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ME 415W Section 3
Eco-Marathon Drive Train Team
Project Sponsor
Penn State Mechanical Engineering Department
Dr. John Lamancusa, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, jsl3@psu.edu
Team Members
Jason Bartoszek, jcb317@psu.edu
Scott Blakeslee, sab208@psu.edu
Kyle Gross, krg159@psu.edu
Daniel Roukos, dsr149@psu.edu
Richard Tiffany, rst138@psu.edu
Executive Summary
The Eco-Marathon is a maximum fuel mileage competition sponsored by Shell. Entrants in the competition must travel an 11-mile road course at a minimum of 15mph while using the least possible amount of fuel. The goal of this project is to research and select a power train appropriate for a vehicle for Penn State to enter in the 2008 Shell Eco-Marathon competition, and also create a set of guidelines for future teams to produce this vehicle. We will be working closely with our colleagues on the Chassis & Body team.
Out of the many possible power plant and fuel systems, our research narrowed the field to three systems: a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and a hydrogen fuel cell/electric motor combination. Each system has advantages and disadvantages. Gasoline engines have been a popular choice at past European Eco-Marathons, while diesel engines and fuel cells have been rarer. While the diesel engine and fuel cell options are somewhat more complex and expensive, they potentially offer higher efficiency and greater educational opportunity.
We constructed a concept scoring matrix to rate the three possible power plant choices in several different areas, with efficiency being the most important parameter. From this scoring matrix, it was clear that the hydrogen fuel cell was superior overall to the other two options.
After selecting this power plant, we purchased a suitable brushless electric motor, since the output of the fuel cell is a DC signal rather than mechanical power. We tested this electric motor on a dynamometer to verify both the manufacturer’s data and our own efficiency calculations. Several custom components, such as a shaft extension and support brackets, have been designed and manufactured to facilitate dynamometer testing. Finally, we assembled a mock-up of all the selected drive train components to conduct overall tests.
Since this is an ongoing project, our work from this semester will be passed on to another ME415W group. Our research and background will provide guidance for this future team to produce a competitive entry for the 2008 Eco-Marathon.