Abstract
This work concerns the design, fabrication, and preliminary characterization of a novel sensor for determining the air intake of low and medium power internal combustion engines employed at various applications in the marine industry. The novelty of the presented sensor focuses on the fabrication process, which is based on additive manufacturing combined with PCB technology, and the design of the sensing elements housing geometry, which is derived through suitable CFD simulations and is based on standard airfoil geometry. The proposed process enables low-cost, fast fabrication, effective thermal isolation, and facile electrical interconnection to the corresponding circuitry of the sensor. For initial characterization purposes, the prototype device was integrated into a DIESEL engine testbed while a commercially available mass air flow sensor was employed as a reference; the proper functionality of the developed prototype has been validated. Key features of the proposed device are low-cost, fast on-site manufacturing of the device, robustness, and simplicity, suggesting numerous potential applications in marine engineering.
Highlights
Marine industry employs a wide range of internal combustion (IC) engines for various applications; while their role as the prime mover of a vessel is undoubtedly the most important, it is broadly accepted that IC engines have a fundamental role in ship operations in general, making their proper operation crucial; for example, a typical Ro-Ro vessel has four medium power 4-stroke engines installed onboard, which are required for the operation of the corresponding generator-sets [1]; a possible failure even only at one of the installed IC
We present a novel air intake sensor, which is based on additive manufacturing and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology
A thermal air flow sensor for use as a Mass Air Flow (MAF) measuring device for small to medium size IC engines was designed and fabricated successfully, employing additive manufacturing technology combined with PCB technology; the proper functionality of the developed prototype was validated by performing a preliminary electrical characterization
Summary
Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensors are measuring devices integrated to IC engines. Their role is to measure the air intake during the operation of the engine in order to efficiently adjust the amount of fuel supplied during combustion. The sensing elements of a sensor developed with PCB technology are inherently connected to the macroworld, overcoming the necessity for performing wire bonding (a delicate process for the creation of the necessary electrical pathways between microscale sensing elements and the corresponding macroworld circuitry), with immediate benefits in device complexity, mechanical reliability, process time, and cost [5,6]
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