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The present study uses a numerical model to investigate the effects of flow turbulence on premixed iso-octane HCCI engine combustion. Different levels of in-cylinder turbulence are generated by using different piston geometries, namely a disc-shape versus a square-shape bowl. The numerical model is based on the KIVA code which is modified to use CHEMKIN as the chemistry solver. A detailed reaction mechanism is used to simulate the fuel chemistry. It is found that turbulence has significant effects on HCCI combustion. In the current engine setup, the main effect of turbulence is to affect the wall heat transfer, and hence to change the mixture temperature which, in turn, influences the ignition timing and combustion duration. The model also predicts that the combustion duration in the square bowl case is longer than that in the disc piston case which agrees with the measurements.

An optimization study combining multidimensional CFD modeling and a global, evolutionary search technique known as the Genetic Algorithm has been carried out. The subject of this study was a 2-stroke, spark-ignited, direct-injection, single-cylinder research engine (SCRE). The goal of the study was to optimize the part load operating parameters of the engine in order to achieve the lowest possible emissions, improved fuel economy, and reduced wall heat transfer. Parameters subject to permutation in this study were the start-of-injection (SOI) timing, injection duration, spark timing, fuel injection angle, dwell between injections, and the percentage of fuel mass in the first injection pulse. The study was comprised of three cases. All simulations were for a part load, intermediate-speed condition representing a transition operating regime between stratified charge and homogeneous charge operation.

A radiation model based on the Discrete Ordinates Method (DOM) was incorporated into the KIVA3v multidimensional code to study the effects of soot and radiation on diesel engine performance at high load. A thermophoretic soot deposition model was implemented to predict soot concentrations in the near-wall region, which was found to affect radiative heat flux levels. Realistic, non-uniform combustion chamber wall surface temperature distributions were predicted using a finite-element-based heat conduction model for the engine metal components that was coupled with KIVA3v in an iterative scheme. The more accurate combustion chamber wall temperatures enhanced the accuracy of both the radiation and soot deposition models as well as the convective heat transfer model. For a basline case, (1500 rev/min, 100% load) it was found that radiation can account for as much as 30% of the total wall heat loss and that soot deposition in each cycle is less than 3% of the total in-cylinder soot.

Optimizations were performed on a Heavy-Duty diesel engine equipped with a conventional electronic unit injector in order to minimize fuel consumption, and emissions of NOx and particulate matter. A low speed light load case and a high speed light load case were optimized with these considerations in mind. Exhaustive parametric studies were performed in order to find sets of operating conditions that resulted in low emissions and high fuel economy. It was found for the low speed light load case (Mode 2, 25% load and 821 rev/min) that low emissions operating conditions existed at either very early or very late start-of-injection timings and high EGR (PM = 0.018 g/kW-hr, NOx + HC = 1.493 g/kW-hr with SOI = -21 degrees ATDC, 48% EGR; or 0.085 g/kW-hr PM, 1.02 g/kW-hr NOx with SOI = 4 degrees ATDC, 39% EGR).

To overcome the trade-off between NOx and particulate emissions for future diesel vehicles and engines it is necessary to seek methods to lower pollutant emissions. The desired simultaneous improvement in fuel efficiency for future DI (Direct Injection) diesels is also a difficult challenge due to the combustion modifications that will be required to meet the exhaust emission mandates. This study demonstrates the emission reduction capability of split injections, EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation), and other parameters on a High Speed Direct Injection (HSDI) diesel engine equipped with a common rail injection system using an RSM (Response Surface Method) optimization method. The optimizations were conducted at 1757 rev/min, 45% load. Six factors were considered for the optimization, namely the EGR rate, SOI (Start of Injection), intake boost pressure, and injection pressure, the percentage of fuel in the first injection, and the dwell between injections.

A computational optimization study was performed for a direct-injection diesel engine using a recently developed 1-D-KIVA3v-GA (1-Dimensional-KIVA3v-Genetic Algorithm) computer code. The code performs a full engine cycle simulation within the framework of a genetic algorithm (GA) code. Design fitness is determined using a 1-D (one-dimensional) gas dynamics code for the simulation of the gas exchange process, coupled with the KIVA3v code for three-dimensional simulations of spray, combustion and emissions formation. The 1-D-KIVA3v-GA methodology was used to simultaneously investigate the effect of eight engine input parameters on emissions and performance for four cases, which include cases at 2500 RPM and 1000 RPM, with both simulated at high-load and low-load conditions.

The recently developed KIVA-GA computer code was used in the current study to optimize the combustion chamber geometry of a heavy -duty diesel truck engine and a high-speed direct-injection (HSDI) small-bore diesel engine. KIVA-GA performs engine simulations within the framework of a genetic algorithm (GA) global optimization code. Design fitness was determined using a modified version of the KIVA-3V code, which calculates the spray, combustion, and emissions formation processes. The measure of design fitness includes NOx, unburned HC, and soot emissions, as well as fuel consumption. The simultaneous minimization of these factors was the ultimate goal. The KIVA-GA methodology was used to optimize the engine performance using nine input variables simultaneously. Three chamber geometry related variables were used along with six other variables, which were thought to have significant interaction with the chamber geometry.

A spray model for pressure-swirl atomizers that is based on a linearized instability analysis of liquid sheets has been combined with an ignition and combustion model for stratified charge spark ignition engines. The ignition model has been advanced, such that the presence of dual spark plugs can now be accounted for. Independent validation of the spray model is achieved by investigating a pressure-swirl injector inside a pressure bomb containing air at ambient temperature. In a second step, the complete model is used to estimate the performance of a small marine DISI Two-Stroke engine operating in stratified charge mode. Simulation results and experimental data are compared for several different injection timings and the agreement is generally good such that there is confidence in the predictive quality of the combustion model. Finally the model is applied in a conceptual study to investigate possible benefits of split injections.

A study of the combined use of split injections, EGR, and flexible boosting was conducted. Statistical optimization of the engine operating parameters was accomplished using a new response surface method. The objective of the study was to demonstrate the emissions and fuel consumption capabilities of a state-of-the-art heavy -duty diesel engine when using split injections, EGR, and flexible boosting over a wide range of engine operating conditions. Previous studies have indicated that multiple injections with EGR can provide substantial simultaneous reductions in emissions of particulate and NOx from heavy-duty diesel engines, but careful optimization of the operating parameters is necessary in order to receive the full benefit of these combustion control techniques. Similarly, boost has been shown to be an important parameter to optimize. During the experiments, an instrumented single-cylinder heavy -duty diesel engine was used.

A new ignition and combustion model has been developed and tested for use in premixed spark-ignition engines. The ignition model is referred to as the Discrete Particle Ignition Kernel (DPIK) model, and it uses Lagrangian markers to track the flame-front growth. The model includes the effects of electrode heat transfer on the early flame kernel growth process, and it is used in conjunction with a characteristic-time-scale combustion model once the ignition kernel has grown to a size where the effects of turbulence on the flame must be considered. A new term which accounts for the effect of air-fuel ratio, was added to the combustion model for modeling combustion in very lean and very rich mixtures. The flame kernel size predicted by the DPIK model was compared with measurements of Maly and Vogel. Furthermore, predictions of the electrode heat transfer were compared with data of Kravchik and Heywood. In both comparisons the model predictions were in good agreement with the experiments.

A computational optimization study is performed for a heavy-duty direct-injection diesel engine using the recently developed KIVA-GA computer code. KIVA-GA performs full cycle engine simulations within the framework of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) global optimization code. Design fitness is determined using a one-dimensional gas -dynamics code for calculation of the gas exchange process, and a three-dimensional CFD code based on KIVA-3V for spray, combustion and emissions formation. The performance of the present Genetic Algorithm is demonstrated using a test problem with a multi-modal analytic function in which the optimum is known a priori. The KIVA-GA methodology is next used to simultaneously investigate the effects of six engine input parameters on emissions and performance for a high speed, medium load operating point for which baseline experimental validation data is available.

A study of statistical optimization of engine operating parameters was conducted. The objective of the study was to develop a strategy to efficiently optimize operating parameters of diesel engines with multiple injection and EGR capabilities. Previous studies have indicated that multiple injections with EGR can provide substantial simultaneous reductions in emissions of particulate and NOx from heavy-duty diesel engines, but careful optimization of the operating parameters is necessary in order to receive the full benefit of these combustion control techniques. The goal of the present study was to optimize the control parameters to reduce emissions and brake specific fuel consumption. An instrumented single-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine was used with a prototype mechanically actuated (cam driven) fuel injection system.

An electronically controlled Caterpillar single-cylinder oil test engine (SCOTE) was used to study diesel combustion. The SCOTE retains the port, combustion chamber, and injection geometry of the production six cylinder, 373 kW (500 hp) 3406E heavy-duty truck engine. The engine was equipped with an electronic unit injector and an electronically controlled common rail injector that is capable of multiple injections. An emissions investigation was carried out using a six-mode cycle simulation of the EPA Federal Transient Test Procedure. The results show that the SCOTE meets current EPA mandated emissions levels, despite the higher internal friction imposed by the single-cylinder configuration. NOx versus particulate trade-off curves were generated over a range of injection timings for each mode and results of heat release calculations were examined, giving insight into combustion phenomena in current “state of the art” heavy-duty diesel engines.

Two-Color imaging optics were developed and used to observe soot emission processes in a modern heavy-duty diesel engine. The engine was equipped with a common rail, electronically-controlled, high-pressure fuel injection system that is capable of up to four injection pulses per engine cycle. The engine was instrumented with an endoscope system for optical access for the combustion visualization. Multidimensional combustion and soot modeling results were used for comparisons to enhance the understanding and interpretation of the experimental data. Good agreement between computed and measured cylinder pressures, heat release and soot and NOx emissions was achieved. In addition, good qualitative agreement was found between in-cylinder soot concentration (KL) and temperature fields obtained from the endoscope images and those obtained from the multidimensional modeling.

A two-dimensional transient Heat Conduction in Components code (HCC) was successfully set up and extensively used to calculate the temperature field existing in real engine combustion chambers. The Saul'yev method, an explicit, unconditionally stable finite difference method, was used in the code. Consideration of the gasket between the cylinder wall and head, and the air gap between the piston and liner were included in the code. The realistic piston bowl shape was modeled with a grid transformation and piston movement was considered. The HCC code was used to calculate the wall temperature of an Isuzu ceramic engine and a Caterpillar heavy-duty diesel engine. The code was combined with the KIVA-II code in an iterative loop, in which the KIVA-II code provided the instantaneous local heat flux on the combustion chamber surfaces, and the HCC code computed the time-averaged wall temperature distribution on the surfaces.

An engine emissions and performance study was conducted in conjunction with a series of experiments using a constant volume cold spray chamber. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of number of holes and hole size on the emissions and performance of a direct injection heavy duty diesel engine. The spray experiments provide insight into the spray parameters and their role in the engine's combustion processes. The fuel system used for both the engine and spray chamber experiments was an electronically controlled, common rail injector. The injector nozzle hole size and number combinations used in the experiments included 225X8 (225 gm diameter holes with 8 holes in the nozzle), 260X6, 260X8, and 30OX6. The engine tests were conducted on an instrumented single cylinder version of the Caterpillar 3400 series heavy duty diesel engine. Data were taken with the engine running at 1600 RPM, 75% load.

Previous studies have shown that air motion affects the combustion process and therefore also the emissions in a DI diesel engine. Experimental studies indicate that higher engine speeds enhance the turbulence and this improves air and fuel mixing. However, there are few studies that address fundamental combustion related factors and possible limitations associated with very high speed engine operation. In this study, operation over a large range of engine speeds was simulated by using a multi-dimensional computer code to study the effect of speed on emissions, engine power, engine and exhaust temperatures. The results indicate that at higher engine speeds fuel is consumed in a much shorter time period by the enhanced air and fuel mixing. The shorter combustion duration provides much less available time for soot and NOx formations. In addition, the enhanced air/fuel mixing decreases soot and NOx by reducing the extent of the fuel rich regions.

An emissions and performance study was conducted to explore the effects of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and multiple injections on the emission of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulate emissions, and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) over a wide range of engine operating conditions. The tests were conducted on an instrumented single cylinder version of the Caterpillar 3400 series heavy duty Diesel engine. Data was taken at 1600 rev/min, and 75% load, and also at operating conditions taken from a 6-mode simulation of the federal transient test procedure (FTP). The fuel system used was an electronically controlled, common rail injector and supporting hardware. The fuel system was capable of as many as four independent injections per combustion event at pressures from 20 to 120MPa.

Engine experiments have shown that with high-pressure multiple injections (two or more injection pulses per power cycle), the soot-NOx trade-off curves of a diesel engine can be shifted closer to the origin than those with the conventional single-pulse injections, reducing both soot and NOx emissions significantly. In order to understand the mechanism of emissions reduction, multidimensional computations were carried out for a heavy-duty diesel engine with multiple injections. Different injection schemes were considered, and the predicted cylinder pressure, heat release rate and soot and NOx emissions were compared with measured data. Excellent agreements between predictions and measurements were achieved after improvements in the models were made. The improvements include using a RNG k-ε turbulence model, adopting a new wall heat transfer model and introducing the nozzle discharge coefficient to account for the contraction of fuel jet at the nozzle exit.

An endoscope-based image acquisition-and-processing camera system was used for diagnostics of pilot injection combustion in a single-cylinder heavy duty diesel engine. A study of the pilot injection or light load is of interest because the spray breakup, mixing and vaporization processes are less influenced by heat feedback from the flame than in full injection cases. This allows the spray process to be decoupled from the combustion process. The experimental cases were modeled using a version of the KIVA-II code that includes improvements in the turbulence, wall heat transfer, spray, ignition and combustion models. Pilot injections of three different amounts (10, 15 and 20% of the fuel injected at 75% load and 1600 RPM) at different start-of-injection timings were studied. The imaging system included an endoscope, an intensified CID camera, a frame grabber and the control circuitry.