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The backward flow of the hot burned gas surrounding a diesel flame was found to be one of the factors dominating the set-off length (also called the lift-off length), that is, the distance from a nozzle exit into which a diffusion flame cannot intrude. In the combustion chamber of an actual diesel engine, the entrainment of the surrounding gas into a spray jet from a multi-hole nozzle is restricted by the walls and adjacent spray jets, which induces the backward flow of the surrounding gas. A new momentum theory to calculate the backward flow velocity was established by extending Wakuri's momentum theory. Shadowgraph imaging in an optical engine successfully visualized the backward flow of the hot burned gas.

A novel diagnostic technique named a “Tracer-Producing LIF technique” which enables 2-dimensional measurement of an internal EGR within an engine cylinder, has been developed. The main feature of this technique is the utilization of a fuel additive that does not itself emit an LIF signal by irradiation of UV-light but whose combustion products radiate strong LIF emissions by UV-light irradiation. Internal EGR behaviors can be measured by observing LIF images that are excited by a UV-laser sheet. Firstly, principles of this technique were confirmed and fuel additives were selected. Then, the “Tracer-Producing LIF technique” was applied to an optically accessible single-cylinder gasoline engine in which the entire pent-roof area can be observed from the side of the engine. The internal EGR behaviors were measured through the entire engine cycle, from intake to exhaust.

Over the last few decades, in-cylinder visualization using optically accessible engines has been an important tool in the detailed analysis of the in-cylinder phenomena of internal combustion engines. However, most current optically accessible engines are recognized as being limited in terms of their speed and load, because of the fragility of certain components such as the elongated pistons and transparent windows. To overcome these speed and load limits, we developed a new generation of optically accessible engines which extends the operating range up to speeds of 6000 rpm for the SI engine version, and up to in-cylinder pressures of 20 MPa for the CI engine version. The main reason for the speed limitation is the vibration caused by the inertia force arising from the heavy elongated piston, which increases with the square of the engine speed.

To improve the thermal efficiency of an internal combustion engine, the application of ceramics to heat loss reduction in the cylinders has been studied [1-2]. The approach taken has focused on the low heat conductivity and high heat resistance of the ceramic. However, since the heat capacity of the ceramic is so large, there is a problem in that the wall temperature increases during the combustion cycle. This leads to a decrease in the charging efficiency, as well as knocking in gasoline engines. To overcome these problems, the application of thermal insulation without raising the gas temperature during the intake stroke has been proposed [3-4]. As a means of achieving this, we developed a "temperature swing heat insulation coating" [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. This reduces the heat flux from the combustion chamber into the cooling water by making the wall temperature follow the gas temperature as much as possible during the expansion and exhaust strokes.

Two-line excitation LIF (Laser-Induced Fluorescence) technique for 2-dimensional temperature measurements in an engine cylinder before ignition is presented. From the fundamental examinations, the combination of toluene tracer with a pair of excitation lines of 248nm and 266nm has been selected because of the high LIF intensity ratio and closer excitation wavelengths. In-cylinder thermometry is conducted using a visualized single cylinder spark ignition engine both in PFI (port-fuel-injection) and DI (direct-injection) operation. The accuracy of this technique is determined through the homogeneous PFI experiment. Temperature and fuel distribution in unburned mixture are measured simultaneously in DI operation. It exists a strong correlation between equivalence ratio and temperature inside the mixture. Temperature in the fuel rich region is lower than in the fuel lean region.

Combustion of premixed lean mixture which arises from multi-point ignition is very promising and necessary for achieving both higher efficiency and lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission. A Premixed-Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI) engine has been manufactured experimentally and evaluated in terms of fuel economy and NOx reduction. The PCCI engine manufactured is a single cylinder engine with inlet port injection of gasoline, and has a compression ratio of 17.4. The PCCI engine operates stably in the air-fuel ratio range of 33-44. In the PCCI engine, spontaneous ignition occurs at unspecified points as it does in diesel engines. The flame then develops rapidly throughout the combustion chamber. Under conditions of stable combustion, the PCCI engine achieves equivalent fuel economy and much lower NOx emission compared with diesel engines. Furthermore, the effects of intake air heating and supercharging on extending the range of stable combustion have been examined.