper describes how the OSCS may be employed to supplement the cooling capacity of an existing cooling lake to reduce the temperature of the CCW prior to entering a power plant, resulting in lower main condenser pressures and more net plant output.


2021 ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  

Today, one of the urgent problems of car operation is the problem of fuel overheating at elevated ambient temperatures, resulting in an error " fuel overheating" on the car, which in turn affects the car’s performance. This article presents research on testing fuel heat exchangers as part of a car’s fuel system by improving the design of the car’s power system. Three experiments were carried out to determine the temperature regime of the vehicle’s power supply system. Positive results of the work were obtained, which made it possible to eliminate the occurrence of the error " fuel overheating" and obtain stabilization of the fuel temperature. Keywords: power system, heat exchanger, cooling


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1574-1580 ◽  
Author(s):  
THOMAS P. KINSEY ◽  
KERI A. LYDON ◽  
JOHN C. BOWERS ◽  
JESSICA L. JONES

Vibrio vulnificus (Vv) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) are the two leading causes of bacterial illnesses associated with raw shellfish consumption. Levels of these pathogens in oysters can increase during routine antifouling aquaculture practices involving dry storage in ambient air conditions. After storage, common practice is to resubmerge these stored oysters to reduce elevated Vv and Vp levels, but evidence proving the effectiveness of this practice is lacking. This study examined the changes in Vv and in total and pathogenic (thermostable direct hemolysin gene and the tdh-related hemolysin gene, tdh+ and trh+) Vp levels in oysters after 5 or 24 h of dry storage (28 to 32°C), followed by resubmersion (27 to 32°C) for 14 days. For each trial, replicate oyster samples were collected at initial harvest, after dry storage, after 7 days, and after 14 days of resubmersion. Oysters not subjected to dry storage were collected and analyzed to determine natural undisturbed vibrio levels (background control). Vibrio levels were measured using a most-probable-number enrichment followed by real-time PCR. After storage, vibrio levels (excluding tdh+ and trh+ Vp during 5-h storage) increased significantly (P < 0.001) from initial levels. After 7 days of resubmersion, Vv and total Vp levels (excluding total Vp in oysters stored for 5 h) were not significantly different (P > 0.1) from levels in background oysters. Vv and total and pathogenic Vp levels were not significantly different (P > 0.1) from levels in background oysters after 14 days of resubmersion, regardless of dry storage time. These data demonstrate that oyster resubmersion after dry storage at elevated ambient temperatures allows vibrio levels to return to those of background control samples. These results can be used to help minimize the risk of Vv and Vp illnesses and to inform the oyster industry on the effectiveness of routine storing and resubmerging of aquaculture oysters.


Author(s):  
Daniel M. Madyira ◽  
Ranwedzi P. Mukhodobwane ◽  
Tien C. Jen

Free cooling involves using a thermal energy storage medium such as a phase change material (PCM) in order to store the ambient “cold” during the night when ambient air temperatures are lower compared to the indoor building temperatures and release this stored “cold” by using a heat transfer fluid (i.e. air) into the building during the day when higher ambient temperatures are experienced especially during the summer months. This paper assesses the free cooling potential in South Africa by using a set of Rubitherm RT25HC PCM plates. The performance of these PCM plates is assessed by benchmarking the ambient air cooled by the PCM plates during the day against the defined thermal comfort temperatures requirements. The influence of varying the air flow rate on the availability of thermal comfort temperatures at the PCM rig outlet is also studied. The results clearly show the potential of using PCM’s as a means of cooling higher ambient air temperature which is experienced in hot summer months to within thermal comfort temperatures for human occupancy in a building.


Author(s):  
Liyong Sun ◽  
Adam S. Hollinger

Considerable waste heat is generated via the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Consequently, heat generation and removal in conventional fuel cell architectures has been carefully investigated in order to achieve effective thermal management. Here we present a novel microscale fuel cell design that utilizes a half-membrane electrode assembly. In this design, a single fuel/electrolyte stream provides an additional pathway for heat removal that is not present in traditional fuel cell architectures. The model presented here investigates heat removal over a range of inlet fuel temperatures. Heat generation densities are determined experimentally for all inlet fuel temperatures. The simulations presented here predict thermal profiles throughout this microscale fuel cell design. Simulation results show that the fuel stream dominates heat removal at room temperature. As inlet fuel temperature increases, the majority of heat removal occurs via convection with the ambient air. The model also shows that heat transfer through the oxidant channel is minimal over the range of inlet fuel temperatures.


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