The feasibility of all-electric propulsion for a Medium Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was examined considering the projected improvements in the specific energy of batteries and the specific power of electric motors. A model based on first principles to estimate the energy consumption and endurance of the UAV was developed. A methodology for sizing a battery-ultracapacitor hybrid energy storage system (HESS) for electric city buses was formulated. A rule-based control strategy that determines the power split between the battery and the ultracapacitor was also formulated. A Genetic Algorithm was used to determine the optimum number of battery and ultracapacitor cells and the parameters of the control strategy. An empirical battery capacity degradation model was used to predict the potential improvement in battery life that could be obtained with the HESS than the battery alone for typical urban transit bus operation. I developed a data logging device to record GNSS and IMU data during city bus trips which will be used to construct a drive cycle for an urban transit bus. Through this project, I gained hands-on experience in programming microcontrollers such as Arduino and ESP32 using Arduino IDE and VS Code; and in interfacing them with various I2C, SPI, and UART devices. The impact of drive cycle characteristics on the equivalent fuel consumption (EFC) of a parallel hybrid mini truck was examined for various drive cycles that represent urban, suburban and highway driving. The EFC of the parallel hybrid electric mini truck was compared with drive cycle metrics such as average speed, specific positive energy per unit distance (SEPD), kinetic intensity, etc. for two variants of the hybrid powertrain and two variants of the rule-based control strategy. The hybrid truck showed greater improvement in the EFC over the baseline for low-speed aggressive urban drive cycles (low average speed, high kinetic intensity and SEPD).

During my tenure at Eaton India Innovation Centre in Pune, I developed system-level models of conventional (IC engine powered), electric, and hybrid electric vehicle powertrains. I used these models for various simulation studies. I worked on building and calibrating a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle powertrain model in GT-Suite using chassis dynamometer test data in collaboration with counterparts from Europe. I collaborated closely with embedded software development engineers from the US for the sensitivity assessment and optimization of the parameters of the gear selection logic for automated manual transmissions for heavy-duty trucks. I also worked on a comparison of the energy consumption and acceleration performance of various powertrain architectures for electric buses in which I used GT-Suite for 1-D powertrain modeling. This study helped in demonstrating the value proposition of Eaton’s multi-speed transmissions over a single-speed transmission.

A sub-one-ton payload mini-truck converted into a post-transmission parallel hybrid electricvehicle by retrofitting a planetary gear transmission was considered. This vehicle can be operated in two types of hybrid modes, namely, speed coupling and torque coupling. System-level models of the powertrains of the conventional and hybrid vehicles along with a rule-based control strategy to determine the instantaneous power split between the IC engine and the electric motor were developed using MATLAB/Simulink. The improvement in the equivalent fuel consumption (EFC) of the hybrid powertrain over that of the conventional one was examined for various urban drive cycles. The gear ratios and the gear shifting strategy of the transmission, and the control strategy parameters of the hybrid powertrain that minimize the equivalent fuel consumption per km over typical low-speed urban drive cycles were determined using a Genetic Algorithm. A comparative study of the effectiveness of the two hybrid modes was done for two variants of the hybrid powertrain that can be operated in the speed coupling and torque coupling hybrid modes and for two variants of the control strategy. The distribution of the IC engine operating points and its subsequent impact on the equivalent fuel consumption was examined.

I was awarded the Tata Fellowship by the Tata Centre for Technology and Design at IIT Bombay to work on the project titled 'Modular mass transit using platoons of battery-assisted human-powered vehicles'. I worked in a team of five to design and develop a prototype of a semi-autonomous hybrid electric tricycle in a team of five. I gained hands-on experience in creating manufacturing drawings and mechanical fabrication using hand tools and machine tools. We achieved speed synchronization up to 10 km/h with a bicycle as a leader and the tricycle as a follower.

I worked in the Manufacturing Engineering department (a manufacturing support function). I was responsible for the smooth functioning of the hub bearing unit assembly process and tooling design. I designed fixtures and tooling required on the hub Bearing Unit (HBU) Channels: Ball HBU and Taper HBU. I co-ordinated with suppliers, purchase and stores for standardisation, manufacturing and rework of tooling.

I worked in the Manufacturing Engineering department (a manufacturing support function). I was assigned the responsibility of the assembly process and tooling design. I designed a new ball-bearing inspection station on a cage pressing machine and a ball-bearing washing machine.

Design of Jigs and Fixtures for work-holding during various manufacturing processes like machining, welding, fastener assembly, drilling and inspection fixtures for checking hole position, flatness of ground surfaces of various components. CATIA v5 was used a tool for preparing the design.

Objectives:1. Study of vibration analysis of tapered roller bearings2. Scrap reduction and improvement of efficiency of the channel.Description:The Six Sigma approach DMAIC (Design-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) was followed throughout the project. Losses due scrap at each stage of manufacturing, false rejection during quality inspection and poor efficiency were the major problems.‘Dents and honing defect’ were identified as major defects. Possible causes of occurrences of dents were identified. Dirt was identified as a major cause of false rejection. Some modifications in the honing machine as well as the installation of new cleaning equipment were suggested. The results of these observations were presented to the channel supervisors and the suggestions were implemented.Based on our analysis the channel has installed a new washing machine which has given excellent results.