Gregory W. Davis

Ethanol vehicle cold start improvement when using a hydrogen supplemented E85 fuel

Ethanol vehicles present a significant cold starting problem. Below 11/spl deg/C, ethanol will not form a rich enough fuel vapor-air mixture to support combustion. The addition of 15% gasoline helps to alleviate this problem, by allowing the vehicle to start primarily on the vaporized gasoline compounds. This approach does not completely eliminate the problem while substantially worsening cold start emissions. Supplementing E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) with hydrogen improves cold starting significantly. An effort was made to determine the minimum amount of hydrogen which could be used to supplement E85 and which would suffice in providing acceptable cold start performance. This was accomplished by experimental injection of pure hydrogen into the intake stream of a dedicated E85 fuelled vehicle. The minimum acceptable level of hydrogen was found to be 8% by volume at cold start conditions of -4/spl deg/C (25/spl deg/F). Initial work on an E85 hydrogen reformation technologies is also reported.

Testing of a Conventional Two-Stroke Snowmobile Engine using Ethanol-Blended Fuels

A production two-stroke engine, designed for snowmobiles, has been tested when using both standard, petroleum based fuels, and when using ethanol –blended fuels at the 10% and 85% levels. This paper studies not only the reduction in emissions resulting from the use of these fuel blends, but also looks at any negative consequences such as possible corrosion due to the use and storage of these fuels.

Legacy Vehicle Fuel System Testing with Intermediate Ethanol Blends

The goal of this project is to make a high-level compatibility assessment of legacy vehicle fuel system components to intermediate blends of gasoline and ethanol, specifically focusing on vehicles produced in the mid-1990s. These vehicles were designed before ethanol was a common gasoline component; therefore, their tolerance to higher concentrations of ethanol is not certain. This research project compared the effects of two blends of ethanol fuel on legacy fuel system components. An ethanol gasoline blend of 10% by volume ethanol (E10) was used for the control group, and a 17% ethanol by volume (E17) blend was used for the test group. The fuel systems tested comprised a fuel sending unit with pump, a fuel rail and integrated pressure regulator, and the fuel injectors. These systems were assembled into test rigs and operated to simulate the exposure received while driving. Specifically, the fuel pumps were cycled off and on and the fuel injectors were cycled with varying pulse widths during endurance testing. The performance characteristics of the systems and components were measured and periodic physical inspections were conducted to determine whether E17 fuel would lead to unusual degradation due to material incompatibilities. The aging testing lasted a minimum of 1,000 hours, which nominally simulates about 25,000–30,000 miles of highway vehicle travel. Fuel system components from three common mid-1990s vintage vehicle models were studied. Parts were chosen for the following vehicle/engine families: 1995-6 Ford Taurus with 3.0L-V6-2V VIN U engine (without flex-fuel), 1993-6 General Motors 3.1L-V6-2V VIN M engine (various vehicle models), and 1995 Toyota Camry with 3.0L-V6-4V 1MZ-FE engine.

Development of Clean Snowmobile Technology for the 2005 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

The Kettering University entry into the 2007 Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a 2006 Polaris FST Switchback. Building upon the success of the conversion to ethanol (E85) from the 2006 competition, the team chose to focus efforts on overall vehicle refinement. The Bosch controller has been recalibrated to improve engine tuning for running E85. The stock 144-inch track has been replaced in favor of a shorter 121-inch track. For noise reduction the muffler system was redesigned for better air flow and sound quality. The team has also focused on weight reduction by installing a lighter chaincase, a revised suspension, a specially designed catalytic converter, and the use of aluminum bits where applicable.

Using collegiate competitions to provide an enhanced engineering education: A case study

The standard classical education method for an engineering education is sometimes inadequate for educating students regarding the complex engineering challenges of tomorrow. In order to motivate students for these challenges, educators must integrate that promote activity outside of the traditional classroom setting. Students are inherently motivated via competition — engineering design competitions can be used to intrinsically motivate students to expand the classical engineering education. This paper describes the challenges and benefits of the Formula SAE Collegiate Design Series with respect to the engineering education from the students persepctive.

Infusing an entrepreneurial mindset into mechanical engineering courses: Two case studies

Engineering programs are often criticized for focusing solely on technical education while ignoring industry and business needs. In order to address this situation, entrepreneurial ideas were incorporated directly into existing engineering classes. This paper provides information on the incorporation of entrepreneurial ideas and assignments into two courses offered in the Mechanical Engineering Department. The techniques used to convey the entrepreneurial ideas primarily come from the “Need-Approach-Benefits-Competition” or NABC approach. The successes and failures of the approaches are discussed. Examples are provided to illustrate how these ideas have been used to enhance the undergraduate learning experience.

Motivating Students with Bio-Fuel Student Engineering Competition Projects

College students often express concern regarding the impact of fossil fuels on the environment. Studying bio-fuels allows students to learn about both the fundamental principles of their discipline and broader issues such as understanding the impact of technology in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context. Further, students are motivated by competition. University engineering challenges can be used to intrinsically motivate these students. This paper describes the benefits and challenges for the students and University in participating in the SAE Clean Snowmobile Collegiate Design Series competition.

What is the role for collegiate design competitions in a multi-discipline, diverse world?

Collegiate competitions provide a way for University students to gain a multi-discipline and multi-cultural experience while working on a real-world engineering project. These competitions rely on the natural competitive drive of students to force them to move beyond their comfort bounds to work with individuals from different educational and cultural backgrounds.

Demonstrating the Use of High-Blend Ethanol (E85) in Snowmobiles

Kettering University has developed a cleaner and quieter snowmobile using technologies and innovative methods which can be applied to existing snowmobile designs with a minimal increase in cost. Specifically, a commercially available snowmobile using a two cylinder, four-stroke engine has been modified to run on high-blend ethanol (E-85) fuel. Further, a new exhaust system which features a catalytic converter and mufflers to minimize engine noise and exhaust emissions was developed. A number of additional improvements have been made to the track to reduce friction and diminish noise. This paper provides details of the snowmobile development to make best use of E-85, documenting the results of these efforts on performance and emissions.Copyright

The determination of minimum levels of hydrogen supplementation to produce acceptable cold start performance of engines using a high-blend ethanol fuel

Alcohol fuels have been shown to reduce automotive emissions. Ethanol is particularly favored because it can be produced from renewable biomass resources. One major disadvantage of ethanol fuels, however, is their very poor cold startability. This is due to the fuels low vapor pressure and high latent heat of vaporization. Ethanol blended gasoline (E85 -85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) aids the cold start problem but does not solve it. In order for a proper vapor/air ratio at cold temperatures, the engine has to run at very rich mixtures, increasing exhaust hydrocarbon emissions substantially during warming phase of engine start-up. One approach to reducing cold start problems would be the use of a small amount of hydrogen injection. This technique has been shown to greatly reduce cold start cranking times. Experiments were conducted to determine the minimum level of hydrogen supplementation required to produce acceptable cold starts. Reported results from these experiments include the reduction in cold-start cranking times with varied levels of hydrogen.