Publications

The goal of this project is to create a modular optical section that can be inserted into an exhaust runner to measure soot mass being produced by combustion.

My oral presentation will focus on the progress made by me on mechanical design for the Exhaust Runner Soot Diagnostic (ERSD) for use on optical research diesel engines.

The Exhaust Runner Soot Diagnostic (ERSD) system is an in-line, time-resolved soot mass measurement system designed to allow rapid measurement of soot mass flux to detect and measure cyclic variability. The ERSD system design was generally split into two sections: conceptual mechanical design and measurement design—meaning the relevant calculations to demonstrate the feasibility of our planned measurement approach. For measurement design, the Beer-Lambert Law was the central focus for design justification. With measured values for the Filter Smoke Number (FSN) and a conversion to soot mass concentration, the required effective optical path length can be calculated for a desired light attenuation percentage. For mechanical design, the key constraints were space and modularity. The design must be placed into an existing mechanical setup with relative ease, as well as being modular enough to be implemented on other engines. The crux of the mechanical design was proper sealing and optical access, as both are crucial to the system's effectiveness. For proper sealing, extensive thermal expansion calculations were performed alongside O-ring design guides to produce the desired sealing and custom gland dimensions. For maximizing optical access, many iterations were modeled to provide full optical access while maintaining effective gas sealing.