Journal Article
Reduced Convective Combustion Chamber Wall Heat Transfer Losses of Hydrogen-Fueled Engines by Vortex-Stratified Combustion - Part 1: Background and Optical Engine Observations
2017-10-05
2017-01-9286
A vortex-stratified combustion process for hydrogen-fueled reciprocating internal combustion engines is introduced to increase the thermal efficiency by reducing the convective heat transfer losses to the surrounding walls during combustion. The process imposes a highly ordered rotational field upon the charge in a separate, transverse, cylindrically shaped combustion chamber by means of channels that connect with the main chamber enclosed by the engine cylinder and piston. Gaseous hydrogen is injected directly during the compression stroke, while air enters into the combustion chamber tangentially and preferentially along the circumference due to the Coandă effect. The two streams entrain one another and develop into a vigorous vortex by virtue of the chamber and channel geometries.
