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In-cylinder flame propagation and its impact on thermal characteristics of the combustion chamber were studied by using a new high-speed spectral infrared imaging system. In this work, successive spectral IR images of combustion chamber events were captured while varying several parameters, including fuel/air, spark timing, speed, and warming-up period. Some investigation of cyclic variation, knock, and high-temperature components during the non-combustion period was also conducted. It was found that the spectral images obtained in both short and long wavelength bands exhibited unique pieces of in-cylinder information, i.e., (qualitative) distributions of temperature and combustion products, respectively. During the combustion period, the temperature of early-formed combustion products continued to increase while the flame front temperature, e.g. near the end gas zone, remained relatively low.

Flow fields generated during the intake stroke of a 4-stroke I.C. engine are studied experimentally using water analog simulation. The fluid is seeded by small flow tracer particles and imaged by two digital cameras at BDC. Using a 3-D Particle Tracking Velocimetry technique recently developed, the 3-D motion of these flow tracers is determined in a completely automated way using sophisticated image processing and PTV algorithms. The resulting 3-D velocity fields are ensemble averaged over a large number of successive cycles to determine the mean characteristics of the flow field as well as to estimate the turbulent fluctuations. This novel technique was applied to three different cylinder head configurations. Each configuration was run for conditions simulating idle operation two different ways: first with both inlet ports open and second with only the primary port open.

A new methodology for rapidly characterizing the in-cylinder flow field at spark ignition for internal combustion engines is described in this paper. The process involves the use of 3-D particle tracking velocimetry to measure the flow field at intake valve closing (IVC) in a water analog engine simulation, and the use of CFD to compute the evolution of the measured flow field during the compression stroke, by using the experimental 3-D PTV results at IVC as the initial condition for the calculations. The technique has been applied to investigate the in-cylinder flow field of a typical 4 valve engine operating in two different modes; one or two intake ports active. The results indicate that in either mode the flow field at IVC is dominated by a different large scale structure: tumble in the case where both intake ports are active and swirl in the case where only one port is active. The results also indicate that these structures evolve differently during the compression stroke.

Experimental measurements of burn rates have been carried out in a single cylinder homogeneous charge engine. Three different combustion chambers were investigated (75 % and 60 % squish bowl-in-piston chambers and a disk chamber) using a cylinder head with a swirl producing intake port and near central spark location. Data were obtained with each combustion chamber as a function of spark timing, EGR, and load at 1500 RPM. The combustion rate is strongly influenced by chamber shape. The 10-90 % burn durations of the 75 % and 60 % squish chambers are respectively about 40 % and 60 % that of the disk chamber. Chamber configuration had less effect on 0-10 % burn duration. The disk had about 25 % longer 0-10 % burn time than the bowl-in-piston chambers. Modifications to the GESIM model enabled good overall agreement between predictions and experimental data, a rather severe test of the model because the coupling of fluid mechanics, combustion and chamber geometry must be properly modeled.

This experimental investigation is an initial step in separating the influences of swirl and inducted kinetic energy on combustion in a homo - geneous charge engine. By rotation of the intake port about the axis of the intake valve, the swirl ratio was varied from zero to 2,8 while maintaining constant intake port flow, and hence constant inducted kinetic energy. Combustion data were obtained at a low speed, light load operating point (1500 RPM/60 psi IMEP) with MBT spark timing. The effects of the increase in swirl were a 25% decrease in ignition delay, a 10% decrease in combustion duration, and a significant improvement in combustion stability. Estimates were made on the effect of swirl on turbulence intensity (10% increase) and integral length scale (10% decrease). Both the increase in swirl and the use of a near-central spark plug location improved the lean operability.

Intake-generated flow fields and subsequent combustion characteristics were studied respectively in a reciprocating piston water analog flow apparatus and in firing engines. Three 1.6L, I4, 4-valve engine cylinder heads were tested with and without one intake port blocked to generate six distinctly different inducted flow fields. Fluid velocity distributions and flow field structure (“zero mean motion”, “swirl”, and “tumble”) were determined at BDC of the induction stroke using 2-D or 3-D particle tracking velocimetry. Swirl ratios based on steady-flow data were also obtained. The burn duration for each case was determined from cylinder pressure data. The results show that burn duration decreased with increases in tumble or swirl strength. Previously observed correlations between burn duration and swirl hold if swirl is the major component of the large-scale motion.