Search Results

Regarding fuels research and development, some preliminary studies - low cost and short time - can be conducted before the traditional engine tests - more expensive and time consuming. Therefore, experimental apparatus, such as a rapid compression machine (RCM) and specific methodologies, such as imaging techniques, are very useful in order to simulate engine combustion with simplicity, agility and flexibility, reducing development time and costs. Imaging techniques allow flame front propagation and ignition delay analysis, which are important parameters to understand fuel performance in engines and also to improve fuel modeling in engine simulation softwares. A RCM was adapted to operate in a spark ignition engine mode. It was used to obtain high-speed photos of flame propagation and ignition delay. Contour plots of the flame front profiles were obtained in successive frames to analyze the flame development with gasoline-ethanol blends.

Nowadays, many researches are being carried out to replace the diesel by alternative fuels. Biodiesel and ethanol are strong candidates for this purpose. However, the experimental study of the combustion of biofuels in engines is not an easy task. Due to the large differences between the properties of the new fuels and the conventional diesel, radical changes may be needed in current engines, developed specifically for the fossil fuel. So, the experimental study of ethanol compression ignition (CI) combustion is not simple to be obtained in conventional engines. Therefore, some experimental apparatus, such as a rapid compression machine (RCM), are useful to conduct this kind of study. This paper describes the RCM adaptations made in order to run CI combustion tests using Ethanol-Powered (ED95) and Diesel (S50) for different compression ratios and injection timing.

The period between the start of fuel injection into the combustion chamber and the start of combustion it's known as Ignition Delay (ID) or Delay Time. Delay period in the diesel engine exerts a very great influence on both engine design and performance. Functionally, the ID can be divided into two parts: the physical and chemical delay. The physical delay, it is the time between the beginning of injection and the attainment of chemical reaction conditions. During this period, the fuel is atomized, vaporized, mixed with air and raised to self-ignition temperature. Viscosity governs the physical delay of fuel combustion process, for low viscosity fuels, the physical delay tends to be small and vice versa. The chemical delay, during this period reactions start slowly and the accelerate until inflammation or ignitions takes place. Generally, chemical delay is larger than the physical delay.