The Advanced Power Systems Research Center (APSRC) operates 11 internal combustion engine test beds, featuring dynamometers ranging from five kilowatts to 745 kilowatts for powertrain research, along with additional test beds dedicated to education. The facilities provide extensive testing capabilities, including both motoring and absorbing operation under dynamic conditions. Flexible fuel systems support research on both gaseous and liquid fuels, including alcohol blends, biodiesel, and green fuels. Several test cells integrate conditioned combustion air supply systems with temperature, pressure, and humidity control, alongside sophisticated powertrain instrumentation:
- AVL and ACAP equipment for real-time combustion analysis
- Five gas analyzers, AVL FTIR, a mass spectrometer, Cambustion fast CO/CO2, Cambustion fast HC, and PM mass and particle size analyzers for emissions measurement
- Embedded control systems with rapid prototyping capabilities and calibration with ETAS
- Coriolis and positive displacement meters, along with laminar flow elements for precise fuel and air measurement
- High-speed, high-channel-count DAQ systems to support noise, vibration, and harshness testing
The center is equipped with a range of specialized tools for advanced engine testing, including infrared and microwave telemetry systems, vehicle and component-scale environmental chambers for cold-start testing, and vehicle chassis dynamometers.
In addition to research facilities, the APSRC offers office space for visiting partners, complete with telephone and wireless internet access. A dedicated conference room is available, featuring a projector, conference phone, whiteboards, and wireless internet for meetings. Catering options range from light refreshments to full meals, ensuring a productive and comfortable workspace for collaboration.
Engine Dynamometer Test Cell
The lab is equipped with a 350-kilowatt (465-horsepower) dual-ended motoring AC dynamometer. A rolling engine test stand system allows for 30-minute engine changes and “out of cell” engine setup and instrumentation. Instrumentation includes an acquisition system featuring more than 200 channels for pressures, temperatures, and other measurements. Test cell instrumentation includes real-time combustion, fuel and airflow, and emission analysis equipment. We have on hand a number of advanced technologies engines (e.g., boosted DI SI, diesel, gas engines) with full engine control to support suppliers and OEs in their development and testing components. Embedded software and control system development, calibration, and verification and validation (V&V) are available.
Vehicle Systems Research and Development Lab
The Vehicle Systems Research and Development Lab is a fully equipped high-bay vehicle shop. The space is well-suited for systems-level vehicle research projects including instrumentation, integration of experimental components and subsystems, and static and dynamic testing. Dynamic testing is conducted on the Vehicle Systems R&D Lab’s chassis dynamometer or through convenient access to closed course test tracks. The spacious six-bay shop accommodates vehicles up to 14 feet in height and 100 feet in length and includes a vehicle lift and access to the APS LABS machine and fabrication shop. Data logging and a wide range of instrumentation options are available. Embedded software rapid prototyping is also available for development and integration of custom content. In-situ and on-road emissions can be provided with portable analyzers.
Powertrain – Transmission – Torque Converter Test Cell
The test cell has a set of dynamometers to drive (365 horsepower) and absorb (300 horsepower) with full automation. For torque converter testing, any combination of charge pressure, back pressure, inlet temperature, and both drive and absorb torques and speeds can be specified. The software also has the capability to run a fully automated multicondition test including speed sweeps, torque sweeps, and steady state conditions. Typical measurements made during torque converter operation include calibrated sound pressure level, sound power level, and various microwave telemetry based measurements such as torque converter pump, turbine, or stator surface pressure, blade acceleration and/or strain, and surface pressure maps.
The cell has one end of the AC dynamometer open with bedplate space available to build up electric motor, transmission, transfer case, or gearbox testing. A number of additional dynamometers exist for configurability.
Climactic Vehicle Chamber
The Climatic Vehicle Test Chamber is a test facility, 24 feet long, eight feet wide, and nine feet high in dimension, which can handle full-sized light-duty vehicles for soak, battery charging-discharging, and cold-start testing down to negative 20 degrees Celsius. Measurement capabilities include regulated emissions analysis, fuel flow, and various engine parameters such as coolant and exhaust temperature, combustion, and ambient conditions.
Intelligent Mechatronics and Embedded Systems
The Intelligent Mechatronics and Embedded Systems Laboratory (IMES) focuses on research in the areas of vehicle systems modeling and controls, hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) energy management, advanced internal combustion (IC) engine controls, physics-based battery modeling and management, and EV/smart grid interoperability. The facilities include:
- HEV hardware-in-the-loop
- Battery test bench
- Real-time combustion analysis and control test bench
- Simulation software: dSPACE automotive simulation models (ASMs); Autonomie powertrain and vehicle model architecture and development environment; AutoLion: lithium-ion battery modeling tool
- National Instruments real-time controller cRIO and National Instruments modules for analog/digital input/output of voltage, current, thermal couple, and resistance signals; high-speed CAN module; and engine control modules
- A teaching laboratory for rapid prototyping with embedded controllers
Energy Mechatronics Lab
The Energy Mechatronics Laboratory (EML) focuses on increasing efficiency of energy systems through utilization of advanced techniques of control, modeling, estimation, and diagnosis. Our research includes both theoretical and experimental aspects of energy systems, ranging from theoretical modeling of the systems to real-time implementation of energy controllers. The research involves the transportation and building sectors, which account for 68 percent of total consumed energy in the United States.
Fuel Cell Facilities and Laboratories
There are a number of facilities and laboratories focused on fuel cells and other technologies, including microfluidics and interfacial transport. Studies are ongoing for water transport and materials in fuel cells to progress the development of fuel cells for automotive applications.
Microgrid Research
We have several ongoing projects in this area all centered around developing technology to permit deployment and management of power grids with distributed generation and energy storage. The projects are highly interdisciplinary, involving students and faculty from fields such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and mathematics. Topics of the research include: distributed control for grid-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-centric, ad-hoc power grids, distributed control and optimization for DC microgrids with high penetration of stochastic generation, modeling and control of massively interconnected grid architectures, management and control of microgrids over multiple time scales (milliseconds to days), and developing energy storage requirements to enhance ship microgrid robustness.
A microgrid may consist of many interconnected energy assets to improve reliability efficiency. Two or more microgrids can also interconnect to share resources to further improve reliability and efficiency. The scalable microgrid project is aimed at creating a hardware test bench capable of developing and testing technologies for control and optimization in large numbers of interconnected microgrids. It is also aimed at studying how these technologies can scale up to high and higher numbers of interconnected microgrids, as well as the development of power conversion nodes that adapt and connect to an expanding interconnected microgrid structure to create a large, decentralized power distribution network that can adapt to changing resources and demands.
Vehicle and Powertrain Modeling and Simulation
Modeling and simulation utilize industry standard toolsets, including Gamma Technology’s GT-Power, AVL’s Cruise, Argonne’s GREET and Autonomie, and Mathworks’ Matlab/Simulink. Custom models for diesel aftertreatment system modeling for DOCs, CPFs, and SCRs have been developed and extensively validated with experimental data. Engine models and vehicle modes exist for a number of engine combustion systems and many configurations of electrified vehicles, including military vehicles.
Multiphase Flow and Heat Transfer
APS LABS conducts fundamental experimental and computational research on boiling and condensing flows for development of compact, high heat-flux, high heat-load, and efficient boilers and condensers for modern thermal management and power systems. The approach being developed addresses needs for space-based thermal management systems, ground- and aircraft-based electronic cooling systems, next generation heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) for combined cycle power plants, etc.