OBD Compliant LPG Engine Conversion: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 14:10, 28 February 2023

Opportunity

New Eagle developed the control system on a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) engine for a Powertrain Integration 8.0-liter 8-cylinder engine. The system uses the 8.0L engine with an LPG fuel system from Clean Fuels USA for the traditional gasoline fuel system. New Eagle provided torque security for electronic throttle control.

New Eagle also implemented purge and evaporative emission controls for the fuel delivery system. The system is required to be OBD compliant for use in vehicles between 14,000-pound to 33,000-pound gross vehicle weight.

The first production applications were the Freightliner Custom Chassis school bus and medium-duty delivery vehicles.

Solution

New Eagle provided the engine control module, the safety controller and the control algorithms for the engine control system. A five-phase program plan was created and tracked throughout the project. This ensured that all of the critical steps (design, DFMEA, testing) for product development were completed on time. Weekly updates were provided to the customer. New Eagle worked closely with Powertrain Integration in all phases to ensure a successful program.

Hardware

Early system development utilized the ECM-0565-128-0702 Calibratable Engine Control Module (now obsolete) for engine control algorithms. The team switched to an ECM-5554-112-0904 Calibratable Engine Control Module for later development. The calibratable module provides quick calibration through the MotoTune calibration tool. An ECM-5554-112-0904 flash module is in series production now that the calibration parameters for OBD compliance have been finalized.

An ECM-0S12-024-0802 Calibratable Engine Control Module was implemented for the safety processor. This controller communicates with the engine controller and ensures that it is operating properly. If the safety controller detects a discrepancy, it disables critical control actuators and shuts down the system.

New Eagle is currently developing a single controller solution with an integrated safety processor. By integrating the safety processor into the engine controller, the overall cost will be decreased while increasing system reliability.

Toolchain and Control Algorithm

New Eagle used the MotoHawk Toolchain from Woodward to implement the engine controls and monitoring controls. New Eagle has an extensive library of engine control algorithms and gaseous fuel algorithms that were used as a basis for this program. By using the MotoHawk tools and the base libraries, New Eagle was able to develop the LPG engine controls quickly. Using the verified controller, base software and algorithm libraries increased the reliability and confidence of the system.

A DBC file for the engine CAN communication protocol was provided for the program. Using the New Eagle Network Toolbox Software, the team was able to quickly implement the CAN communications, saving significant development time. By ensuring that both the sending and receiving module used the same DBC file, debug time was reduced.

Results

New Eagle, Powertrain Integration and Clean Fuels USA were able to successfully convert an engine to burn LPG fuel for a production over-the-road, large, non-pivoting vehicle. OBD validation and EPA certification has been completed, and series production is scheduled for mid-2013.

Will meet GM durability, torque and horsepower requirements
Applications will be certified by the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Vehicles will comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and with On-Board Diagnostic requirements through 2019.

Customer

Powertrain Integration

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 __NOTOC__
-__NOTITLE__
+[[File: New_Eagle_LPG_Arrow_Banner.png | inline]]
-[[File: New_Eagle_Arrow_Banner.png | inline ]]
+[[image: PILogo.jpg | right | link=http://powertrainintegration.com/]]
+[[File:propane1.jpg| right |300 px]]
 ==Opportunity==
-[[File:Arrow_Overrall_System_Architecture_4.jpg|thumb |upright=1.5|alt=A system diagram of a natural gas engine for stationary power generation.|Natural Gas Engine Control System for Stationary Power Generation]]
+[[File:School_Bus.jpg| left | 100 px]]
-[[image: Arrow_Logo.jpg | left | 150 px | link=http://www.arrowengine.com/en/]]
-Develop the control system on a stationary natural gas engine for [http://www.arrowengine.com/en/ Arrow Engine Company]. The engine provides power generation in oil and gas exploration sites and must run on the fuel obtained directly from the field. The energy content of the fuel and the level of contaminants varies from site to site. The end customer required adjustable controls to optimize the engine operation for the particular BTU level of the fuel.
+New Eagle developed the control system on a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) engine for a [http://powertrainintegration.com/ Powertrain Integration] 8.0-liter 8-cylinder engine. The system uses the 8.0L engine with an LPG fuel system from Clean Fuels USA for the traditional gasoline fuel system. New Eagle provided torque security for electronic throttle control.
+New Eagle also implemented purge and evaporative emission controls for the fuel delivery system. The system is required to be OBD compliant for use in vehicles between 14,000-pound to 33,000-pound gross vehicle weight.
+The first production applications were the Freightliner Custom Chassis school bus and medium-duty delivery vehicles.
 ==Solution==
-New Eagle provided the engine control module, HMI display and the engine control algorithm and software for a natural gas engine for stationary power generation.
+New Eagle provided the engine control module, the safety controller and the control algorithms for the engine control system. A five-phase program plan was created and tracked throughout the project. This ensured that all of the critical steps (design, DFMEA, testing) for product development were completed on time. Weekly updates were provided to the customer. New Eagle worked closely with Powertrain Integration in all phases to ensure a successful program.
 ===Hardware===
-New Eagle selected the [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=Controllers#48_Pin_563_Engine_Control_Module ECM-0536-48-0701] calibratable electronic control module for the engine control module (ECM). The ECM interfaced with the components of the system and provided an interface to the HMI for field calibration of the engines. New Eagle also helped to define the components of the system and provided the systems integration expertise. By using the off the shelf validated engine controllers, New Eagle was able to save significant time and money as compared to a custom built solution. By sharing common hardware and software with other systems, overall system reliability was improved.
+Early system development utilized the '''[[Controllers#ECM-565-128_.28PCM128.29|ECM-0565-128-0702]]''' Calibratable Engine Control Module (now obsolete) for engine control algorithms. The team switched to an '''[[Controllers#ECM-5554-112_.28ECM112.29|ECM-5554-112-0904]]''' Calibratable Engine Control Module for later development. The calibratable module provides quick calibration through the MotoTune calibration tool. An '''[[Controllers#ECM-5554-112_.28ECM112.29|ECM-5554-112-0904]]''' flash module is in series production now that the calibration parameters for OBD compliance have been finalized.
-A [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=KAntrak KAntrak 2610] module was selected as for the initial HMI display unit for the system. Later, the KAntrak 2610 was replaced by the [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=VeeCAN_320_Display VeeCAN 320] color display.
+[[File:Monitoring_System.jpg|thumb |upright=1.5|alt=A system diagram for a controller and monitoring controller for a safety critical system.|New Eagle implemented a system safety architecture for the torques security algorithm of the LPG engine system. The system consists of an engine control module with a monitoring control module. The monitoring module confirms the proper operation of the engine control module and then enables the critical actuators.]]
-===Toolchain===
+An '''[[Controllers#ECM-S12-24_.28SECM24.29|ECM-0S12-024-0802]]''' Calibratable Engine Control Module was implemented for the safety processor. This controller communicates with the engine controller and ensures that it is operating properly. If the safety controller detects a discrepancy, it disables critical control actuators and shuts down the system.
-[[File:Arrow_Cal_Manual.jpg|thumb |upright=1.5|alt=Calibration manual for a natural gas engine for stationary power generation.|Natural Gas Engine Control System Calibration Manual]]
-The [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=MotoHawk_Control_Solutions MotoHawk] and New Eagle toolchain was employed to acclerate development. Using the Matlab / Simulink environment, the team was able to unit test and integrate the model in the simulation environment. The algorithm was then quickly deployed to the ECM through the integrated build environment.
+New Eagle is currently developing a single controller solution with an integrated safety processor. By integrating the safety processor into the engine controller, the overall cost will be decreased while increasing system reliability.
-Arrow used the [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=MotoHawk_Control_Solutions#MotoTune MotoTune] calibration tool to calibrate the engine parameters. New Eagle supplied Arrow with a calibration manual so that they could properly tune the engine for their application.
+===Toolchain and Control Algorithm===
+New Eagle used the '''[[MotoHawk-Platform|MotoHawk Toolchain]]''' from [http://www.woodward.com/motohawkcontrolsolution.aspx Woodward] to implement the engine controls and monitoring controls. New Eagle has an extensive library of '''[[Engine_and_Transmission_Controls|engine control]]''' algorithms and '''[[Gaseous_Fuel_Controls|gaseous fuel]]''' algorithms that were used as a basis for this program. By using the MotoHawk tools and the base libraries, New Eagle was able to develop the LPG engine controls quickly. Using the verified controller, base software and algorithm libraries increased the reliability and confidence of the system.
-===Control Algorithm===
+A DBC file for the engine CAN communication protocol was provided for the program. Using the New Eagle '''[[New_Eagle_DBC_CAN_Networking_Toolbox|Network Toolbox Software]]''', the team was able to quickly implement the CAN communications, saving significant development time. By ensuring that both the sending and receiving module used the same DBC file, debug time was reduced.
-New Eagle used their extensive [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=Engine_and_Transmission_Controls engine control experience and engine control libraries] to develop the Arrow engine application. The development of the human machine interface was expedited through code reuse. The reuse of validated software libraries along with the base MotoHawk software increased system reliability while shortening the development cycle.
-Using the same CAN interface as the calibration tool, New Eagle was able to provide calibration support through the HMI that is sold with each engine system. This allowed tuning of the engine in the field to compensate for the variability in the fuel quality. By adjusting the engine tuning, the power generator was able to operate at a higher performance level than in previous versions of the system.
+==Results==
+New Eagle, Powertrain Integration and Clean Fuels USA were able to successfully convert an engine to burn LPG fuel for a production over-the-road, large, non-pivoting vehicle. OBD validation and EPA certification has been completed, and series production is scheduled for mid-2013.
-==Results==
+* Will meet GM durability, torque and horsepower requirements
-The natural gas engine controls were rapidly implemented and the system is now in production. New Eagle provides Arrow with fully programmed engine control modules and displays. New Eagle and Arrow are investigating improvements to the system including an [http://www.neweagle.net/support/wiki/index.php?title=Power_Generation#Generator_Start-Stop_Control auto start/stop feature].
+* Applications will be certified by the California Air Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
+* Vehicles will comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and with On-Board Diagnostic requirements through 2019.
 ==Customer==
-[http://www.arrowengine.com/en/ Arrow Engine Company]
+[http://powertrainintegration.com/ Powertrain Integration]