907 resultados para thermal-effect
Resumo:
Thermal behavior of mixtures composed of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), carboxymethylcellulose acetate butyrate (CMCAB), or cellulose acetate phthalate (CAPh), and sorbitan-based surfactants was investigated as a function of mixture composition by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Surfactants with three different alkyl chain lengths, namely, polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20), polyoxyethylenesorbitan monopalmitate (Tween 40), and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate (Tween 60) were chosen. DSC measurements revealed that Tween 20, 40, and 60 act as plasticizers for CAB, CMCAB, and CAPh (except for Tween 60), leading to a dramatic reduction of glass transition temperature (T-g). The dependence of experimental T-g values on the mixture composition was compared with theoretical predictions using the Fox equation. Plasticization was strongly dependent on mixture composition, surfactant hydrophobic chain length, and type of cellulose ester functional group.
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The effect of terbium (Tb) doping on the photoluminescence (PL) of crystalline aluminum nitride (c-AlN) and amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films has been investigated for different Tb atomic concentrations. The samples were prepared by DC and RF magnetron reactive sputtering techniques covering the concentration range of Tb from 0.5 to 11 at.%. The Tb-related light emission versus the Tb concentration is reported for annealing temperatures of 450 °C, 750 °C and 1000 °C. In the low concentration region the intensity exhibits a linear increase and its slope is enhanced with the annealing temperature giving an activation energy of 0.106 eV in an Arrhenius plot. In the high concentration region an exponential decay is recorded which is almost independent on the host material, its structure and the annealing process.
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Polymeric membranes represent a promising technology for gas separation processes, thanks to low costs, reduced energy consumption and limited waste production. The present thesis aims at studying the transport properties of two membrane materials, suitable for CO2 purification applications. In the first part, a polyimide, Matrimid 5218, has been throughout investigated, with particular reference to the effect of thermal treatment, aging and the presence of water vapor in the gas transport process. Permeability measurements showed that thermal history affects relevantly the diffusion of gas molecules across the membrane, influencing also the stability of the separation performances. Subsequently, the effect of water on Matrimid transport properties has been characterized for a wide set of incondensable penetrants. A monotonous reduction of permeability took place at increasing the water concentration within the polymer matrix, affecting the investigated gaseous species to the same extent, despite the different thermodynamic and kinetic features. In this view, a novel empirical model, based on the Free Volume Theory, has been proposed to qualitatively describe the phenomenon. Moreover, according to the accurate representation of the experimental data, the suggested approach has been combined with a more rigorous thermodynamic tool (NELF Model), allowing an exhaustive description of water influence on the single parameters contributing to the gas permeation across the membrane. In the second part, the study has focused on the synthesis and characterization of facilitated transport membranes, able to achieving outstanding separation performances thanks to the chemical enhancement of CO2 permeability. In particular, the transport properties have been investigated for high pressure CO2 separation applications and specific solutions have been proposed to solve stability issues, frequently arising under such severe conditions. Finally, the effect of different process parameters have been investigated, aiming at the identification of the optimal conditions capable to maximize the separation performance.
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The aim of the research activity focused on the investigation of the correlation between the degree of purity in terms of chemical dopants in organic small molecule semiconductors and their electrical and optoelectronic performances once introduced as active material in devices. The first step of the work was addressed to the study of the electrical performances variation of two commercial organic semiconductors after being processed by means of thermal sublimation process. In particular, the p-type 2,2′′′-Dihexyl-2,2′:5′,2′′:5′′,2′′′-quaterthiophene (DH4T) semiconductor and the n-type 2,2′′′- Perfluoro-Dihexyl-2,2′:5′,2′′:5′′,2′′′-quaterthiophene (DFH4T) semiconductor underwent several sublimation cycles, with consequent improvement of the electrical performances in terms of charge mobility and threshold voltage, highlighting the benefits brought by this treatment to the electric properties of the discussed semiconductors in OFET devices by the removal of residual impurities. The second step consisted in the provision of a metal-free synthesis of DH4T, which was successfully prepared without organometallic reagents or catalysts in collaboration with Dr. Manuela Melucci from ISOF-CNR Institute in Bologna. Indeed the experimental work demonstrated that those compounds are responsible for the electrical degradation by intentionally doping the semiconductor obtained by metal-free method by Tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (Pd(PPh3)4) and Tributyltin chloride (Bu3SnCl), as well as with an organic impurity, like 5-hexyl-2,2':5',2''-terthiophene (HexT3) at, in different concentrations (1, 5 and 10% w/w). After completing the entire evaluation process loop, from fabricating OFET devices by vacuum sublimation with implemented intentionally-doped batches to the final electrical characterization in inherent-atmosphere conditions, commercial DH4T, metal-free DH4T and the intentionally-doped DH4T were systematically compared. Indeed, the fabrication of OFET based on doped DH4T clearly pointed out that the vacuum sublimation is still an inherent and efficient purification method for crude semiconductors, but also a reliable way to fabricate high performing devices.
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Minor components are of particular interest due to their antioxidant and biological properties. Various classes of lipophilic minor components (plant sterols (PS) and α-tocopherol) were selected as they are widely used in the food industry. A Fast GC-MS method for PS analysis in functional dairy products was set up. The analytical performance and significant reduction of the analysis time and consumables, demonstrated that Fast GC-MS could be suitable for the PS analysis in functional dairy products. Due to their chemical structure, PS can undergo oxidation, which could be greatly impacted by matrix nature/composition and thermal treatments. The oxidative stability of PS during microwave heating was evaluated. Two different model systems (PS alone and in combination) were heated up to 30 min at 1000 W. PS degraded faster when they were alone than in presence of TAG. The extent of PS degradation depends on both heating time and the surrounding medium, which can impact the quality and safety of the food product destined to microwave heating/cooking. Many minor lipid components are included in emulsion systems and can affect the rate of lipid oxidation. The oxidative stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing PS esters, ω-3 FA and phenolic compounds, were evaluated after a 14-day storage at room temperature. Due to their surface active character, PS could be particularly prone to oxidation when they are incorporated in emulsions, as they are more exposed to water-soluble prooxidants. Finally, some minor lipophilic components may increase oxidative stability of food systems due to their antioxidant activity. á-tocopherol partitioning and antioxidant activity was determined in the presence of excess SDS in stripped soybean O/W emulsions. Results showed that surfactant micelles could play a key role as an antioxidant carrier, by potentially increasing the accessibility of hydrophobic antioxidant to the interface.
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Die oberflächennahe Geothermie leistet im Bereich der Nutzung regenerativer Wärme einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Klima- und Umweltschutz. Um die technische Nutzung oberflächennaher Geothermie zu optimieren, ist die Kenntnis der Beschaffenheit des geologischen Untergrundes ausschlaggebend. Die vorliegende Dissertation befasst sich mit der Bestimmung verschiedener Untergrundparameter an einem Erdwärmesondenfeld. Es wurden Untersuchungen zur Bestimmung der Wärmeleitfähigkeit wie der enhanced Thermal Response Test (eTRT), sowie eine Untergrund-Temperaturüberwachung im ersten Betriebsjahr durchgeführt. Die Überwachung zeigte keine gegenseitige Beeinflussung einzelner Sonden. Ein Vergleich zwischen dem geplanten und dem tatsächlichem Wärmebedarf des ersten Betriebsjahres ergab eine Abweichung von ca. 35%. Dies zeigt, dass die Nutzungsparameter der Anlage deren Effizienz maßgeblich beeinflussen können. Der am Beispielobjekt praktisch durchgeführte eTRT wurde mittels numerischer Modellierung auf seine Reproduzierbarkeit hin überprüft. Bei einem rein konduktiven Wärmetransport im Untergrund betrug die maximale Abweichung der Messung selbst unter ungünstigen Bedingungen lediglich ca. 6% vom zu erwartenden Wert. Die Detektion von grundwasserdurchflossenen Schichten ist in den Modellen ebenfalls gut abbildbar. Problematisch bleibt die hohe Abhängigkeit des Tests von einer konstanten Wärmezufuhr. Lediglich die Bestimmung der Wärmeleitfähigkeit über das Relaxationsverhalten des Untergrundes liefert bei Wärmeeintragsschwankungen hinreichend genaue Ergebnisse. Die mathematische Nachbearbeitung von fehlerhaften Temperaturkurven bietet einen Einstiegspunkt für weiterführende Forschung.
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Efficient coupling of light to quantum emitters, such as atoms, molecules or quantum dots, is one of the great challenges in current research. The interaction can be strongly enhanced by coupling the emitter to the eva-nescent field of subwavelength dielectric waveguides that offer strong lateral confinement of the guided light. In this context subwavelength diameter optical nanofibers as part of a tapered optical fiber (TOF) have proven to be powerful tool which also provide an efficient transfer of the light from the interaction region to an optical bus, that is to say, from the nanofiber to an optical fiber. rnAnother approach towards enhancing light–matter interaction is to employ an optical resonator in which the light is circulating and thus passes the emitters many times. Here, both approaches are combined by experi-mentally realizing a microresonator with an integrated nanofiber waist. This is achieved by building a fiber-integrated Fabry-Pérot type resonator from two fiber Bragg grating mirrors with a stop-band near the cesium D2-line wavelength. The characteristics of this resonator fulfill the requirements of nonlinear optics, optical sensing, and cavity quantum electrodynamics in the strong-coupling regime. Together with its advantageous features, such as a constant high coupling strength over a large volume, tunability, high transmission outside the mirror stop band, and a monolithic design, this resonator is a promising tool for experiments with nanofiber-coupled atomic ensembles in the strong-coupling regime. rnThe resonator's high sensitivity to the optical properties of the nanofiber provides a probe for changes of phys-ical parameters that affect the guided optical mode, e.g., the temperature via the thermo-optic effect of silica. Utilizing this detection scheme, the thermalization dynamics due to far-field heat radiation of a nanofiber is studied over a large temperature range. This investigation provides, for the first time, a measurement of the total radiated power of an object with a diameter smaller than all absorption lengths in the thermal spectrum at the level of a single object of deterministic shape and material. The results show excellent agreement with an ab initio thermodynamic model that considers heat radiation as a volumetric effect and that takes the emitter shape and size relative to the emission wavelength into account. Modeling and investigating the thermalization of microscopic objects with arbitrary shape from first principles is of fundamental interest and has important applications, such as heat management in nano-devices or radiative forcing of aerosols in Earth's climate system. rnUsing a similar method, the effect of the TOF's mechanical modes on the polarization and phase of the fiber-guided light is studied. The measurement results show that in typical TOFs these quantities exhibit high-frequency thermal fluctuations. They originate from high-Q torsional oscillations that couple to the nanofiber-guided light via the strain-optic effect. An ab-initio opto-mechanical model of the TOF is developed that provides an accurate quantitative prediction for the mode spectrum and the mechanically induced polarization and phase fluctuations. These high-frequency fluctuations may limit the ultimate ideality of fiber-coupling into photonic structures. Furthermore, first estimations show that they may currently limit the storage time of nanofiber-based atom traps. The model, on the other hand, provides a method to design TOFs with tailored mechanical properties in order to meet experimental requirements. rn
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Nowadays the environmental issues and the climatic change play fundamental roles in the design of urban spaces. Our cities are growing in size, many times only following immediate needs without a long-term vision. Consequently, the sustainable development has become not only an ethical but also a strategic need: we can no longer afford an uncontrolled urban expansion. One serious effect of the territory industrialisation process is the increase of urban air and surfaces temperatures compared to the outlying rural surroundings. This difference in temperature is what constitutes an urban heat island (UHI). The purpose of this study is to provide a clarification on the role of urban surfacing materials in the thermal dynamics of an urban space, resulting in useful indications and advices in mitigating UHI. With this aim, 4 coloured concrete bricks were tested, measuring their emissivity and building up their heat release curves using infrared thermography. Two emissivity evaluation procedures were carried out and subsequently put in comparison. Samples performances were assessed, and the influence of the colour on the thermal behaviour was investigated. In addition, some external pavements were analysed. Albedo and emissivity parameters were evaluated in order to understand their thermal behaviour in different conditions. Surfaces temperatures were recorded in a one-day measurements campaign. ENVI-met software was used to simulate how the tested materials would behave in two typical urban scenarios: a urban canyon and a urban heat basin. Improvements they can carry to the urban microclimate were investigated. Emissivities obtained for the bricks ranged between 0.92 and 0.97, suggesting a limited influence of the colour on this parameter. Nonetheless, white concrete brick showed the best thermal performance, whilst the black one the worst; red and yellow ones performed pretty identical intermediate trends. De facto, colours affected the overall thermal behaviour. Emissivity parameter was measured in the outdoor work, getting (as expected) high values for the asphalts. Albedo measurements, conducted with a sunshine pyranometer, proved the improving effect given by the yellow paint in terms of solar reflection, and the bad influence of haze on the measurement accuracy. ENVI-met simulations gave a demonstration on the effectiveness in thermal improving of some tested materials. In particular, results showed good performances for white bricks and granite in the heat basin scenario, and painted concrete and macadam in the urban canyon scenario. These materials can be considered valuable solutions in UHI mitigation.
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Tolerance to low temperature and high pressure may allow shallow-water species to extend bathymetric range in response to changing climate, but adaptation to contrasting shallow-water environments may affect tolerance to these factors. The brackish shallow-water shrimp Palaemon varians demonstrates remarkable tolerance to elevated hydrostatic pressure and low temperature, but inhabits a highly variable environment: environmental adaptation may therefore make P. varians tolerances unrepresentative of other shallow-water species. Critical thermal maximum (CTmax), critical hydrostatic pressure maximum (CPmax), and acute respiratory response to hydrostatic pressure were assessed in the shallow-water shrimp Palaemon serratus, which inhabits a more stable intertidal habitat. P. serratus’ CTmax was 22.3°C when acclimated at 10°C, and CPmax was 5.9, 10.1, and 14.1 MPa when acclimated at 5, 10, and 15°C respectively: these critical tolerances were consistently lower than P. varians. Respiratory responses to acute hyperbaric exposures similarly indicated lower tolerance to hydrostatic pressure in P. serratus than in P. varians. Contrasting tolerances likely reflect physiological adaptation to differing environments and reveal that the capacity for depth-range extension may vary among species from different habitats.
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Quantitative sensory tests are widely used in human research to evaluate the effect of analgesics and explore altered pain mechanisms, such as central sensitization. In order to apply these tests in clinical practice, knowledge of reference values is essential. The aim of this study was to determine the reference values of pain thresholds for mechanical and thermal stimuli, as well as withdrawal time for the cold pressor test in 300 pain-free subjects. Pain detection and pain tolerance thresholds to pressure, heat and cold were determined at three body sites: (1) lower back, (2) suprascapular region and (3) second toe (for pressure) or the lateral aspect of the leg (for heat and cold). The influences of gender, age, height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), body side of testing, depression, anxiety, catastrophizing and parameters of Short-Form 36 (SF-36) were analyzed by multiple regressions. Quantile regressions were performed to define the 5th, 10th and 25th percentiles as reference values for pain hypersensitivity and the 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles as reference values for pain hyposensitivity. Gender, age and/or the interaction of age with gender were the only variables that consistently affected the pain measures. Women were more pain sensitive than men. However, the influence of gender decreased with increasing age. In conclusion, normative values of parameters related to pressure, heat and cold pain stimuli were determined. Reference values have to be stratified by body region, gender and age. The determination of these reference values will now allow the clinical application of the tests for detecting abnormal pain reactions in individual patients.
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A 2007 Cummins ISL 8.9L direct-injection common rail diesel engine rated at 272 kW (365 hp) and 317 kW (425 hp) was used to load the filter to 2.2 g/L and passively oxidize particulate matter (PM) within an aftertreatment system consisting of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and catalyzed particulate filter (CPF). The tests conducted with the engine rated at 365 hp used a 2007 DOC and CPF. The tests conducted with the engine rated at 425 hp used a 2010 DOC and 2007 CPF. Understanding the passive NO2 oxidation kinetics of PM within the CPF allows for reducing the frequency of active regenerations (hydrocarbon injection) and the associated fuel penalties. Modeling the passive oxidation of accumulated PM in the CPF will lead to creating accurate state estimation strategies. The MTU 1-D CPF model will be used to simulate data collected from this study to examine differences in the PM oxidation kinetics when soy methyl ester (SME) biodiesel is used as the source of fuel for the engine, and when the engine is operated at a higher power rating. A test procedure developed by Hutton et al. [1, 2] was modified to improve the ability to model the experimental data and provide additional insight into passively oxidized PM in a partially regenerated CPF. A test procedure was developed to allow PM oxidation rates by NO2 to be determined from engine test cell data. An experimental matrix consisting of CPF inlet temperatures from 250 to 450 °C with varying NOX/PM from 25 to 583and NO2/PM ratios from 5 to 240 was used. SME biodiesel was volumetrically blended with ULSD in 10% (B10) and 20% (B20) portions. This blended fuel was then used to evaluate the effect of biodiesel on passive oxidation rates. Four tests were performed with B10 and four tests with B20. Gathering data to determine the effect of fuel type (ULSD and biodiesel blends) on PM oxidation is the primary goal. The engine used for this testing was then configured to a higher power rating and one of the tests planned was performed. Additional testing is scheduled to take place with ULSD fuel to determine the affect the engine rating has on the PM oxidation. The experimental reaction rates during passive oxidation varied based upon the average CPF temperature, NO2 concentrations, and the NOX/PM ratios for each engine rating and with all fuels. The data analysis requires a high fidelity model that includes NO2 and thermal oxidation mechanisms and back diffusion to determine the details of the PM oxidation process.
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Development of alternative propellants for Hall thruster operation is an active area of research. Xenon is the current propellant of choice for Hall thrusters, but can be costly in large thrusters and for extended test periods. Condensible propellants may offer an alternative to xenon, as they will not require costly active pumping to remove from a test facility, and may be less expensive to purchase. A method has been developed which uses segmented electrodes in the discharge channel of a Hall thruster to divert discharge current to and from the main anode and thus control the anode temperature. By placing a propellant reservoir in the anode, the evaporation rate, and hence, mass flow of propellant can be controlled. Segmented electrodes for thermal control of a Hall thruster represent a unique strategy of thruster design, and thus the performance of the thruster must be measured to determine the effect the electrodes have on the thruster. Furthermore, the source of any changes in thruster performance due to the adjustment of discharge current between the shims and the main anode must be characterized. A Hall thruster was designed and constructed with segmented electrodes. It was then tested at anode voltages between 300 and 400 V and mass flows between 4 and 6 mg/s, as well as 100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, and <5% of the discharge current on the shim electrodes. The level of current on the shims was adjusted by changing the shim voltage. At each operating point, the thruster performance, plume divergence, ion energy, and multiply charged ion fraction were measured performance exhibited a small change with the level of discharge current on the shim electrodes. Thrust and specific impulse increased by as much as 6% and 7.7%, respectively, as discharge current was shifted from the main anode to the shims at constant anode voltage. Thruster efficiency did not change. Plume divergence was reduced by approximately 4 degrees of half-angle at high levels of current on the shims and at all combinations of mass flow and anode voltage. The fraction of singly charged xenon in the thruster plume varied between approximately 80% and 95% as the anode voltage and mass flow were changed, but did not show a significant change with shim current. Doubly and triply charged xenon made up the remainder of the ions detected. Ion energy exhibited a mixed behavior. The highest voltage present in the thruster largely dictated the most probable energy; either shim or anode voltage, depending on which was higher. The overall change in most probable ion energy was 20-30 eV, the majority of which took place while the shim voltage was higher than the anode voltage. The thrust, specific impulse, plume divergence, and ion energy all indicate that the thruster is capable of a higher performance output at high levels of discharge current on the shims. The lack of a change in efficiency and fraction of multiply charged ions indicate that the thruster can be operated at any level of current on the shims without detrimental effect, and thus a condensible propellant thruster can control the anode temperature without a decrease in efficiency or a change in the multiply charged ion fraction.
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Hall-effect thrusters (HETs) are compact electric propulsion devices with high specific impulse used for a variety of space propulsion applications. HET technology is well developed but the electron properties in the discharge are not completely understood, mainly due to the difficulty involved in performing accurate measurements in the discharge. Measurements of electron temperature and density have been performed using electrostatic probes, but presence of the probes can significantly disrupt thruster operation, and thus alter the electron temperature and density. While fast-probe studies have expanded understanding of HET discharges, a non-invasive method of measuring the electron temperature and density in the plasma is highly desirable. An alternative to electrostatic probes is a non-perturbing laser diagnostic technique that measures Thomson scattering from the plasma. Thomson scattering is the process by which photons are elastically scattered from the free electrons in a plasma. Since the electrons have thermal energy their motion causes a Doppler shift in the scattered photons that is proportional to their velocity. Like electrostatic probes, laser Thomson scattering (LTS) can be used to determine the temperature and density of free electrons in the plasma. Since Thomson scattering measures the electron velocity distribution function directly no assumptions of the plasma conditions are required, allowing accurate measurements in anisotropic and non-Maxwellian plasmas. LTS requires a complicated measurement apparatus, but has the potential to provide accurate, non-perturbing measurements of electron temperature and density in HET discharges. In order to assess the feasibility of LTS diagnostics on HETs non-invasive measurements of electron temperature and density in the near-field plume of a Hall thruster were performed using a custom built laser Thomson scattering diagnostic. Laser measurements were processed using a maximum likelihood estimation method and results were compared to conventional electrostatic double probe measurements performed at the same thruster conditions. Electron temperature was found to range from approximately 1 – 40 eV and density ranged from approximately 1.0 x 1017 m-3 to 1.3 x 1018 m-3 over discharge voltages from 250 to 450 V and mass flow rates of 40 to 80 SCCM using xenon propellant.
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This report is a PhD dissertation proposal to study the in-cylinder temperature and heat flux distributions within a gasoline turbocharged direct injection (GTDI) engine. Recent regulations requiring automotive manufacturers to increase the fuel efficiency of their vehicles has led to great technological achievements in internal combustion engines. These achievements have increased the power density of gasoline engines dramatically in the last two decades. Engine technologies such as variable valve timing (VVT), direct injection (DI), and turbocharging have significantly improved engine power-to-weight and power-to-displacement ratios. A popular trend for increasing vehicle fuel economy in recent years has been to downsize the engine and add VVT, DI, and turbocharging technologies so that a lighter more efficient engine can replace a larger, heavier one. With the added power density, thermal management of the engine becomes a more important issue. Engine components are being pushed to their temperature limits. Therefore it has become increasingly important to have a greater understanding of the parameters that affect in-cylinder temperatures and heat transfer. The proposed research will analyze the effects of engine speed, load, relative air-fuel ratio (AFR), and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on both in-cylinder and global temperature and heat transfer distributions. Additionally, the effect of knocking combustion and fuel spray impingement will be investigated. The proposed research will be conducted on a 3.5 L six cylinder GTDI engine. The research engine will be instrumented with a large number of sensors to measure in-cylinder temperatures and pressures, as well as, the temperature, pressure, and flow rates of energy streams into and out of the engine. One of the goals of this research is to create a model that will predict the energy distribution to the crankshaft, exhaust, and cooling system based on normalized values for engine speed, load, AFR, and EGR. The results could be used to aid in the engine design phase for turbocharger and cooling system sizing. Additionally, the data collected can be used for validation of engine simulation models, since in-cylinder temperature and heat flux data is not readily available in the literature..