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This paper investigates influences of intake and exhaust valves overlap (at this duration, both of the intake valve and exhaust valve are open) on engine performance. An electric, variable cam phase mechanism (VVT, Variable Valve Timing unit) is installed in a small gasoline engine. The influences on the engine torque and BSFC, Brake Specific Fuel Consumption, are investigated on the engine bench. In addition, in case the overlaps exceeding the experimental range an engine simulator is used to predict the effects. The experimental results indicate that the VVT system can adjust the target overlap with the accuracy of 1.5deg. in a range of engine speed from 3000rpm to 7000rpm. The response time of the VVT unit was observed at the engine speed of 3000rpm. The results show that the rotation direction of motor affects on the response time of the unit. The measurement of engine torque and BSFC is performed for several overlap values at each engine speed.

In recent years, effective methods of utilizing power generation using biomass have been studied a biomass power generation with an internal combustion engines. It is able to be used even on small scale. In addition, by using the ICE, it is possible to make the efficiency relatively high. The compact downdraft type gasifier was manufactured. It generates bio-syngas from biomass. A small spark ignition ICE (SI-ICE) was drove using bio-syngas as fuel. NO is included in the emission of the ICE. Due to NO is said that it pollute the atmosphere and destroy the ozone layer, it must be reduced. Many researcher study NO in emission with synthetic gas of CH4 mixed with H2. Their result is NO increased as H2 ratio increased. However, experiments with actual syngas is few. And, combustible gases in bio-syngas produced by our equipment are CO, H2 and CH4. Previous studies with synthetic gas of mixed CO, H2 and CH4 is few. Therefore, experiments are performed with actual syngas.

In internal combustion engine, it is necessary to grasp droplet evaporation for using liquid fuel efficiency and improving exhaust gas composition. However, it has not known completely yet. In this study, fuel droplet of approximately 20μm diameter that is assumed to be in combustion chamber is injected by experimental apparatus. After that, droplet goes to butane flame. We observed by high-speed camera, and experimentally considered the effects of heat flux on the fuel droplet evaporation and breakup phenomenon. For the sample fuel, we use kerosene and diesel oil. It is important for understanding evaporation condition to know temperature around droplet in butane flame. Thus, flame temperature is measured by sheathed thermocouple. Heat flux is changed by initial velocity. From experiment, we found some result. Time that from injector tube to location of breakup of the droplet is short by increasing heat flux.

In emergency, it is not easy to get enough fuel for generator and the usage of kerosene with small spark ignition engine for normal gasoline was investigated. As too much kerosene will cause knock, EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) system was used to reduce the knock strength. The displacement was 290cc and the compression ratio was 8.4. The knock strength was evaluated with a highpass-filtered strain sensor and 0.6V was measured at MBT (Minimum advance for Best Torque) with normal gasoline, 1800rpm, 10Nm. The engine speed was almost 1800±100rpm and the torque was almost 10±0.1Nm. As a result, the EGR system could reduce the knock strength in any kerosene mixture fuel with the control of the ignition timing.

Improvement of atomization process is one of the most effective methods to promote the cold-start period of an internal combustion engine (ICE) using port fuel injector (PFI). In this paper authors present a fuel heating method using microwave energy through the local-contact microwave-heating injector (LMI) to enhance the properties of fuel sprays in such a risky working area of ICE. Temperature and mixing ratios of blended fuel are varied and characteristics of atomization are investigated. The fuel using in experiments is blended fuel of gasoline and ethanol, the mixing ratio is varied among 0 (E0), 5 (E5), 50 (E50), and 100 (E100) percentages in volume ratio of ethanol. The temperature of the fuel is measured just before the injection by using K-typed sheath thermo-couple. Spray characteristics measured are Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD), droplet size distribution, spray cone angle, and particle size distribution width.

Small wood biomass gasifier was developed and co-generation system supplying electric power and heat with small spark ignition internal combustion engine (SI-ICE) was investigated. The balance of electric power and heat flux will be controlled with ignition timing and the exhaust gas components were discussed. The wood biomass gasifier (downdraft type) had 105mm in inner diameter and 1000mm in length and the reaction zone temperature was 900deg-C at 68NL/min in intake air flow. The SI-ICE had 290cc in displacement and 8.4 in compression ratio and was driven at 1500rpm. The ignition angle was changed from 30deg-BTDC to 25deg-BTDC with almost same exhaust gas components. The exhaust gas temperature was from 520deg-C to 555deg-C.

Cylinder pressure is used for the closed-loop ignition angle control of a gasoline engine. This paper focused on the crank angle position where the maximum cylinder pressure reached (θPmax) and the relationship between the θPmax and the ignition angle. This closed-loop control set the θPmax a target value with an initial ignition angle and does not need a detailed ignition angle map. Response time and deflection with the target value are examined with a test bench. The θPmax target, ATDC 18 deg. is confirmed in consideration of the effect of knocking and the exhaust gas composition. The target ignition angle was varied step by step within a limit of upper and lower values, the response was observed and each gain was decided. At the engine speed of 5000 rpm, the duration to reach a steady value of θPmax is 0.10 s and the response time of ignition angle is 0.02 s.

An experimental study has been conducted at small kerosene droplet behavior near well-defined butane diffusion flame for the critical need on high efficient and cleaner energy technology. High temperature of background gas was generated using butane flame. Microflame from butane can reach the maximum temperature around 1200K at tip of outer glass. Single droplet of kerosene was injected by a small injector tube (30 μm-diameter) in to hot environment. Droplet of kerosene was released by attachment of piezo actuator on wall injector. Once the droplet is exposed to the hot atmosphere of micro flame, the temporal regression of the droplet surface was recorded. Droplet diameter was observed by CCD camera with strobe light flash at 180ns. The images captured in this experiment were analyzed by post-processing software to determine the vaporization of droplet.

A microwave-heating system is integrated in a port-injector to minimize the cold-start problems and exhaust emissions of engine. This paper report the experimental investigations of spray characteristics and numerical simulation of fuel temperature inside port-injector. Fuel flow inside port-injector is heated using microwave-heating and this system is called “local-contact microwave-heating injector” (LMI). LMI can be used to increase temperature of ethanol near boiling point (351.5K) before injected into room temperature. Injection pressure of fuel was operated constant at 0.3MPa. Characteristics of fuel spray were observed experimentally using high speed camera, CMOS camera and LDSA. Numerical simulation was conducted to verify the effect of local heating on spray distribution. 2-D geometry of injector with finer quadrilateral mesh (56,000 meshes) was solved numerically on pressure based solver in CFD simulation code.

The turbocharged 4-stroke internal combustion engine was developed for FSAE, the annual collegiate racing competition. The dry sump lubricant system with the custom scavenge pump, KF-SC07, was designed. The crank axle height was 192mm, 76.5% of KF2004. Custom cam-shafts were designed making the torque fluctuation decreased less than 50% of KF2005. The compression ratio was changed. And the maximum boost pressure and the maximum torque gain were 25kPa (0.25 kgf/cm2) and 11%, respectively.