Development and Demonstration of Control Strategies for a Common Rail Direct Injection Armoured Fighting Vehicle Engine

  • Jensen Samuel J. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
  • Paul Pramod M. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
  • A. Ramesh Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai
  • Anand Mammen Thomas Research and Innovation Centre, Chennai
  • V. Ramanujachari Research and Innovation Centre, Chennai
  • R. Murugesan Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chennai
  • A. Kumarasamy Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chennai
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.67.11450
Keywords: ECU development, Diesel engine control, Common rail direct Injection, Armoured fighting vehicle engines, Transient engine testing, Closed loop control

Abstract

The development of a controller which can be used for engines used in armoured fighting vehicles is discussed. This involved choosing a state of the art reference common rail automotive Diesel engine and setting-up of a transient engine testing facility. The dynamometer through special real-time software was controlled to vary the engine speed and throttle position. The reference engine was first tested with its stock ECU and its bounds of operation were identified. Several software modules were developed in-house in stages and evaluated on special test benches before being integrated and tested on the reference engine. Complete engine control software was thus developed in Simulink and flashed on to an open engine controller which was then interfaced with the engine. The developed control software includes strategies for closed loop control of fuel rail pressure, boost pressure, idle speed, coolant temperature based engine de-rating, control of fuel injection timing, duration and number of injections per cycle based on engine speed and driver input. The developed control algorithms also facilitated online calibration of engine maps and manual over-ride and control of engine parameters whenever required. The software was further tuned under transient conditions on the actual engine for close control of various parameters including rail pressure, idling speed and boost pressure. Finally, the developed control strategies were successfully demonstrated and validated on the reference engine being loaded on customised transient cycles on the transient engine testing facility with inputs based on military driving conditions. The developed controller can be scaled up for armoured fighting vehicle engines.

Author Biographies

Jensen Samuel J., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

Mr Jensen Samuel J., completed his Masters in Internal Combustion Engineering from College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University Chennai in 2011. Presently pursuing his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and working on modelling combustion for RT model-based control of Diesel engines during steady and transient operating conditions. Research interests include: IC engine testing, data acquisition, physics-based modelling and control.

Paul Pramod M., Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

Mr Paul Pramod M., completed his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Currently pursuing his Master’s in Automotive Engineering at RWTH Aachen University, Germany and also working as student worker in FEV Europe GmbH.


A. Ramesh, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai

Dr A. Ramesh, obtained his PhD (Internal combustion engines) from IIT Madras and post doctoral research work from Ecole Des Mines De Nantes, France. He is an Institute Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering and also head of the Center for Continuing Education in IIT Madras. He has published over 135 research papers on GDI and HCCI engines, alternative fuels and engine management.

Anand Mammen Thomas, Research and Innovation Centre, Chennai

Mr Anand Mammen Thomas, completed Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from College of Engineering, Trivandrum, in 2007 and currently pursuing Master’s in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras. Presently working as Scientist ‘C’ in Research & Innovation Centre, IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai and is working on control strategies for a common rail direct injection armoured fighting vehicle engine.

V. Ramanujachari, Research and Innovation Centre, Chennai

Dr V. Ramanujachari started his career in DRDL, Hyderabad as Scientist ‘B’ in 1982 and worked on the Airbreathing Propulsion system for AKASH missile. Later, he taught at the Institute of Armament Technology, Pune. He was the Project Director of HSTDV project at DRDL, Hyderabad during 2009-2012. He was holding the position of Director, Research& Innovation Centre, IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai at the time of his retirement in 2016. His research interests are in the fields of combustion and propulsion.

R. Murugesan, Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chennai

Mr Murugesan R, is a post graduate engineer and working as Scientist ‘F’ in Combat Vehicles R&D Establishment, DRDO. He has more than 28 years of experience and worked extensively in design and development of diesel engine and its sub-systems for armoured fighting vehicles and its evaluation. He is currently leading the Centre for Engineering Analysis Division (CEAD) in CVRDE.

A. Kumarasamy, Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Chennai

Mr A. Kumarasamy, completed Masters from IITM, Chennai in 1995. Working as Scientist ‘G’ in CVRDE, Chennai and heading engine division. Developed compact cooling system for combat vehicles. Guided and upgraded power output of an existing engine and evaluated at field conditions. Presently guiding a team for developing engines for 400 – 1500 hp range. His research interests include diesel engine for Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) for 400 to 1500 hp range, compact cooling system for AFVs, efficient air filtration system for AFVs, advanced & efficient technologies for sub systems of diesel engine and its peripheral systems.

Published
2017-06-30
How to Cite
Samuel J., J., Pramod M., P., Ramesh, A., Thomas, A., Ramanujachari, V., Murugesan, R., & Kumarasamy, A. (2017). Development and Demonstration of Control Strategies for a Common Rail Direct Injection Armoured Fighting Vehicle Engine. Defence Science Journal, 67(4), 382-389. https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.67.11450
Issue
Vol 67 No 4: Combat Vehicle
Section
Special Issue Papers
Copyright (c) 2017 Defence Science Journal

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