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Non-invasive fuel consumption measurement for internal combustion engines based on Otto cycle

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Abstract

The growing demand for reduced fuel consumption and increased energy efficiency in internal combustion engines underscores the need for continuous advancements in engine technologies. At the same time, the significance of refining driver behavior cannot be ignored, as it stands as a crucial instrument in reducing unnecessary fuel expenses and mitigating escalated levels of pollutant emissions. In this sense, the accurate estimation of fuel consumption is a fundamental prerequisite for the applications of fuel control measures on fuel consumption. Although most modern vehicles offer fuel consumption data assessed by the electronic central unit, this information is primarily designed to provide users with an estimate of their momentary average consumption, without any assurance from manufacturers regarding the reliability of this data. Most of the initiatives aimed at measuring fuel consumption require invasive approaches, and there is still a lack of studies addressing non-invasive methods to evaluate the total fuel consumption, especially for Otto cycle engines operating with pure ethanol and a mixture of gasoline and ethanol. In this regard, the objective of this work is to develop a non-invasive method for the real-time fuel measurement of internal combustion engines based on the Otto cycle with a common rail fuel injection system. The proposed technique requires only the measurement of the electrical signal pulses sent from the engine control unit to the fuel injector and does not affect the performance or operation of the engine in any way. The measurement system was built using low-cost electronic components, and its accuracy was evaluated using a single-cylinder research engine (SCRE). A series of 32 tests were performed, considering four different engine loads, four different speeds, and two different fuels, ethanol (E100) and gasoline and ethanol blend (E27). The results achieved were superior to those obtained with electromechanical sensors. The results obtained by measuring the fuel consumption with the proposed methodology showed a maximum percentage error of ± 2.85% for ethanol (E100) and ± 3.30% for a blend of gasoline with 27% ethanol (E27).

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Abbreviations

DMA:

Direct memory access

Ccalibration :

Calibration coefficient [−]

E27:

Gasoline with 27% ethanol content

Cf :

Friction coefficient [−]

E100:

Ethanol

g:

Force to acceleration [m/s2]

FPGA:

Field-programmable gate array

m:

Mass [kg]

ICE:

Internal combustion engine

\(\dot{m}\) :

Mass flow rate [kg/s]

OBD:

On-board diagnostic

P:

Pressure [mbar]

SCRE:

Single-cylinder research engine

Q:

Volume flow rate [m3/s]

TTL:

Transistor–transistor logic

ti:

Injection time [ms]

A:

Area [m2].

U:

Speed (x-axis) [m/s]

C:

Discharge coefficient [−]

Z:

Height [m]

Cc :

Contraction coefficient [−]

ρ:

Density [kg/m3]

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Department of Mechanics of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, for making it possible to carry out the research in their laboratories.

This work was supported by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the Coordination of Improvement of Higher-Level Personnel (CAPES)—Finance code 001.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, Pampulha MG, CEP 31270-901, Brazil

    Emerson Alves da Silva, José Guilherme Coelho Baeta, Rodrigo Andrade Fonseca, Augusto César Teixeira Malaquias & Antônio Augusto Torres Maia

  2. Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnológica de Minas Gerais, CEFET-MG, Av. Amazonas 5253, Nova Suíça, Belo Horizonte, MG, CEP, 30421-169, Brazil

    André Guimarães Ferreira

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  1. Emerson Alves da Silva
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Correspondence to Emerson Alves da Silva.

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da Silva, E.A., Baeta, J.G.C., Fonseca, R.A. et al. Non-invasive fuel consumption measurement for internal combustion engines based on Otto cycle. J Braz. Soc. Mech. Sci. Eng. 45, 627 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40430-023-04517-y

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