Programmable Electronic Control Research Articles

Thermographic Analysis of Exhaust Gas and Emissions by Varying Catalyst Behaviour and Injection Parameters

This study focuses on the detailed analysis of exhaust emissions from multi-point fuel injection (MPFI) engines by manipulating the injection parameters through a programmable electronic control unit. In addition, tests are carried out using different generations of catalytic converters and checking that their working temperature is correct using a thermographic camera, verifying operation, to evaluate their effect on emission reduction. Detailed comparisons of the results between these configurations will allow the identification of the combination that reduces emissions the most without compromising engine efficiency and performance. This research aims to promote a more sustainable approach in the automotive sector by properly configuring systems, but also by demonstrating the technical robustness of their application in vehicles. It has also helped to verify that varying injection and ignition parameters help to fine-tune fuel injection, resulting in efficient combustion. Combining this variation with catalytic converters has further reduced exhaust pollutants.

Development of a multipurpose heat treatment apparatus favorable for the growth of solution-based large-size crystal

An inexpensive temperature-controlled apparatus has been developed with the intention to use it during the growth of any solution-based crystal. It consists of a metallic cell and an application-specific, stand-alone, and programmable electronic controller. That can purposely deliver unequal heating power independently to its three individual heating channels. The system was designed with the aid of an Arduino-Uno board. It was indigenously built within the laboratory with limited in-campus facilities and using locally available standard electronic modules and components. It may have diverse applications for controllable synthesis processes in scientific laboratories and its structural as well as electronic design can be modified easily according to any specific user requirement.

Cassette Loading Units for Hanging Devices of Breeding Seeders

The cassette loading device of breeding seeders is designed for sequential movement of cassettes with seed material to the sowing apparatus of the seeder. (Research purpose) The research purpose is reviewing of breeding seeders with a cassette loading unit for sowing machines and analyzing the technical solutions used in the devices. (Materials and methods) Conducted a review of cassette seeders for sowing various crops in breeding and primary seed production in order to find effective technical solutions. We compared different design solutions of cassette loading devices and chose the most rational design elements. (Results and discussion) The direction of improvement towards the robotization of a cassette device for loading breeding seeders was revealed, which increases the productivity of this auxiliary operation and reduces the use of manual labor. A classification of cassette loading devices used on breeding seeders was proposed. Formulated the technical task of developing a new device design. (Conclusions) We analyzed domestic and foreign technical solutions of cassette loading devices for sowing machines of breeding seeders, determined their technical and technological features. It was established that the improvement of the cassette device for loading breeding seeders, which increases the productivity of this auxiliary operation and reduces the use of manual labor, should be implemented in the direction of robotization of the process of operation of the cassette loading device. It was stated that in order to create a robotic cassette loading device, it is necessary to develop a manipulator controlled by a programmable electronic controller and a control system that ensures: moving cassettes along a guide (carrier) plate and feeding them to the holes for unloading seed material into the loading cylinders of sowing machines; sequential feeding of cassette blocks to a cassette table (in the working area); synchronization of the seeding machines with the operation of the loading device.

The influence of a pulsed-DC field on the growth of the Fe2B layer and the electrical behavior of the boriding media

Novel results about the growth kinetics of Fe2B layers produced by pulsed-DC powder-pack boriding (PDCPB) on AISI 1018 and 4140 steels were obtained. In the process, a DC-field is applied to ionize the B atoms and implements a programmable electronic control device (PECD) to maintain a constant B flux on both surfaces of the material. During PDCPB, the electrical resistivity (ER) was reduced due to the percolation of KBF4 in the boriding media. Nevertheless, the increase of ER was caused by the depletion of KBF4 after 1000s of the current induction. The PDCPB enhanced the growth kinetics of the Fe2B layer around of 9% for both borided steels compared to those estimated in the conventional powder-pack process.

MODERN SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (Part 2. Safety indicators of control systems)

Purpose: Analysis and determination of the main modern international safety requirements that must be met in the design, development and operation of industrial equipment management systems, as well as confirmation of the need for further improvement of the domestic regulatory framework in this area. Methodology/approach: Performed analysis of the requirements of modern international standards (IEC 62061 and IEC 61508) on the safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems for industrial equipment and the existing sequence of protection against hazards; the algorithm of step-by-step realization of control systems and the basic features of the organization of their structures at the level of functional blocks and subsystems for maintenance of necessary level of completeness of functional safety are defined; the peculiarities of the process of design and development of each of the subsystems and the algorithm of its execution are analyzed; defined algorithms for estimating the probability of dangerous accidental hardware failures for the recommended basic architecture of subsystems (type A, B, C and D) and for the control system itself; provided recommendations on the composition of the specification of safety requirements in the design of control systems; reviewed software requirements. Conclusions: The analysis of the features of functioning and application of modern international safety standards, which must be observed in the design, development and operation of industrial equipment management systems convincingly confirms the relevance and need for further improvement of domestic regulations in this area. Research results: Modern requirements for the organization of the control system structure at the level of functional units and subsystems to ensure the required level of completeness of functional safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems for industrial equipment are determined, as well as features of application the of algorithms for estimating the probability of dangerous accidental failures of control systems and their subsystems. Practical implications: The development and implementation of relevant national standards based on IEC 62061 and IEC 61508 should accelerate the further development of technical progress in Ukraine in the field of industrial safety. Originality/value: Defining the main features of the functioning of modern international safety standards, which must be observed in the design, development and operation of industrial equipment control systems; Appropriate recommendations for their practical application are provided; Substantiated and confirmed the relevance and importance of the development of relevant harmonized national standards based on the standards IEC 62061 and IEC 61508.

MODERN SAFETY REQUIREMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (Part І. Safety indicators of control systems)

Purpose: Analysis and determination of the main modern international safety requirements that must be met in the design, development and operation of industrial equipment management systems, as well as confirmation of the need for further improvement of the domestic regulatory framework in this area.Performed analysis of the requirements of modern international standards (IEC 62061, IEC 61508) on the safety of electrical, electronic and programmable electronic control systems for industrial equipment and the existing sequence of protection against hazards; the main features of the architecture of such control systems are identified and algorithms for determining the main indicators of their functional safety (PL; SIL PL; PFHd) and an algorithm for ensuring the required level of security depending on the parameters of existing risks are provided. The analysis of the features of functioning and application of modern international safety standards, which must be observed in the design, development and operation of industrial equipment management systems convincingly confirms the relevance and need for further improvement of domestic regulations in this area. The main parameters (indicators) of safety of functioning of electric, electronic and programmable electronic control systems of industrial equipment are determined. Relevant recommendations are provided on the main aspects of their application and implementation according to IEC 62061 and IEC 61508.The development and implementation of relevant national standards based on IEC 62061 and IEC 61508 should accelerate the further development of technical progress in the field of industrial safety. Confirmed relevance and importance of the need to develop relevant national standards based on IEC 62061 and IEC 61508.

Pulsed-DC powder-pack boriding: Growth kinetics of boride layers on an AISI 316 L stainless steel and Inconel 718 superalloy

An alternative method called pulsed-DC powder-pack boriding process (PDCPB) is presented in this study. The main components of the PDCPB consisted of a metal box containing the specimen embedded in a powder mixture, and placed between two electrodes, which were connected to a DC power supply, and a programmable electronic control device producing the polarity changes during the process. A set of boriding conditions were carried out on the surfaces of AISI 316 L stainless steel and Inconel 718 superalloy using a constant current input of 5 A with polarity inversion cycles of 10 s. After the PDCPB, the boride layers were characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.The growth kinetics of the boride layers was established using a diffusion model that considered the mass balance equations at the growth interfaces, in which the boron diffusion coefficients in the layers were expressed as a function of the boriding temperatures to estimate the boron activation energies in the borided materials. The change of polarity in the electrodes allowed a uniform flux of boron during the process, obtaining similar layer thicknesses on the surfaces of the material exposed to the pulsed-DC field. Finally, the results showed that the growth rate of the layers was increased by the effect of the pulsed-DC field, whilst the boron activation energies, in the borided materials, decreased drastically compared to those obtained for the conventional powder-pack boriding process.

Risk estimation studies in the context of a machine control function

Nowadays the safety requirements of a machine are increasingly associated with programmable electronic control systems. Risk estimation is an essential part of risk analysis in a machine development process, because the categorisation and allocation of safety requirements is based on this. It is important to know how the risk estimation is performed, since wrong safety integrity level (SIL) or performance level (PL) selection may lead to multiple costs of the safety-related part of the control system. On the other hand, wrong PL or SIL selection can weaken the safety of the system. In this article, a risk estimation process of a safety-related control function is presented. Different groups carried out three case studies including risk estimation for the same safety-related control function of a machine. The results of the risk estimations of the groups differ from each other. The possible reasons for the variations are discussed.

Effects of premixed diethyl ether (DEE) on combustion and exhaust emissions in a HCCI-DI diesel engine

Abstract In this study, the effects of premixed ratio of diethyl ether (DEE) on the combustion and exhaust emissions of a single-cylinder, HCCI-DI engine were investigated. The experiments were performed at the engine speed of 2200 rpm and 19 N m operating conditions. The amount of the premixed DEE was controlled by a programmable electronic control unit (ECU) and the DEE injection was conducted into the intake air charge using low pressure injector. The premixed fuel ratio (PFR) of DEE was changed from 0% to 40% and results were compared to neat diesel operation. The percentages of premixed fuel were calculated from the energy ratio of premixed DEE fuel to total energy rate of the fuels. The experimental results show that single stage ignition was found with the addition of premixed DEE fuel. Increasing and phasing in-cylinder pressure and heat release were observed in the premixed stage of the combustion. Lower diffusion combustion was also occurred. Cycle-to cycle variations were very small with diesel fuel and 10% DEE premixed fuel ratio. Audible knocking occurred with 40% DEE premixed fuel ratio. NO x -soot trade-off characteristics were changed and improvements were found simultaneously. NO x and soot emissions decreased up to 19.4% and 76.1%, respectively, while exhaust gas temperature decreased by 23.8%. On the other hand, CO and HC emissions increased.

An automatic trimming machine for young coconut fruit

A prototype automatic young coconut fruit trimming machine was designed, constructed, tested and evaluated. The mechanism used features a sharp inclined knife which operates in translation motion in a vertical plane to trim the fruit, which is clamped tightly and rotates about a vertical axis. Machine components include a main frame, a body-trimming station, a shoulder-trimming station, a base-cutting station, a rotary base, three fruit holders, an electrical connection slip ring, a power drive and programmable electronic control. In experiments, the untrimmed fruit was continuously fed into three separate fruit holders. These in turn conveyed the coconut through the body-trimming, shoulder-trimming and base-cutting stations. The fruit holders continuously travelled in a circle encompassing every station in sequence. Optimal settings included (a) feeding rate of 86 fruit h−1, (b) 300 rpm rotation of the trimmed fruit, and (c) a shoulder knife height of 180 mm. Average loss rates were 0.35%, for the fibrous area, 2.5% for fruit damage and 14.5% for the untrimmed green area. The optimally trimmed fruit was accepted by growers and traders.

On the IEC 62061: Safety of Machinery-Functional Safety of Safety-Related Electrical, Electronic and Programmable Electronic Control Systems

On the IEC 62061: Safety of Machinery-Functional Safety of Safety-Related Electrical, Electronic and Programmable Electronic Control Systems

Study of Multiple Injections and Auto-Ignition of Diesel Sprays in a Constant Volume Vessel(Spray Technologies, Mixture Formation)

Non-evaporating spray penetration characteristics for multiple diesel oil injections at atmospheric conditions are studied by comparing numerical simulations, effected by means of two different numerical codes, and experimental results collected in a constant volume vessel of controlled thermodynamic conditions. Different injection strategies are implemented via a Programmable Electronic Control Unit on a Common Rail system with dwell time between injections up to the electro-mechanical limits of a Multijet injector. The instantaneous and total amount of delivered fuel is measured by an AVL Injection Rate Meter, operating according to the Bosch principle. Images of jets emerging from the nozzle in different operating conditions are captured by using an AVL Engine Videoscope with a CCD camera and a properly synchronized flash-like lightning system. The jets dynamics is extracted through a digital image processing software in order to analyze temporal and spatial behavior. The non reacting flow simulation is effected by means of the FIRE code, whereas the KTVA3 V code is used to analyze both the non reacting spray dynamics and the process of auto-ignition, combustion and pollutants formations. Reacting flow calculations are performed using a detailed chemistry mechanism for a diesel fuel surrogate. To get consistent data, the KIVA3V and FIRE predictions are preliminary compared for the same operating conditions. Reliability of both the code in predicting the spray behaviour is proven, by properly customizing the employed versions. The different multiple-injection schedules are found to have considerable effects on droplet and fuel vapor distribution, hence also on auto-ignition, combustion and emissions (soot, NO_X) formation. Among the injection schedules studied, the most optimal one is singled out as the one leading to complete fuel consumption and reduced amount of generated pollutants.

A Programmable Device for Simulation of Tidal Flux

An apparatus is described which permits precise, versatile control of simulated tidal flux in laboratory microcosms. A key component of the system, a programmable electronic control unit, can closely imitate any natural tidal function and is readily adaptable to other experimental applications that utilize timed switching capability. The programmable control unit is also cheaper and easier to operate than computer-based systems.