Technical Paper
Evaluating the Heat Losses from HCCI Combustion within a Rapid Compression Expansion Machine
2006-04-03
2006-01-0870
A high pressure capable, free piston rapid compression expansion machine (RCEM) has been used to investigate the autoignition, or Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) behavior of a wide range of fuels. Thermal efficiencies and emissions characteristics were reported previously, but the heat release rates (HRR) and mass fractions burned (χ) seen under the experimental conditions were not specifically determined. This work investigates the characteristic heat losses in this device for use in determination of the HRR and χ. The heat flux is derived from surface temperature thermocouple data; a spatially-uniform, global convection model is correlated to this. Data from lean n-pentane and n-hexane in air mixtures were used to calibrate the model. The RCEM-calibrated model was compared to similar models that were calibrated to IC engines operating on HCCI, and to predictions from the CFD code KIVA3V.