An Engineer's Blog

The 2017 Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 is powered by an advanced power unit with an internal combustion engine, a turbocharged 2.0-litre V4, and an electric system (Goodwin, 2017). The 2 engines combined produce a total output of over 900 HP. Fuel is directly injected into the ICE, which produces 500 HP. The rest comes from 2 energy recovery systems (ERS) that are stored in lithium-ion batteries (Brownell, 2017) . The ERS-K (Kinetic) recovers almost 60% of the energy generated during the deceleration at the front wheel, which provides all-wheel drive functionality whenever necessary. The ERS-H (Heat) creates energy by utilising the heat from exhaust gases (Porsche AG, 2017).   According to Goodwin in 2017, with the regulations set by the governing body of the Le Mans 24, the racecar was allowed to consume up to 8 MJ of the energy recovered by the ERSs to cover as many laps as possible in the 24 hours of racing. This made the 919 Hybrid the most energy-efficient car on the track.  Th...

     Used gAI (ChatGPT and Claude.io) to research the different variations of the 919 Hybrid 3 variations of the Hybrid: 2015, 2016, 2017  Read articles and watched videos to get more information on which variation was the most dominant in terms of power and winning the WEC comfortably. Videos:  "How Porsche built a car faster than F1" - Driver61 "The AMAZING Porsche 919 Hybrid" - Top Gear "Why V4 engines are so rare and which cars use them" - Mike’s Mechanics . - Mike's Mechanics Articles/Reports: An Analysis of Porsche's New Fourth-Generation 919 Hybrid Porsche 919 (9R9 MY15-MY17) Leveraged ChatGPT with the prompts "Describe the function of the 2 energy recovery systems of the 919 hybrid" and "When do the systems occur". It gave me several articles regarding how and when the systems occur in the car.  Information on the power unit of the 2017 version and how the 2 components, V4 engine and the electric engine, work and when th...

Dear Professor Blackstone,  My name is  Ashutosh Kumar, but you can call me Ash. I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2022 with a diploma in mechanical engineering. Growing up around relatives in diverse industries, my uncle, an oil engineer, sparked my love for engineering. He would explain the math and science behind his work and projects that he led, in a way a 10-year-old could grasp, which led to an interest in those subjects to pursue and do well in school. One of my communication strengths is active listening. Instead of hearing words, I tend to understand the message someone is trying to convey. During my counselling sessions, my counsellor actively listens and provides feedback on how I can improve. Understanding the value of active listening has helped me build trust and maintain meaningful relationships with friends, peers, and others.  One area I need to improve is the need for more clarity. I sometimes beat around the bush instead of getting straight...

 “Communication skills are an essential component in the education of engineering students to facilitate not just students’ education but also to prepare them for their future careers.” - Marc Riemer, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University (2007) To my interpretation of this quote, communication is one of the most overlooked skills any one can learn, be it an engineering student or a student from other fields of work. For engineering students, communication skills are essential as it helps to strengthen the bond between a team when taking on projects as it helps to get ideas across easily from one group member to another for example. Communication helps to solve issues where different ideas are needed. This can be done by members of the team through communicating with one another.  This in turn helps to build teamwork between them, which is also another key skill.   Engineering students are mostly bound to the technical terms they have learnt and, when they are put in ...