98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

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subnet
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98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

Hi All,

It’s time to introduce myself and my project properly since my frankenso board has arrived (thanks for the great job done on it Andrey) and many of the other parts that I need are here or on their way - I'm excited to move forward!

So to everyone in the RusEFI community – hi! I look forward to talking about things further and appreciate your help in assisting me with this project – thanks in advance. I will also do my best to assist with others projects where I can.

About Me
I’m a software developer with 25 year’s experience in various system architectures. My focus for the last 12+ years has been with .NET development and I do most of my work in c#. My interest in electronics, engineering, and computer systems has been with me since a kid, and this project in particular has me excited in being able to merge my interests and skills in electronics, engineering, and programming together in a way that will be both useful to myself as well as others. I look forward to contributing towards the rusefi community where I can be of assistance.

Objective
My overall objective with this, is to create a reproducible fuel delivery and engine management system that consistently saves a significant amount of fuel and reduces emissions without having to sacrifice a large amount of power and responsiveness of the vehicle in order to do so.

Concept
My plan to accomplish this is two-phased using a method called fuel vaporization in conjunction with thermal cracking of the fuel – the methods combined to help the engine use the fuel much more efficiently, which will equate to significantly increased fuel savings and reduced emissions.

If you’re unaware of these methods there is a significant amount of information available on the net showing some of it in action and the results that are achieved – they are proven methods but most are still in relative infancy by today’s standards, as they also come with some big hurdles that have proved to be difficult to overcome. If this concept is new to you but has captured your interest, I must also warn you that there is also a lot of myths out there on this as well – there’s plenty of false fuel saving devices for sale, so if this is something that you might consider taking on yourself I cannot overstate the importance of doing thorough research first as there's a lot of information to sift through.

As mentioned there are some big hurdles in doing this, and my plan is to overcome those difficulties through the design and building of a custom fuel delivery and engine management system that is replicable – one that once I have the kinks worked out, is one that I can make work on each of my vehicles and just as importantly - that I can share the knowledge with others so that they can do a similar thing with theirs.

Project Vehicle
My target vehicle is a 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 4.3 V6 vortec engine which currently runs well, has plenty of life left in it, and has a limited amount of engine compartment space (important to me in designing this to be able to run with todays vehicles of which many if not most have limited engine compartment space).

Also it’s the only vehicle I have with an existing fi system and CAN bus (other than my girlfriend’s car, which wouldn’t be a smart idea to start the project with of course lol). This is important to me as I want to be able to draw measurements from the engine through my scan tool/software in order to gather data and help give me a base point of where to start e.g. what the engine “likes”. I also want to be able to utilize some of the existing engine controls as well as switch between systems (to start with) without having to significantly undo components of the system in order to do so.

Implementation
In summary, the system is implemented as follows:

Two exhaust pipes are plumbed into the exhaust system close to the exhaust manifolds. These pipes deliver the ongoing heat requirements of the system. NiCr cartridges are used to supply heat to the heat exchanger systems at times when the system is cold as well as when the heat exchanged from the exhaust isn’t enough to heat the increased amount of fuel that is required at that time (e.g. higher rpm, higher loads, cold operation).

The exhaust pipes are piped to a dual-combined heat exchanger system which heats the injected fuel before it reaches the intake manifold. The injected fuel is turned into vapor through heat, and when hot enough, cracks the fuel into a different molecular chain through the combination of fuel and steam, resulting in a higher quality fuel for the engine. There are two fuel injectors used for feeding gas to the system. The steam to be introduced is not part of this first phase of the build and therefore is left out of this summary.

The vapor created by both injectors through their respective heat exchangers is drawn into the intake manifold ahead of the throttle body similar to how many lpg/cng systems work, by using a venturi with ports type setup that utilizes the vacuum to draw the vapor in. The pressurized fuel lines previous to reaching the fuel injectors are preheated to a lower temperature using excess heat in order to assist in lowering the heating requirements within the heat exchangers.

The main fuel injector along with the main heat exchanger, is what is used to normally operate the vehicle under standard load conditions. The secondary fuel injector along with the secondary heat exchanger, is what is used to supply additional fuel during cold engine operation and higher load conditions. Combined, the two fuel delivery systems are used in order to better maintain the fuel at its optimum temperature throughout each system’s respective duties during fluctuating load conditions and to allow a better means of vapor delivery.

RusEFI
To start with I will be using RusEFI only as part of the fuel delivery system, delivering fuel according to standard operational parameters in conjunction with custom parameters that are necessary with this design. Once the initial system is complete and working well, I will refine things further by managing other engine systems such as ignition and steam injection components through RusEFI as well.

I am aware that some of my needs aren’t currently in the firmware implementation and have started to get familiar with the code in order to begin understanding the system and to contribute where I can.

Below is the functionality I've determined to date that I'll need to achieve with the firmware.

Initial functionality of the rusefi system that I’ll need for this project is:
- Primary injection control via independent fuel mapping based on MAF, RPM, and TPS readings.
- Secondary injection control via independent fuel mapping based on MAF, RPM, and TPS readings.
- Conditional I/O logic based on MAF, RPM, and AFR inputs.

Future functionality that I’ll need for this project:

- Thermocouple sensor integration.
- Timing control based on MAF, RPM, AFR, TPS, and thermocouple inputs.
- Primary and secondary fuel injection variances based on AFR and thermocouple readings.
- Water injection based on fuel delivery parameters.

Looking forward to getting my hands dirty with RuseEFI and hope that some of you will be willing to assist where I hit hurdles! If anyone has any questions about the project or any input to contribute please let me know. :)
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kb1gtt
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by kb1gtt »

I'm here for the sciences based objectives, so you have caught my eye :) I've heard of cracking, but not with gas / petro. I think I understand the concept to be like this, using a cavity in the hot exhaust you squirt fuel into this hot oxygen deprived cavity. Which then heats the fuel to be very hot, which causes the long petro molecule chains to break down into smaller chains like methane, butane, ect. Then you inject this gas into the intake. It sounds like you consider there to be value in the entire flashing of liquid to gas thing, so it sounds like you intend to have some fuel droplets.

My concerns would be NOX emissions. I would expect the smaller particles to burn with a faster flame front, which usually correlates to hotter burn temperatures and reduction in boundary layer. When the flame front temperatures exceed about 1400 degrees (C or F I don't know), you start to burn the nitrogen in the air. This is why we have EGR valves which introduce exhaust gasses in to the intake. Which deprives the engine of O2, which then slows down the flame front, and decreases NOX emissions and knock / detonation.

I like the concept, although I'm a skeptic. I would generally suggest the use of direct injection, as you can do the "ultra lean" thing. AKA you increase thermal insulation in the burn chamber which allows the heat pump to make more mechanical energy our of less fuel. Remember in direct injection you are cracking the fuel during combustion, which allows for extra energy to be released as you flash from liquid to gas. This flash over also limits the flame front temperatures.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3477805-FSI-ultra-lean-burn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_direct_injection

Welcome along and if you have any questions feel free to ask. I've be happy to offer help.
Welcome to the friendlier side of internet crazy :)
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by AndreyB »

subnet wrote: RusEFI
To start with I will be using RusEFI only as part of the fuel delivery system, delivering fuel according to standard operational parameters in conjunction with custom parameters that are necessary with this design.
First step is getting a working tachometer into rusEfi dev console. Do you know the crankshaft trigger wheel shape by any chance? I do not see a cam sensor, does anyone see a cam sensor? It's not a problem if you do not have it.

We are lucky it's a hall sensor meaning that we can share this signal with stock ECU (unless I am wrong obviously)

See also http://rusefi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vehicle:Chevrolet_Blazer_S10_v6_1998

Since I did not know your setup at the time of assembly I left the trigger jumper untouched. Please find the section pictures below and solder two vertical jumper wires to connect the pins within both jumpers - JP04 & JP05

Image

Since no cam sensor we will actually use the 'cam' channel for your crankshaft sensor, hopefully this would not confuse us too much. Please feed your signal wire into pin 2D - see http://i.imgur.com/zsFIrFZ.png

Once there is GND and signal wire between the car and even if it is running with stock ECU, I am hoping to see something on the 'digital sniffer' tab.
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subnet
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

russian wrote:
subnet wrote: RusEFI
To start with I will be using RusEFI only as part of the fuel delivery system, delivering fuel according to standard operational parameters in conjunction with custom parameters that are necessary with this design.
First step is getting a working tachometer into rusEfi dev console. Do you know the crankshaft trigger wheel shape by any chance? I do not see a cam sensor, does anyone see a cam sensor? It's not a problem if you do not have it.

We are lucky it's a hall sensor meaning that we can share this signal with stock ECU (unless I am wrong obviously)

See also http://rusefi.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vehicle:Chevrolet_Blazer_S10_v6_1998

Since I did not know your setup at the time of assembly I left the trigger jumper untouched. Please find the section pictures below and solder two vertical jumper wires to connect the pins within both jumpers - JP04 & JP05

Image

Since no cam sensor we will actually use the 'cam' channel for your crankshaft sensor, hopefully this would not confuse us too much. Please feed your signal wire into pin 2D - see http://i.imgur.com/zsFIrFZ.png

Once there is GND and signal wire between the car and even if it is running with stock ECU, I am hoping to see something on the 'digital sniffer' tab.
thanks for posting the wiring schematic! as soon as my wiring harness arrives i'll get that connected up, in the meantime i'll get the board ready. there is a cam sensor it's on the distributor and i confirmed that it's a hall effect sensor. do i still connect 1 to 2 on JP04 & JP05 or should i do something else? here is what the crankshaft reluctor wheel looks like http://chevythunder.com/Vortec%204.3L%20crank%20reluctor.jpg
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by AndreyB »

subnet wrote:do i still connect 1 to 2 on JP04 & JP05 or should i do something else?
Technically you would only need one of them, but let's connect both so that we have a spare channel. the fancy VR chip is an overkill for just a hall sensor but since you have it why not use it :)
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by AndreyB »

subnet wrote:here is what the crankshaft reluctor wheel looks like Image
Perfect, I'll get the code ready :)
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subnet
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

russian wrote:
subnet wrote:do i still connect 1 to 2 on JP04 & JP05 or should i do something else?
Technically you would only need one of them, but let's connect both so that we have a spare channel. the fancy VR chip is an overkill for just a hall sensor but since you have it why not use it :)
just to clarify, since there is a cam sensor and a crank sensor on the engine there actually won't be a spare - we'd use both channels?
subnet
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

russian wrote:
subnet wrote:here is what the crankshaft reluctor wheel looks like Image
Perfect, I'll get the code ready :)
awesome thank you :)
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by AndreyB »

subnet wrote:just to clarify, since there is a cam sensor and a crank sensor on the engine there actually won't be a spare - we'd use both channels?
Oh, now I get it :) Sometimes it would take up to four iterations before I get it, sorry :)

Since you've pointed at the cam sensor, this case yes - we will use both eventually. We will begin with cam since it's primary sensor and we will add crank for precision at some point later. Do you know crank shape?
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subnet
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

kb1gtt wrote:I'm here for the sciences based objectives, so you have caught my eye :) I've heard of cracking, but not with gas / petro. I think I understand the concept to be like this, using a cavity in the hot exhaust you squirt fuel into this hot oxygen deprived cavity. Which then heats the fuel to be very hot, which causes the long petro molecule chains to break down into smaller chains like methane, butane, ect. Then you inject this gas into the intake. It sounds like you consider there to be value in the entire flashing of liquid to gas thing, so it sounds like you intend to have some fuel droplets.
my hope is that the fuel will still (mostly) be in a gaseous state when it reaches the combustion chamber in order to be most efficient. there appears to be a few different methods in doing the cracking, the method you're referring to reminded me of this link which describes that method well, you might find it an interesting read: http://www.free-energy-info.com/Wagner.pdf
kb1gtt wrote: My concerns would be NOX emissions. I would expect the smaller particles to burn with a faster flame front, which usually correlates to hotter burn temperatures and reduction in boundary layer. When the flame front temperatures exceed about 1400 degrees (C or F I don't know), you start to burn the nitrogen in the air. This is why we have EGR valves which introduce exhaust gasses in to the intake. Which deprives the engine of O2, which then slows down the flame front, and decreases NOX emissions and knock / detonation.

I like the concept, although I'm a skeptic. I would generally suggest the use of direct injection, as you can do the "ultra lean" thing. AKA you increase thermal insulation in the burn chamber which allows the heat pump to make more mechanical energy our of less fuel. Remember in direct injection you are cracking the fuel during combustion, which allows for extra energy to be released as you flash from liquid to gas. This flash over also limits the flame front temperatures.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?3477805-FSI-ultra-lean-burn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline_direct_injection

Welcome along and if you have any questions feel free to ask. I've be happy to offer help.
thanks! i recall there being two reasons why i chose not to go the direct fi route when i was doing my research, unfortunately i can't recall one of those reasons right now as it's been awhile but i do remember that the other reason i chose not to was purely cost based - having to replace the heads and the rest of the necessary components would be quite costly in comparison to taking this route. with this route, once it's all said and done i estimate the total component cost to be around $500.
subnet
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by subnet »

russian wrote:
subnet wrote:just to clarify, since there is a cam sensor and a crank sensor on the engine there actually won't be a spare - we'd use both channels?
Oh, now I get it :) Sometimes it would take up to four iterations before I get it, sorry :)

Since you've pointed at the cam sensor, this case yes - we will use both eventually. We will begin with cam since it's primary sensor and we will add crank for precision at some point later. Do you know crank shape?
that reluctor picture i posted was for the crank, do you need more regarding that? regarding the cam sensor wheel, i was unable to find any good pictures underneath it since it's on the distributor shaft but did find out that it is triggered once per revolution, is that enough for you to work with?
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Re: 98 S10 Blazer 4x4 Vortec 4.3 V6 - Vapor Prototype

Post by AndreyB »

subnet wrote:that reluctor picture i posted was for the crank, do you need more regarding that? regarding the cam sensor wheel, i was unable to find any good pictures underneath it since it's on the distributor shaft but did find out that it is triggered once per revolution, is that enough for you to work with?
Gotcha. That's enough info to start, once you have the harness we will record the rest.
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