Engine and exhaust gas aftertreatment system tests

BOSMAL’s engine dyno testing laboratory, equipped with 20 modern engine dynos (AVL, HORIBA) – including dynamic dynos, hybrid testing benches and eddy current brakes – allows research and development works at the highest global level to be carried out.

BOSMAL’s engine dyno testing laboratory specialises in:

• new engine design development works,
• emission and simulation tests,
• choosing optimal engine components, together with calibration preparation,
• calibration works carried out on the engine control unit, for example engine power curve calibration, emission optimisation,
• durability tests,
• thermal shock tests,
• special tests and NVH measurements,
• combustion process tests,
• quality control tests,
• qualification tests of engines and their subassemblies,
• engine oil tests.

Exhaust aftertreatment system tests:

• NSC+DPF Euro 6 system development,
• SCR Euro 6 system development
• POC tests,
• catalytic converter ageing tests (on all liquid/gaseous fuels),
• Particle mass testing (PM), particle number testing (PN) and solid particle size distribution testing,
• urea dosage optimisation for applications with SCR.

BOSMAL’s engine dyno testing laboratory tests the following engine types:

• vehicular engines: light/medium/heavy duty,
• industrial engines,
• hybrid powertrains,
• sporting and motorcycle engines,
• off-road vehicle engines,
• marine engines.

Development tests conducted on engine prototypes

Development tests of engine prototypes conducted on the dyno focus on the selection of individual components and engine systems, their optimization for a given application, verification of technological assumption tests created during the engine design stage on the real object, together with simulation tests. At this stage, engine control unit calibration works are conducted in parallel in order to provide full functionality of engine components.

Individual engine component and system functionality tests

Functionality tests of engine components and systems are conducted on the dyno in order to verify and assess the operational correctness of individual engine subassemblies. The verification is usually based on the result analysis delivered during durability tests conducted on the testing bench, together with assessments of wear of a given component, subjecting it to meteorological and material tests, as well as via visual inspection.

MD/HD/hybrid/electric dedicated test cell No 19

Test stand 19 enables the examination and testing of Light Duty (LD), Medium Duty (MD) and Heavy Duty (HD) internal combustion engines, as well as electric motors and hybrid propulsion systems.

Fully Dynamic AC Dyno (DynoExact 504/5 Px) dynamometer parameters

• 500 kW, 3000 Nm, 5000 rpm

Software

• iGEM
• ISAC
• InMotion
• AVL PUMA OPEN 1.5.5

Test bench 17 and 18 for MD/HD/ hybrid/electric engines and drive trains

In the second half of 2021. BOSMAL is launching two new dynamic dynamometer test stands with equipment designed for R&D and approval activities for testing and simulating the performance of Heavy Duty (HD) and Light Duty (LD) internal combustion engines fuelled by petrol, diesel, LPG, CNG, synthetic fuels and biofuels with a maximum power output of 560 kW (HD) and 450 kW (LD). In addition, the stand will enable the testing of hybrid propulsion systems with an electric motor output of up to 250 kW. The engines to be tested will operate in steady-state, transient and dynamic conditions.

Parameters of dynamic dynamometers

• HD stand: 560 kW, 3000 Nm, 4500 rpm
• LD station: 450 kW, 1200 Nm, 10 000 rpm

Software

• IGEM 2
• AVL CONCERTO 5
• PUMA 2.0
• ISAC400

Tests performed

Tests of electric motors, performed on BOSMAL dynamometer benches, covered by Scope of Accreditation AB 128:
Electric motors (maximum power 500 kW) – Measurement of net power and maximum power after 30 minutes on an engine dynamometer – UNECE Regulation No. 85 Series 00

Equipment

AVL e-storage DC Power Unit

• Nominal capacity: 160 kW
• Output voltage: 8-800 VDC
• Output current: 600 A
• Fixed on the test bench no. 19 (picture)

AVL e-storage DC Power Unit

• Nominal capacity: 250 kW
• Output voltage: 8-800 V
• Output current: +/- 600 A
• Fixed on the test bench no. 17, 18

Regatron Low Voltage Battery Emulator

• Nominal capacity (max): 20 kW
• Output voltage (max): 65 V
• Output current (max): 385 A
• Portable unit (mobile usage) (picture)

Power Analyzers

• Yokogawa WT1800, Current probe
• X-ION: X-ION: 2 MS/s sampling/channel, pasmo 1 MHz, rozdzielczość ADC 18 bit +/- 0.0004% FSR
• Portable unit (mobile usage)

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Calibration works carried out on the dyno are performed in order to optimise engine parameters through modification of variables in the engine ECU. Calibration of variables is carried out with the engine working in states determined from partial and maximum load conditions, together with dynamic states, aiming to result in proper engine operation, as well as compliance with technical requirements stated by the manufacturer.

Sample calibration works

• injector mapping
• engine friction mapping
• calculated rotational torque (torque to quantity)
• air pulsation
• volumetric engine efficiency
• actuator calibration, e.g. of EGR, TVA, VGT, etc.
• strategies to protect the engine against overloading and overheating
• fuel injection and air flow strategy calibration
• power curve calibration
• fuel consumption and exhaust emissions optimisation
• combustion process stability optimisation

Quality control tests

Quality control tests of production engines are conducted on the dyno in order to define the actual engine parameters and compare them with those declared by the manufacturer (e.g. COP – Conformity of Production). During measurements on the engine dyno, parameters such as torque and power at full load, fuel consumption as well as exhaust opacity during free acceleration are measured. These tests gives the ability to identify any anomalies occurring during the engine production process through verification of engine parameters.

Qualification tests of engines and their subassemblies

Qualification tests of engines and their subassemblies are conducted on the dyno, allowing assessment of the ability to use lower cost subassembly alternatives, without negatively influencing the engine’s durability. ‘Cost reduction’ type of works, which are widely used by manufacturers of engines and individual components, can be an example of such tests, which offer opportunities for economic savings at the production stage.

Thermal shock tests in engine testing

Thermal shock tests are experiments conducted on an engine installed on a dyno, which aim to assess the influence of extreme temperatures of cooling liquid on engine operation, as well as assessing wear and thermal deformation of individual engine components.
During such tests, a glycol cooling medium is used, which is chilled to -35ºC using special apparatus. Next, through heat exchanger systems installed at the test bed, a thermal exchange occurs, which results in the engine cooling fluid reaching -30ºC and being distributed into the engine cooling system. Depending on the test cycle, the engine is heated up to 120ºC, and next its cooling sequence is repeated.

Sample tests

• Engine Thermal Cycle
• Deep Thermal Cycle
• Thermal Mapping Test
• Heat Rejection Test
• Piston Hot Scuff Test
• Piston Cold Scuff Test
• Exhaust Manifold Test
• Piston Temperature Distribution Test
• Glow plug Test

Special tests

Special tests include non-standard tests performed using specialist test equipment, such as strain gauges to determine material deformation, or tests performed on a specially prepared test stand (TILT), which are designed to determine the specific parameters of the engine and its components.

Sample tests

• Crankshaft Stress Measurements
• Accelerated Crankshaft Test
• Torsional Vibration Test
• Start & Stop Test
• Oil Carry Over Test (Tilting Bench)
• Generator Test

Validation tests

Validation tests of engines run on the engine dyno aim to determine the durability and reliability of the engine, including its individual components. Such tests, depending on the type of engine (light duty/heavy duty), last from 1000 to 3000 hours and simulate accumulated mileages in the range of 150000 to 500000 km in a relatively short time. At the test bench, any test can be mapped and performed under reproducible laboratory conditions, which facilitates the interpretation of the results obtained and also lowers the test costs in relation to the work carried out on the vehicle. The engines are equipped with a series of sensors that measure the current operating parameters (e.g. temperature, pressure, ECU parameters) registered by the automation system, and at the end of the test, depending on the customer’s requirements, a detailed metrological and material analysis is carried out allowing a final assessment of each component and possible qualification for production.

Sample tests

• GED (Diesel Engine Life Test)
• DELT (Diesel Engine Life Test)
• Reliability Growth Test
• Piston Ring Sticking Test
• Piston Functional Fatigue Test
• EGR Valve Sticking Test
• Accelerated Timing Chain Test
• Accelerated Bearing Test
• Valve Seat Pull Out Test
• EGR Clogging Test
• Valve Seat Pull Out Test
• Turbocharger Accelerated Endurance Test

We perform measurements of engine noise and vibrations and the engine dyno. We have performed several dozen such measurements at various locations on the engine: both on the block, sub-systems, turbine and exhaust. We always measure the engine speed at the same time, which is necessary, for example, for Order analysis.

We have assessed the test cells for compliance with the ISO 3746 standard for the determination of sound power by the pressure method. The cells intended for acoustic tests have been adapted accordingly and the K2 correction is sufficiently low.

If this is not enough, we can also precisely determine the acoustic power of the engine at constant speeds using an intensity probe.

Measurement results can be elaborated in the form of various graphs, but we can also provide raw data as .uff, .txt, .wav files, and in other formats.

Transducers

• Single- and three-axis vibration sensors (ICP, charge)
• Non-contact displacement sensors (CAPACITEC)
• IVS-500 Industrial Vibration Sensor (POLYTEC)
• laser for measurement of torsional vibrations (Bruel&Kjaer)
• force transducers (PCB), modal hammer (Bruel&Kjaer)
• polarised (200 V) class 1 microphone (Bruel&Kjaer and G.R.A.S.)
• sound intensity meter (G.R.A.S.)

Analyses

• Frequency (FFT, CPB, FRF and others)
• Time Domain
• Order
• Torsional vibration measurements
• Operational Deflection Shapes
• Overall
• Plots as a function of time, rotational speed, frequency, order, etc.
• Export as: .uff, .txt, .wav, .sdf and other formats
• We can also perform customer signal analysis (.unv, .uff, etc.)

Norms

• SAE J1074
• ISO 3746
• PN-EN ISO 9614-1
• PN-EN ISO 9614-2
• PN-EN ISO 9614-3

Measurement apparatus

• We make use of multichannel DAQ devices by firms such as: Brüel&Kjaer, OROS and DEWESOFT.

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• PN-EN ISO 9614-1 – Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound intensity – Part 1: Measurement at discrete points
• PN-EN ISO 9614-2 – Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound intensity – Part 2: Measurement by scanning
• PN-EN ISO 9614-3 – Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels of noise sources using sound intensity – Part 3: Precision method for measurements by scanning
• PN-EN ISO 3746 – Acoustics – Determination of sound power levels and sound energy levels of noise sources using sound pressure – Survey method using an enveloping measurement surface over a reflecting plane
• SAE J 1074 – Engine Sound Level Measurement Procedure