FeedForward Compressor Mass Flow Rate Control of the TurboCharger Hot Gas Test Stand using an Electronic Throttle Body

The performance of the Hot Gas Test Stand was further improved by electronically controlling the compressor flow using an Electronic Throttle Body (ETB). Control of the ETB was done at two different levels: a PID controller on an Arduino UNO was used to control the PWM required to open the throttle to the commanded angle; and a LabViewPid controller to calculate the required ETB angle for the set point air flow rate. For better control of the throttle plate movement, the control time of the microcontroller Arduino UNO board was reduced to 20 ms. On the other level, in LabVIEW, two control systems configurations were studied, `PID Only control' and `PID with Feedforward control'. It was found that linking the turbine flow rate to the compressor flow rate made the test stand perform much better and easier to control. This is understandable as the turbine mass flow in an engine is always approximately equal to the mass flow of air coming in.