Investigation on Dual Fuel Engine Gas Combustion using Tomographic In-Cylinder Measurement Technique and Simultaneous High Speed OH-Chemiluminescence Visualization 2016-01-2308

Strict emission regulations and the need of higher efficiency of future dual fuel engines require an optimized combustion process. For getting a better understanding of the in-cylinder combustion process optical investigations represent a powerful tool. For medium speed dual fuel engines, optical investigations are pretty rare respectively not available. Especially the avoiding of knock events within the combustion process is a key development topic to realize high engine load and high engine efficiency.

For the investigations a fully flexible dual fuel test engine was used. The engine is operated with a natural gas / air cylinder charge which is ignited by a small micro pilot diesel injection within the gas mode.

Beside standard development measurement techniques like cylinder pressure measurement and exhaust gas emission measurement, optical measurement techniques were used to gain information about the in-cylinder combustion process of the pilot fuel combustion as well as the combustion of the natural gas / air cylinder charge. It is desirable to realize an entire visualization of the combustion within the combustion chamber under real engine conditions at full load. This means the need for a minimal invasive measurement technique with small modifications of the combustion chamber design and surface temperatures.

Due to these requirements a tomographic, fiber based measurement technique was used synchronal to a high speed visualization of the in-cylinder OH* chemiluminescence. The fiber based measurement technique uses 128 optical fibers in which every single fiber measures the luminescence of a special observation volume. The raw data of the single fibers is used to calculate, based on a tomographic algorithm, the in-cylinder light emission intensity distribution to visualize the combustion in a horizontal cutting plane over the whole bore diameter. To complete the information of the combustion by the third dimension, a synchronized, intensified high speed camera was used to record the OH* chemiluminescence. Both measurement techniques in combination give a far-reaching image of the in-cylinder combustion process.

To increase the understanding of the in-cylinder processes and to optimize the combustion process, typical combustion relevant parameters like pilot injection nozzle, pilot injection timing, pilot injection pressure and excess air ratio were varied. In this publication the basic combustion mechanisms are described for two different injection timings at full load. In addition the isolated pilot fuel combustion in pure air for an injection timing which gives a transient point between partly premixed and strongly premixed combustion is shown.

The measurement results show an ignition process which is strongly influenced by the reaction kinetic mechanisms. Especially for early injection timings a long ignition delay was measured which result in a well premixed pilot fuel within the natural gas / air mixture. Moreover, the flame propagation speed was calculated and a reaction kinetically controlled post flame combustion process was observed.

In addition a different mechanism for in-cylinder pressure oscillation, which usually is detected as engine knock, was shown which differs from the generally known mechanism in spark plug ignited passenger car engines.