Simulation Modeling of a Ship Propulsion System in Wavesfor Control Purposes

The article deals with a simulation approach to the representation of the ship motions in waves, interacting with the propulsion system behavior (diesel engine and propeller). The final goal is the development of a simulator, as complete as possible, that allows the analysis of the main engine thermodynamics in different sea conditions, also in the unfavorable event of dynamic instability of the hull, and the correct management of the other propulsion components. This latter aspect is particularly interesting in some of the last new energy solutions for decarbonization of ships, concerning, for example, auxiliary electric motors, powered by batteries, to support the traditional diesel-mechanical propulsion (especially in heavy weather conditions). From this point of view, a proper analysis of the engine dynamic performance, affected by particular sea states, is fundamental for a smart management and control of shaft generators/auxiliary electric motors, batteries, etc. To this end, the work presents and highlights the main features of a ship simulator, suitable for the study of the new propulsion solutions that are emerging in maritime transport. Some representative results will point out the complex non-linear behavior of the propulsion plant in waves. Moreover, a parametric roll scenario will be investigated, in order to highlight the capability of the conceived simulator in modeling the effects of the dynamic instability of the hull on the propulsion plant.

Aero-engine dynamic model based on an improved compact propulsion system dynamic model

The modern advanced aero-engine control methods are onboard dynamic model–based algorithms. In this article, a novel aero-engine dynamic modeling method based on improved compact propulsion system dynamic model is proposed. The aero-engine model is divided into inlet, core engine, surge margin and nozzle models for establishing sub-model in the compact propulsion system dynamic model. The model of core engine is state variable model. The models of inlet, surge margin and nozzle are nonlinear models which are similar to the component level model. A new scheduling scheme for basepoint control vector, basepoint state vector and basepoint output vector which considers the change of engine total inlet temperature is proposed to improve engine model accuracy especially the steady. The online feedback correction of measurable parameters is adopted to improve the steady and dynamic accuracy of model. The modeling errors of improved compact propulsion system dynamic model remain unchanged when engine total inlet temperature of different conditions are the same or changes small. The model accuracy of compact propulsion system dynamic model, especially the measurable parameters, is improved by online feedback correction. Moreover, the real-time performance of compact propulsion system dynamic model and improved compact propulsion system dynamic model are much better than component level model.

Modeling and NVH Analysis of a Full Engine Dynamic Model with Valve Train System

The valve train system is an important source of vibration and noise in an engine. An in-depth study on the dynamic model of the valve train is helpful in understanding the dynamic characteristics of the valve train and improving the prediction accuracy of vibration and noise. In the traditional approaches of the dynamic analyses, the simulations of the valve train system and the engine are carried out separately. The disadvantages of these uncoupled approaches are that the impact of the cylinder head deformation to the valve train and the support and constraints of the valve train on the cylinder head are not taken into consideration. In this study, a full engine dynamic model coupled with a valve train system is established and a dynamic simulation and noise vibration harshness (NVH) analysis are carried out. In the coupled approach, the valve train system is simulated simultaneously with the engine, and the complexity of the model has been greatly increased. Compared with the uncoupled approach, more detailed dynamic results of the valve train can be presented, and the subsequent predictions of vibration and noise can also be more accurate. The acoustic results show that the difference from the experimental sound power level is reduced from 1.8 dB(A) to 0.9 dB(A) after applying the coupled approach.

Semi-empirical estimation model of in-cylinder pressure for compression ignition engines

There have been significant efforts in recent years to comply with automotive emission regulations. To resolve the issue, researchers have strived to reduce the emissions through combustion control. The heat release rate, or in-cylinder pressure information, is necessary to model engine-out emissions, and can also be used to optimize efficiency and emissions by controlling combustion and estimating torque for torque-based engine dynamic control. Piezoelectric pressure sensors are widely used. However, because of cost and durability issues, there have been studies which estimate the in-cylinder pressure using data available only from the engine control unit to reduce engine costs. Therefore, in this study, in-cylinder pressure was predicted, without additional pressure sensors, in light-duty diesel engines. A variable polytropic exponent model was first adopted during the compression stroke, assuming a polytropic process. A Wiebe function was then applied for describing cumulative heat release rate during the combustion phase. Using the in-cylinder pressure model, it was possible to calculate combustion-related parameters which are frequently used such as ignition delay, combustion duration, peaked pressure, and MFB50 (mass fraction burned: timing when 50% of the fuel is burned) without pressure sensors. Notwithstanding the simplification of the model which is targeting real-time applications, the model can predict the in-cylinder pressure at steady-state conditions. The pressure at the end of compression stroke, at start of main combustion timing, and when it has a peaked value by the main combustion were estimated with accuracy of R2 0.996, 0.993, and 0.956, respectively, in test engine. The model was also validated against a second engine. This study can contribute to emission models that need to calculate in-cylinder temperature using pressure data, and other studies to establish engine control strategies, including optimization through combustion control and torque prediction, which can be applied to engine dynamic control.

Stochastic Air-Fuel Ratio Control of Compressed Natural Gas Engines Using State Observer

In this paper, the air-fuel ratio regulation problem of compressed natural gas (CNG) engines considering stochastic L2 disturbance attenuation is researched. A state observer is designed to overcome the unmeasurability of the total air mass and total fuel mass in the cylinder, since the residual air and residual fuel that are included in the residual gas are unmeasured and the residual gas reflects stochasticity. With the proposed state observer, a stochastic robust air-fuel ratio regulator is proposed by using a CNG engine dynamic model to attenuate the uncertain cyclic fluctuation of the fresh air, and the augmented closed-loop system is mean-square stable. A validation of the proposed stochastic robust air-fuel ratio regulator is carried out by the numerical simulation of two working conditions. The accuracy control of the air-fuel ratio is realized by the proposed stochastic robust air-fuel ratio regulator, which in turn leads to an improvement in fuel economy and emission performance of the CNG engines.

Continuous slow dynamic slope approach for stationary base internal combustion engine mapping

Engine control optimization, with its always growing complexity, is in permanent focus of engine researchers and developers all over the world. Automotive engines are dominantly used in dynamic conditions, but generally, steadystate operating points are used for building up mathematical models which are later subject to the numerical optimization. For this purpose, a large amount of steadystate regimes needs to be evaluated through experimental work at the engine test stand, which is an extremely time and funds consuming process. Consequently, the methodology for data gathering during engine dynamic excitation could lead to significant savings at the expense of acceptable data accuracy loss. The slow dynamic slope method starting from a stationary operating point was evaluated by several authors in the past. In this paper, slow dynamic slope method with exclusively transient excitation will be presented drawing attention to some of its advantages and drawbacks. The rate of change of engine load as a main control parameter during dynamic test is of great importance for the quality of the final data and for total test duration. In this regard, several tests of different duration were applied for fixed engine speed values to cover engine speed-load usage domain. An approximation of stationary testing results obtained in this way could be used for evaluation of the map gradients and thus as a guide-line for additional stationary tests based on design of experiment method.

Substructuring of a Petrol Engine: Dynamic Characterization and Experimental Validation

In this work, the vibration behavior of a 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, petrol engine was simulated by leveraging on the Finite Element Method (FEM). A reduced modelling strategy based on the component mode synthesis (CMS) was adopted to reduce the size of the full FEM model of the engine. Frequency response function (FRF) analyses were used to identify the resonant frequencies and corresponding modes of the different FEM models, and the obtained results were compared with experimental data to get the model validation. Subsequently, modal-based frequency forced response analyses were performed to consider the loads acting during the real operating conditions of the engine. Finally, the impact on vibrations at the mounts, produced by an additional bracket connecting the engine block and gearbox, was also investigated. Both the full and reduced FEM model demonstrated and reproduced with high accuracy the vibration response at the engine mounts, providing a satisfactory agreement with the vibrations measured experimentally. The reduced modelling strategy required significantly shorter runtimes, which decreased from 24 h for the full FEM model to nearly 2 h for the reduced model.