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To elucidate the complex characteristics of pre-chamber combustion engines, the interaction of the hot gas jets initiated by an active narrow throated pre-chamber with lean premixed CH4/air in a heavy-duty engine was studied computationally. A twelve-hole KAUST proprietary pre-chamber geometry was investigated using CONVERGE software. The KAUST pre-chamber has an upper conical part with the spark plug, and fuel injector, followed by a straight narrow region called the throat and nozzles connecting the chambers. The simulations were run for an entire cycle, starting at the previous cycle's exhaust valve opening (EVO). The SAGE combustion model was used with the chemistry modeled using a reduced methane oxidation mechanism based on GRI Mech 3.0, which was validated against in-house OH chemiluminescence data from the optical engine experiments.

Heavy-duty vehicles face increasing demands of emission regulations. Reduced carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission targets motivate decreased fuel consumption for fossil fuel engines. Increased engine efficiency contributes to lower fuel consumption and can be achieved by lower heat transfer, friction and exhaust losses. The double compression expansion engine (DCEE) concept achieves higher efficiency, as it utilizes a split-cycle approach to increase the in-cylinder pressure and recover the normally wasted exhaust energy. However, the DCEE concept suffers heat losses from the high-pressure approach. This study utilizes up to three injectors to reduce the wall-gas temperature gradient rendering lower convective heat losses. The injector configuration consists of a standard central injector and two side-injectors placed at the rim of the bowl. An increased distance from side-injector to the wall delivered lower heat losses by centralizing hot gases in the combustion chamber.

Opposed-piston two-stroke engines offer numerous advantages over conventional four-stroke engines, both in terms of fundamental principles and technical aspects. The reduced heat losses and large volume-to-surface area ratio inherently result in a high thermodynamic efficiency. Additionally, the mechanical design is simpler and requires fewer components compared to conventional four-stroke engines. When combining this engine concept with alternative fuels such as hydrogen and pre-chamber technology, a potential route for carbon-neutral powertrains is observed. To ensure safe engine operation using hydrogen as fuel, it is crucial to consider strict safety measures to prevent issues such as knock, pre-ignition, and backfiring. One potential solution to these challenges is the use of direct injection, which has the potential to improve engine efficiency and expand the range of load operation.

Earlier studies on efficiency improvement in CI engines have suggested that heat transfer losses contribute largely to the total energy losses. Fuel impingement on the cylinder walls is typically associated with high heat transfer. This study proposes a two-injector concept to reduce heat losses and thereby improve efficiency. The two injectors are placed at the rim of the bowl to change the spray pattern. Computational simulations based on the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes approach have been performed for four different fuel injection timings in order to quantify the reduction in heat losses for the proposed concept. Two-injector concepts were compared to reference cases using only one centrally mounted injector. All simulations were performed in a double compression expansion engine (DCEE) concept using the Volvo D13 single-cylinder engine. In the DCEE, a large portion of the exhaust energy is re-used in the second expansion, thus increasing the thermodynamic efficiency.

Partially premixed combustion (PPC) is an operating mode that lies between the conventional compression ignition (CI) mode and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode. The combustion in this mixed mode is complex as it is neither diffusion-controlled (CI mode) nor governed solely by chemical kinetics (HCCI mode). In this study, CFD simulations were performed to evaluate flame index, which distinguishes between zones having a premixed flame and non-premixed flame. Experiments performed in the optical engine supplied data to validate the model. In order to realize PPC, the start of injection (SOI) was fixed at −40 CAD (aTDC) so that a required ignition delay is created to premix air/fuel mixture. The reference operating point was selected to be with 3 bar IMEP and 1200 rpm. Naphtha with a RON of 77 and its corresponding PRF surrogate were tested. The simulations captured the general trends observed in the experiments well.

To understand key practical aspects of ammonia as a fuel for internal combustion engines, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using CONVERGETM. A light-duty single-cylinder research engine with a geometrical compression ratio of 11.5 and a conventional pentroof combustion chamber was experimentally operated at stoichiometry. The fumigated ammonia was introduced at the intake plenum. Upon model validation, additional sensitivity analysis was performed. The combustion was modeled using a detailed chemistry solver (SAGE), and the ammonia oxidation was computed from a 38-specie and 262-reaction chemical reaction mechanism. Three different piston shapes were assessed, and it was found that the near-spark flow field associated with the piston design in combination with the tumble motion promotes faster combustion and yields enhanced engine performance.

Ongoing development of a CFD framework for the simulation of primary atomization of a high pressure diesel jet is presented in this work. The numerical model is based on a second order accurate, polyhedral Finite Volume (FV) method implemented in foam-extend-4.1, a community driven fork of the OpenFOAM software. A geometric Volume-of-Fluid (VOF) method isoAdvector is used for interface advection, while the Ghost Fluid Method (GFM) is used to handle the discontinuity of the pressure and the pressure gradient at the interface between the two phases: n-dodecane and air in the combustion chamber. In order to obtain highly resolved interface while minimizing computational time, an Adaptive Grid Refinement (AGR) strategy for arbitrary polyhedral cells is employed in order to refine the parts of the grid near the interface. Dynamic Load Balancing (DLB) is used in order to preserve parallel efficiency during AGR.

Pre-ignition in SI engine is a critical issue that needs addressing as it may lead to super knock event. It is widely accepted that pre-ignition event emanates from hot spot(s) that can be anywhere inside the combustion chamber. The location and timing of hotspot is expected to influence the knock intensity from a pre-ignition event. In this study, we study the effect of location and timing of hot spot inside the combustion chamber using numerical simulations. The simulation is performed using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, CONVERGE™. We simulate 3-D engine geometry coupled with chemistry, turbulence and moving structures (valves, piston). G-equation model for flame tracking coupled with multi-zone model is utilized to capture auto-ignition (knock) and solve gas phase kinetics. A parametric study on the effect of hot spot timing and location inside the combustion chamber is performed.

High-pressure internal combustion engines promise high efficiency, but a proper injection strategy to minimize heat losses and pollutant emissions remain a challenge. Previous studies have concluded that two injectors, placed at the piston bowl's rim, simultaneously improve the mixing and reduce the heat losses. The two-injector configuration further improves air utilization while keeping hot zones away from the cylinder walls. This study investigates how the two-injector concept delivers even higher efficiency by providing additional control of spray -and injection angles. Three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations examined several umbrella angles, spray-to-spray angles, and injection orientations by comparing the two-injector cases with a reference one-injector case. The study focused on heat transfer reduction, where the two-injector approach reduces the heat transfer losses by up to 14.3 % compared to the reference case.

This paper reports the development of a model of diesel combustion and NO emissions, based on a modified eddy dissipation concept (EDC), and its implementation into the KIVA-3V multidimensional simulation. The EDC model allows for more realistic representation of the thin sub-grid scale reaction zone as well as the small-scale molecular mixing processes. Realistic chemical kinetic mechanisms for n-heptane combustion and NOx formation processes are fully incorporated. A model based on the normalized fuel mass fraction is implemented to transition between ignition and combustion. The modeling approach has been validated by comparison with experimental data for a range of operating conditions. Predicted cylinder pressure and heat release rates agree well with measurements. The predictions for NO concentration show a consistent trend with experiments. Overall, the results demonstrate the improved capability of the model for predictions of the combustion process.

The US Department of Energy has formulated different gasoline fuels called ''Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines (FACE)'' to standardize their compositions. FACE I is a low octane number gasoline fuel with research octane number (RON) of approximately 70. The detailed hydrocarbon analysis (DHA) of FACE I shows that it contains 33 components. This large number of components cannot be handled in fuel spray simulation where thousands of droplets are directly injected in combustion chamber. These droplets are to be heated, broken-up, collided and evaporated simultaneously. Heating and evaporation of single droplet FACE I fuel was investigated. The heating and evaporation model accounts for the effects of finite thermal conductivity, finite liquid diffusivity and recirculation inside the droplet, referred to as the effective thermal conductivity/effective diffusivity (ETC/ED) model.

Heat losses are known to decrease the efficiency of CI engines largely. Here, multiple injectors have been suggested to shrink these losses through reduction of spray wall impingement. Studies on multiple injectors have proven the concept’s heat transfer reduction but also highlighted the difficulty of using a standard piston bowl. This study proposes a two-injector concept combined with a flat bowl to reduce heat losses further. To change the spray pattern, the two injectors are injecting in a swirling motion while placed at the rim of the bowl. Four injection timings have been investigated using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. This computational method quantified the amount of heat loss reduction possible. A conventional single injector concept is compared to two injector concepts with a standard and flat bowl. A Double Compression Expansion Engine (DCEE) concept, based on a modified Volvo D13 single-cylinder engine, was the base for all simulations.

The Wankel rotary engine has been an attractive alternative for transportation due to its unique features of lightweight construction, small size, high power density, and adaptability to various fuels. This paper aims to investigate the performance of air-fuel mixing in a hydrogen-fuelled Wankel rotary engine using different fuelling strategies. To achieve this, 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted using CONVERGE software on a prototype engine with a displacement of 225 cc, manufactured by Advanced Innovative Engineering UK. Initially, the simulations were validated by comparing the results with experimental data obtained from the engine fuelled with conventional gasoline under both motored and fired conditions. After validating the model, simulations were conducted on the premixed hydrogen engine combustion, followed by more detailed simulations of port fuel injection (PFI) and direct injection (DI) of hydrogen in the engine.

Ducted Fuel Injection (DFI) engines have emerged as a promising technology in the pursuit of a clean and efficient combustion process. This article aims at elucidating the effect of piston geometry on the engine performance and emissions of a metal DFI engine. Three different types of pistons were investigated and the main piston design features including the piston bowl diameter, piston bowl slope angle, duct angle and the injection nozzle position were examined. To achieve the target, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted coupled to a reduced chemical kinetics mechanism. Extensive validations were performed against the measured data from a conventional diesel engine. To calibrate the soot model, genetic algorithm and machine learning methods were utilized. The simulation results highlight the pivotal role played by piston bowl diameter and fuel injection angle in controlling soot emissions of a DFI engine.

The current work utilizes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to assess the effects of different piston geometries in an active-type pre-chamber combustion engine fueled with methane. Previous works identified that the interaction of the jets with the main chamber flow and piston wall are key aspects for the local turbulent flame speed and overall burning duration. The combustion process is simulated with the G-equation model for flame propagation combined with the MZ-WSR model to determine the post-flame composition and to predict possible auto-ignition of the reactant mixture. Four setups were considered: two bowl-shaped and one flat piston, and one additional case of the flat piston with jets at wider jet angles to the cylinder axis. The results show that premature jet-wall interaction impacts the main chamber pressure build-up, turbulence, and burn rate.