Industrial Engine Heat Balance Laboratory Demonstrator

ME 494 Project Design II

Spring 2016
California State University Maritime Academy

Project Advisor
Dr. Nader Bagheri

Team Members:
Elliot Ballard
Erin Bloom
Marco Levario
Jose (Mario) Rodriquez
Eric Sprecher

i
Abstract

This engine heat balance laboratory will make a lasting impact on the school campus and increase the

learning opportunities for both Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Engineering Technology (ET)

departments. Our Primary objective is to develop a lab that will demonstrate the thermodynamic

principles of engines. Students will be able to turn on the unit, run the engine with different fuels at

varying loads, and take data in order to conduct their own thermal balance calculations. The demonstrator

will be safe, practical, inexpensive, and have a lifespan of at least five years.

To accomplish this goal, it became our imperative to couple a 3-cylinder Kubota D902-ET03 diesel engine

to a Mecc-Alte AC03 120/240 Volt generator, implement existing instrumentation from a previous

generator project, display all the necessary engine temperatures to perform a thermal balance, provide

laboratory procedures, and provide a means of engine control for the operator/student.

Much effort was put forth by the team to create the laboratory, several key components were not

completed. The servo control for the engine was unable to operate, and how power was dissipated to the

Merlin Simplex resistor bank was not completed in time. It can be seen that our efforts, with the help of

various professors, a viable engine test bed will be created, and benefit the cadets of the California State

Maritime Academy as planned.

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Assembled Lab Setup

Figure 1: Finished Creo Model

Figure 2: Nearly Finished Thermal Balance Lab

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iv
Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii

Assembled Lab Setup ................................................................................................................................... iii

Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ ix

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... xii

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1

Background, Literature Survey, and Benchmarking ..................................................................................... 2

Project Schedule ........................................................................................................................................... 4

Gantt Chart and Timeline of Events ...................................................................................................... 4

Problem Definition Phase ............................................................................................................................. 5

Objectives, Constraints, and Functions..................................................................................................... 5

Pairwise Comparison............................................................................................................................. 9

Weighted Objective Tree .................................................................................................................... 11

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) ..................................................................................................... 13

Identify Constraints................................................................................................................................. 15

Identify Functions ................................................................................................................................... 16

Functional Box Diagrams..................................................................................................................... 17

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)................................................................................................... 19

Conceptual Design Phase ............................................................................................................................ 21

Evaluation of Design Alternatives ........................................................................................................... 21

Existing Caterpillar Marine Diesel and Baylor Generator ................................................................... 21

v
 Portable Generator Set ....................................................................................................................... 21

Gas Turbine ......................................................................................................................................... 23

Purchasing an Engine for the Existing 150 KW Generator .................................................................. 24

Engineering Design and Analysis................................................................................................................. 24

Power Transmission System ................................................................................................................... 24

Kubota Diesel Engine .......................................................................................................................... 25

Kubota Mini-Series Stub Shaft Assembly ............................................................................................ 28

Mecc-Alte ACO3-1L/2 Generator ........................................................................................................ 29

Engine Test Bed and Frame .................................................................................................................... 32

Mounting of the Kubota Engine .......................................................................................................... 38

Mecc-Alte Generator Mounting.......................................................................................................... 39

Instrumentation ...................................................................................................................................... 40

Thermocouples: .................................................................................................................................. 40

Rotameters.......................................................................................................................................... 45

Engine Auxiliary Systems ........................................................................................................................ 47

Fuel ...................................................................................................................................................... 47

Electrical .............................................................................................................................................. 49

Paneling............................................................................................................................................... 50

Heat Exchanger ....................................................................................................................................... 52

Design and Analysis............................................................................................................................. 52

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 Fabrication .......................................................................................................................................... 54

Model Testing ............................................................................................................................................. 57

Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 60

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 61

Recommendations ...................................................................................................................................... 62

Appendix A: Various Angles of First Iteration of the Test Bed.................................................................... 63

Appendix B: Bill of Materials for Test Bed .................................................................................................. 64

Appendix C: Heat Exchanger Program ........................................................................................................ 65

Appendix D: Combustion Program ............................................................................................................. 69

Appendix E: Energy Balance Equations ....................................................................................................... 73

Appendix F: Bill of Materials ....................................................................................................................... 75

Appendix G: Fall 2015 Advisor Report Sheets ............................................................................................ 76

Appendix H: Spring 2016 Advisor Report Sheets ........................................................................................ 80

Appendix I: Initial Proposal ......................................................................................................................... 89

Project Summary..................................................................................................................................... 90

Background ............................................................................................................................................. 91

Specific Goals .......................................................................................................................................... 92

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis .................................................. 93

Specific Resources Needed ..................................................................................................................... 97

Work Breakdown Structure .................................................................................................................... 98

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 Gannt Chart ............................................................................................................................................. 99

Appendix J: Fall PowerPoint Presentation ................................................................................................ 102

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Table of Figures

Figure 1: Finished Creo Model ..................................................................................................................... iii

Figure 2: Nearly Finished Thermal Balance Lab ........................................................................................... iii

Figure 3: Caterpillar Engine Coupled with Baylor Generator........................................................................ 2

Figure 4: Small Engine Test Bed and Data Display for Small Engine Test Bed .............................................. 3

Figure 5: Entire Schedule from Project Selection to Delivery of Final Hardware ......................................... 4

Figure 6: Objective Tree ................................................................................................................................ 8

Figure 7: Weighted Objective Tree ............................................................................................................. 12

Figure 8: WBS for the Project Overall ......................................................................................................... 13

Figure 9: Work Breakdown Structure ......................................................................................................... 14

Figure 10: Project Constraints..................................................................................................................... 15

Figure 11: Black Box Diagram...................................................................................................................... 17

Figure 12: Functional Block Diagram .......................................................................................................... 18

Figure 13: Portable Generator Unit (source: http://www.admarsupply.com/) ......................................... 22

Figure 14: Gas Turbine Installation in Power Lab ....................................................................................... 23

Figure 15: Kubota D902-ETO3 Diesel Engine .............................................................................................. 25

Figure 16: Hayes Stub Shaft Assembly ........................................................................................................ 28

Figure 17: Mecc-Alte ACO3-1L/2 Generator ............................................................................................... 29

Figure 18: 15/16” 6-Splined connection ..................................................................................................... 31

Figure 19: Salvaged Material Design........................................................................................................... 32

Figure 20: Structural Analysis of the Frame ................................................................................................ 34

Figure 21: First Draft of the Engine Test Bed .............................................................................................. 35

Figure 22: Engine Test Bed Takes Shape ..................................................................................................... 36

Figure 23: El Fabricante with Basic Engine Skid .......................................................................................... 37

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Figure 24: Engine Mounted......................................................................................................................... 38

Figure 25: The Generator Being Set for Alignment..................................................................................... 39

Figure 26: Completed Coupling Process ..................................................................................................... 40

Figure 27: Thermocouple Operational Check ............................................................................................. 41

Figure 28: Calibration of Temperature Display with Power Supply and Voltage Divider ........................... 43

Figure 29: Drilled and Tapped Thermocouple Fitting for Heat Exchanger Cooling Water ......................... 44

Figure 30: Fuel System ................................................................................................................................ 48

Figure 31: Kubota’s D902 Specific Electrical System .................................................................................. 49

Figure 32: Implemented Electrical Diagram ............................................................................................... 50

Figure 33: Heat exchanger lab double pipe fitting ..................................................................................... 54

Figure 34: 3D model of heat exchanger ...................................................................................................... 55

Figure 35: Heat exchanger leak test ........................................................................................................... 56

Figure 36: Brazing the copper fittings ......................................................................................................... 56

Figure 37: Thermal Balance Excel File ......................................................................................................... 60

Figure 38:Advisor Sheet for October 29th .................................................................................................. 76

Figure 39: Adviser Sheet for November 5th ............................................................................................... 77

Figure 40: Adviser Sheet for November 13th ............................................................................................. 78

Figure 41: Advisor Sheet December 3rd ..................................................................................................... 79

Figure 42: Advisor Sheet January 15th ....................................................................................................... 80

Figure 43: Advisor Sheet January 28th ....................................................................................................... 81

Figure 44: Advisor Sheet February 4th ....................................................................................................... 82

Figure 45: Advisor Sheet February 11th ..................................................................................................... 83

Figure 46: Advisor Sheet February 18th ..................................................................................................... 84

Figure 47: Advisor Sheet February 26th ..................................................................................................... 85

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Figure 48: Advisor Sheet March 3rd ........................................................................................................... 86

Figure 49: Advisor Sheet March 10th ......................................................................................................... 87

Figure 50: Advisor Sheet March 24th ......................................................................................................... 88

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List of Tables

Table 1: Pruned Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 7

Table 2: Important Design Requirements ..................................................................................................... 9

Table 3: Pairwise comparison ..................................................................................................................... 10

Table 4: Quality Function Deployment (QFD) ............................................................................................. 20

Table 5: Original Heat Exchanger Design Specification .............................................................................. 54

Table 6: Heat Exchanger Design Specifications Revised ............................................................................. 55

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Introduction

The Engineering Departments (Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Engineering Technology (ET)) need a

practical thermodynamics laboratory to supplement the theoretical knowledge taught in the curriculum.

Currently, no lab specifically addresses a thermodynamic heat balance. The Power Lab has amazing

potential but is severely underused. Current updates include the new diesel simulator and the wind tunnel

for the senior design project group competing in the Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Power

Competition. Though these new additions to the Power Lab are a start to modernizing the educational

opportunities of the Power Lab, much of the lab continues to feel like a museum of interesting engineering

relics with not much benefit to the academy.

In order to achieve the stated goals, it was proposed to use a Kubota D902-E203 engine from the Training

Ship Golden Bear and purchase a Mecc-Alte AC03 50/60 Hz generator set that will pair with it. The

generator will provide electrical power to Simplex Merlin 200 resistive load that exists within the power

lab location on campus. A frame made out of steel was welded out of material purchased from Alco Steel,

and from material found in the machine shop at CMA. A concentric tube heat exchanger made of copper

was designed in order obtain the mass flow rate of the exhaust gasses. K-type thermocouples were used

from an existing project to obtain various temperatures from engine components. These signals were

then sent to a channel box that is calibrated to display the correct temperature. It was decided that it was

simpler to use analog data acquisition with the channel box and physical flow meters instead of using a

LabView program. A simple control panel was also designed with a key ignition to allow the user to control

the heat exchanger pump, starter circuit of the engine, the thermocouple channel box, the fuel system,

and the throttle.

With this test bed, the student will be able to analyze the operation of the engine at different loads.

Specific data will be displayed to the operators in order for them to conduct their own energy balance

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calculations. With the knowledge of the design team, advisement from faculty, and sponsorship from

companies this lab will provide much needed practical application to the ME and ET departments.

Background, Literature Survey, and Benchmarking

The idea for this project was sparked by an existing senior design project completed back in 2004. The old

design project focused on coupling the 3126B Caterpillar Marine Diesel Engine to a 60Hz, 440V Baylor

generator. The power generated was sent to a resistor bank to be dissipated, and all the pertinent

thermodynamic information was displayed. A picture of this existing setup is shown in the following figure.

Figure 3: Caterpillar Engine Coupled with Baylor Generator

This engine generator setup is currently in the Power Lab and not being used. It has been out of use

because the generator is not sized properly to the engine and is unable to be loaded up in order to perform

a worthwhile heat balance.

There is also an existing small engine test bed (Figure 2) in the Fluid Mechanics Lab that was used at one

point during the school’s history. The dates of operation are unknown.

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 Figure 4: Small Engine Test Bed and Data Display for Small Engine Test Bed

This smaller engine is rated for 2.5 – 7.5 kW at 5,000 rpm. There is an instrumentation panel that

accompanies the test bed and displays data for a thermal balance analysis. This data display is shown in

the following figure.

The engine instrumentation panel displays operating instructions, RPM, torque (Nm), exhaust

temperature, and a fluid flow meter. Our finalized data display for our project will be modeled after the

professionalism of this installation.

During the first couple weeks of the Spring semester, Randy Thomas pointed us in the direction of several

engines that could potentially be donated to us from the ET department. Elliot Ballard then attended a

faculty meeting in which it was made known that there was a Kubota engine that could be used for our

design. It was a crucial moment in our project to decide on whether to obtain the engine and start building

a test bed from scratch, or to hold out and continue looking for a construction generator to be donated.

We had been looking for months, and we felt impelled to follow through with where the momentum was

taking us. We received the Kubota engine on January 15th and the rest is history.

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With proper instrumentation and data acquisition the engine can be analyzed through all loading

conditions. The lab must also be aesthetically pleasing and display the data well enough to be easily

recorded by students. Once data is obtained, the student will complete the lab by calculating engine

efficiencies and the amount of waste heat able to be recovered. This project will provide us the

opportunity to create something that modernizes the Power Lab and benefits future students.

Project Schedule

Gantt Chart and Timeline of Events

A Gantt chart is used to show a schedule of all the tasks and when they should be performed. Certain

tasks require others to finish before they can start, and the time for each task was determined using

conservative estimates. The schedule is very fast paced, and will be challenging to complete before the

end of the Spring semester.

Figure 5: Entire Schedule from Project Selection to Delivery of Final Hardware

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Problem Definition Phase

The lab has been designed to benefit future students in the engineering programs at CSU Maritime

Academy. Our main customers were identified as the students, faculty of both the ME and ET

departments, and the personnel associated with taking care of the facilities. An important goal of our

project was ensuring that it would be used for the next five years. A well-made list of objectives must be

written in order to be successful in our goals.

Objectives, Constraints, and Functions

A detailed list of objectives, constraints, and functions was made during a serious brainstorming session.

The needs of the students, faculty, and others who will come in contact with the project were considered.

The list is shown below.

1. Thermodynamics Lab

a. Demonstrates Thermodynamics Principles

i. Theoretical Heat Balance
1. Heat in
2. Work out
a. Parasitic loads
i. Lube oil pump
ii. Jacket water pump
iii. Fuel oil pump
iv. Fan
v. Cams
b. Break horsepower
3. Heat out
a. Lubrication oil
b. Jacket water
c. Radiation to environment
d. Convection to environment
ii. Actual Heat Balance
1. Heat Engine
a. Fuel
b. Air
c. Cooling
d. Lubrication
2. Measurements

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 a. Heat in
i. Mass flow of fuel
ii. Heating value for fuel
b. Work out
i. Break horsepower
1. Voltage
2. Current
3. Generator Efficiency
ii. Parasitic Loads
c. Heat out
i. Charge Air
1. Temperature
2. Flow
ii. Exhaust
1. Temperature
2. Flow
iii. Cooling
1. Lubrication oil
a. Flow
b. Inlet temperature of cooler
c. Outlet Temperature of cooler
2. Jacket water
a. Flow
b. Inlet temperature of cooler
c. Outlet temperature of cooler
iii. Compatible w/Multiple Fuel Types
iv. Display
b. Longevity
i. Minimum 5 year Life
ii. Easy to Operate
iii. Safe
iv. Low Maintenance
v. It will be used
c. Cost
i. Minimal/Effective
ii. Low Maintenance
iii. Receiving Funding
1. Donations
2. Funds from Engineering Depts.
3. Cal Maritime Fund
iv. Marketing Strategies
1. Make a team pamphlet
2. Talk with potential donors
d. Manageable size
i. Dimensions less than 6ft x 6ft x 6ft
ii. Power between 20-50 kW

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The previous list is then taken and pruned explicitly for objectives. This guides the design by leaving only

the necessary requirements. The pruned objective list is shown in the following table.

Table 1: Pruned Objectives

The objectives from the objective list are then used to create the objective tree. The objectives are placed

into a hierarchal structure and are used to better understand their relationship to one another. The

objective tree is shown in the following figure.

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Figure 6: Objective Tree

8
The major design requirements, the main branches of the tree, are shown in the following table.

Accomplishing these objectives will create a successful design.

Table 2: Important Design Requirements

Important Design Requirements

Demonstrate Thermodynamic Principles Compatible with Multiple Types of Fuel

Display Data Effectively Safety

Longevity Cost Effectiveness

Obtain Funding Obtain Physical Location/Space

Manageable Equipment Size

Pairwise Comparison

Each objective in the tree is organized in relation to its parent objective, but that does not readily display

the importance of each objective. A pairwise comparison is used to find a weighting number. Only

objectives within the same tier and the same parent will be compared.

A comparison table was made for each set of objectives that were being compared. The group voted on

which objective was more important and the winner was assigned a value of “1” while the loser received

a “0”. The results of each comparison were added up. An addition of one point to each sum prevents any

individual objective from receiving a score of zero. The tables can be seen below.

9
Table 3: Pairwise comparison

10
Weighted Objective Tree

The results of the pairwise comparison can be seen in the weighted objective tree in the following Table

3. Demonstrating thermodynamics principles was determined to be the most important objective, with

safety at a close second. The rest of the objectives are ranked in a color scheme with red being of high

importance and black being of low importance.

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Figure 7: Weighted Objective Tree

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Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Now that the objectives have been weighted a schedule can be created that will be used to plan a timeline

of events in order to complete the project. It is now necessary to construct a work breakdown structure.

A WBS for the Fall semester is shown in the following Figure 6.

Figure 8: WBS for the Project Overall

Tasks were further broken down and placed in order of logical completion. A full WBS is shown in

Figure 7.

13
 Figure 9: Work Breakdown Structure

From the WBS, a Gantt chart is created.

14
Identify Constraints

Identifying constraints was done in the same manner as identifying objectives. Information was gathered

on the physical limitations of the power lab, federal emission regulations, and the group’s personal

experience working with engines. A list of these constraints is shown below in Figure 8.

Figure 10: Project Constraints

There are definite requirements to be met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), building and

fire codes, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The size of the demonstrator cannot be too

large or bulky as it will have to fit in the power lab. Student safety is of a paramount importance, and will

manifest itself in what type of protection is used.

15
Identify Functions

In order to realize our design objectives, it is necessary to identify the functions that our design must

accomplish. There are many functions that have to do with the actual operation of the engine and

generator. Those that pertain to the Lab demonstrator itself are in bold. An entire list of functions is

shown below.

● Lubricate the Engine

o Pump LO
o Filter LO
o Pick Up Heat from Engine
o Dissipate Heat Picked Up from LO
● Cool the Engine
o Pump JW
o Pick Up Heat from Engine
o Dissipate Heat Picked Up from JW
● Take in Fuel
o Store Fuel
o Pump Fuel
o Filter FO
o Inject Fuel
● Take in Air
o Natural Aspiration
o Filter Air
● Combust Fuel with Air
● Route Exhaust Air out of Building
● Create Power
o Convert Chemical Energy to Mechanical Energy (Combustion Chamber, Piston, and
Crank Shaft)
o Convert Mechanical Energy to Electrical Energy (Generator)
● Dissipate Load Created (Resistor Bank)
o Cool Resistor Bank
● Display Data (Computer Monitor)
o Convert Mechanical to Electrical Signals (Instruments)
▪ Mass Flow
● Charge Air
● Exhaust
● Fuel
● Lube Oil
● Jacket Water
▪ Temperature
● Charge Air
● Exhaust Air
● Lube Oil Inlet to Heat Exchanger

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 ● Lube Oil Outlet from Heat Exchanger
● Jacket Water Inlet to Heat Exchanger
● Jacket Water Outlet from Heat Exchanger
▪ Voltage from Generator
▪ Current from Generator
▪ Analyze Exhaust Gases
o Interpret Electrical Signals (Computer)

Functional Box Diagrams

Box diagrams show the relationships between each function and their desired outputs. A black box

diagram is created to strictly show what are the inputs and outputs of the design. This is shown in Figure

9.

Figure 11: Black Box Diagram

After the black box diagram is completed, a clear box diagram is created showing the distinct paths in

order to obtain each output. Figure 10 shows the flow of material (in blue) and signal information (in red).

17
 Figure 12: Functional Block Diagram

It is necessary to have many sensors in order to calculate a thermal balance of the engine. It is anticipated

that the sensors which will measure flow, temperature, electrical load, and exhaust gas composition will

be needed to achieve the goals of this project. The data acquisition (DAQ) device will take in upwards of

12 inputs and output voltage signals to a computer. The black box diagram does not show how the

computer will take in the sensor information and conduct calculations before displaying the data. A main

artery of the project is deciding on what kind of instrumentation to use, how the DAQ will be set up, and

how the information is displayed. The rest of the block diagram is determined by which type of generator

setup is chosen, and is not specifically designed by the group.

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Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

Measurable design parameters must be set in place in order to know if an objective has been

accomplished. These metrics should be quantifiable and be set on educated target values. A quality

function deployment is used to establish these values. Customer requirements are determined and

identified in the left hand column. Each of the requirements must have an associated metric in order to

drive the design team’s focus as the project matures. Listed in the horizontal direction are engineering

characteristics that can be used to measure the relative success of each requirements. Cumulative scores

for each metric are tallied by factoring in results from the weighted objected tree. Results of the QFD are

summarized in Table 4 below.

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Table 4: Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

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Conceptual Design Phase

Evaluation of Design Alternatives

Existing Caterpillar Marine Diesel and Baylor Generator

Our initial interest in the project was spurred by the old design project, so it made sense to use that for

the new lab demonstration. Keir Moorhead, a graduate from of the CSUMA Mechanical Engineering

program and ET professor, worked on this generator set for his senior design project. He also has immense

knowledge in the realm of control systems and automation, and has provided helpful guidance in how to

accomplish this project. The old CAT generator set was a good choice because it would not require

spending time acquiring equipment. The facilities in the Power Lab were already in place for its use, and

instrumentation was already installed on the engine. The existing instrumentation may or may not be

operational, but could still provide useful insight.

There were several downsides to using the existing setup that were highlighted by Mr. Moorhead. It is not

known when the engine was last operated, and it will not pass current air pollution standards. The engine

is coupled to a generator that is too small to properly load up the engine. Essentially, the generator would

be maxed out while the engine was only operating at 20% load. The exhaust is not vented out of the

enclosed space, and would have to be designed.

Mr. Moorhead recommended that we attempt to find a construction generator that was already coupled

to a motor, easily moved, and might have a higher chance of being donated. This design choice became

the main focus for our project.

Portable Generator Set

There are many generator rental agencies that might have a set with high hours, and does not make sense

for them to have in their fleet. These sets are ideal because the engine is already sized for the generator,

21
and has the controls to provide constant power. They are also a good size (10KW – 50KW) for heat

recovery analysis. A photo of a typical unit is shown in the Figure 11.

Figure 13: Portable Generator Unit (source: http://www.admarsupply.com/)

The problem with this option is that instrumentation would have to be installed that can provide sufficient

information for a full heat balance to be accomplished. This instrumentation will cost a good amount of

money, and if a generator unit is not donated, then budgeting will become a serious problem.

Finding a construction generator set became the team’s top priority, and several approaches have been

attempted. A marketing pamphlet comprised of the team’s picture, a summary of the project, and contact

information was disseminated amongst several generator rental companies in Benicia, CA. A few vendors

expressed interest, such as Hertz and Aggreko, but nothing has materialized since the first meeting. An

older gentleman with warehouses full of old automobiles, and naval artifacts was willing to donate an old

8KW Volvo generator. The generator looked like it needed work, and it was determined that the team was

not desperate enough to accept the offer. This might change as spring semester starts and there is still no

generator in sight.

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Gas Turbine

There is currently a gas turbine that is installed and already used in power generation labs. This would be

a good option because it is an existing installation, and is in operating condition. No effort has been made

towards determining if the turbine is a viable option for the project. A picture of the installation is shown

below.

Figure 14: Gas Turbine Installation in Power Lab

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Purchasing an Engine for the Existing 150 KW Generator

Buying an engine that will better match the generator is one of the final options to consider. An engine is

cheaper to purchase than a generator yet existing equipment will still be used. The issues with this option

is that the engine will have to be coupled to the generator, engine controls and instrumentation will have

to be fully installed, and the money to support such a purchase may not be in the budget. An engine

mount will also have to be designed to support the installation. The group has spoken to Mr. Strange

about possible funding sources, and Mr. Moorhead has mentioned that he would donate a Mercedes

engine to the cause. This option was determined to be the most difficult to implement, and was not

explored further.

Engineering Design and Analysis

Power Transmission System

System Design Overview:

As was stated, this project is a re-development project based upon a past senior project which was, for

the most part, a thoroughly designed project. The Caterpillar Gen-set project included an advanced data

acquisition system and significantly more robust components when compared to the Kubota diesel gen-

set – the current project. However, the setback to the former project was that a 450HP engine was

coupled to a 201HP generator. They ended up with an engine thermal balance lab that could not develop

enough heat off of the engine. Of course, due to this extreme over-powering of the generator from the

engine – the engine could not be sufficiently loaded in order to effectively map the heat flux. That was a

primary goal for the current project. The power transmission system for this project had to be properly

matched.

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Kubota Diesel Engine

Prime Mover: Kubota D902 Diesel Engine, 16.1kW

Mechanical Coupler: Tapered Stub Shaft Assembly

Mechanical Load: Mecc-Alte ACO3 Generator, 15kW (rated power) / 18kW (Peak power)

Figure 15: Kubota D902-ETO3 Diesel Engine

25
General Specifications:

Engine Type: Vertical 4-Stroke Liquid Cooled Diesel Engine

Number of Cylinders: 3

Maximum Speed: 3200RPM

Output: 16.1kW (21.6HP)

Direction of Rotation: Counterclockwise (Viewed from power take-off end)

Bore: 72mm (2.83in)

Stroke: 73.6mm (2.9in)

Displacement: 0.898L (54.80cu.in)

Intake System: Naturally Aspirated

Emission Regulation: Tier 4

26
Incorporation into Project Design:

The Kubota D902-ET03 diesel engine was donated to the engine thermal balance project by the California

Maritime Academy’s Engineering Technology Department – a significant stakeholder of the project.

Purchasing a similar engine would have issued the cost of roughly $3,000-$4,000 (Based upon current

pricing of other Tier 4 D902 Diesel Engines).

The engine provided an initial design basis to work from as well as a cost-effective means of conducting

the project. In addition to the donated D902 engine, the engineering technology department provided 3

other engines to explore and salvage from. These engines included the Kubota ZB600-C, the Z400-B, and

the S2800-B diesel engines.

It was initially assumed that the engines were all in working order. In later discussions with the

Engineering Department, it was determined that these engines were deemed “Out of Commision” and

were therefore rendered unusable as options for prime-movers. With the elimination of the said engines

as viable options, another option was introduced – the D902 diesel engine.

The California Maritime Academy’s engineering department had a number of Kubota diesel engines which

were donated for the use of education while underway on cruise. Though most of these engines were

severely out of working order – one engine was set aside. This was the engine that was donated to the

cause of the project. The engine was in top working condition and showed no signs of educational

tampering.

The ZB600, Z400, and S2800 still played a very important role in the engine thermal balance project as

they included radiators, cooling hoses, electrical harnesses, key-switches, and many other associated

components. That being said, the three said diesel engines provided extremely economic means of

acquiring necessary engine components – so long as they were compatible with the D902. For the most

part, these components were compatible.

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Kubota Mini-Series Stub Shaft Assembly

Figure 16: Hayes Stub Shaft Assembly

Incorporation into Project:

The Kubota Mini Series Stub Shaft Assembly was donated by the Hayes Manufacturing Company out of

Neenah, Wisconsin. This system component was priced at $641.00, however, through its donation, the

product only had project cost of $29.99 for shipping and handling.

This component was selected after many hours of research and consulting with various companies. Other

design alternatives included flexible lock jaw type couplings, flexible flywheel flange type couplings, spring

and rubber assembly couplings, universal joint type couplings, bent space-frame type couplings, and

finally the stub shaft assembly coupling.

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The stub shaft assembly falls under the category of a tapered stub coupling – very similar to the tapered

connections used on a precision mill. The tapering feature of the coupling provided the most viable

characteristic for the coupling: no mechanical misalignment, as long as the torque specifications were

met.

This was not the only reason why this coupling was chosen for the design. It was also chosen on the basis

of mating with a specific generator – a generator with a SAE J609a B-type flange. Coincidently, a generator

was found which would effectively serve the purpose of completely loading the Kubota D902 diesel engine

throughout its operating range. Further details on this generator has been provided in the generator

system component section of this report.

Mecc-Alte ACO3-1L/2 Generator

Figure 17: Mecc-Alte ACO3-1L/2 Generator

General Specifications:

Generator Type: Self-Regulating, single bearing, wound induction generator

29
Power Output: 15kW (Rated) / 18kw (Peak)

Voltage: 120/240VAC

Pole: 2-Pole

Phase: 1φ

Operating Speed: 50Hz @ 3000RPM / 60Hz @ 3600RPM

Voltage Regulation means: Parallel Capacitors

Incorporation into Project:

The Mecc-Alte ACO3 generator was chosen due to its availability in a J609a B-type mating feature and

because of its economic viability.

As was stated, if a generator was found which enabled a J609a B-type mating feature it would introduce

an avenue which incorporated no mechanical misalignment (This was because of the tapered stub shaft

coupling). Having the ability to coupling a generator which included no mechanical misaligned with the

generator would not only simplify the project at hand but it would ensure further longevity into the

project – a project which is intended to leave a lasting legacy in the engineering curriculum at the

California Maritime Academy.

An addition reason why this generator was chosen was because of its economic viability. The generator

was found on EBay; it was originally priced at $1000.00 but was on sale at price of $600.00 with free

shipping and handling at the time.

That being said, the combination which was found had a significant impact on the project. As was stated,

it greatly simplified the project mechanically, it reduced the overall cost of the project – enabling an

overall price of $630.00 ($600.00 for the generator and $29.99 for the shipping and handling of the

30
generator drive). If expedited measures were not taken, or if timing was not in the project group’s favor,

these components would have issued a gross cost of $1671.00 ($1000.00 for the generator, $641.00 for

the drive, in addition to the $29.99 S&H of the drive).

Without a doubt, these two components of the power transmission system proved to be the most difficult

aspects for the project’s mechanical buildup and acquisition stage. It started with many attempts at

finding a coupling which incorporated a 15/16” 6-Splined connection; this would enable direct coupling

to the engine as it was given. The following picture depicts the 6-Splined connecting which was bolted to

the flywheel initially fitted to the donated D902 diesel engine.

Figure 18: 15/16” 6-Splined connection

It was found that any coupling which incorporated a 15/16” 6-Splined connection could not be

affixed to a generator which was compatible with D902. As was stated, various coupling types were

explored, however none were readily available which could enable a drive train meeting the project’s

design requirements. This dilemma is what lead to the final solution of the project’s final drive train

mechanism.

31
Engine Test Bed and Frame

The initial thought process and inspiration for the test bed came from the Caterpillar Gen Set. Since our

project budget was limited, we originally set out a plan to salvage as much material from the existing

frame in order to incorporate it into our design. The benefits of this option were to minimize the

fabrication time by simply cutting sections down to fit the dimensional requirements of our engine and

generator. The Figure below illustrates an early rendering of the modification that would have been a

viable option. Not only would this option minimize cost and fab time, the design had incorporated

isolation mounts to mitigate the vibration inherent with any running engine.

Figure 19: Salvaged Material Design

After exploring this option with the Engineering Technology department, we were unable to pursue this

plan due to the logistics of storing and transporting the original gen set following disassembly for

material salvaging. Consequently, we began exploring a complete redesign of the test bed that would

32
attempt to build upon the success of the original design while incorporating feedback from the ET

department.

One of the ideas that was brought to attention while speaking with the ET department was to

incorporate mobility into the design of the project. Understandably so, the original project did not

consider this due to the shear mass of the equipment. Our project differed from the original due to the

ultimate selection of equipment that was significantly smaller and more accommodating to mobility To

do so, we sought to minimize the weight of the overall structure without compromising the structural

integrity. We chose 3/16th in angle steel to form the base structure composed of stanchions and upper

and lower rectangular rings. This particular cut was selected due to the availability of material, stability

under heavy loads, and cost. Unlike the square tubing used for the existing gen set on campus, angle

steel would significantly reduce the weight of the structure. A conceptual design with is presented

below in the following figure. The model was analyzed given the weight of the selected Kubota Engine

(158 lbs) and the MeccAlte Generator (110 lbs).

33
 Figure 20: Structural Analysis of the Frame

The results above predict a more than sufficient structural design for supporting the most significant

components. In addition, the total weight based on the solid model and referenced material properties

is approximately 180lbs. Altogether, the frame and gen set was predicted to weigh approximately

450lbs. This estimate does not include the weight of additional structural supports and subsystems but

represents the most significant contributor to the overall weight. This estimate was used to select a set

of casters that were to provide the mobility goal. The casters selected were acquired on campus from

Randy Thomas. The exact specification on the casters is unknown, but based on similar models and sizes

found online the capacity of each one should easily exceed 500lbs. Once the engine and generator were

mounted, the caster selection proved to be successful by the relative ease in rolling the gen set around

the power lab.

34
There was plenty of material at our disposal in the machine shop so it was decided to build the frame out

of steel, and weld most of the connections instead of using hardware. Welding provides a very strong

bond, prevents noise when vibrating, and is a good skill to learn. All those who partook in building the

frame learned quite a bit about the welding process and how to prevent heat warpage of metal parts. The

engine test bed started with a simple CREO design shown in the following figure.

Figure 21: First Draft of the Engine Test Bed

This preliminary design allowed us to make estimates on how much material would be needed to

accomplish the build. Appendix A shows several other angles of the test bed, and Appendix B shows the

estimation of materials from the CREO program.

This first iteration of the test bed only contains the engine, generator, gas tank, and battery. It does not

contain information on the heat exchanger system, control panel, electrical breaker box, and fuel system.

This as a good base to go off of, and it was decided to go ahead with construction, and then accommodate

our design to the framework of the frame. An initial stage of the frame construction procedure is shown

in the following figure.

35
 Figure 22: Engine Test Bed Takes Shape

A level was used to make sure that the legs were as straight as possible in order to transmit weight

effectively. At this point in the project it was unknown how much weight was going to be placed on the

skid, so thicker metal and an increased amount of welds were necessary. Mario, a.k.a. the fabricator,

stands over the completed basic frame on casters. It was at this point that work could be done on

mounting the engine.

36
Figure 23: El Fabricante with Basic Engine Skid

37
Mounting of the Kubota Engine

The next step in the test bed process was to mount the engine, and then adjust the generator mounting

as needed for the coupling procedure. Vibration became a concern for us and it became our prerogative

to mount the engine on rubber shock mounts. Four arms were manufactured out of square steel tubing,

welded, and affixed to the frame via these shock mounts. The engine with the mounting arms can be seen

in the following figure.

Figure 24: Engine Mounted

38
Mecc-Alte Generator Mounting

Being able to adjust the generator as much as possible was desired in order to accomplish the coupling

procedure. The initial design called for using solid rectangular plate, but that did not provide the rigidity

that was required. Channel-type steel beams were used because of their increased stiffness properties.

These beams were tacked into place, and drilled with the mounting pattern on the underside of the

generator. Height adjustment was brought about through using stock all thread, washers and bolts. Each

support leg could then be adjusted in order to get the right level. The following figure shows the generator

in the air with chain falls, and the adjustable mountings on the frame.

Figure 25: The Generator Being Set for Alignment

The Hayes tapered cone generator end, too much of the quess-work out of the shaft alignment, as the

gen-set would be rigidly mounted to the power end of the engine. The finished coupling process can be

seen in the following figure.

39
 Figure 26: Completed Coupling Process

It was at this point that other mission critical aspects of the project could be mounted.

Instrumentation

Thermocouples:

All of the thermocouples used were pulled off the of the Caterpillar engine. Based on the wire colours of

red and yellow, it was determined that all the thermocouples were K type. A standard K type

thermocouple table was used to verify that all thermocouples output a voltage in the range of what was

expected at known temperatures. The initial test was in ice water and boiling water because the

temperature of those two states is fixed and known. This setup can be seen below in the figure.

40
 Figure 27: Thermocouple Operational Check

It was determined that all thermocouples did output a voltage that corresponded to the table, but all had

an offset. This offset was determined to be from the copper connection to the thermocouple leads. This

second connection of dissimilar metals created another thermocouple that induced a voltage offset.

Data Acquisition

The next step was to figure out how to convert the thermocouple output voltage to a relevant

temperature reading. A DAQ was first considered because of prior experience, but with that DAQ, we

would need a computer to run LabView. The only available computer to do this was in the power lab and

would need to be shared with the wind turbine group. This was determined not to be a good solution

because on presentation day the computer would have to be shared between the two groups. This would

cause time delays and would lead to potential technical difficulties. It was then determined that a direct

conversion box that would read the thermocouple output and display a temperature would be the best

41
option. This would keep the Lab completely self-contained and be much less complicated having an

analog readout verses a large set of data. The heat exchanger lab that is currently used, is set up the same

way with an analog readout that the user writes down. The idea was that the experiment was to be run

at a steady state. Therefore, the temperatures being recorded would be relatively constant.

With the decision made to use an analog display of temperatures the next step was to source and

purchase a device that would be useful for the lab. The initial search was for a digital thermocouple

temperature display and a selection knob. Upon further research an Omega Instrumentation product was

found that would display the temperature that the thermocouples were reading and had a built in selector

switch for ten thermocouples. This product is the Omega DP460-T digital thermometer for thermocouples

and resistive temperature devices (RTD). Buying a new DP460-T at $280+ was not in our budget, and after

some searching, a used DP460-T digital thermometer was found being sold as lab equipment surplus from

a terminated experiment for $50. More research was done to make sure that this product is what we

needed and could be used. The manual was located online that included instructions on how to configure

the DP460-T setup to read thermocouples ranging from K to E type, RTDs, and calibration of the

temperature display. It was determined that we would be able to configure this product to our needs and

the order was made.

Upon arrival the DP460-T was tested with the K type thermocouples on all ten channels. It was

determined that all channels were functioning and could be used in our experiment. Upon a closer look,

the factory plate was labeled for reading T type thermocouples. The front panel was taken off, and sure

enough the selector was set to “T” meaning that it would display a temperature that corresponded to the

voltage output of a T type thermocouple. The selector was simply switched to K. It was also noted that a

jumper wire inside the housing of the instrumentation was a piece of T type thermocouple wire. The wire

was replaced with a piece of K type thermocouple wire. The calibration was of the DP460-T was then

checked by following the instructions in the manual.

42
In order to calibrate the DP460-T a 39.000 mVDC power source was needed. There was no power source

on campus that could output such a small voltage that precisely. With a little help from Randy Thomas

and digging back to the days of circuits class, it was determined that a voltage divider could be used to

obtain a 39.000 mVDC output. By using the simple Equation below an input voltage that could be

generated with a power supply was calculated and used to generate the required voltage.

𝑅𝑅1
𝑉𝑉𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 = 𝑉𝑉𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝑅𝑅𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇

Vin is the voltage from the power supply, R1 is the resistance over which the output leads are, RTotal is the

total resistance of the divider circuit, and Vout is the measured output voltage over R1. The Figure below

shows the DP460-T displaying the proper values as the multimeter is reading exactly 39.000 mVDC. Once

calibration was complete, the selector was turned to “K” for K type thermocouples.

Figure 28: Calibration of Temperature Display with Power Supply and Voltage Divider

43
Thermocouple Mounting

All of our thermocouples were taken off of an existing senior project located in the power lab. This added

a layer of difficulty to our project because all the thermocouples varied in length, diameter, and thread

type. Making these work for our installation proved to be a more difficult process than originally

envisioned. Thermocouples need to have proper immersion within the process fluid in order to send an

accurate reading. Thermocouples need to be sufficiently far enough away from the wall of a pipe to avoid

the no-slip condition some literature state that probe should reach ⅓ to ½ of the diameter of the pipe, or

at least ten time the wall thickness of the protective shield.

Our plan called for making wet-well mounts where the thermocouple would physically sit within the

process fluid. This seemed like an easier option at the time, but would create more difficulties later on.

Different approaches were taken, and each had their respective problems. Separate fittings could be used

with the proper thread type, but would not provide the proper depth. Many fittings were made out of

plastic, but would not connect to two different hose sizes as we had coming out of the engine. It was

decided to drill and tap pipe fittings for each individual thermocouple. An example of a finished

thermocouple fitting is shown in the following figure.

Figure 29: Drilled and Tapped Thermocouple Fitting for Heat Exchanger Cooling Water

44
The drill and tap process is fairly simple, but requires some patience. Especially when you are unable to

find the proper drill sizes that you need to make a secure tap. These fittings looked promising, but it is

very hard to seal off leaks if the threads are not tight enough. The most troublesome fitting was the jacket

water coming out of the engine. The best way to go about mounting the thermocouples would be to

purchase dry-well mounts where the probe is not in physical contact with the medium being measured.

During the first test run of the engine with all the thermocouples in place to take measurements none of

the displayed temperatures were responding in a way that we expected. Negative numbers were being

displayed, and some channels were not changing at all, or very little. This did not draw much concern

because it was obvious to me that there must be a lead connected backwards, and I would have to figure

out which one it was. The first thing checked was to make sure all the thermocouples were connected

properly with positive leads to positive connections. This was critical because a person conventionally

thinks of the red lead as the positive, but in the case of thermocouple wire the red lead is negative. All

the thermocouples were connected properly, but there was only one other connection that could be

switched. The jumper of K type thermocouple wire needed to be connected to the connection board to

the processor box of the DP460-T. This wire was connected correctly to the processor box and an

assumption was made that the wire should be connected to the connection board in the same fashion. It

so happened that the connection board was opposite of the processor box. So, the negative lead was

connected to the positive connection, and vice versa for the positive lead. Upon making that switch the

display output correct temperatures and when thermocouples were heated the temperature rose.

Rotameters

Research was done to determine what type of instrumentation there was available to determine the flow

rate of fluids. With the initial notion of using a DAQ we were looking at turbine flow meters. Turbine flow

meters turned out to be very expensive though, and they did not span into the low flow rates that were

45
calculated to be used in the heat exchanger or the engine jacket water. When it was determined that a

DAQ would not be use, it made selection of a flow rate measuring device much easier. It was clear that a

rotameter would be ideal because the span and resolution can reach low flow rates fairly accurately. Also,

they would be easy to install, and easy to read during the experiment.

When it came to searching for the appropriate rotameters for the heat exchanger cooling water, and the

engine jacket water the heat exchanger had been designed to operate under a specific flow rate and

temperature. A rotameter with a 3.5 GPM maximum flow rate was chosen that was made of acrylic that

was rated for a maximum temperature of 130F. The rotameter for the engine jacket water was not as

easy to determine what was required because we had no idea what the radiator outlet temperature of

the water would be, and despite doing some research no conclusive estimate could be made. On top of

that, there was no way to know in what range of rate the pump on the engine would be moving the engine

jacket water. It was getting close to the build deadline and a chance was taken to order the same

rotameter as what was ordered for the heat exchanger. This would at least give us some way of measuring

the flow of the engine jacket water and gave us an idea of how much, or little, the flow was.

When it came to testing the engine, the heat exchanger rotameter worked perfectly. We were able to

throttle the flow of the cooling water and observe the measured flow increase and decrease based on

how much the valve was throttled. The rotameter for the engine jacket water on the other hand did not

move as much as we had anticipated. There was a 0.5 GPM flow measured while the engine was running

at full throttle, which is on the lower limits of the rotameter with poor resolution. Another rotameter was

ordered with a maximum flow rate of 1.0 GPM.

46
Engine Auxiliary Systems

Fuel

In order to make calculations easier, we wanted to take measurements as a mass flow rate. Flow meters

were considered, but it was determined that they are not accurate enough to measure the small amounts

of fuel being consumed at any given time. From there on out it was determined that to keep with the

measurement of mass a scale would be used to measure the amount of fuel in a tank at the beginning

and at the end of the experiment. This idea was eventually scrapped after a lot of thought of how it would

be done with hoses hanging off of a container being weighed. From there we decided on the traditional

volume measurement with the use of a graduated cylinder. We thought this would be an easy and simple

solution. As it turned out, it was a little more involved than initially anticipated.

The first step was to figure out how much fuel we would need to run the experiment long enough for

students to collect all the temperatures and flow rate, and allow enough time for fuel consumption to be

significant enough for useable data. Based on a performance chart of the engine, the break specific fuel

consumption (BSFC) could possibly be as high as 270g/kw h. Based on the BSFC and knowing that the

maximum load we would put on the engine is 15 kw it was calculated that the engine could run on 379.2

ml of fuel for five minutes on maximum load, and 758.4 ml of fuel for ten minutes. The available clear

pipe that could be ordered started at one inch nominal in two foot increments and went up in size from

there. Calculations were done for the maximum amount of fuel each a one inch two foot long schedule

40 pipe could hold considering loss in length due to fittings, and a 1 ¼ inch two foot long schedule 40 pipe.

It was determined from these calculations that a two foot section of the one inch pipe could hold 300 ml

in a length of 21.183 pipe. Increments were calculated to determine how fine of a scale could be feasibly

achieved. Five ml increments were chosen based on the ease of reading the cylinder and process time to

47
score the cylinder. The cylinder was turned on the lathe and the precise dials were used to increment the

cylinder to mark every five ml.

The fuel system design used is based off of the Alterdyne gas turbine in the Power lab and any other

common fuel system. The systems consists of a root valve, a drain and an experiment measuring section

that pulls fuel from the graduated cylinder. All fittings are brass hose fittings to negate corrosion and for

safe fuel handling. A drawing of the system is shown in the following figure.

Figure 30: Fuel System

48
Electrical

The electrical system which was designed to support the lab’s operations was based upon Kubota’s D902

specific electrical systems. The following picture depicts the ideal system which was designed to support

Kubota’s corporate motive – tractor engines.

Figure 31: Kubota’s D902 Specific Electrical System

For the purposes of this lab, however, a full redesign of the system was required. In particular,

components which were eliminated included the Key-Stop timer relay, the fuel booster pump, the

alternator (with associated “Charge” lamp), the glow plug heating system (with associated “Glow” lamp,

and Timer relay). The redesigned system has been depicted below.

49
 Figure 32: Implemented Electrical Diagram

Notice in the redesigned system that a 120VAC was included. This addition enabled the use of a

temperature display box; it enabled 3W indicator lamps to be utilized in coordination with DC relays; and

it enabled direct control of the lab’s heat exchanger exhaust-gas metering system.

Paneling

The main objective of the paneling was ease of use and functionality. We wanted to make sure that the

placement of valves, push buttons, lights, and temperature displays were in a logical place and order. We

first made a cardboard drawing of rough dimensions of how big the control panels would be and what

they would look like. This more or less ended up being how the control board looking. Some paneling

50
was scrounged up and used as a base where the key, start, stop, and indicator lights were mounted. The

fuel control valves were mounted on a vertical panel from right to left as the fuel was flowing to the

engine, and above the fuel valves is the DP460-T temperature display. The temperature display was

removed from its original housing, and mounted on to the panel. The thermocouples were connected to

the temperature display with logic, ease of use, and recording data in mind.

1. Exhaust temperature

2. Radiator inlet temperature

3. Radiator outlet temperature

4. Heat exchanger exhaust inlet temperature

5. Heat exchanger exhaust outlet temperature

6. Cooling water inlet temperature

7. Cooling water outlet temperature

The fuel cylinder was mounted on the right side of the vertical panel for ease of viewing and access. To

support the cylinder over the entirety of its length a piece of angle iron comparable in size was used for

the cylinder to be fastened to, and for the cylinder to be fastened to the panel.

After the first run of the engine with all the control panels and instrumentation connected it was obvious

that the vertical panel needed to be harmonically isolated. The vibrations made it difficult to read the

fuel cylinder and the temperature display. It also cause concern about damaging the temperature display.

To reduce the amount of vibration, rubber was inserted on the base of the panel where it was bolted

down to the frame of the engine. Also, another support was added to the frame that the control panels

were sitting on. This significantly reduced the amount the panel vibrated on the next test run.

51
Heat Exchanger

Design and Analysis

The idea for an exhaust heat exchanger came about for two reasons. First, there was no effective way to

measure the mass flow rate of the exhaust. Second, analysis of waste heat recovery would add another

element to the learning potential of the laboratory. Using knowledge learned from heat transfer and

fluid/thermal design, a method for calculating the mass flow rate of the exhaust was determined. The

measured parameters would be the volumetric flow rate of the cooling medium, the inlet and outlet

temperatures of the cooling medium, and the exhaust inlet and outlet temperatures. Using these with the

density and specific heats of the cooling medium and the exhaust allowed the mass flow rate of the

exhaust to be calculated. Below are the equations for the exhaust mass flow rate calculations:

𝑚𝑚̇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ �𝑇𝑇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 � = 𝑚𝑚̇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

𝑚𝑚̇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

𝑚𝑚̇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ =
𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 )

The cooling medium mass flow rate can be determined by multiplying the cooling medium volumetric

flow rate by the density of the cooling medium. Waste heat recovery analysis can be performed on the

engine by calculating the heat extracted from the exhaust by the cooling medium.

̇ = 𝑚𝑚̇
𝑄𝑄̇𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶 ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 − 𝑇𝑇𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶𝐶,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 )

Several choices were made for the heat exchanger. First, the type of heat exchanger was decided. The

options included concentric tube, shell and tube, and cross flow. Because of the simple design and minimal

pressure drop, a concentric tube type heat exchanger was chosen. Next, the cooling medium was chosen

to be water because it was readily accessible and has a high heat capacity. Then, the flow pattern was

chosen to be counter flow to increase the effectiveness. After that, two assumptions were made. The first

assumption was the exhaust temperature which was assumed to be 627 degrees Celsius. The second

52
assumption was the cooling water temperature which was assumed to be 20 degrees Celsius. Another

parameter that was chosen was the inner pipe inner diameter. To minimize fluctuations in the exhaust

flow, it was decided that the inner pipe inner diameter should be as close as possible to the exhaust

manifold inner diameter of 1.5 inches. This resulted in the use of 1.5 inch type M copper tubing. Type M

copper tubing was chosen because it has the smallest wall thickness which would allow for better heat

transfer. Copper tubing was chosen because of copper’s high thermal conductivity which also aids the

transfer of heat. The exhaust mass flow rate was estimated using the performance curves of the diesel

engine. At the rated power of 16.1 kW, the break specific fuel consumption was 265 g/kW h. This resulted

in a mass flow rate of 1.185 g/s. The mass flow rate of the fuel along with other combustion parameters

were calculated using a MATLAB program (Appendix D).With these values known, design iterations to

determine the length, annulus diameter, and cooling water mass flow rate were performed. A MATLAB

program was created that output exhaust and cooling water outlet temperatures, heat transferred, and

pressure drops for various heat exchanger lengths (Appendix E). The program used equations from

William Janna’s book Design of Fluid Thermal Systems. To prevent the formation of acids in the exhaust

gas, iterations resulting in exhaust gas outlet temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius were not

considered. Based on the iterations, an annulus diameter of 2 inches was chosen. This diameter provided

the smallest flow area for the water. This increased the velocity of the water which made it more turbulent

and better at transferring heat. A volumetric flow rate of 1.5 GPM was chosen for the cooling water. This

flow rate provided the longest dwell time in the heat exchanger while still providing turbulent water to

increase heat transfer. Finally, the length of the heat exchanger was determined. Based the other

parameters, a length of 1.5 meters was chosen. At this length, the heat exchanger would not be too

cumbersome and would provide outlet reasonable outlet temperatures. Below is a table of data for the

final heat exchanger design.

53
 Table 5: Original Heat Exchanger Design Specification

Exhaust Cooling Exhaust Water

Heat
Length Outlet Water Outlet Pressure Pressure
Transferred
Temperature Temperature Drop Drop
(m) (Celsius) (Celsius) (kW) (kPa) (kPa)
1.5 401.5 33.1 5.546 0.379 0.093

Fabrication

After the theoretical analysis, benchmarking was performed on the current heat exchanger laboratory to

determine how the annulus and the inner tube were sealed. Though compression fittings were used on

the current laboratory, it was determined that brazing would be a more effective solution for this heat

exchanger. After this, a 3D model was made in Creo Parametric. Models for the fittings were obtained

from McMaster-Carr. Next, the parts were ordered; however, there was a problem. The fittings were

Figure 33: Heat exchanger lab double pipe fitting

drinking water tube fittings while the tubing was multi-purpose copper tubing. Because of this, the two

did not connect. McMaster-Carr does not carry fittings for multi-purpose copper tubing, so the tubing was

shipped back. New drinking water tubing was ordered that connected with the fittings. To reduce the

amount of left over material, the length of the heat exchanger was compromised. McMaster-Carr sells

54
multi-purpose tubing in 1, 3, and 6 feet lengths and drinking water tubing in 2, 5, and 10 feet lengths. The

multi-purpose tubing worked well for a 1.5 meter heat exchanger because 6 feet lengths of tubing could

Figure 34: 3D model of heat exchanger

be purchased. The drinking water tubing would require 10 feet tube lengths to be purchased to achieve

the 1.5 meter length. Instead, 5 feet lengths were purchased and the heat exchanger length was

shortened to 4 feet. Below is a table with revised theoretical data.

Table 6: Heat Exchanger Design Specifications Revised

Exhaust Cooling Exhaust Water

Heat
Length Outlet Water Outlet Pressure Pressure
Transferred
Temperature Temperature Drop Drop
(m) (Celsius) (Celsius) (kW) (kPa) (kPa)
1.2192 435.8 31.1 4.701 0.308 0.075

With the parts purchased, fabrication began. The tubing was originally attempted to be cut with tube

cutters. However, the tubing cutter’s blade was too wobbly and a good cut could not be made. Instead,

the tubing was cut using a band saw and sanded down. Once the lengths were correct, the connections

were prepared for brazing with sand paper. To braze the heat exchanger together, a rosebud heating

torch was used to supply enough heat to copper. Brazing works by heating the tubing to the filler metal’s

melting point. Once this has been reached, the filler metal is tapped against the joint. This causes the filler

metal to melt and capillary action draws it into the tubing joint. This was fairly simple with the rosebud

55
 Figure 35: Heat exchanger leak test

tip with small parts. However, when large amounts of copper were being brazed, the copper conducted

much of the heat away from the joint which made it difficult to get the filler metal to melt and flow. After

the brazing was completed, a pressure test was performed. One leak was found on one of the fittings, so

Figure 36: Brazing the copper fittings

56
the heat exchanger was dried and the one joint was brazed again. This fixed the leak and allowed the

progress on the heat exchanger system to continue.

After the heat exchanger was fabricated, the cooling water system needed to be built. A pump from the

materials laboratory was repurposed to pump water into the heat exchanger. Also, an old radiator was

used to dissipate the heat absorbed by the cooling water in the heat exchanger. Hoses and hose

connections were purchased at Home Depot and Lowes to connect the system parts. A rotameter and a

valve were purchased to control the flow through the heat exchanger. Exhaust ducting was purchased at

Pepboys to route the exhaust through the heat exchanger. After everything was obtained, the system was

lined up, insulation was wrapped, and the heat exchanger was mounted underneath the engine. With the

heat exchanger mounted and the system lined up, testing could be completed.

Model Testing

Testing the laboratory became an issue, as several key systems remained unfinished. The following are

recommended laboratory procedures.

Pre checks

1. Ensure all persons are wearing hearing and eye protection

2. Engine coolant in between min and max levels
3. Oil level within min and max levels
4. Enough fuel is in the tank
5. Enough heat exchanger cooling water in basin
6. Fan is free from potential hazards (Rags, wires, etc.)
7. Check wet fittings for leaks (Thermocouples, pipe fittings, and brazing)
8. Check temperature display for loose thermocouple connections
9. All valves on fuel system are closed
10.Walk around for potential hazards (leaks on electrical, loose equipment on
skid, etc.)

57
Pre start

1. Open fuel valves 1, 2, and 3 to fill measuring cylinder to 290 ml

2. Close fuel valve 3 when at 290 ml
3. Ensure the generator breaker is closed
4. Ensure all persons are clear of the fan and at least a foot from the skid
5. Plug in AC power strip
6. Verify all thermocouples are reading reasonable temperatures for the ambient
temperature
7. Connect battery

Starting

1. Insert key and turn ¼ turn

2. Again, make sure everyone is clear
3. Open fuel valve 4
4. Say “Starting” and hold down the GREEN button until ignition is heard
5. Check for leaks from thermocouples or any fittings
a. If any are found and are significant or near the fan hold the red button
until the engine comes to a stop and remove the key

58
Experimentation

1. Before performing an experiment after a cold start allow temperatures to rise

and stabilize
2. Initiate the desired load making sure to increase the throttle enough to prevent
the engine from stalling
3. Increase throttle position until a frequency of 50 Hz is measured on the Merlin
load bank
4. Turn on the pump for the heat exchanger cooling water and throttle to a flow
rate of 1.5GPM
5. Allow engine to run at the desired load until temperatures stabilize
6. Take note of the amount of fuel in the cylinder
7. With timer in hand, start the experiment for 90 seconds by closing fuel valve
2 and opening fuel valve 3 simultaneously
8. While the timer is running collect temperatures from channels 1-7 on the
temperature display and flow rates from the rotameters.
9. When the 90 seconds are up close fuel valve 3 and open fuel valve 2
simultaneously
10.Record the amount of fuel consumed during the experiment

Shut Down

1. Burn all fuel left in the cylinder (refer to Experimentation number 7 and 9 for
instructions to do that)
2. When fuel is no longer visible in large amounts switch fuel sources back to
the tank
3. Press and hold the RED button until the engine stops firing
4. Remove the key
5. Close all fuel valves
6. Stop the heat exchanger cooling water pump
7. Disconnect battery
8. Turn off temperature display
9. Unplug the AC power strip
10. Open the generator breaker

59
Once data is collected then the students can either do their calculations by hand or create their own

computer program. The following figure shows an excel program that displays a thermal balance and

efficiencies.

Figure 37: Thermal Balance Excel File

Summary

The goal of our project was to couple a Kubota D902-ET03 to a Mecc-Alte AC03 generator end, design the

necessary support systems, and create a thermodynamics laboratory experience. We were able to

accomplish much with our time and have gotten very close to providing what we had originally promised.

A few of the components were not completed, but, with a few more iterations and testing, we could have

fixed the issues. It was just a little too late. We put in over 300 hours of work as a group over spring pause,

but there always seemed to be one more thing to work on. Other assignments started to pile up, and we

were unable to focus 100% of our effort on the “capstone” project. One of the issues was that certain

60
systems were overlooked, and left unfinished until the end. One of the components that needed more

work was the thermocouple data collection system. We experienced difficulty obtaining quality readings

due to vibration on the analog channel box. Vibration would cause the unit to become uncalibrated and

display an array of temperatures.

The thermocouples installation was another issue. How they were installed in their wells could vary

drastically from fitting to fitting, as It was difficult to measure how much exposure each individual

thermocouple was getting to their respective convective fluid flows. The drilled and tapped fittings ended

up leaking, so a better process of installation needs to be found.

Since we were unable to get quality readings, a thorough thermal heat balance could not be completed.

This also means that the efficacy of the heat exchanger design could not be tested as it was installed.

Conclusion

This project ended up being much more involved than originally anticipated. The challenge only adds to

our satisfaction when certain milestones for the project were met. Getting all the major components

proved to be an endeavor that involved many hours of labor. We are very grateful to have had Randy

Thomas to provide us with many materials that we ended up using for our project. Our biggest purchase

ended up being the Mecc-Alte Generator, while the engine and coupling were donated. The engine and

generator run very well together, but we were unable to run the system under an electrical load.

The paneling for the electrical and fuel system turned out looking very good and professional. At this time

labeling of the valves and buttons still needs to be made, and the frame painted.

We would definitely look into purchasing dry wells for the thermocouple installation. There were too

many leaks to fix with the way that it was originally created. One of the better wet wells we had was

manufactured by Lawrence Northrop out of a solid piece of steel round stock. There was still the issue of

61
making sure that the thermocouples tap would not leak. More thought on how the instrumentation would

have been mounted to the systems should have been done.

Attempting to use the Merlin Simplex resistive load bank was also delayed. It was known since the start

of the project that we were going to use the Merlin in the power lab, but no plans were put forth on how

power was going to get there. We started to think about this a little too late, and, as a result, were unable

to get data with an electrical load.

Our biggest holdup for a satisfactory completion of this project was us waiting around to get a

construction generator donated. Getting one of those would have decreased the difficulty of the project

substantially, but we ended up building our own skid from the ground up. If we would have decided on

the harder course of action sooner we would have had enough time to run through all the kinks.

We hope that what we have built will be able to be improved upon by professors and faculty. We hope to

Recommendations

There is plenty of future work that can be done on this project. Different heat exchangers could be

designed, the use of different fuels can be incorporated, and there is the potential to build additional

systems for the test bed that we designed. Students could potentially design waste-heat recovery systems,

power other loads besides the simplex, and incorporate a turbocharger bypass system. Exhaust gas

analysis is also another avenue that we see this project taking.

A more robust instrumentation system is desired, and changing the thermocouple mountings to dry-wells

are a must.

62
Appendix A: Various Angles of First Iteration of the Test Bed

63
Appendix B: Bill of Materials for Test Bed

64
Appendix C: Heat Exchanger Program

clear all
close all
clc

%% Thermo Lab
%Waste Heat Recovery
%Heat Exchanger Design
%by Erin Bloom

%Concentric Tube Heat Exchanger

%Counter flow
%Hot/Inner Pipe - Exhaust Gas
%Cold/Annulus - Water

%h = hot (Exhaust)
%c = cold (Water)
%p = inner pipe (Exhaust)
%a = annulus (Water)

%% Design Choices
%Inner Diameter Inner Pipe
%Seamless Type M Cu Tubing (1.5" nom)
IDp = 3.880/100; % m

%Outside Diameter Inner Pipe

%Seamless Type M Cu Tubing (1.5" nom)
ODp = 4.128/100; % m

%Inner Diameter Annulus

%Seamless Type M Cu Tubing (2" nom)
IDa = 5.102/100; % m

%Length
L = [1.2192]; % m

%Water Mass Flow Rate

%1.5 GPM
mdot_c = 0.10156; % kg/s

%% Exhaust Properties (all air except for Cp)

%Mass Flow Rate
mdot_h = 0.0200; % kg/s
%Density
rho_h = 0.393; % kg/m^3
%Thermal Conductivity
kf_h = 0.06279/1000; % kW/m K
%Kinematic Viscosity
nu_h = 99.3e-6; % m^2/s
%Inlet Temperature

65
T1_h = 627; % C
%Specific Heat
Cp_h = 1.2295; % kJ/kg K
%Prandtl Number
Pr_h = 0.696;

%% Water Properties
%Denisty
rho_c = 1000; % kg/m^3
%Thermal Conductivity
kf_c = 0.597/1000; % kW/m K
%Kinematic Viscosity
nu_c = 10.06e-7; % m^2/s
%Inlet Temperature
t1_c = 20; % C
%Specific Heat
Cp_c = 4.181; % kJ/kg K
%Prandtl Number
Pr_c = 7.02;

%% Flow Areas
%Inner Pipe Area
Ap = (pi*IDp^2)/4; % m^2
%Annulus Area
Aa = pi*(IDa^2-ODp^2)/4; % m^2

%% Flow Velocities
%Exhaust
Vp = mdot_h/(rho_h*Ap); % m/s
%Water
Va = mdot_c/(rho_c*Aa); % m/s

%% Volume Flow Rates

%Exhaust
Vdot_p = mdot_h/rho_h; % m^3/s
%Water
Vdot_a = mdot_c/rho_c; % m^3/s

%% Annulus Equivalent Diameters

%Friction - Hydraulic Diameter
Dh = IDa-ODp; % m
%Heat Transfer - Effective Diameter
De = (IDa^2-ODp^2)/ODp; % m

%% Reynolds Numbers
%Exhaust
Re_p = (Vp*IDp)/nu_h;
%Water

66
Re_a = (Va*De)/nu_c;

for ii = 1:1:length(L)
%% Nusselt Numbers
%Exhaust
if Re_p < 2200
%Laminar
Nu_p(ii) = 1.86*(IDp*Re_p*Pr_h/L(ii))^(1/3);
else
%Turbulent
Nu_p(ii) = 0.023*(Re_p^(4/5))*(Pr_h^0.3);
end

%Water
if Re_a < 2200
%Laminar
Nu_a(ii) = 1.86*(De*Re_a*Pr_c/L(ii))^(1/3);
else
%Turbulent
Nu_a(ii) = 0.023*(Re_a^(4/5))*(Pr_c^0.4);
end

%% Convection Coefficients
%Inner Pipe
h_i(ii) = Nu_p(ii)*kf_h/IDp; % kW/m^2 K
%Exhaust
h_p(ii) = h_i(ii)*IDp/ODp; % kW/m^2 K
%Water
h_a(ii) = Nu_a(ii)*kf_c/De; % kW/m^2 K

%% Exchanger Coefficient
%Ideal
Uo(ii) = h_p(ii)*h_a(ii)/(h_p(ii)+h_a(ii)); % kW/m^2 K
%With Fouling
Rdi = 0.002*1000; % m^2 K/kW
Rdo = 0.0004*1000; % m^2 K/kW
one_over_U(ii) = (1/Uo(ii))+Rdi+Rdo; % m^2 K/kW
U(ii) = 1/one_over_U(ii); % kW/m^2 K

%% Outlet Temperature Calculations

%Heat Capacity Ratio
R = (mdot_c*Cp_c)/(mdot_h*Cp_h);
%Heat Transfer Area
Ao(ii) = pi*ODp*L(ii); % m^2
%I don't know what to call Ecounter
Ecounter(ii) = exp((U(ii)*Ao(ii)*(R-1))/(mdot_c*Cp_c));

%Exhaust Outlet Temperature

T2_h(ii) = (T1_h*(R-1)-R*t1_c*(1-Ecounter(ii)))/(R*Ecounter(ii)-1); % C
%Water Outlet Temperature
t2_c(ii) = t1_c+(T1_h-T2_h(ii))/R; % C

67
%Log Mean Temperature Difference
LMTD(ii) = ((T1_h-t2_c(ii))-(T2_h(ii)-t1_c))/...
log(((T1_h-t2_c(ii))/(T2_h(ii)-t1_c))); % C

%% Heat Balance
%Exhaust heat tranfer
q_h(ii) = mdot_h*Cp_h*(T1_h-T2_h(ii)); % kW
%Water Heat Transfer
q_c(ii) = mdot_c*Cp_c*(t2_c(ii)-t1_c); % kW
%Overall Clean Heat Transfer
q(ii) = U(ii)*Ao(ii)*LMTD(ii); % kW

%% Pressure Drop Calculations

Re_a_p = Va*Dh/nu_c;
roughness = 0.00015/100; % m

f_p = (-0.782*log(6.9/Re_p+(roughness/(3.7*IDp))^1.11))^-2;
f_a = (-0.782*log(6.9/Re_a_p+(roughness/(3.7*Dh))^1.11))^-2;

P_p(ii) = ((f_p*L(ii)*rho_h*Vp^2)/(2*IDp))/1000; % kPa

P_a(ii) = ((f_a*L(ii)*rho_c*Va^2)/(2*Dh))/1000; % kPa

end

%% Results

Table = [L' T2_h' t2_c' q_h' P_p' P_a']

68
Appendix D: Combustion Program

clear all
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clc

%Thermo Lab
%Combustion Program
%by Erin Bloom and Marco Levario

%Assumptions: perfect combustion, no NOx, no SOx, no unburned hydrocarbons

%% Inputs

% This section would have allowed the user to input values for a
% combination of two hydrocarbons and theoretical air. It is not used
% because the final project requires a range of theoretical air, not a
% single input.

nHC = input('How many carbons? ');

yHC = input('How many hydrogens? ');

x = (input('% Excess Air ')/100)+1;

disp(' ')

%% Combustion Equation

% This section calculates the combustion equation coefficients for the

% reactants and products. It then displays the equations for the the range
% of theoretical air in the test case.

N_O2_R = x.*(nHC+yHC./4);
N_N2_R = x.*(nHC+yHC./4).*3.76;
N_HC_R = 1;

N_CO2_P = nHC;
N_H2O_P = (yHC./2);
N_O2_P = (x-1).*(nHC+yHC./4);
N_N2_P = N_N2_R;

N_tot_R = N_O2_R+N_N2_R+N_HC_R;
N_tot_P = N_CO2_P+N_H2O_P+N_O2_P+N_N2_P;

fprintf('Combustion Equation for %2.0f Percent Air \n',x*100)

fprintf('%2g(C%2uH%2u) + %2g(O2) + %2g(N2) => %2g(CO2) + %2g(H2O) + %2g(O2) +
%2g(N2) \n',...
N_HC_R,nHC,yHC,N_O2_R,N_N2_R,N_CO2_P,N_H2O_P,N_O2_P,N_N2_P)
disp(' ')

69
%% Air Fuel Ratio

% This section calculates the Air Fuel Ratio on a mass and molar basis. It
% starts off with given molar masses and then calculates the mass of the
% reactants. Then the air fuel ratio is calculated.

M_O2 = 31.999;
M_N2 = 28.013;
M_C = 12.011;
M_H = 1.008;
M_H20 = 18.015;
M_CO2 = 44.01;
M_HC = nHC.*M_C+yHC*M_H;

m_O2_R = N_O2_R.*M_O2;
m_N2_R = N_N2_R.*M_N2;
m_HC_R = N_HC_R.*M_HC;

AFmass = (m_O2_R+m_N2_R)./m_HC_R;
AFmole = (N_O2_R+N_N2_R)./N_HC_R;

mdot_fuel = 0.00079861; %kg/s

mdot_air = mdot_fuel*AFmass; %kg/s
mdot_exh = mdot_fuel+mdot_air; %kg/s

disp('AFmass (kg air/kg fuel)')

disp(AFmass)

disp('Exhaust Mass Flow Rate')

disp(mdot_exh)

% disp('AFmole')
% disp(AFmole)
% disp(' ')

%% Dew Point Temp

% This section calculates the dew point temperature. To do this, the

% partial pressure of H2O is calculated using the total pressure, moles of
% H2O and total product moles. After that, the dew point temperature was
% calculated using a best fit line made in excel from the tables in the
% book.

Ptot = 101.325;
PH2O = Ptot.*(N_H2O_P./N_tot_P);

Tdew = (-4.046149e-6).*PH2O.^6 + (3.989568e-4).*PH2O.^5 - (1.533758e-

2).*PH2O.^4 ...
+ (2.932652e-1).*PH2O.^3 - (2.989013).*PH2O.^2 + (1.769981e1).*PH2O -
(8.585307);

disp('Dew Point Temp (degree C)')

disp(Tdew)

70
%% Exhaust Gas Properties

% Mole Ratio of Exhaust

y_i = [N_N2_P/N_tot_P N_O2_P/N_tot_P N_CO2_P/N_tot_P N_H2O_P/N_tot_P];

%This part takes the input as a percent, then converts the percent into a
%fraction. The sum of the mole fractions is calculated along with the
%length of the vector. If the sum does not equal 1, or the length does not
%equal 4, then the program prompts the user for the correct values.
y_m = sum(y_i); %kmol/kmol
lengthY = length(y_i);

%This creates a vertical vector for temperature and calculates the length
%of the vector for use in subsequent calculations.
%SI
T = 900; % K
%ENGLISH
% T = [500:100:2500]'; % R
lengthT = length(T);

%This array contains the a, b, c, and d values from Table A-2 for N2, O2,
%CO2, and H2O.
%SI
abcd = [28.90 -0.1571e-2 0.8081e-5 -2.873e-9
25.48 1.520e-2 -0.7155e-5 1.312e-9
22.26 5.981e-2 -3.501e-5 7.469e-9
32.24 0.1923e-2 1.055e-5 -3.595e-9];

%ENGLISH
% abcd = [6.903, -0.02085e-2, 0.05957e-5, -0.1176e-9
% 6.085, 0.2017e-2, -0.05275e-5, 0.05372e-9
% 5.316, 0.79361e-2, -0.2581e-5, 0.3059e-9
% 7.7, 0.02552e-2, 0.07781e-5, -0.1472e-9];

%This nested for loop calculates Cp_i for all of the gases at all the
%temperatures in the T vector.
for kk = 1:1:4
for jj = 1:1:lengthT
CpBAR_i(jj,kk) =
abcd(kk,1)+abcd(kk,2)*T(jj)+abcd(kk,3)*T(jj)^2+abcd(kk,4)*T(jj)^3; %kJ/kmol K
end
end

%This is a vector of the Molar Masses of the gases. The mixture Molar Mass
%is also calculated.
M_i = [M_N2 M_O2 M_CO2 M_H20]; %kg/kmol
Mm = sum(y_i.*M_i); %kg/kmol
for tt = 1:1:4

71
 mf_i(tt) = y_i(tt)*(M_i(tt)/Mm);
end

%This calculates the mass based specific heat from the mole based specific
%heat. The next line calculates the mass based mixture specific heat.
Cp_i = [CpBAR_i(:,1)/M_i(1), CpBAR_i(:,2)/M_i(2),
CpBAR_i(:,3)/M_i(3),CpBAR_i(:,4)/M_i(4)];

for mm = 1:1:lengthT
Cp_m(mm,1) =
mf_i(1)*Cp_i(mm,1)+mf_i(2)*Cp_i(mm,2)+mf_i(3)*Cp_i(mm,3)+mf_i(4)*Cp_i(mm,4);
end

%This for loop calculates the mixture Cp for all the temperatures in the T
%vector.
for hh = 1:1:lengthT
CpBAR_m(hh,1) =
y_i(1)*CpBAR_i(hh,1)+y_i(2)*CpBAR_i(hh,2)+y_i(3)*CpBAR_i(hh,3)+y_i(4)*CpBAR_i
(hh,4); %kJ/kmol K
end

%These next lines of code include the universal gas constant, the
%calculation for Cv from Cp, and the calculation for Km.
%SI
R_u = 8.31447; %kJ/kmol K
%ENGLISH
% R_u = 1.9858; %Btu/lbmol*R
CvBAR_m = CpBAR_m - R_u; %kJ/kmol K
k_m = CpBAR_m./CvBAR_m; %unitless

%These calculate the R and Cv mass values.

R_m = R_u/Mm;
Cv_m = Cp_m-R_m;
K_m = Cp_m./Cv_m;

% Outputs
disp('Exhaust Specific Heat, Cp_exh, (kJ/kg K)')
disp(Cp_m)

72
Appendix E: Energy Balance Equations

Heat Supplied to Engine:

𝑄𝑄̇𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 = 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 ∗ 𝑚𝑚̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓

�𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,2 − 𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓,1 � ∗ 𝜌𝜌𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓�

𝑚𝑚̇𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 = 𝑡𝑡2 − 𝑡𝑡1

Engine Break Horsepower:

𝑃𝑃𝑏𝑏 = 𝑉𝑉 ∗ 𝐼𝐼�𝜂𝜂𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔𝑔

Heat Leaving through the Jacket Water:

𝑄𝑄̇𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽 = 𝑚𝑚̇𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑝𝑝,𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽 ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 )

̇ ∗ 𝜌𝜌𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽
𝑚𝑚̇𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽 = 𝑉𝑉𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽

Heat Leaving through the Exhaust:

𝑄𝑄̇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ = 𝑚𝑚̇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ − 𝑇𝑇𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 )

𝑚𝑚̇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 ∗ 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 )

𝑚𝑚̇𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ =
𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃,𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ ∗ (𝑇𝑇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑇𝑇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ,𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 )

𝑚𝑚̇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 = 𝑉𝑉̇𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 ∗ 𝜌𝜌𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊 𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤

Engine Efficiency

𝑃𝑃𝑏𝑏
𝜂𝜂𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 = �̇
𝑄𝑄𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖

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 Break Horse Power 𝑃𝑃𝑏𝑏

Current 𝐼𝐼

Density 𝜌𝜌

Efficiency 𝜂𝜂

Exhaust 𝐸𝐸𝐸𝐸ℎ

Heat Rate 𝑄𝑄̇

Jacket Water 𝐽𝐽𝐽𝐽

Lower Heating Value 𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿

Mass 𝑚𝑚

Mass Flow Rate 𝑚𝑚̇

Specific Heat 𝐶𝐶𝑃𝑃

Temperature 𝑇𝑇

Time 𝑡𝑡

Voltage 𝑉𝑉

Volume 𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉

Volume Flow Rate 𝑉𝑉̇

Waste Heat Recovery 𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊𝑊

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Appendix F: Bill of Materials

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Appendix G: Fall 2015 Advisor Report Sheets

Figure 38:Advisor Sheet for October 29th

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Figure 39: Adviser Sheet for November 5th

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Figure 40: Adviser Sheet for November 13th

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Figure 41: Advisor Sheet December 3rd

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Appendix H: Spring 2016 Advisor Report Sheets

Figure 42: Advisor Sheet January 15th

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Figure 43: Advisor Sheet January 28th

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Figure 44: Advisor Sheet February 4th

82
Figure 45: Advisor Sheet February 11th

83
Figure 46: Advisor Sheet February 18th

84
Figure 47: Advisor Sheet February 26th

85
Figure 48: Advisor Sheet March 3rd

86
Figure 49: Advisor Sheet March 10th

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Figure 50: Advisor Sheet March 24th

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Appendix I: Initial Proposal

Engine Heat Balance Lab

Project Design 1, ME 392
Fall 2015
California State University Maritime Academy

Project Advisor
Dr. Nader Bagheri
Team Members
Eric Sprecher
Marco Levario
Erin Bloom
Jose (Mario) Rodriquez
Elliot Ballard

Submitted: 10/29/2015

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Project Summary

The Engineering Departments (Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Marine Engineering Technology (ET))

need a practical thermodynamics laboratory to supplement the theoretical knowledge taught in the

curriculum. Currently, no lab specifically addresses a thermodynamic heat balance. With the knowledge

of the design team, advisement from faculty, and sponsorship from companies, this lab will provide

needed practical application to the ME and MET departments.

Though an attempt at a thermodynamic lab was made and realized a good amount of success, this lab

needs to be designed from scratch to overcome the problems. A thermal heat balance analysis will be

performed on an undetermined engine-generator set. Proper instrumentation and data acquisition is

required to obtain the data to be analyzed. The lab will be aesthetically pleasing and display the data easily

to the students participating in the lab. Once data is obtained, the student will complete the lab by

calculating engine efficiencies and the amount of waste heat able to be recovered.

The project will be judged on three aspects: functionality, safety, and accurate data. Functionality of the

lab includes location of the lab and ease of use. Safety will be realized by the use of alarms, shutdowns,

permissives, and proper procedures. Accurate data will be obtained through the use of high quality

sensors and proper calibration of equipment. The lab must be robust enough to remain operational for

five years after completion.

This project will promote better use and future updates of the Power Lab. With this, faculty and students

will be able to better utilize the Power Lab to accomplish educational goals. Analysis of a running engine

will provide a modern, more relevant education to students. The California State University Maritime

Academy is known for reinforcing theoretical knowledge through practical application which is exactly the

goal for this project.

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Background

The idea for this project was sparked by Keir Moorhead’s senior design project which is currently in the

Power Lab and not being used. His old project consists of a Marine Power Cat engine coupled to a

generator. It has been out of use because the generator is not sized to the engine. The engine was unable

to be loaded up enough to perform a worthwhile heat balance. Our goal is to obtain an engine-generator

set that is already sized correctly. Then, the engine can be analyzed through all loading conditions. This

will provide us the opportunity to create something that modernizes the Power Lab and benefits future

students.

All members of the group have gone through the ME curriculum and realized there is not a lab

emphasizing thermodynamic principles. Thermodynamics of heat engines is an important aspect

mechanical engineering and should be properly supplemented. The only lab currently in use that makes

use of some thermodynamic principles is the heat exchanger lab; however, this lab mainly focuses on

convection and heat exchanger analysis.

The Power Lab has amazing potential but is severely underused. Current updates include the new diesel

simulator and the wind tunnel for the senior design project group competing in the Department of Energy

Collegiate Wind Power Competition. Though these new additions to the Power Lab are a start to

modernizing the educational opportunities of the Power Lab, much of the lab continues to feel like a

museum of interesting engineering with no real benefit to the academy. This engineering space should be

cleaned up and better utilized for students.

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Specific Goals

The goal of this project is to develop and integrate a real-world thermodynamics lab into the ME and MET

curriculum. This lab would be directly applicable to the following classes: ME 240, ME 440, ME 349L, EPO

322/L, ET 344, and ET 490/L. The outcomes of our project include: a sample heat balance lab report and

a working lab.

The engine will be fully instrumented in order to acquire the necessary data for determining a heat

balance. These measurements will then be displayed in a manner competitive to other engine lab

demonstration platforms found today on the market.

The hardware and software used shall provide a means for the students to intuitively collect the engine's

performance data. Students utilizing this lab will use their time to observe dynamic engine response, and

then to collect and analyze the associated data. This provides a highly marketable learning experience to

the students as it will additionally compliment and extended their current understand of fundamental

diesel engine operations.

Of course, safety will be paramount in our design, therefore, alarms, shutdowns, operational permissives,

and proper procedures will be used to ensure the safety of the students, faculty, building, and

environment.

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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis

Strengths:

The students on the team have a strong balance of skills from various disciplines and backgrounds. There

are three members specializing in mechanical system design: Eric Sprecher, Elliot Ballard, and Mario

Rodriguez. Additionally, there are two members specializing in energy system design: Marco Levario and

Erin Bloom. This combination will allow us to view design problems from multiple perspectives, which will

aide us developing innovative solutions.

Eric Sprecher is a great asset to the team. He has already filled the niche of project manager by taking th

lead on using Basecamp to organize the project. He delegates tasks, sets deadlines, and motivates team

members to accomplish tasks and stay focused. As the project continues, Eric will keep the team in line

and progressing towards completion of the project.

Elliot Ballard benefits the team as well. As the most fast paced, charismatic, and creative member of the

team, he has suggested numerous, novel ideas and solutions to problems. He keeps the team moving

forward onto the next step in the design process and gets work done. When the team moves into the

resource acquisitioning phase, he will play a key role in marketing our project by meeting and selling our

project for company sponsorships.

Mario Rodriguez brings a wealth knowledge to the design team. He already has a B.S. in Physics and has

excelled in all of his classes while at CSU Maritime Academy. As an unlicensed engineer, he has had the

opportunity to intern at Northrup Grumman where he acquired much real world design experience.

Additionally, he has much experience and knowledge working with Matlab which will greatly benefit the

team.

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Marco Levario brings much needed realism to the team. Occasionally, ideas emerge which are too

implausible or impractical to be useful. Marco will help the team greatly by his excellence in evaluating

potential solutions. Furthermore, he is able to ensure that the solutions which may arise are realistic and

sound solutions to the problem at hand. In addition, because of his emphasis in energy system design, he

will provide much needed knowledge and advice on the thermal balance analysis.

Erin Bloom is advantageous to the team due to his interest in thermodynamics, engines, and controls. He

is especially motivated to take initiative and accomplish tasks assigned to him. As the other team member

pursuing energy system design, he brings a more in depth understanding of thermodynamic principles

which will benefit the theoretical predictions and experimental calculations required for developing the

heat balance portion of the project.

All members of the design team have practical knowledge of diesel engines and generators from various

cruises and internships. Along with varying skills in fabrication that will benefit the installation and

aesthetics of the design.

Weaknesses:

We currently do not have a working engine-generator set to conduct a heat balance on, and a heavy

emphasis on instrumentation is expected. Though all team members have passed the instrumentation

class, none of us have experience installing data acquisition systems on a working diesel engine. Another

weakness is in regards to the teams experience with engine control systems and automation. The

members of the team have little knowledge of the control units and software language used by the engine.

One final weakness is the team’s lack of knowledge of computer languages to create a graphic user

interface (GUI) that will display the information from the analysis.

94
Recommendations and advice from colleagues, advisors, and professionals will be used heavily in these

areas.

Opportunities:

As the CSU Maritime Academy Mechanical Engineering Department Head, Dr. Bagheri, our daily advisor,

has the ability to bring departments together for possible funding opportunities. He is also well versed in

fluid thermal design which will be useful with the fluid thermal balance.

Keir Moorhead, a graduate from of the CSUM mechanical engineering program and MET professor, has

experience with a very similar project he completed as his senior design project. He also has immense

knowledge in the realm of control systems and automation. His advisement and help will be critical to the

success of our project.

Ryan Storz has also shown an interest in the project. His field of expertise is in industrial power

engineering. Also, Robert Jackson of the MET department has also given his support and consent for our

project.

We want to market ourselves to companies around the bay area, specifically those that are in construction

rentals as they are more than likely to have engines with high hours that they are more willing to donate.

This path of actions was recommended to us by Keir Moorhead.

Threats:

Engines, generators, instrumentation, and controls can be expensive. Though this project will benefit the

school, and the ME and MET departments are enthusiastic about it, there is only a limited amount of

funding available. If enough funding is not provided or equipment is not donated or reduced in price, this

project will be dead in the water.

95
Another threat is the ability to acquire the equipment necessary for the success of the project in a timely

manner. If the equipment is not obtained by the deadlines, there will be less time to complete successive

tasks which, in the end, could result in an incomplete project or, at the very least, an aesthetically

unprofessional lab.

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Specific Resources Needed

1. 50 – 200 kW engine-generator set

2. A resistor bank to dissipate the electrical power generated

3. Proper engine cooling, exhaust, and intake attachments for safe operation of engine

4. Instrumentation equipment

5. Computer and Monitor to collect and display data

6. Diesel fuel

7. A location in the Power Lab for the equipment

8. Matlab

9. LabView

10. Access to computer software for GUI

11. Office Space

97
Work Breakdown Structure

98
 Gannt Chart

D
T Pre
Activity ur 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2
as Activi 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Description ati 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
k ties
on

Acquire
A 2
Generator Set

Construct testing
B A
site for engine

F
C Acquire Funds 5
A
Engine Testing
L D 3 A,B
and Analysis
L

Instrumentation
E 2 A
Research

Instrumentation
F 4 C,E
Requisition

99
 Fit

G Instrumentation 3 F

to engine

H Calibrate 3 G

Neatly display
I 3 H
data

J Record data 3 G

S
K Fine tuning 4 H,I
P
Theoretical
R L 2 I
Analysis
I

N Write Sample Lab

M 2 K,I
G Report

Organize and

N finalize Project 3 L,K

report

Make
O 2 M,L
Presentation

DELIVER FINISHED
P 1 N
PRODUCT

100
As it is shown in the Gannt chart, there is not much room for error here. There is plenty of opportunity to

move things up and start earlier on certain objectives, but there are critical bottle necks. Next semester

is going to be a rocking good time.

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Appendix J: Fall PowerPoint Presentation

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