Using Waste Engine Heat in Automobile Engines

Using Waste Engine Heat in Automobile Engines Using Waste Engine Heat in Automobile Engines Automakers are improving fuel economy by exploiting a new controls approach that uses the waste heat from vehicle engines. Currently, up to 65% of the heat energy produced in internal combustion engines, whether gasoline or diesel, is wasted. Typically, the powertrain or engine dissipates the heat by convection, where it is carried to the cooling circuit or lost out of the tailpipe in exhaust gases.A joint team from Chrysler and the Center for Automotive Research at The Ohio State University recently developed a practical approach to maximizing drivetrain efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Together, engineers in industry and research, along with students, determined how to capture and effectively distribute the useful heat energy to the transmission and engine oils from a controls standpoint, requiring additional hardware such as a transmission heat exchange r and associated plumbing, and new software. Higher temperature oil is less viscous, so less torque is required for operation and the transmission and engine can operate at higher mechanical efficiencies.Controlling Oil TemperatureAutomakers can improve fuel economy by selecting optimal coolant-circuit architectures, heat exchangers, and flow-control devices. The goal of this work was to thermisch up the drivetrain oils rapidly and run at a slightly higher temperature without additional hydraulic power. Kevin Laboe, who leads the Powertrain Thermal Management Team at Chryslers Advanced Powertrain Group, Detroit, MI, and who led the simulation and testing teams, says the challenge was to distribute the heat in the most effective way.Currently, up to 65% of the heat energy produced in internal combustion engines is wasted.We first needed to understand how much heat was available from the powertrain during various drive cycles and cold start conditions, he says. By simulating thermal c omponents that control the powertrain heat, such as the electronic thermostat, cooling groupies, grill shutters, and water valve, they determined the best way to distribute the available energy.The team ran simulations to maximize drivetrain efficiency and minimize fuel consumption under various driving conditions, and tested their model-based approach by delivering control commands to actuators that modulated powertrain heat on a test vehicle. They monitored engine coolant temperature, engine oil temperature, transmission oil temperature, and vehicle fuel consumption, and ultimately found no additional coolant pump power was necessary for rapid warm-up and control of the drivetrain oils.All actuators needed to work in concert to heat the oil fast and keep the temperature steady. Opening the grill shutters or running the electric air fan consumes power. Controlling actuators in concert is a new way of addressing thermal management. While more complex, it enables the system to arrive at a steady temperature quicker and under all operating conditions, which extends the life of each thermal-control actuator, Laboe says.Significant Fuel SavingsThe group found that using the waste heat with optimal controls consistently delivered higher oil temperatures and significantly reduced warm-up times. This translated to fuel economy improvements of almost 4% compared to conventional thermal management strategies. The largest efficiency gains occur while heating oil from a cold start, and approximately half of the improvement comes from the powertrain and transmission sides.This type of system is used by a number of suppliers, most commonly in Europe, but hasnt yet come to the market in many areas of the world. Laboe says the amount of increase in fuel economy demonstrated is significant. This technology is coming to meet upcoming regulatory obligations, and Chrysler is interested in this approach because it benefits fuel economy using available energy, and, most importantl y, can be incorporated into existing powertrain architectures.Debbie Sniderman is CEO of VI Ventures LLC, a technical consulting company.We first needed to understand how much heat was available from the powertrain during various drive cycles and cold start conditions.Kevin Laboe, Chryslers Advanced Powertrain Group

How to Break Into Tech Even if You Arent a Born-and-Bred Techie

How to Break Into Tech Even if You Arent a Born-and-Bred TechieHow to Break Into Tech Even if You Arent a Born-and-Bred Techie Its no secret that the tech sector offers record-level employment opportunities. However, far too many job seekers circumvent the opportunity to jump into this red-hot field. To wit, a recent survey found that 86 percent of businesses have trouble finding tech talent. Plus, by 2020, only 400,000 qualified degreed applicants are expected to be available to fill more than a million technical positions. Thats a pretty big gap.Contributing to that disconnect are myths about the attainability of tech jobs . From an outside perspective, it can appear that working in tech requires a rsum that includes building a computer by hand in your garage at 13. But that simply is not the case. To effectively do most tech jobs, candidates dont even necessarily have to possess a degree in computer science. They just need be open-minded, eager learners.While a tech career is attainable for people from many different walks of life, it can be difficult to know where to start or to envision a coherent pathway to a job . Many individuals fall victim to the myth that any path to a tech role must be cumbersome, confusing, or expensive. Despite all the four-year degrees, bootcamps, and online learning options that promise education, there are other navigable ways to secure tech jobs, sometimes in as short as six months.In other words, many people can dive into tech, including creatives and problem solvers looking for steadier employment and challenging projects. Its not just for the Sheldons of the world.The stereotypical image of coding is often pounding a keyboard eight hours a day, sipping Red Bull in a cubicle. But the reality is that life in tech can be far more diverse and exciting.Tech roles usually involve problem-solving and reducing complex ideas and processes into efficient, bite-sized pieces. Solutions arent achieved by workers toiling away alone, but by teams socializing and working through action plans. Certainly, work is accomplished solo, but tech departments arent vacuums.With that in mind, its easy to see how so many different people could be great fits for a tech role. For example, artists and musicians make great coders . After all, they understand firsthand how to take a concept and bring it into reality.Whats more, tech jobs are often flexible. As developers move up to higher-level jobs, many remote tech roles are available, appealing to specific personality types and lifestyles (like working parents).You can begin a journey to explore the tech world even if youve never written a single line of code. Just follow a few steps to gain traction and information.The fastest way to get tech-educated is by learning about the industry from those working in it from day to day. Youll understand the roles available and skills needed. Dont have friends or colleagues in tech? Turn to respected tech publicati ons like newsletters, trade journals, or websites.Most jobs are attained by networking tech is no exception. Integrate yourself into your citys tech community by uncovering meetups like Meteor Camps Meteor NY . At each gathering, tech professionals gather to collaborate and network on subjects relevant to their jobs, giving you firsthand information about what individuals in behauptung roles experience. Through these types of get-togethers, youll expand your hands-on knowledge and your personal and professional circles.As with any journey, it helps to have a guide. Mentors can be enormous boons to people trying to break into the tech field. Non-judgmental, available mentors provide everything from tighter feedback loops to insider tips . While it might take a little upfront work to find a mentor, when you have one in place, you can lean on his or her expertise and background as your North Star.This field is amazing because of all the free, self-paced resources available online (seri ously, you could learn a programming language in your free time and at no cost to you). Codecademy and HackerRank are just two places online that offer free resources, advice, tutorials, and more. Platforms like these allow you to get started without any commitments. Youll be able to learn at your preferred pace, as well as make friends through discussion boards.Once you have a foundation of knowledge, the best way to start marketing yourself is to simply jump in and make your own project. Coding your own website or app from scratch, for example, has never been easier. You can get started immediately and build an online presence just for fun and exploration. Not only will you get skills and exposure, but you will eventually also wind up with a solid sample of work for your portfolio.Tech is by no means an unattainable possibility - even without a formal education, it is possible to bootstrap your way to a fulfilling career. And according to the numbers, plenty of opportunities awai t you.Haley Shoaf is the education operations director for LaunchCode , a nach dem kostendeckungsprinzip arbeitend organization preparing individuals for and matching them with opportunities in the technology industry.As one of the winners of the 2017 MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge , LaunchCode has been recognized for expanding the tech workforce by providing free coding education to disadvantaged job seekers.Prior to LaunchCode, Haley was a Venture for America fellow in St. Louis.

Heres how to stay on the right side of office chat etiquette

Heres how to stay on the right side of office chat etiquetteHeres how to stay on the right side of office chat etiquetteMessaging platforms like Slack can enable quick and convenient communication, but there are also a host of pitfalls to avoid.While every person and workplace is different, heres what to keep in mind when using systems like this so you dont offend or annoy your coworkers - or worse, get fired.Remember, theyre not privateWeve said it before, and well say it again Your private office messages are Definitely. Not. Private. Just know that if youre sending things that your employer would find questionable, there really is a chance that you could be found out.So dont write anything you wouldnt want your employer to see Slack reportedly stands for Searchable Log of All Communication and Knowledge, after all.Dont choose the wrong GIFEveryone interprets GIFs in their own way, so make sure that the ones you choose dont come off as NSFW, or not safe for work. Luckily, Slack c an help you with this.LifeHacker provides details.Slack has a very popular plugin that allows users to post a GIF by typing /giphy search term. The plugin finds a GIF on the GIPHY service thats tagged with the term you search for, and puts it up. This is cool, but you dont get to review what GIF it posts. That means you can get some pretty suggestive GIFs, or at least GIFS with some sort of unintended meaning, since the GIFs the integralrechnung provides are G-rated by default. So, yknow, be judicious with that command. This can be changed to allow you to review the GIF before posting, but that option isnt turned on by default, the media outlet reports.The same thing goes for emojis make sure theyre work-appropriate and be aware of the person whom you are addressing.Keep very important conversations off messagingSome discussions are just not for the virtual world.Business Insider features advice from Barbara Pachter, career coach and author of The Essentials of Business Etiquette, o n what should be kept off of office IM platforms.IM is too casual a medium to have an important conversation, particularly one thats negative. For example, you should not IM a colleague or employee that they have not been chosen for a project. Its difficult to know what tone youre giving off in a short message, so Pachter says its safer to stick to only neutral or good news when sending an online chat to people in your professional network, the publication reports.as well as confidential informationThe same thing applies here.Richie Fusco, an office manager for a securities firm in New York City, told Monster what to be aware of during IM sessions.When youre instant messaging, always be aware that youre on an unsecured line. Im always careful not to discuss confidential or sensitive information over an instant message, because its just too easy for pirates to hack into old conversation logs. And I always make sure that my virus and spyware protection is up to date, Fusco said.Dont o verdo it during off-hoursEveryone deserves time away from work messaging platforms once theyre off for the day, so be selective in your usage of them after work.Fast Company reports on how to approach Slack messaging when the workday has come and gone.Given that Slack is a work tool, its best to keep night and weekend slacking to a minimum. With all our gadgets and their pings and push notifications, its already hard enough to switch off from work for the night or week. If you do need to be active on a public channel during the night or at weekends, at least try to keep the channel and everyone mentions to a minimum so your team members wont be bothered with notifications on their time off, the publication says.