Mahindra Group

There is a scarcity of research in literature regarding the determination of Plenum Opening Area of cowl box. The area of the plenum opening in the cowl box significantly affects the airflow rate in fresh airflow modes, such as face and defrost modes, as well as issues related to water ingress. Primarily, the size of the plenum opening is determined by the necessary HVAC airflow rate. This study aims to investigate how the plenum opening area impacts both airflow discharge and the water ingress issue in the HVAC module. A novel approach is introduced in this research to determine the optimal plenum opening area of the cowl box, taking into account both airflow rate and water ingress concerns. The ANSYS FLUENT software is utilized to analyze airflow discharge in both face and defrost modes, while the SPH (Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics) based Preonlab tool is employed for water ingress analysis. Airflow discharge is evaluated for various plenum opening sizes in both modes, and the area that maximizes flow rate is further examined for water ingress. The study also investigates the velocity reduction in the IP duct between fresh air and recirculation modes through CFD analysis, comparing the results with experimental data. A strong correlation was found between the experimental and simulation results in the water ingress analysis. This research offers significant insights for designers who are evaluating airflow discharge in both fresh air and recirculation modes. Balancing airflow between these modes also enhances the design of the cowl box by optimizing the plenum opening area while addressing water ingress issues.

The automotive industry is encountering difficulties in balancing occupant thermal comfort with HVAC system energy efficiency, particularly under the hot Indian conditions, to meet user expectations and address range anxiety in electric vehicles. Front-loaded comfort-based approach simulations during the development stages have the potential to increase energy savings compared to the stages required at the end of product design. The focus of the current research targets HVAC energy consumers, such as blower flow rates, temperatures, and Cabin heaters, and investigates how these factors influence occupant overall comfort. Additionally, design elements like glass properties and the impact of solar radiation on human comfort are studied at the early concept stages to adopt an energy-based approach for comfort optimization. Simulations are conducted using GT-SUITE and GT-TAITherm software, integrated with CFD field maps platforms to obtain exact flow field predictions. The simulation results are validated with test results obtained from climatic wind tunnel experiments. Key parameters, such as relative humidity (RH), are analyzed to understand their effect on the comfort index and control strategies to maintain vent temperatures that meet comfort requirements with minimal energy consumption. The impact of solar glass properties on comfort indices is studied. To evaluate thermal comfort comprehensively, the Berkeley model provides localized insights into physiological comfort by accounting for variations in temperature and airflow, while the Fanger model assesses overall comfort parameters using predictive indices. We identified the optimal RH levels that can reduce HVAC load while focusing on localized comfort indices for occupants. This helps to go deeper into occupant comfort under multiple scenarios, including extreme temperatures, and evaluates their physiological aspects. This exercise has helped find possible areas for front-loading comfort-based vehicle development processes and pinpoint opportunities for reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, this study reduces reliance on costly physical prototype testing and accelerates the design and development of sustainable automotive solutions, addressing critical challenges in the transition to sustainable mobility.

Lettuce is one of the major leafy vegetables used in salads, soups and occasionally lightly cooked. Leaf lettuce has garnered a central role in human nutrition, as it combines pleasing organoleptic properties with a rich content of nutraceutical compounds. Leaf lettuce can bring about a diversification in the tomato/bell pepper production system in the summer season. The cultivation of lettuce has already started picking up in Himachal Pradesh in summers. The produce from hilly areas are available at time when these cannot be grown in the plains due to high temperature, thus bringing lucrative returns to the growers. Twenty two diverse genotypes of lettuce were evaluated in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications at KVK, Kandaghat, including standard check cultivar, Solan Kriti, to ascertain the extent of variability. The observations were recorded on various morphological and horticultural traits in leaf lettuce. On the basis of studies, it was concluded that genotypes viz., KGT-1, Lettuce C1, KGT-5 and LS-2 Selection-3, performed better in terms of yield and other horticultural traits over the standard check, Solan Kriti. So, these genotypes offer an ample scope for their release in the mid hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh after multilocational testing.

Automotive industry is continuously focusing on developing weight efficient engines for better fuel economy without altering engine performance. To achieve a trade-off between performance and fuel economy, the design always demands downsizing of engine components with optimum geometry. Crankshaft is such an important component in deciding engine performance and overall weight. Torsional and bending stiffness of crankshaft plays a vital role in its structural integrity, particularly the Critical Cross Section (CCS) which connects main journal and crankpin. In the present study, the objective is to upgrade the crankshaft for higher torsional and bending stiffness and reduce weight without changing its performance. Three geometric shape factors of the crankshaft are identified and optimized in FEA and analyzed in AVL Excite® (1-D) simulation for its structural performance. Study shows the identification of shape factors and effect of their variation on torsional and bending stiffness of crankshaft. In addition, sensitivity analysis for various shape factors and their optimization has been done. The identified shape factors help designers to identify any scope to optimize the geometry of crankshaft and understand its role in structural strength. Using this methodology, specific regions defined by shape factors can be optimized for better strength and weight.

The present work investigates the temperature distribution inside the diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration during the drop to idle test (DTIT), which is considered as life-threatening to the DPF. To study this scenario in detail, experiments were carried out with the filter volume of 3 liters. Initially, the experiments were done at a steady-state level, where the optimization for optimal soot loading was performed with setpoint temperature varying from 620 to 660°C. The soot loading was varied from 8 g/l to 11 g/l. The DTIT performed at a steady-state level indicated the different peak temperatures attained inside the DPF at different locations. The peak temperature was found to be in the center plane of the filter. The next peak temperature locations were found to be in downstream of the filter at different locations, which shows the non-uniformity in the soot deposition inside the filter. The temperature gradient was estimated based on the measured peak temperature and was higher at the center plane of the filter. The different soot loading and the setpoint temperature were correlated for different cases. The importance of selecting the optimal soot loading and setpoint temperature were discussed. The time taken from the start of idle speed to reach the peak temperature from the DTI test suggests the importance of the setpoint temperature, which is evident from the fact that it is promoting the burning rate of the accumulated soot with a higher setpoint. Decreasing the soot loading with relaxing the setpoint temperature can be a better option to operate the DPF in the safe zone and to avoid the failure of the DPF. A similar study was carried out at the vehicle level at different operating conditions. The temperature distribution inside the DPF in different worst-case driving maneuvers was measured.