Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2009 Design of a test stand for alternate fuel and ignition systems testing Patrick Wildfire West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Wildfire, Patrick, "Design of a test stand for alternate fuel and ignition systems testing" (2009). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 2085. https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/2085 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Design of a Test Stand for Alternate Fuel and Ignition Systems Testing Patrick Wildfire, BSME A Thesis Submitted to the College of Engineering and Mineral Resources At West Virginia University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Dr. James E. Smith, Committee Chairperson Dr. Gregory J. Thompson Dr. Franz A. Pertl Department: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 2009 Keywords: Engine, Test Stand, Plasma, QWCCR © 2009 Patrick Wildfire Abstract Design of a Test Stand for Alternate Fuel and Ignition Systems Testing Patrick E. Wildfire There is a growing interest in improving engine versatility through the capacity to run on more than one fuel. To aid in this effort, ongoing research is being conducted to investigate a novel system using microwave plasma ignition designed with the goal of allowing spark ignited engines to run on multiple fuels. To accomplish the testing of this system, it was necessary to design and fabricate a test stand including an engine and instrumentation capable of measuring the performance of the ignition system within the environment of a running engine, and capable of testing this system on multiple fuels. It was also desired to produce data with repeatability within 4% to ensure that results indicated real trends. To achieve this goal it is necessary not only to measure the output of the engine but also to measure several pertinent operation variables as well. With this in mind, a comprehensive test stand and sensor system was designed and fabricated, and repeatability of output data was verified. Output data was also compared to manufacturer-supplied data under similar operating characteristics to validate the accuracy of the measurements. Comparison of this data shows that repeatable data that follows expected trends is produced, and is repeatable to within 1%. A detailed system outline is presented herein, as well as results and conclusions. Recommendations for further research are also suggested. Table of Contents Abstract....................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. iv Nomenclature ............................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Microwave Plasma Ignition Basics ...................................................................................................... 2 2.3 Microwave Plasma Ignition History and the QWCCR ......................................................................... 2 2.4 Internal Combustion Engine Basics .................................................................................................... 3 2.5 Engine Testing Procedures ................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 3: Test Stand Design .................................................................................................... 7 3.1 Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 7 3.2 Engine ................................................................................................................................................. 7 3.3 Table ................................................................................................................................................... 7 3.4 Fuel System ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 4: Dynamometer ..........................................................................................................15 4.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Loading Unit ...................................................................................................................................... 15 4.3 Power Dissipation ............................................................................................................................. 17 4.4 Torque Measurement ........................................................................................................................ 19 Chapter 5: Sensors and Control Systems .................................................................................22 5.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 22 5.2 Engine Controller .............................................................................................................................. 22 5.3 Load Cell Signals .............................................................................................................................. 24 Chapter 6: Testing and Results .................................................................................................27 6.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................... 27 6.2 Experimental Setup ........................................................................................................................... 27 6.3 Testing............................................................................................................................................... 28 6.4 Results .............................................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 7: Conclusions and Recommendations ........................................................................34 Chapter 8: References ..............................................................................................................35 Appendix A : Complete Parts List and Drawings ..................................................................... A-1 A.1 Bill of Materials ............................................................................................................................... A-1 A.2 CAD Drawings of Fabricated Tables .............................................................................................. A-2 Appendix B : Datalogs ............................................................................................................. B-1 Appendix C : Error Analysis .................................................................................................... C-1 C.1 Load Measurement Error................................................................................................................ C-1 C.2 Overall Error ................................................................................................................................... C-3 iii List of Figures Figure 1: QWCCR Prototype and CAD Model (J. Smith) ............................................................................. 2 Figure 2: 4-Stroke Cycle (AMSOIL) .............................................................................................................. 4 Figure 3: SolidWorks Table Model ...............................................................................................................