Engine Development Lab
HCS ENGINE TEST FACILITY
The Hiltner Combustion Systems engine development laboratory is located in Ferndale, Washington. The facility has been designed to allow state of the art testing and development services intended to compliment simulation and analysis work at HCS. Five engine test cells are currently available covering a range of engine sizes from 50 kW to 1250 kW and includes single-cylinder and multi-cylinder testing capabilities. An on-site machine shop serves primarily to support engine installation and instrumentation and HCS maintains excellent contacts with state-of-the-art machining operations capable of fabricating custom pistons, camshafts and other engine hardware and instrumentation. Each of the HCS test cells can be operated using a range of gaseous fuels including pipeline natural gas, propane and gas mixtures (either premixed or blended on-site. High speed and low speed data acquisition systems, rapid prototyping control systems and research grade emissions measurement are standard equipment in each test cell. Test cells at Hiltner Combustion Systems have been outfitted with only the highest quality equipment with a focus exclusively on research and development activities related to high power density, low emissions industrial engine systems. Examples of our dedication to world class testing include:
- the cells are equipped with state of the art low speed and high speed data acquisition systems, rapid prototyping control systems and research grade emissions measurement analyzers
- individual NDIR (CO2, CO, CH4), Chemiluminescence (NOx), and paramagnetic (O2) research grade analyzers in every test cell
- FID (total hydrocarbons) and FTIR (exhaust speciation) available for individual tests in any given test cell
- single cylinder test capabilities to 350 kW/cylinder using our 65 m 3/min air compressor to provide cool, dry, clean air for turbocharger simulation
- real time three fuel blending in all test cells using Coriolis style mass flow meters
- rapid prototyping control systems utilizing analog and digital IO as well as CAN communication for engine and test cell controls
- high volume, low pressure air supply systems for supplemental boosting of multi-cylinder engines
- specialty instrumentation including combustion system component temperature measurement
- real time energy balance analysis for every test based on fuel rate, engine power, heat rejection and exhaust enthalpy analysis
- real time species balance analysis for every test based on fuel rate, air rate, exhaust emissions and fuel composition
- complete logging and documentation of low speed and high speed data on both a steady state and transient basis with testing under a wide range of simulated ambient conditions (temperature/humidity/altitude/ fuel composition)
- the goal at HCS is to collect high quality data in an organized and efficient manner. Real time error checking reduces the need for repeating data, and ensures that test cell equipment is functioning properly every time for every test.
- specialized instrumentation is available at HCS to aid the research and development process when appropriate