Type Of Propulsion Research Articles

Ways to improve performance of an internal combustion engine regarding the loading conditions of vehicle transmission

BACKGROUND: Import substitution has become the most important direction of the development of the country's economy in the conditions of the sanctions policy. In this regard, high requirements are imposed on the production to ensure the competitiveness of automotive machinery. Automotive machinery is a key component of the country's economy that is confirmed by the growth of road transport. Meanwhile, growth of the vehicle fleet leads to increase in consuming of petroleum-derived fuel, which main disadvantage is emission of harmful substances, therefore, internal combustion engines of automotive machinery should ensure low fuel consumption and less emissions of harmful substances with exhaust gases. However, the engine operating modes largely depend on the loads generated in the vehicle transmission.
 AIMS: To determine the possibilities of expanding the ranges of power regulation of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, on the one hand, ensuring low fuel consumption and less emission of harmful substances with exhaust gases, and on the other hand, providing with the power required for a vehicle to move, regarding the type of transmission and propulsion.
 METHODS: The analysis of possible conventional and unconventional operating cycles of an internal combustion engine is carried out. The method of mathematical modeling of the formation of torques in various types of vehicle transmission is used.
 RESULTS: Possible ways of expanding the ranges of power regulation of an internal combustion engine providing with the required power, low fuel consumption and less emission of harmful substances with exhaust gases, as well as transmission layouts and processes of forming the required power in them to ensure the vehicle movement are considered.
 CONCLUSIONS: The considered in the article approach of expanding the ranges of power regulation of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle makes it possible to conclude that it is necessary to use the principles of a scientific approach to the process of development of vehicle transmissions capable of controlling an internal combustion engine depending on loads, ensuring its operation with minimal fuel consumption and emission of harmful substances.

Differential Analysis of GPX Traces on Historical and Recent Satellite Imagery

High Power rocketry had observed great achievement in past few decades. It has a large tailing of propulsion technologies which are not only effective but also sustainable. Among all the propulsion types, like the most widely used in earlier era, chemical propulsion, Electric propulsion had gained there roots in the field due to its advantages in performance and durability in space missions. In this paper we will be dealing with the types of electric propulsion arrangement and network with its potentiality applications. The paper starts from giving an insight of traditional propulsion ways, like chemical propulsion, which were commonly used in rockets. With which the key features of electric propulsion including electrostatic, electrothermal, electromagnetic and electrodynamic thrusters have been discussed. With witch the main working principles, features and applications are discussed. Also the limitations of earlier propulsion system like efficiency of fuel and thrust have been discussed. In addition to which the the challenges faced during the era of the change in electric propulsion have been discussed which will help us to get an intuition of the phase change. In this paper we can come across at the result which demonstrates the advantage of electric propulsion over the old methods of propulsion. The advantages of electric Propulsion like extended mission duration, which increase the efficiency of mission, and the expanded payload capacity which gives a wide range to mission portrait. To sumup with which we will find the advantages of electric propulsion over other types of propulsion, with the advantage of electric propulsion and its wide features which gives a lead to our missions. Keywords: propulsion systems, electric propulsion, high-powered rockets, Hall Effect thrusters, ion thrusters, Specific Impulse, hybrid propulsion, experimental validation, cost-benefit analysis, space applications.

Effect of plasma confinement on laser ablation propulsion parameters by using external semi-elliptical cavities for Aluminum and Silver propellants

Ablative laser propulsion (ALP) is a type of beam-powered propulsion in which thrust is produced by ablating a target using a high-intensity laser beam. In this research work, we calculated the ALP parameters momentum coupling coefficient (Cm) and specific impulse (Isp) by confining the plasma with the help of external semi-elliptical cavities. The cavity minor axis was fixed at 2.5 mm while the major axis varied to 7 mm, 9 mm, 11 mm, 13 mm and 15 mm. Silver and aluminum samples were used as propellants. A pulsed Q-smart Nd:YAG laser operating at 532 nm wavelength was used to ablate the target. A significant increase in the value of Cm and Isp was observed using confined ablative propulsion. The highest Cm and Isp were recorded for the 9 mm major axis cavity, for which Cm was increased from 5.01 × 10−5 N-s/J to1.75 × 10−4 nearly 249% for silver and from 3.4 × 10−5 N-s/J to 8.9 × 10−5 N-s/J nearly 161% for aluminum. Hence the use of semielliptical cavities is an effective technique for enhancing propulsion parameters. Cavity acts as a trap for plasma and shockwaves. Confinement of plasma and reflection of shockwaves from the cavity walls results in enhanced laser ablation propulsion parameters.

Unmanned Wingless Rotorcraft Scaling

The work addresses the allometric scaling of unmanned rotorcraft. Compound unmanned rotorcraft are not considered in this study. A population of 93 unmanned rotorcraft are compiled into a single dataset comprising size and performance parameters, including the maximum takeoff weight, maximum payload weight, battery mass, battery capacity, rotor diameter, endurance, range, maximum speed, and operational ceiling. Rotorcraft are grouped based on rotor configuration, propulsion type, and perceived application to study the clustering of the data points. An apparent performance limit for unmanned electric rotorcraft is found at 120 min of endurance and in the 70 km range; a higher range and endurance are currently only achievable using thermal propulsion systems. Furthermore, the regression analysis links size and performance parameters in easy-to-use expressions for the preliminary design of unmanned rotorcraft. It is determined that size parameters have a stronger correlation with the maximum takeoff weight than performance parameters. Comparative analysis suggests that unmanned rotorcraft cannot be treated as a subclass of conventional helicopters due to distinct scaling behaviors. A comparison with theoretical models based on first-order physics principles highlights the major role of low-Reynolds-number aerodynamic effects in rotorcraft scaling.

Advanced Electric Propulsion Concepts for Fast Missions to the Outer Solar System and Beyond

Electric Propulsion (EP) comprises all types of space propulsion in which a certain amount of propellant is ionized and then accelerated by electric or magnetic fields, or both. This propulsion technology allows for much higher specific impulses (Isp > 2,000 s) than conventional chemical propulsion (Isp < 500 s), resulting in a major reduction of the propellant mass or a considerably higher final speed for a certain space mission. Hence, EP can enable very challenging space missions as DAWN has clearly shown. Furthermore, an EP system coupled with an advanced nuclear reactor could enable fast manned missions to Mars (one-way travel times less than 4 months). This propulsion technology can be scaled up to even higher specific impulses (Isp > 5,000s). However, the power needed for the same thrust is also increasing. An Oberth maneuver performed very close to the Sun could provide the additional power to a high-Isp Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) system in order to reach the needed delta-v for challenging interstellar precursor missions. A breakthrough in power source specific mass is needed in order to enable missions with ultra-high specific impulses (> 10,000 s); this breakthrough could be realized having the power source not on board, as with Laser-powered Electric Propulsion (LEP), where the needed power is beamed to the spacecraft from an external laser source. In this case the on-board power source is limited to a light-weight photovoltaic receiver/converter. The development of ultra-high Isp ion thrusters powered by an external laser source could enable the most challenging interstellar precursor missions up to the Oort Cloud and beyond. This paper gives an update on the status of these advanced propulsion concepts, and provides some examples of interstellar precursor missions enabled by advanced EP systems which could be launched before 2040. Keywords: Interstellar, Electric Propulsion, Oberth, Laser

Advanced Propulsion for Fast Lunar Missions

Half a century ago the Apollo missions carried 12 people to spend a short time on the Moon. After all this time, the space agencies of some countries and a number of private companies committed themselves to restart human lunar exploration, this time with the aim to establish a long-term human presence on our satellite and to start a lunar economy. Most of the planned lunar missions are based on the use of chemical propulsion, which allows to perform the one-way Earth-Moon travel in 3 or 4 days. Recently NASA and DARPA joined forces to develop a nuclear thermal rocket for planetary and lunar missions. In spite of the relatively small distance of the Moon from the Earth, carrying the required payload to the Moon is costly and there is some interest in using more advanced propulsion systems, with the purposes of reducing both the travel time and the cost. In particular, advanced propulsion devices will be developed for travelling to more distant destinations and, when they will be available, they could be used with advantages also for the Moon. The aim of the present paper is to discuss the perspectives which will be opened in the future by the possibility of using nuclear (both thermal and electric) or solar electric propulsion and, in a more distant future, nuclear fusion propulsion to travel to the Moon. A number of examples of lunar missions performed with different types of advanced propulsion show what are the conditions at which these advances can be achieved and which are the constraints that will limit these efforts. Keywords: Lunar Missions, Human Lunar Exploration, Advanced Propulsion, Trajectory Optimization, Specific Impulse Optimization

Marine vessel energy efficiency performance prediction based on daily reported noon reports

ABSTRACT The marine vessel performance is quite critical in the maritime applications. In addition to internal variables like fuel, propulsion type, and loading condition, external factors such as fouling, sea state, currents, and more affect ship performance. The goal of this study is to create a model to predict ship slip rate based on specified noon report data which contain sea, wind, WED, and, DAS. 30 different noon report values of a crude oil tanker have been conducted on the same route with similar loading condition and they have been analysed by the MLR and the ANN respectively. Although a meaningful relationship between the variables couldn’t create among the variables by the MLR, predicted ship slip values are very close to the verified ones in the ANN. Minor differences could be caused by changes in the amount of hull fouling, vessel loading conditions, reverse or different currents, quite unsettled weather, and sea conditions.

Seakeeping analysis of a tanker with hard sail-based wind propulsion system in various seaways

A hard sail is a type of wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) technology that incorporates wind energy to propel the ship with the help of sails and can significantly reduce the ship's energy consumption. This study focuses on the seakeeping analysis of a hard sail-assisted KVLCC2 ship in different wave conditions. A numerical simulation of the aerodynamic performance of a sail system consisting of two sails was done on ANSYS Fluent and compared with corresponding experimental data. The motion response and added resistance of a KVLCC2 hull in regular waves were numerically predicted in STAR CCM + software and compared with corresponding seakeeping experimental test data. The numerical results obtained for the tanker in regular waves show reasonable accuracy in predicting the hydrodynamic responses of the ship as compared to experimental data. A static analysis was conducted in MAXSURF software to verify the stability of the full-scale ship after the installation of the hard sails. Finally, computational analysis was carried out for the sail-installed KVLCC2 hull to evaluate its hydrodynamic performance for different wave conditions like the regular and irregular head sea as well as beam sea conditions along with expected operational and severe wind speeds corresponding to the model scale hull. The results show that the added resistance and motion amplitudes for the sail-assisted KVLCC2 ship do not change significantly in both operational and severe head sea conditions. However, in the case of a beam sea, there is a significant increase in both added resistance and motion amplitudes.

Parametric investigation of azimuthal instabilities and electron transport in a radial-azimuthal E × B plasma configuration

Partially magnetized low-temperature plasmas (LTP) in an E × B configuration, where the applied magnetic field is perpendicular to the self-consistent electric field, have become increasingly relevant in industrial applications. Hall thrusters, a type of electrostatic plasma propulsion, are one of the main LTP technologies whose advancement is hindered by the not-fully-understood underlying physics of operation, particularly, with respect to the plasma instabilities and the associated electron cross field transport. The development of Hall thrusters with unconventional magnetic field topologies has imposed further questions regarding the instabilities' characteristics and the electrons' dynamics in these modern cross field configurations. Accordingly, we present in this effort a detailed parametric study of the influence of three factors on the plasma processes in the radial-azimuthal coordinates of a Hall thruster, namely, the magnetic field gradient, secondary electron emission, and plasma number density. The studies are carried out using the reduced-order particle-in-cell code developed by the authors. The setup of the radial-azimuthal simulations largely follows a well-defined benchmark case from the literature in which the magnetic field is oriented along the radius, and a constant axial electric field is applied perpendicular to the simulation plane. The salient finding from our investigations is that, in the studied cases corresponding to elevated plasma densities, a long-wavelength azimuthal mode with the frequency of about 1 MHz is developed. Moreover, in the presence of strong magnetic field gradients, this mode results from an inverse energy cascade and induces a significant electron cross field transport as well as a notable heating of the ions.

Strength Analysis of Eight-Wheel Bogie of Bucket Wheel Excavator

Crawler travel gear is a type of heavy vehicle propulsion that is commonly found in tanks, excavators, and specialized off-road vehicles. They have an advantage over wheels when it comes to robust vehicle weight distribution over soft terrain, and some disadvantages as well. They can damage paved roads and have complex design so, considering the enormous weight they must carry, their reliability must be determined and verified. The main parts of the assembly are the drive wheels, which move the crawler, and the supporting structure that holds four-wheel bogies and two-wheel bogies. In this paper, we present a methodology for FEM analysis of parts of an eight-wheel bogie according to DIN 22261-2 standard.

Simulačná analýza trakčnej/brzdnej práce a využiteľnosť trakčnej charakteristiky pri znalosti energetických parametrov trakčného pohonu koľajového vozidla

This paper focuses on analyzing the driving characteristics of railway vehicles on selected tracks. The aim is to compare the vehicle's driving parameters when changing the propulsion system. The introductory part of the article discusses the transition from diesel to hydrogen propulsion, including a mention of modern vehicles using this type of propulsion. Furthermore, a specific railway vehicle with the potential for conversion to hydrogen propulsion is introduced. The main part of the article deals with the computational analysis, encompassing the characteristics of the necessary input parameters of the current propulsion system and the results of the vehicle's driving analysis. Subsequently, the vehicle's parameters were defined after the conversion to hydrogen propulsion, and an analysis was performed with these new parameters. The main goal was to compare the parameters of the current propulsion system with those of hydrogen propulsion on selected tracks.

ANALYSIS OF ROBOTIC FEEDERS FOR LIVESTOCK COMPLEXES FOR THE CATTLE BREEDING

Production experience shows that the development of agriculture follows the path of automation and robotization of production processes. (Research purpose) The research purpose is conducting a technological analysis of robotic devices for the preparation and/or distribution of feed mixtures at livestock complexes for the cattle breeding. (Materials and methods) Used mathematical statistics tools and software to visualize the results of the study. We analyzed the websites of manufacturers of automatic feeding systems, Russian and foreign electronic libraries of scientific literature eLibrary, Scopus, MDPI and others. (Results and discussion) The classification of the results of technological analysis was given. For the representativeness of the sample, we presented a list of machines, links to sources and analyzed parameters in the form of a table. The obtained information was investigated and statistically processed. The following parameters were determined as the basis of the analysis: type of propulsion; type of power plant or power source; presence/absence of mixing function; the design of the mixing unit; the presence/absence of a self-loading function. (Conclusions) It was revealed that 86 percent of the models in the line of manufactured robotic feeders are mobile, of which 50 percent are wheeled, and 36 percent move along suspended rail tracks. It was found that 9 percent of mobile robots operate from internal combustion engines, 44 percent - from the power grid, 47 percent - from the battery. It was shown that 59 percent of mobile robots perform the function of mixing, 41 percent - only the distribution of ready-made feed mixtures; the most common robot designs with a volume of 2-4 cubic meters. It was noted that one of the key factors determining the design of a robotic feed dispenser is the type of automatic feeding system that it is part of. It was stated that the further direction of the study will be the development of a conceptual model of an automatic feeding system for domestic farms and complexes.

Numerical Modeling and Design Challenges of Boundary Layer Ingesting Fans

Abstract Studies show that boundary layer ingesting (BLI) propulsion can provide significant fuel burn reduction relative to pylon-mounted turbofan engines. However, this type of propulsion can lead to serious difficulties and engineering challenges. Numerical analyses of the fan with a uniform flow at the inlet and that exposed to the distorted flow were performed. These required the use of a full-annulus unsteady time-marching computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, which was validated with experimental data obtained at a test rig. The first negative effect of the distorted inlet velocity profile is a variable incidence angle of the rotor. Both the calculations and the experiment show the nonuniform axial and tangential velocity profiles in front of the rotor. As a result, significant changes in the angle of attack of the blades and corresponding unsteady rotor loads are observed. The research was performed for different operating conditions to obtain performance curves and assess the BLI influence. This demonstrated the second problem arising from the operation of the fan with the distorted flow at the inlet, which is a reduction of the stall margin (48% reduction in the experiment). The whole stage was optimized for the axisymmetric flow to ensure a required value of stall margin and the highest possible efficiency at the design point. The experimental efficiency of the rig at the design point with the distorted inlet was 2.05% lower than the undistorted one. The CFD model shows a 1.25% reduction. Similar reductions were obtained for other operating points.

Bacteria-inspired magnetically actuated rod-like soft robot in viscous fluids

This paper seeks to design, develop, and explore the locomotive dynamics and morphological adaptability of a bacteria-inspired rod-like soft robot propelled in highly viscous Newtonian fluids. The soft robots were fabricated as tapered, hollow rod-like soft scaffolds by applying a robust and economic molding technique to a polyacrylamide-based hydrogel polymer. Cylindrical micro-magnets were embedded in both ends of the soft scaffolds, which allowed bending (deformation) and actuation under a uniform rotating magnetic field. We demonstrated that the tapered rod-like soft robot in viscous Newtonian fluids could perform two types of propulsion; boundary rolling was displayed when the soft robot was located near a boundary, and swimming was displayed far away from the boundary. In addition, we performed numerical simulations to understand the swimming propulsion along the rotating axis and the way in which this propulsion is affected by the soft robot’s design, rotation frequency, and fluid viscosity. Our results suggest that a simple geometrical asymmetry enables the rod-like soft robot to perform propulsion in the low Reynolds number (Re ≪ 1) regime; these promising results provide essential insights into the improvements that must be made to integrate the soft robots into minimally invasive in vivo applications.

Recent Process in Microrobots: From Propulsion to Swarming for Biomedical Applications.

Recently, robots have assisted and contributed to the biomedical field. Scaling down the size of robots to micro/nanoscale can increase the accuracy of targeted medications and decrease the danger of invasive operations in human surgery. Inspired by the motion pattern and collective behaviors of the tiny biological motors in nature, various kinds of sophisticated and programmable microrobots are fabricated with the ability for cargo delivery, bio-imaging, precise operation, etc. In this review, four types of propulsion—magnetically, acoustically, chemically/optically and hybrid driven—and their corresponding features have been outlined and categorized. In particular, the locomotion of these micro/nanorobots, as well as the requirement of biocompatibility, transportation efficiency, and controllable motion for applications in the complex human body environment should be considered. We discuss applications of different propulsion mechanisms in the biomedical field, list their individual benefits, and suggest their potential growth paths.

Current Status of Development and Application of Main Types of Electric Propulsion

Current Status of Development and Application of Main Types of Electric Propulsion

Experimental methods for determining the characteristic quantities of unconventional naval propellers

Basin research involves the practical realization of the scale structure and the analysis of the results according to the studied models and working frequency. The obtained measurements are close in value to those of the numerical simulations, this confirming the numerical results obtained with Ansys Fluent. The analysis carried out on the non-conventional naval propulsion includes all the calculation elements to be able to expand the understanding of this type of propulsion to be able to find the most suitable ones for use in the naval field and not only. The research carried out in this paper presents numerous elements of analysis of the unconventional naval propulsion system. By plotting and validating the thrust functions for a blade, a complete analysis of how this propulsion works is achieved.

Effects of Body Geometry and Propulsion Type on Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Interactions With Marine Vegetation

Abstract Interactions with marine vegetation can disrupt unmanned underwater vehicle missions. Very little information is publicly available about the mechanisms causing these interactions or the consequences of them. This article compares the interactions between three different style underwater vehicles and two different types of marine vegetation. Similar test setups and procedures were used to allow for the direct comparison between REMUS-100, BlueROV2, and GhostSwimmer vehicles. Experimental test runs were conducted at different vegetation densities using either synthetic eelgrass or synthetic giant kelp. The resulting interactions depended on the vegetation type, vegetation density, propulsion mechanism of the vehicle, and vehicle geometry. Synthetic giant kelp caused a multitude of interactions with the dominant ones being interference, blockage, and entanglement with the vehicle body. Collectively, these three interactions occurred 84% of the time on giant kelp runs where an interaction was observed. Eelgrass caused propeller entanglement and even body blockage depending on the unmanned underwater vehicle geometry. In high density eelgrass, we observed that a spinning propulsion mechanism experiences entanglement 100% of the time when at low speed. The use of an oscillating tail for propulsion coupled with a completely streamlined body appears to successfully mitigate adverse marine vegetation interactions.

CONFIGURATION OF HYBRID FUEL-ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT MODEL BASED ON FULL FLIGHT PATH PERFORMANCE

A new approach to enhance the performance of hybrid fuel-electric aircraft is investigated. This approach adopts Fuel-first strategy (FFS) to increase the effectiveness of electrical propulsion. To illustrate the effectiveness of this method, it is compared to other propulsion types. The FFS is based on starting the electric propulsion only after the aircraft reaches the lowest weight. That is, when fuel is fully consumed. This involves inflight switching of propulsion type, where the first part of the flight is powered by fuel only and the second part is fully-electric. A hybrid version of Piper Cherokee is used to demonstrate the new concept. Modified versions of Breguet equation and Payne range strategy are used to calculate aircraft performance. Adopting FFS resulted in 10.3% fuel saving relative to conventional propulsion as well 4.2% fuel saving relative to parallel hybrid propulsion. The main theme behind this proposal is that by consuming the fuel first, the aircraft becomes lighter sooner, and this enables the batteries to power the aircraft for longer range. Upon comparing the method with other methods in the literature, it was found superior in terms of fuel consumption and performance.

Analysis of the operation states of internal combustion engine in the Real Driving Emissions test

Internal combustion engines represent the largest share of motor vehicle propulsion types. Despite the introduction of alternative drives (hybrid and electric), combustion engines will continue to be the main factor in the development of transport. Therefore, work related to their technological development and reduction of their harmful effects on human health and the environment is required. The development of internal combustion engines can be seen in two directions: technological changes resulting in increased efficiency of such engines and the second direction connected with limi-tation of exhaust gas emission. The present work is included in the second direction of research interests and concerns the analysis of various operating conditions of internal combustion engines. The operating states, both static and dynamic, determine the operational properties of internal combustion engines, such as fuel and energy consumption as well as pollutant emissions. So far, such operating conditions have only been mapped on a chassis dynamometer in various homologation tests. The course of the type approval test was known and the conditions of measurement were also known, which made it impossible to introduce a random factor into such tests. Currently, these properties are determined in tests performed in real vehicle operating conditions – RDE (Real Driving Emissions). Such tests are representing real operating conditions of motor vehicles. Limitations for performing tests in real traffic conditions are, apart from formal requirements concerning the duration and distance of individual parts, the dynamic conditions of vehicles determined by the speed and acceleration of the vehicle. The study analyzed the properties of vehicle speed processes and engine operating states in the RDE test, taking into account its individual phases – driving in urban, rural and motorway conditions. Engine operation states are the processes of the engine rotational speed and its rela-tive torque. It was found that the dynamic properties of the vehicle speed process are much more significant than the engine operating states. It was also found that the road emission of pollutants in the RDE test, which is the property of vehicles measured in the test, the motorway phase properties have greatest impact.