Group SD0708
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HYDROGEN-DIESEL TRACTOR CONVERSION
Our senior design project involves the transformation of a Caterpillar MT525B tractor, which is powered by a Perkins 3056 diesel engine, to operate on 10% hydrogen and 90% diesel mixture. This project is being done in conjunction with the Mechanical Engineering and Agricultural engineering departments. The sponsor for this design is Basin Power Electric. Basin Power Electric owns and operates Windmills. The vast amount of generated electrical energy from these windmills is stored in the form of Hydrogen via the process know as electrolysis. It involves the use of an electrolyzer to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. Hydrogen is light, odorless, colorless, and very flammable. Using hydrogen to power as alternative fuel source would vastly benifit the environment. For example, when hydrogen is burned, it produces only water.
Temi Akingboye and Ajay jyoti are responsible for the designing the control system that will enable the injection of hydrogen into the intake manifold while monitoring the pressure in one of the six cylinders. Our design incorporates the use of MULTISIM and ULTIBOARD to create a Printed Circuit board that will be the hub of our electrical design. On our PCB we shall have a PIC 16F876A microprocessor that will undertake all of the number crunching computations. Our communications interface is in the form of the DB9 COM port using the UART protocol. Our Printed circuit borad houses a 20X4 LCD display which we shall use to view readings from the Pressure transducers placed in the engine head. Also we shall be using ZTX1035 Bipolar juction transistors to control our soleniod valves that shall be attached to the hydrogen tank.
OVERALL PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
- Tractor will be converted to operate on hydrogen/diesel blend
- Conversion will be performed in a manner which allows the ratio of hydrogen gas to diesel fuel to be varied, in order to study engine performance characteristics at different blend levels.
- Laboratory testing will be conducted on the tractor at NDSU to document engine performance characteristics as a function of hydrogen/diesel fuel ratio
- Dynamometer testing of the engine
- Periodic oil sampling
- Emissions testing.
- Once the optimal blend ratio of hydrogen gas to diesel fuel has been determined, the tractor will be transported to the North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) for field testing.
- Upon completion of all tests involving the converted tractor, the tractor will be returned to NDSU for removal of all parts related to the hydrogen conversion project.
- The tractor will then be returned to Butler Machinery Company.
- A final report will be submitted to BEPC by the MEAM and ABEN Departments documenting all procedures and results related to the hydrogen conversion project
ADVISERS
Bapeswara Rao - ECE
Robert Pieri - ME
Alan Kallmeyer - ME
Leslie Backer - ME
Michael Gross - ME
Michael Stewart - ME
STUDENTS
Hydrogen Experts - Trust Us!!!!
Electrical Engineers: Temi-tope Akingboye and Ajay Jyoti
Mechanical Engineers: Chris Daigle, Ted Wald, and Mitch Hellen
Agricultural Engineers: Derek Nienwma and Nic Hodnefield
INITIAL REQUIREMENTS
- Design, record, & monitor
- Pressure and Temperature in each cylinder(6)
- Design a digital hydrogen flow control
- Implement this somehow via Electronic Control Unit
- Design a control system for opening and closing hydrogen valves
CURRENT REQUIREMENTS
- Design a PCB board to do the following:
- Display, Monitor & Record Pressure before and after the pressure regulator
- Determine & Display the volume of H2 in the tank
- Two buttons to independently open/close the solenoid valve on the tank and after the pressure regulator
- Master button to shut all the solenoids
- When electro-mechanical switch sends a signal, turn off solenoid valve on the tank
- Design a digital hydrogen flow control
- Implement this somehow via Electronic Control Unit
HYDROGEN FLOW SYSTEM
PCB SCHEMATIC
BUDGET & EQUIPMENT
