Optimization of Engine Control Strategies for Low Fuel Consumption in Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles

The reduction of fuel consumption in engines is always considered of vital importance.Along these lines,in this work,this goal was attained by optimizing the heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine control strategy.More specifically,at first,a general first principles model for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and a transient fuel consumptionmodel for heavy-duty commercial vehicles were developed and the parameters were adjusted to fit the empirical data.The accuracy of the proposed modelwas demonstrated fromthe stage and the final results.Next,the control optimization problem resulting in low fuel consumption in heavy commercial vehicles was described,with minimal fuel usage as the optimization goal and throttle opening as the control variable.Then,a time-continuous engine management approach was assessed.Next,the factors that influence low fuel consumption in heavy-duty commercial vehicles were systematically examined.To reduce the computing complexity,the control strategies related to the time constraints of the engine were parametrized using three different methods.The most effective solution was obtained by applying a global optimization strategy because the constrained optimization problem was nonlinear.Finally,the effectiveness of the low-fuel consumption engine control strategy was demonstrated by comparing the simulated and field test results.

Real-world fuel consumption of light-duty passenger vehicles using on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems

An increasing discrepancy between real-world and type-approval fuel consumption for light-duty passenger vehicles(LDPVs)has been reported by several studies.Normally,real-world fuel consumption is measured primarily by a portable emission measurement system.The on-board diagnostic(OBD)approach,which is flexible and offers high-resolution data collection,is a promising fuel consumption monitoring method.Three LDPVs were tested with a laboratory dynamometer based on a type-approval cycle,the New European Driving Cycle(NEDC).Fuel consumption was measured by the OBD and constant-volume sampling system(CVS,a regulatory method)to verify the accuracy of the OBD values.The results of the OBD method and the regulatory carbon balance method exhibited a strong linear correlation(e.g.,R^2=0.906-0.977).Compared with the carbon balance results,the fuel consumption results using the OBD were 7.1%±4.3%lower on average.Furthermore,the real-world fuel consumption of six LDPVs was tested in Beijing using the OBD.The results showed that the normalized NEDC real-world fliel consumption of the tested vehicles was 13%±17%higher than the type-approval-based fuel consumption.Because the OBD values are lower than the actual fuel consumption,using a carbon balance method may result in a larger discrepancy between real-word and type-approval ftiel consumption.By means of the operating mode binning and micro trip methods,a strong relationship(R^2=0.984)was established between the average speed and relative fuel consumption.For congested roads(average vehicle speed less than 25 km/h),the fuel consumption of LDPVs is highly sensitive to changes in average speed.

Influence of driving cycles on exhaust emissions and fuel consumption of gasoline passenger car in Bangkok

The influence of different driving cycles on their exhaust emissions and fuel consumption rate of gasoline passenger car was investigated in Bangkok based on the actual measurements obtained from a test vehicle driving on a standard chassis dynamometer. A newly established Bangkok driving cycle （BDC） and the European driving cycle （EDC） which is presently adopted as the legislative cycle for testing automobiles registered in Thailand were used. The newly developed BDC is constructed using the driving characteristic data obtained from the real on-road driving tests along selected traffic routes. A method for selecting appropriate road routes for real driving tests is also introduced. Variations of keyed driving parameters of BDC with different driving cycles were discussed. The results showed that the HC and CO emission factors of BDC are almost two and four times greater than those of EDC, respectively. Although the difference in the NOx emission factor is small, the value from BDC is still greater than that of EDC by 10%. Under BDC, the test vehicle consumes fuel about 25% more than it does under EDC. All these differences are mainly attributed to the greater proportion of idle periods and higher fluctuations of vehicle speed in the BDC cycle. This result indicated that the exhausted emissions and fuel consumption of vehicles obtained from tests under the legislative modal-type driving cycle （EDC） are significantly different from those actually produced under real traffic conditions especially during peak periods.

Combining artificial neural network and multi-objective optimization to reduce a heavy-duty diesel engine emissions and fuel consumption

Nondominated sorting genetic algorithm Ⅱ(NSGA-Ⅱ) is well known for engine optimization problem. Artificial neural networks(ANNs) followed by multi-objective optimization including a NSGA-Ⅱ and strength pareto evolutionary algorithm(SPEA2) were used to optimize the operating parameters of a compression ignition(CI) heavy-duty diesel engine. First, a multi-layer perception(MLP) network was used for the ANN modeling and the back propagation algorithm was utilized as training algorithm. Then, two different multi-objective evolutionary algorithms were implemented to determine the optimal engine parameters. The objective of the present study is to decide which algorithm is preferable in terms of performance in engine emission and fuel consumption optimization problem.

Load reduction sintering for increasing productivity and decreasing fuel consumption

The technical and economical indexes and the physical properties of load reduction sintering processes with the supporting stands of installation at different height levels （300, 350, and 400 mm）： in a sintering bed were studied under the same conditions of raw material, bed height, and sintering parameters. Sintering pot tests with different bed heights and fuel ratios of the mixture with or without supporting stands were performed to decrease the fuel consumption. The airflow rate through the sintering bed was measured with an anemoscope fixed on the bed surface to reveal the effects of supporting stands. The utilization of load reduction sintering can improve the permeability of the sintering bed, and the airflow rate through the sintering bed is increased. When the stand height is half of the sintering bed, the productivity increases by 27.9%, and the drum index slightly decreases. Keeping at the same productivity level with normal sintering, the utilization of load reduction sintering can decrease the solid fuel consumption by 9.2%.

Fuel Consumption Potential of the Pushbelt CVT

The efforts to further reduce fuel consumption of vehicles equipped with a pushbelt type Continuously Variable Transmission(CVT) focus on different sources of loss.In this paper the magnitude of these losses and their potential for reduction is described.Inside the CVT,the variator,its control strategy and the hydraulic actuation circuit can be distinguished as the main potentials.A major opportunity is offered by a new control strategy that takes the actual slip between belt and pulley as the control parameter.The resulting decrease of clamping forces on the pushbelt leads to a reduction of variator and actuation losses.Further potential is found in the hydraulic actuation circuit by an improved tuning of the power supply to the actual power requirement.Outside the CVT additional potential is found in start-stop functionality as supported by measures inside the transmission.The paper describes the theoretical background as well as practical fuel savings of up to 5.5% that were obtained in tests on vehicle level.Slip control adds an inherent robustness to the operation of the pushbelt and opens up the fuel saving potential of the CVT thus reinforcing its position as the benchmark for the near future.

Fuel characteristics, loads and consumption in Scots pine forests of central Siberia

Forest fuel investigations in central and southern Siberian taiga of Scots pine forest stands dominated by lichen and feather moss ground vegetation cover revealed that total aboveground biomass varied from 13.1 to 21.0 kg/m 2.Stand biomass was higher in plots in the southern taiga,while ground fuel loads were higher in the central taiga.We developed equations for fuel biomass(both aerial and ground)that could be applicable to similar pine forest sites of Central Siberia.Fuel loading variability found among plots is related to the impact and recovery time since the last wildfi re and the mosaic distribution of living vegetation.Fuel consumption due to surface fi res of low to high-intensities ranged from 0.95 to 3.08 kg/m 2,that is,18–74%from prefi re values.The total amount of fuels available to burn in case of fi re was up to 4.5–6.5 kg/m 2.Moisture content of fuels(litter,lichen,feather moss)was related to weather conditions characterized by the Russian Fire Danger Index(PV-1)and FWI code of the Canadian Forest Fire Weather Index System.The data obtained provide a strong foundation for understanding and modeling fi re behavior,emissions,and fi re eff ects on ecosystem processes and carbon stocks and could be used to improve existing global and regional models that incorporate biomass and fuel characteristics.

Design and Fuel Consumption Optimization for a Bio-Inspired Semi-floating Hybrid Vehicle

Based on a bionic concept and combing air-cushion techniques and track driving mechanisms, a novel semi-floating hybrid concept vehicle is proposed to meet the transportation requirements on soft terrain. First, the vehicle scheme and its improved duel-spring flexible suspension design are described. Then, its fuel consumption model is proposed accordingly with respect to two vehicle operating parameters. Aiming at minimizing the fuel consumption, two Genetic Algorithms （GAs） are designed and implemented. For the initial one （GA-1）, despite getting an acceptable result, there still existed some problems in its optimiza- tion process. Based on an analysis of the defects of GA-1, an improved algorithm GA-2 was developed whose effectiveness and stability were embodied in the optimization process and results. The proposed design scheme and optimization approaches can provide valuable references for this new kind of vehicle with industry, military or scientific exploitations, etc. promising applications in the areas of agriculture, petroleum industry, military or scientific explaitations, etc.

A discrete-event model to simulate the effect of truck bunching due to payload variance on cycle time, hauled mine materials and fuel consumption

Data collected from truck payload management systems at various surface mines shows that the payload variance is significant and must be considered in analysing the mine productivity,energy consumption,greenhouse gas emissions and associated cost.Payload variance causes significant differences in gross vehicle weights.Heavily loaded trucks travel slower up ramps than lightly loaded trucks.Faster trucks are slowed by the presence of slower trucks,resulting in‘bunching’,production losses and increasing fuel consumptions.This paper simulates the truck bunching phenomena in large surface mines to improve truck and shovel systems’efficiency and minimise fuel consumption.The study concentrated on completing a practical simulation model based on a discrete event method which is most commonly used in this field of research in other industries.The simulation model has been validated by a dataset collected from a large surface mine in Arizona state,USA.The results have shown that there is a good agreement between the actual and estimated values of investigated parameters.

A comparative study of hybrid electric vehicle fuel consumption over diverse driving cycles

Environmental pollution and declining resources of fossil fuels in recent years,have increased demand for better fuel economy and less pollution for ground transportation.Among the alternative solutions provided by researchers in recent decades,hybrid electric vehicles consisted of an internal combustion engine and an electric motor have been considered as a promising solution in the short-term.In the present study,fuel economy characteristics of a parallel hybrid electric vehicle are investigated by using numerical simulation.The simulation methodology is based on a fast forward facing simulation model of a parallel hybrid and an internal combustion engine powertrains.The objective of this study is to present the main parameters which result in an optimum combination of hybrid powertrain components in order to obtain a better fuel economy of hybrid powertrains regarding different driven cycles and hybridization factors.Then,the fuel consumption of the parallel hybrid electric vehicles are compared considering various driven cycles and hybridization factors.The results showed that the better fuel economy of hybrid powertrains increases by decreasing average load of the test cycle and the point of the best fuel economy for a particular average load of the cycle moves towards higher hybridization factors when the average load of the test cycle is reduced.

Multi-objective comprehensive optimization of fuel consumption and emission for hybrid electric vehicles

Aiming to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of a dual-clutch hybrid electric vehicle during cold start, multiobjective optimization for fuel consumption and HC/CO emission from a TWC(three-way catalytic converter) outlet is presented in this paper. DP(dynamic programming) considering dual-state variables is proposed based on the Bellman optimality principle. Both the battery SOC(state of charge) and the temperature of TWC monolith are considered in the algorithm simultaneously. In this way the global optimal control strategy and the Pareto optimal solution of multi-objective function are derived. Simulation results show that the proposed method is able to promote the TWC light-off significantly by decreasing the engine's load and improving exhaust temperature from the outlet of the engine, in comparison with original DP considering the single battery SOC. Compared to the results achieved by rule-based control strategy, fuel economy and emission of TWC outlet for cold start are optimized comprehensively. Each indicator of Pareto solution set shows the significant improvement.

Analysis of Medical Waste Incinerator Performance Based on Fuel Consumption and Cycle Times

A detailed assessment of an incinerator based on fuel consumption and cycle time data is presented in this paper. The study was conducted at Temeke district hospital for 22 months consecutively covering 654 days of daily data collection on fuel consumption and cycle times. The composition for the medical waste incinerated varied between 15% and 35% for sharps waste and between 65% and 85% for other waste, with mean values of 25% and 75%, respectively. The results revealed poor performance of the incinerator due to higher fuel consumption (above 30 L/cycle). The incineration cycle times were observed to range between 2 and 4 hours, all of which were too high for the loading rates observed (55 - 214 kg). A strong dependency of diesel oil consumption on cycle time was observed due to lack of temperature control leading to continuous fuel flow into the burners. The incineration capacity was very low compared to other incinerators in terms of tons per year. This paper gives an insight on the factors affecting incinerator performance assessed based on diesel oil consumption and cycle times. It can be generalized that the incinerator performance was poor due to several factors ranging from poor incinerator design, operator skills, waste management practices, waste storage practices, etc. The hospital was advised to install a new incinerator with short incineration cycle time (30 - 40 minutes) and lower fuel consumption (10 L/cycle) at a loading rate of 200 kg/cycle.

The Effect of Lateral Offset Distance on the Aerodynamics and Fuel Economy of Vehicle Queues

The vehicle industry is always in search of breakthrough energy-saving and emission-reduction technologies.In recent years,vehicle intelligence has progressed considerably,and researchers are currently trying to take advantage of these developments.Here we consider the case of many vehicles forming a queue,i.e.,vehicles traveling at a predetermined speed and distance apart.While the majority of existing studies on this subject have focused on the influence of the longitudinal vehicle spacing,vehicle speed,and the number of vehicles on aerodynamic drag and fuel economy,this study considers the lateral offset distance of the vehicle queue.The group fuel consumption savings rate is calculated and analyzed.As also demonstrated by experimental results,some aerodynamic benefits exist.Moreover,the fuel consumption saving rate of the vehicle queue decreases as the lateral offset distance increases.

Research on ECMS Based on Segmented Path Braking Energy Recovery in a Fuel Cell Vehicle

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells are widely regarded as having the potential to replace internal combustion engines in vehicles.Since fuel cells cannot recover energy and have a slow dynamic response,they need to be used with different power sources.Developing efficient energy management strategies to achieve excellent fuel economy is the goal of research.This paper proposes an adaptive equivalent fuel minimum consumption strategy(AECMS)to solve the problem of the poor economy of the whole vehicle caused by the wrong selection of equivalent factors(EF)in traditional ECMS.In this method,the kinematics interval is used to update the equivalent factor by considering the penalty term of energy recovery on SOC changes.Finally,the optimized equivalent factor is substituted into the optimization objective function to achieve efficient energy regulation.Simulation results under the New European Driving Cycle show that compared with the traditional ECMS based on fixed SOC benchmarks,the proposed method improves fuel economy by 1.7%while ensuring vehicle power and increases SOC by 30%.

Fuel Consumption System

Fleet Management System (FMS) is a highly applicable system which gets more and more attention among industrial field. Recent years, fuel consumption has become one of the most concerned topics, hence, establishment of a fuel consumption monitoring system is required. In this study, based-on the FMS, a system which was capable of precisely monitoring and calculating the fuel consumption was designed. This FMS was composed of the front end Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) and the back end Management Server (MS). VTS was established and installed into the vehicles, based on several well-known technologies, such as Mobile Telecommunications Technology of GPRS or 3G, Global Positioning System (GPS), and On-Board Diagnostics II (OBD-II). In addition, VTS was also connected with the Vehicle Electronic Control Unit (VECU) through the OBD-II interface. By using GPRS/3G technology and the TCP/IP communication protocol, real-time vehicle operation data obtained from the OBD-II and positioning information from the GPS could be sent backward to the MS. The MS was designed through JBoss Developer Studio, and included the Data Collector (DC) and Web server. The DC gathers data sent back from VTS and the Web server calculates and decides the vehicle's present situation according to the data. The result can also be presented on websites by the Web server. In this study, the fuel consumption status of vehicles could be performed. Furthermore, the Web service also provided the users instant online manipulation.

A Novel Method for the Application of the ECMS(Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy)to Reduce Hydrogen Consumption in Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles are currently being considered as ideal means to solve the energy crisis and global warming in today’s society.In this context,this paper proposes a method to solve the problem related to the dependence of the so-called optimal equivalent factor(determined in the framework of the equivalent consumption minimum strategy-ECMS)on the working conditions.The simulation results show that under typical conditions(some representative cities being considered),the proposed strategy can maintain the power balance;for different initial battery’s states of charge(SOC),after the SOC stabilizes,the fuel consumption is 5.25 L/100 km.

Vehicle routing problem for save fuel consumption

This study has extended a vehicle routing problem,by considering economy of fuel,and constructing a LF-VRP model,to obtain optimal fixed costs.Our objective was to minimize not only distance,but also the fuel consumption.A example were developed to solve the proposed models.It was found that our proposed models yielded better results than the traditional VRP models.

Study on the Agricultural Fuel Consumption Subsidy Policy for Wheat Straw Low Stubble——Taking the Investigation of Wheat Combine Harvester as an Example in Xushui District of Hebei Province

With the improvement of agricultural mechanization equipment levels, the mechanized wheat harvesting level has been above 80% and the rate of wheat straw returned has increased significantly in the main wheat production of wheat of northern countryside in China. Chinese government popularized the beneficial agronomic measures in the process of wheat straw returned field by mechanization. The agronomic measure was reducing the wheat straw stubble height(WSSH) not more than 20 cm.However, local government didn't apply and disseminate the measure, because in practice the cost of fuel consumption was high, and the operation time of harvesting was longer than ever. The machinery operators and farmers needed to support extra fuel cost and time if they took government's advice. In fact, the objective subsidy policy of fuel cost on reducing WSSH was not been formulated by all levels of government. Therefore, the set of agronomic measure couldn't be popularized in main wheat production area of North China. Our research addressed to master the changing feature of fuel cost and mechanical efficiency,seeking suitable subsidy standard, providing some useful and constructive suggestions to improve subsidy policy of fuel consumption cost for national government department. The study carried out the tracking experiments of the operation efficiency and fuel costs of farm harvester in the situation of different WSSH in 2010 in Xushui District of Hebei Province. In conclusion, the operation time of harvesting decline and machinery fuel consumption cost increased along with the decreasing of WSSH. First for the older harvester, the operation efficiency would decline by 18.7% when the WSSH changed from 20 cm to 10 cm, the cost would increase 4.7%, exact cost was 152.2CNY per hectare. For the new harvester, the operation efficiency would decline by 39.9% when the WSSH changed from 20 cm to 15 cm, the cost would increase 4.6%, exact cost was 368.4CNY per hectare. We provided about 375 CNY per hectare to the mechanical operators and farmer who attended this project, and they were willing to accept the subsidies. We also put forwards some policy suggestions on promoting agronomic measures of reducing WSSH including strengthen the construction of agricultural machinery service system, practise a special fuel consumption subsidies of agricultural machinery and open up new paths for combine sales and circulation.

Lower fuel consumption model and air-flow segregation feeding system for sintering

In order to utilize the spontaneous accumulation of heat (SAH) reasonably and obtain the high quality sinter with low energy consumption, a lower fuel consumption modeling based on raw materials of a certain steel works was built. An air-flow segregation feeding (ASF) experimental equipment was designed to simulate strand feeding process and calculate the lower fuel consumption quantity. Compared with baseline test, the ASF experimental equipment was adopted. The results of sinter pot tests show that the solid fuel consumption is lower than that in baseline test, which is decreased by 5.8%. Meanwhile, other sinter indexes, such as pan yeild, tumbler strength and strand productivity are improved. The mineralogical examination indicates that the mineral compositions and micostructures are improved in sinter.