THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES

SEMESTER 1 2016 EXAMINATIONS

MECH9761: AUTOMOBILE ENGINE TECHNOLOGY

1. TIME ALLOWED - 2 hours

2. READING TIME -10 minutes

3. THIS EXAMINATION PAPER HAS 5 PAGES INCLUDING THIS COVER PAGE.

4. TOTAL NUMBER OF QUESTIONS - 4

5. TOTAL MARKS AVAILABLE-100

6. MARKS AVAILABLE FOR EACH QUESTION ARE SHOWN IN THE EXAMINATION PAPER

7. ALL ANSWERS MUST BE WRITTEN IN INK. EXCEPT WHERE THEY ARE EXPRESSLY REQUIRED, PENCILS MAY BE
USED ONLY FOR DRAWING, SKETCHING OR GRAPHICAL WORK

8. THIS PAPER MAY BE RETAINED BY CANDIDATE

9. CANDIDATES MAY BRING TO THE EXAMINATION A UNSW APPROVED CALCULATOR

10. THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS WILL BE PROVIDED: 2 x 8-PAGE EXAM BOOKLETS (ANSWER QUESTION 1 AND
ZIN BOOKLET 1 ...........AND QUESTION 3 AND 4 IN BOOKLET Z)

1
Question 1

Answer this question in booklet 1

A spark ignition engine has 2.0-litre displacement volume and operates on the four-stroke cycle. At a vehicle
speed of 120 km/h, the engine speed is 3,500 rpm, the torque is 73 N-m, and the specific fuel consumption is
3
measured at 272 g/kWh. The calorific (or lower heating) value of fuel is 43 MJ/kg, and its density is 795 kg/m •

The intake air conditions are 27°C and 105 kPa. The air-fuel ratio is measured at 16. Assume the intake air is
an ideal gas, consisting of 21% 0 2 and 79% N2 • The universal gas constant is Ru=8.314 J/mol·K

Using this information, calculate:

(i) Brake mean effective pressure,

(ii) Fuel conversion efficiency,

(iii) Fuel consumption in litres/100 km, and

(iv) Volumetric efficiency.

/20)

2
Question 2

A direct-injection SI engine is burning pure ethanol (C2 H5 OH). The engine is running with an air/fuel ratio of
7.46 (kg Air /kg Fuel).

You may approximate the molecular weights by the atomic weights of the constituent atoms as given below:

• We~ 12 kg/kmol

• W 0 ~ 16 kg/kmol

• WH ~ 1 kg/kmol

i) Determine:

• The stoichiometric air/fuel ratio. You may assume the air to be consisted of 21% 0 2 and 79%
N2.

• Whether the mixture is running rich or lean

• The molar ratio of air to C2 H5 OH (kmol air/ kmol fuel)

ii) In addition, determine the following:

• Write an unbalanced equation using the molar ratio obtained from above and coefficients a,
b, c, d for CO 2, CO, H2 0, and H2, respectively.

• Using atom balances, simplify coefficients b, c, d in terms of a.

• Obtain coefficient 'a' using the equilibrium constant of the water-gas shift reaction ( CO + H20
¢=>CO 2 + H2 ). You may assume that all chemical reactions are quenched rapidly during the
expansion stroke at approximately 1700 K. Take the equilibrium constant of the water-gas
shift reaction at atmospheric pressure and 1700 K to be Kp = 0.3.

• Calculate all five components of the exhaust composition on a mole-fraction basis.

/20)

3
Question 3

Answer this question in booklet 2

Answer briefly for the following questions:

Clear handwriting is advised.

(i) Using thermal efficiency of Otto and Diesel cycles, discuss why diesel engines usually have better
fuel economy than petrol engines.

(ii) A typical power/torque curve of a four-

cylinder SI engine is shown on the right. It is
seen that the maximum torque (230 Nm)
occurs at 3,500 rpm and the maximum
~-

power (110 kW) occurs at 5,500 rpm. Explain n~

1=::::L.._--=~C.J<...C::.::::;:__--=::.'----'.-'=--c==i=C-==~,==-.:~~g
why engine power increases although the - -.~

torque declines between 3,500 rpm and

5,500 rpm. I
I
3000 4000
l!IIIC'll'w-)

(iii) Soot and NO emissions are problematic in a

diesel engine. Understanding of the soot and
0
NO formation processes can be aided through
:al
a:: 4 >----------,
examination of the combustion process in an
equivalence ratio ( tp) and flame temperature ~

( T ) space as shown in the figure to the right.

Identify which pollutant corresponds to the
region (a) and (b). Using this ¢ -T map,
suggest a method to reduce in-cylinder soot and
NO formation simultaneously. -
1000 1400 1800 2200 2600 3000
Tempe!ature [K]

(iv) Bio-ethanol is penetrating the market due to its renewable nature and low knock tendency
associated with its high octane rating. It is oxygenated and hence emits less uHC than petrol. High
heat of vaporisation is another advantage because the charge cooling effect can be used to
increase volumetric efficiency. Assuming no production and supply issues, name two
disadvantages when ethanol is burned in a petrol engine.

(v) Toyota Prius petrol-electric hybrids have an open-road fuel consumption of 3.7 litres/100 km.
Toyota engineers explain there are six primary factors that help achieve this high fuel economy.
The continuously variable transmission and stop-and-go system are two of them. Identify the
other four primary factors for efficiency improvement.

/ 30)

4
Question 4

Answer this question in booklet 2

Shown below is a typical heat-release-rate diagram of a petrol (SI) engine and a diesel (Cl) engine. For the SI
engine, the spark ignition timing is set at-18 Crank Angle Degrees (CAD) after Top Dead Centre (aTDC). At the
same crank angle, the in-cylinder direct fuel-injection is started for the Cl engine. The major heat release from
combustion continues until 8 CAD aTDC, which is followed by the burn-out or the late combustion stages
depending on the engine type.

(i) Identify which engine type corresponds to heat release rate profile (1) and (2)

(ii) Briefly describe the air-fuel mixture or combustion conditions at stages (a) and (d) for the SI engine.

(iii) Briefly describe the air-fuel mixture or combustion conditions at stages (b), (c), and (d) for the Cl
engine.

Clear handwriting is advised.

(1)
(2)
.....
as
Q)
/
,,-, \

-
:::c:
/ l' SI: Burn-out
0 Sl:Spark / · \ Cl: Late Combustion
/.
~ Cl:Fuel . ;!j
/2 lnjec:tion /.

,(iii~/~--
. , TQC to ·,. 20 30

/30)

End of paper