specsalot

The organization I work for is currently vetting a 50 MW block of SG50's at our largest site and a 7.5 MW SG 34 at my plant. Big bets of the frac gas for sure. Flexible capacity requiring little environmental mitigation is a home run that is hard to argue with. These engines are based on diesel scantlings, delivering robustness and reliability without the complexity of liquid fuel systems. Wartsila dominates the high power density cruise market where electric propulsion dominates. Wartsila is also pioneering the conversion of marine industry into LNG fuel away from liquid hydrocarbons. Wartsila's ship design segment just inked a new hybrid container / ro-ro vessel design for Crowley which will be LNG fueled. When NSD was spun off by Sulzer, Wartsila picked up some great engine design DNA.

I wasn't sure about the spelling. I'm know I'm starting to sound a bit like a Wartsila commercial. I just want the OP to understand that there are organizations and career opportunities for engineers who want to bring innovation to engine design. ptuomov - Killer 928 video, great example of engine development

fasteddie313

right on the main page of your http://www.wartsila.com/en/power-pla...ons/chp-plants

"with absorption chillers for heat recovery"

fasteddie313

thank you I appreciate that...

from what I see around me there doesn't really seem to have been much in the way of major advances in ICE technology sense OHV/SOHC/DOHC and EFI...


LNG= liquid natural gas I think...

propane engines have been around for a long time already, going from LP to LNG should be quite simple, bigger jets for LNG or a richer fuel curve if electronically fueled due to the different energy densities between the fuels.. like jetting or tuning differently for ethanol or methanol than gasoline...

I wonder what octane (or similar rating to MON, RON) LP and LNG are rated at....

specsalot

You're Welcome

The challenge for engine design is really about making required power with efficiency at relatively low emission levels. Engine control design plays a major role in achieving these results. The Europeans have a huge head start advantage over much of the world in this area. Bosch is one of the best engine control designers in the world.

One of the notable exceptions to the European advantage is Caterpillar. Many years ago they focused on being able to adapt a solid engine design to wide range of applications by customizing attachments and controls. This is why their engines dominate the mobile construction equipment trade. Cat's acquisition of SOLAR Turbines broadened their stationary portfolio. Cat just picked up a european manufacturer to extend their larger stationary & marine RICE portfolio.

67King

COMPLETELY agree with the top part. By all means try to get in. What separates the adequate engineers from the good ones is the creative aspect......which is why we keep saying we like the way you think. It isn't about the feasibility of the idea most of the time, shoot, maybe 1% of the crazy stuff that pops into your head will go somewhere. But sometimes that 1% will make a big difference. For example, when I was working on a V8 engine program for MY2007, we got stuck with a discontinued throttle body. Typical response was how do we tool it back up, which is where everyone wanted to go. I looked elsewhere, into higher volume V6's of similar power level. Found one off the shelf, we tweaked the intake design (that was changing anyway), and it saved Ford about $10M a year.

That said, could not disagree more on German engineers. All of my encoutners with them were horrible. The difference is that the companies let the engineers dictate things that American, and to a lesser degree, Japanese engineers do not get to dictate. American engineers are by far and away the best, and part of it has to do with whatever cultural thing we have going here that makes people think outside the box more than others. When you benchmark German stuff, you see expensive solutions. When you benchmark American stuff, you see creative solutions. And shoot, American engines don't have con rod bearings as service items like our engines and 928's, they don't have IMS bearing types of issues, D-chunking of cylinder walls, and piston scuffing like the 996 engines had. The 997's also suffer some crank issue and piston scuffing, etc. etc. etc. (No, we get in trouble because we won't spend an extra couple of bucks on an ignition switch). You'd be surprised at the historical importance of some American engines.

The idea about this being feasible on a stationary application is great! When you aren't limited by space or added weight, then everything you can do to increase efficiency is fantastic. I think the most efficient engines are huge, 2 cycle diesel ones, where thermal efficiency is approaching 50%, usually in marine applications?

Seriously, though, I would HIGHLY encourage you to pursue a degree. The prof you mentioned earlier, talk to him. See if you can get an interview, when you do, be upfront about your past. Sounds like it was a maturity issue. You may have to consider community college, then transferring. But by all means, keep your focus on your education while there.

fasteddie313

these are what I meant about stationary engines in the natural gas pressure plants..

there mufflers are like as big as a house... amazing machines

Dash01

I have in mind that aluminum accordion tubing used for clothes dryer ducting, slipped over the existing intake hoses and pipes, with some spiral insulation wrap in between. That way, the aluminum accordion tubing reflects a lot of heat away, and the sandwiched insulation wrap keeps engine bay heat from pre-heating the intake air.

Cost and weight would be virtually nill.

Also, use reflective heat blankets to segregate the exhaust manifold and turbo from the rest of the engine bay, with their own separate vents to, say, the wheel wells. Ram air comes in at the nose of the car, circulates over and cools the exhaust manifold and turbo, respectively, then goes out via the wheel wells, a known low pressure zone. That way, less heat buildup in the engine bay, less heat soaking of intake plumbing, cooler and denser intake air, so more engine power. Less load on the radiator, too.

Efficient exit venting of the engine bay and intercooler would not hurt, either:
Cooling air won't go through the radiator or intercooler if it can't get back out to the slipstream.

specsalot

I agree with your commentary on engineering talent and US skills sets. At the end of the day, there just aren't many 20 YO American cars I want to own. That says much more about the unfortunate control of what bean counters and managers exert on what rolls off the assembly line. In contrast anyone who understands what took place at River Rouge can't help but be amazed at American ingenuity.

Tesla is a great example of what can be done with automotive art when a company doesn't carry the baggage of business cycle / sales swings. Out of box American innovation at its best. Perhaps the worst example of the European mystique gone astray is the MB "Smart Car".

The majority of my engine experience is with marine engines. With the US Flag experiencing a solid 50 year history of decline, there has been no real economic basis for US marine engine manufactures catch up / overcome Europe's 50 year developmental head start in industrial engine design.

specsalot

Yes - There are many stationary opportunities where economy of size and incremental efficiency gains yield advantage. Having the ability to connect the dots and find the opportunities always trumps everything else when you are working on a level playing field. If you are really feeling a passion for this work, your obligation is to look for a way in. There are many facets.

I've never worked on the design side. I've alway done well with O&M (operation and maintenance). Operational problem solving is as much of a challenge as design itself (as far as I'm concerned) and the art of life cycle maintenance are just as critical to long term assets as their baseline designs from an overall economic perspective. This forum is full of experts on "other peoples designs" (and their own self made efforts to improve those designes). The entire O&M game is undergoing "generational turnover" just like the design side has been. Plenty of room for young men (and women) with talents and passion to make a difference while making a good living doing so.

fasteddie313

maybe I will take another shot at getting into college this fall, I will be completely done with probation and all my legal trouble like next week as far as I know so that really puts me in a place where more opportunities are available to me...

I do have a high school diploma but its from an alternative school that was only open for 2 years so it looks kinda strange.. only 2 diplomas were ever issued and mine is one... it is definitely legit though... I went to 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 5 high schools so I never really had a stable education environment....

I am just very passionate about machines and I feel I am quite good... I cant help but read constantly about engines and performance, pretty much everything I know is self taught... I blew away the motorcycle mechanics certification by a long shot, I just wanted some piece of paper to prove I know what I'm talking about because trying to explain to a shop im trying to get hired at or to someone that needs quality work done that I am the guy to do it is almost a joke... I cant say I've been trained or have a degree from such and such because I don't, I cant say I have employment experience working in a shop, because I don't... all I can say is I grew up with it and its just what I do...

My dad retired from GM as a 34 year journeyman tool and die maker in 1995, back in the 70's he bought out a bunch of triumph and Norton dealers as they went bust so my garage always had 15+ british bikes worth of parts and all his degrees from MMI on the wall, yamapro, hontech, master Harley Davidson, pretty much everything MMI offered....

So I grew up with $100,000 worth of tools, a very well equipped shop, an extremely competent perfectionist mechanic, and one of the best machinists I have ever met... he made custom twin spark Harley heads and was always doing top notch work on Harleys and brits for customers...

Bunch of patch members always hanging around and I was hanging out in more 1% MC clubhouses before I was 13 than most people know even exist... I am named after Ed, my dads best friend of the Hells Angels, and Charles "spark plug"...

so yeah, pretty much all of my education is home taught, theory, reading, and just doing it myself...

makes me quite an out of the box kinda person....

specsalot

For sure you've described a background that could only produce an enthusiast. As much as you appreciate the workings of the machine now you will only appreciate it more as you build appreciation for the engineering which supports it. In any field, finding a way to make things pay is always a challenge. My dad learned his skills aboard ship in the USN. As he wound down that career, he moved to having his own foreign car shop. From there he moved on building his own foreign car parts business. Life is really about flexibility and moving along in area's of strength and interest.

On a regular basis I work with number of utility engineers who are supposed to be overseeing operations at a professional level. Its a pretty sad reality when dealing with operating problems, transients, and control system issues that I have to explain solutions slowly and carefully in order for these folks to "get it" and do the right thing from a support / cap ex perspective. Pure engineering can be very slow moving and kind of dull. Automotive engineering is one of the clear exceptions.

That is one of the beauties of this forum. Folks here (degreed or not, pro or not) all share solid interest and expertise that is earned the old fashioned way, by actually doing things, trying ideas, and solving problems. If you go down the road toward a degree (which I think you ought to do), have patience with the folks around you. And keep an eye out toward what feeds your passion while moving you in the direction of opportunity.

What you describe is the classic conundrum - That first step - which is to convince people you can be good at something. That is in part what paper (ie college degrees) are about (beyond actually equipping useful skills). Passion counts because like everyone here knows - That is what will drives to achieve required results. Pure automotive engineering is probably one of the most difficult fields because it is so situational. Product lifecycle drives every thing. Good luck

specsalot

There's nothing worse than dealing with people who are not at all out of box

V2Rocket

was this the DBW throttle used on those-vintage 4.6 2v motors? borrowed from the duratec 3.5/3.7?

specsalot

You might appreciate this write up on the power plant in the Jetta Hybrid

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p5hw3y6kgh...peed%20dsg.pdf

35-40 MPG around town in traffic and still fairly snappy. Not performance with a P, but engineering innovation that delivers efficiency, environmental compliance and performance with a p. (no coincidence its equivalent the HP of the hybrid plant matches HP of VW's larger displacement non-turbo motor.)

fasteddie313

idk man....

as far as electric cars are concerned I think we just need to standardize the battery for all electric cars,

make them like 10" thick x 3' wide x 4.5' long or something similar.. like an upscale cell phone battery shape

build the cars with a slot above the rear bumper that the battery slides into and then locks in and a pretty cover for the back of the car.... bigger cars/trucks that need bigger batterys get 2 or more batterys of the same standard design so its simplified

and have fuel stations exchange the now standardized battery like the blue rhino propane tanks do when you need a refill...

put costomers on a subscription plan based on how many exchanges they make witch will account for the lifespan of batterys not just the cost of a recharge, equip and pay the fuel stations to handle the product...

wallah... electric cars that you can drive from NY to LA just like a gasoline car refueled at any gas station in minutes