EN0751 Interdisciplinary Engineering Project Shell Eco Marathon

PROJECT OUTCOMES

5. 
   
   

   1. Team Work

2. Engine testing

Initially the engine was tested with no modifications, using petrol, followed by an 80:20 ethanol mix (see appendix 5). Second test completed with the same fuels (see appendix 6). Tuning is still required to make it efficient enough to run in competition. In relation to aims, the engine has been proven to run on an alternative fuel source, thus meeting the success of the first aim set out.

3. Powertrain system

The clutch has been modified to attach to the engine, and a chain will connect the engine to the steering system.

The electric starter motor has been mounted, and is capable of starting the engine.

Although not yet complete, everything is in place ready to put together for a fully working powertrain system.

6. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Overall the team worked well on the project. A lot of technical work was carried out and a large amount of progress has been achieved. Though it may be easy to write the project off as a failure due to the system not being complete there are three large factors to consider when judging the stage the group got to:

1. 
   The body and chassis have not arrived at the time of writing so the system cannot be completely connected. This is down to the time it took to get the bodywork designed and simulated and the lack of a plan B when the quote for manufacture came back too high- time was lost deciding how to deal with this problem and the in house manufacturing process got off to a slow start.
   
2. 
   Most shell eco marathon teams do not pass phase 2 qualification in their first year of entry. The chance of any university building a vehicle from scratch over a period of 8 – 10 months is very slim due to the amount of work required. In most cases first time universities are entered into national level feeder events where the rulings are less enforced and teams have more margin for error. Due to the event being held in London this year British universities all had a much greater chance of getting selected due to their transport and logistics being easier giving shell the chance to boost their participant numbers. As a first time team it would have been much more feasible to enter a feeder event as the time constraints would
   
3. 
   There were a number of hold ups during the project. Engine parts were ready to be ordered prior to Christmas but did not begin to arrive until mid-February. Some parts took longer still. The EFI was held up in customs for about 3 weeks. For any complex work done on the engine, including all testing processes, the correct personnel had to be present. This included a senior lecturer and lab technician. Due to their busy workloads time was often lost whilst awaiting their availability, not to mention the students’ availability due to lectures and project work from other modules. This is not something that can easily be improved upon, but nonetheless had a big effect on productivity.
   

7. FUTURE WORK

• 
  A study into the air fuel mixture of the ethanol
  
• 
  Implementation of a gear box
  
• 
  Further engine tuning
  
• 
  Improvements to the air storage system
  
• 
  Incorporation of a smaller battery with alternator to charge on the go
  
• 
  A study of more eco-friendly materials to use in body manufacture
  

The steering system, rear sprocket and exhaust are currently being manufactured, and can as yet not be added into the chassis.

A smaller battery is awaiting delivery to reduce weight and the brakes are ready to be implemented to the wheels once the chassis has been delivered.

8. REFERENCES

[2] Sustainable Systems and Technology, Enabling fuel efficient vehicles through integration of design tools and early-stage cost estimation. Available from: <http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6227985/?reload=true> Accessed on: [03/03/17]

[3] Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Centre. Available from:

<http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/fuel_comparison_chart.pdf> Accessed on: [20/10/2016]

[4] University of Strathclyde, What is Bioethanol. Available from: <http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/biofuels/what_bioethanol.htm> Accessed on: [12/03/2017]

[5] Wikipedia, Fuel Economy. Available from: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel#Fuel_economy> Accessed on: [12/03/2017

[6] Max-Torque, Clutches. Available from: <http://maxtorque.com/> Accessed on: [25/11/2016]

[7] Shell Eco-Marathon 2017, Official Rules Chapter 1. Available from: http://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/shell-ecomarathon/for-participants/tech-tips-and-tricks/_jcr_content/par/toptasks.stream/1472744744388/7b204129356de26d47c9f21e2c8f58e07f3e2e4f266ae7714c8e6b17bb7051e1/sem-2017-rules-chapter-1.pdf Accessed on: [21/09/2016]

[8] Seattle pi, how much pressure can a two litre bottle handle? Available from: <http://education.seattlepi.com/much-pressure-can-two-liter-bottle-handle-6313.html> Accessed on: [25/02/2017]

[9] T Bucket Plans, Bending Steering Arms. Available from: <http://www.tbucketplans.com/bending-steering-arms/> Accessed on: [25/03/2017]

9. APPENDICES

Appendix 4: Power train Bill of Materials

Appendix 5: Driver Safety

Driver rules and track are to be studied in depth. Studying the track benefits the team because the most fuel efficient driving line can be calculated and adopted on the day. Our initial aim was ambitious but was to be the best performing team in our ethanol category, so studying the driving line is very important. The other award we are aiming to achieve is safety. The driver rules are in place to ensure that the event is safe as possible and will be implemented at all times during the race week. Driver Rules can be found in Chapter one, Article 10 of the SEM2017. Found here: http://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/shell-ecomarathon/_jcr_content/par/toptasks_1617110573.stream/1472744744388/7b204129356de26d47c9f21e2c8f58e07f3e2e4f266ae7714c8e6b17bb7051e1/sem-2017-rules-chapter-1.pdf

Appendix 6: GXH50 Engine Invoice from L&S Engineers

Appendix 7: Clutch Invoice

Appendix 8: Surplus Centre Invoice

Appendix 9: Ecotrons Invoice