Development and implementation of thermal signature testing protocol of auxiliary power unit (APU) and diesel tractor

Chelsea L. Jenkins; Stefanie M Bourne; Matthew J. Rowley; Jonathan J Miles

doi:10.1117/12.547500

12 April 2004 Development and implementation of thermal signature testing protocol of auxiliary power unit (APU) and diesel tractor

Chelsea L. Jenkins, Stefanie M Bourne, Matthew J. Rowley, Jonathan J Miles

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 5405, Thermosense XXVI; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.547500
Event: Defense and Security, 2004, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Thermal signature may be one of the defining factors in determining the applicability of fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) technology in military applications. Thermal characterization is important for military applications given that identification and detection may be accomplished through observation of its thermal signature. The operating modes and power takeoff operations of a vehicle will likely determine the thermal profile. The objective of our study was to develop and implement a protocol for quantifying the thermal characteristics of a methanol fuel cell and an idling tractor engine under representative characteristic operations. APU thermal characteristics are a special case for which standardized testing procedures do not presently exist. A customized testing protocol was developed and applied that is specific to an APU-equipped vehicle. Initial testing was conducted on the methanol APU-equipped Freightliner tractor using a high-performance radiometric infrared system. The APU profile calls for a series of infrared images to be collected at three different viewing angles and two different elevations under various loads. The diesel engine was studied in a similar fashion using seven different viewing angles and two different elevations. Raw data collected according to the newly developed methodology provided the opportunity for computer analysis and thermal profiling of both the fuel cell and the diesel engine.

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Chelsea L. Jenkins, Stefanie M Bourne, Matthew J. Rowley, and Jonathan J Miles "Development and implementation of thermal signature testing protocol of auxiliary power unit (APU) and diesel tractor", Proc. SPIE 5405, Thermosense XXVI, (12 April 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.547500

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