Technical Paper
Parametric Sensitivity Study of Methanol Combustion Engine Assisted by a Glow Plug
2024-11-05
2024-01-4284
This work numerically investigated the methanol compression ignition combustion assisted with a glow plug (GP). The GP was positioned in the middle of the two intake ports. A heating power of 50 W was applied to maintain a quasi-steady temperature of 1323 K for the heating medium. Sensitivity analyses were conducted on various parameters affecting engine combustion characteristics and performance, including radial distance (RD) between the glow plug and injector, relative angle (RA) between the GP and its nearest jet, intake temperature, split ratio of pilot injection, and intake and injection pressures. Due to the complex fuel jet-GP interaction, the optimum RA shifted from 10° at RD = 22.5 mm to 17.5° at RD = 12.5 mm. The optimal RD among the studied values (12.5, 17.5, and 22.5 mm) was found to be 12.5 mm, achieving an indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) of 42.1% at RA = 17.5°.