Industry Investigation

Rough Proposal    This week I finished the first copy of my proposal. It still needs refining and and proof reading but I'm glad I have lots of time to do that.     Next week I will be focusing more on other assignments that are due but will try proof read my proposal a couple times.    The issue I am facing is all my assignments being due so close together. So I'm focusing on the ones that are due soon and getting them out of the way.

Completed Part 1 & Progressing with Final Report    I completed the scope of my project which explained that I hope to find out how a turbocharger effects the air/fuel mixture in an engine. Secondly, how to calculate an engines flow and match that to a turbocharger which would be best for fuel economy. Thirdly, how boost pressure effects economy and how to suit boost pressure to economy or performance. Finally, what benefits different styles of have and what applications are they best in. After handing in part one I started on research design which explains that the project will be researched focused with some practical testing and interviews with people in the industry that deal with turbochargers and have knowledge on their effect.     After finalising the research design I hope to finish the time-line, capability development and ethical issues this week to leave plenty of time for proof reading and improving areas that need it.  

Revised Research Questions & Literature Review Continued Revised Research Questions: 1. Main Question: How does a turbocharger increase fuel economy? 2. How do you match the flow of an engine to turbo size theoretically and practically? 3. How does boost pressure effect the bias of fuel economy and performance? 4. How do different styles of turbocharging effect fuel economy? e.g. Single turbo, twin turbo, sequential turbo, bi-turbo.    A class mate of mine suggested that my research questions could do with better wording as well making them open for a larger return of information. I took his advise and came up with the questions above and can now see when comparing them that it was definitely some good advice.  Literature Review Continued:     Emissions are a major threat to the health of our planet which is the main driving point behind the effort to make vehicle more fuel efficient. When a vehicles burns less fuel it is obviously ...

Literature Review    Turbocharged engines typically have better fuel economy that naturally aspirated engines and also produce less emissions. Therefore, The pieces of literature I am looking for are pieces that talk about the threat of  high fuel economy and emissions. By finding literature including these it will prove that it is a recognized problem and that there is a purpose and need for turbocharged engines.     The first piece I found was from a website called "The Conversation" and pointed out that fuel economy standards have doubled since 1975 (Sallee, 2018). This shows that governments want the vehicles on their roads to be using less gas and in turn creating less emissions. This urges vehicle manufacturers to come up with new ways of improving the fuel economy of their vehicles.    I also found a piece in the NZ herald stating that New Zealander spend on average 2.56% of their annual income on petrol (NZ Herald, 2018). Though...

Presenting my Study Topic I presented my study topic in front of the class and got some helpful feedback and suggestions from the lecturer. One suggestion was to talk to another lecturer about getting in contact with some people who can flow test cylinder heads. This will be extremely helpful to me if I can get some practical experience and real figures for my calculations. Listening to my classmates presentations and study topics also gave me ideas on areas of study I can focus on during the project. I think the presentation definitely helped me develop more ideas and confidence in my study topic and I look forward to starting it next semester. The next task will be finding literature to prove the problems I have discussed. As well as refining my research questions and developing the scope of my project. This section of the proposal is due on the 29th of April which gives my over a month to put together the next part of my assignment. 

Investigation; Title, Rationale, Aim, and Questions. I discussed my proposed topic with my lecturer today and after getting the go ahead on it I came up with the following Investigation proposal.  Title: The Benefits of a Properly Matched Turbo to an Engine in Relation to Fuel Economy Rationale: Reducing fuel consumption is one of the main priorities for auto manufacturers along with reducing emissions. Due to the threats posed by global warming and the rising fuel prices, people in the market for new vehicles usually look at these factors when comparing their options. It has been seen with vehicles like the 2011 Ford Focus EcoBoost that when an engine is fitted with a small turbo it can increase fuel economy and in turn, reduce emissions. This topic is of great interest to me as I hope to pursue a career in the performance or motor sport industry.  I feel that this research will be relevant to me as it will give me the knowledge of matching turbo size to en...