Search Results

With ever-demanding emission legislations in Compression Ignition (CI) engines, new premixed combustion strategies have been developed in recent years seeking both, emissions and performance improvements. Since it has been shown that in-cylinder air flow affects the combustion process, and hence the overall engine performance, the study of swirling structures and its interaction with fuel injection are of great interest. In this regard, possible Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE) distribution changes after fuel injection may be a key parameter for achieving performance improvements by reducing in-cylinder heat transfer. Consequently, this paper aims to gain an insight into spray-swirl interaction through the analysis of in-cylinder velocity fields measured by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) when PCCI conditions are proposed. Experiments are carried out in a single cylinder optical Diesel engine with bowl-in-piston geometry.

Growing awareness about CO2 emissions and their environmental implications are leading to an increase in the importance of thermal efficiency as criteria to design internal combustion engines (ICE). Heat transfer to the combustion chamber walls contributes to a decrease in the indicated efficiency. A strategy explored in this study to mitigate this efficiency loss is to promote low swirl conditions in the combustion chamber by using low swirl ratios. A decrease in swirl ratio leads to a reduction in heat transfer, but unfortunately, it can also lead to worsening of combustion development and a decrease in the gross indicated efficiency. Moreover, pumping work plays also an important role due to the effect of reduced intake restriction to generate the swirl motion. Current research evaluates the effect of a dedicated injection strategy to enhance combustion process when low swirl is used.

It is challenging to develop highly efficient and clean engines while meeting user expectations in terms of performance, comfort, and drivability. One of the critical aspects in this regard is combustion noise control. Combustion noise accounts for about 40 percent of the overall engine noise in typical turbocharged diesel engines. The experimental investigation of noise generation is difficult due to its inherent complexity and measurement limitations. Therefore, it is important to develop efficient numerical strategies in order to gain a better understanding of the combustion noise mechanisms. In this work, a novel methodology was developed, combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and genetic algorithm (GA) technique to optimize the combustion system hardware design of a high-speed direct injection (HSDI) diesel engine, with respect to various emissions and performance targets including combustion noise.

Knock is a major bottleneck to achieving higher thermal efficiency in spark ignition (SI) engines. The overall tendency to knock is highly dependent on fuel anti-knock quality as well as engine operating conditions. It is, therefore, critical to gain a better understanding of fuel-engine interactions in order to develop robust knock mitigation strategies. In the present work, a numerical model based on three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was developed to capture knock in a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine. For combustion modeling, a hybrid approach incorporating the G-equation model to track turbulent flame propagation, and a homogeneous reactor multi-zone model to predict end-gas auto-ignition ahead of the flame front and post-flame oxidation in the burned zone, was employed.

The influence of pressure and temperature on some of the important thermodynamic properties of diesel fuels has been assessed for a set of fuels. The study focuses on the experimental determination of the speed of sound, density and compressibility (via the bulk modulus) of these fuels by means of a method that is thoroughly described in this paper. The setup makes use of a common-rail injection system in order to transmit a pressure wave through a high-pressure line and measure the time it takes for the wave to travel a given distance. Measurements have been performed in a wide range of pressures (from atmospheric pressure up to 200 MPa) and temperatures (from 303 to 353 K), in order to generate a fuel properties database for modelers on the field of injection systems for diesel engines to incorporate to their simulations.

Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling of reacting sprays provides access to information not available even applying the most advanced experimental techniques. This is particularly evident if the combustion model handles detailed chemical kinetic models efficiently to describe the fuel auto-ignition and oxidation processes. Complex chemistry also provides the temporal evolution of key species closely related to emissions formation, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are well-known as soot precursors. In this framework, present investigation focuses on the analysis of the so-called Spray-A combustion characteristics using two different flamelet-based combustion models. Both Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) predictions are combined to study not only the averaged spray characteristics, but also the relevance of different realizations in this particular problem.

Actual combustion strategies in internal combustion engines rely on fast and accurate injection systems to be successful. One of the injector designs that has shown good performance over the past years is the direct-acting piezoelectric. This system allows precise control of the injector needle position and hence the injected mass flow rate. Therefore, understanding how nozzle flow characteristics change as function of needle dynamics helps to choose the best lift law in terms of delivered fuel for a determined combustion strategy. Computational fluid dynamics is a useful tool for this task. In this work, nozzle flow of a prototype direct-acting piezoelectric has been simulated by using CONVERGE. Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes approach is used to take into account the turbulence. Results are compared with experiments in terms of mass flow rate. The nozzle geometry and needle lift profiles were obtained by means of X-rays in previous works.

In this work a detailed soot model based on stationary flamelets is used to simulate soot emissions of a reactive Diesel spray. In order to represent soot formation and oxidation processes properly, a calibration of the soot reaction rates has to be performed. This model calibration is usually performed on basis of engine out soot measurements. Contrary to this, in this work the soot model is calibrated on local soot concentrations along the spray axis obtained from laser extinction chamber measurements. The measurements are performed with B7 certification Diesel and a series production multihole injector to obtain engine similar boundary conditions. In order to ensure that the flow and mixture field is captured well by the CFD-simulation, the simulated liquid penetration lengths and flame lift-off lengths are compared to chamber measurements.

In the present work a constant-pressure flow facility able to reach 15 MPa ambient pressure and 1000 K ambient temperature has been employed to carry out experimental studies of the combustion process at Diesel engine like conditions. The objective is to study the effect of orifice diameter on combustion parameters as lift-off length, ignition delay and flame penetration, assessing if the processing methodologies used for a reference nozzle are suitable in heavy duty applications. Accordingly, three orifice diameter were studied: a spray B nozzle, with a nominal diameter of 90 μm, and two heavy duty application nozzles (diameter of 194 μm and 228 μm respectively). Results showed that nozzle size has a substantial impact on the ignition event, affecting the premixed phase of the combustion and the ignition location. On the lift-off length, increasing the nozzle size affected the combustion morphology, thus the processing methodology had to be modified from the ECN standard methodology.

Ever decreasing permitted emission levels and the necessity of more efficient engines demand a better understanding of in-cylinder phenomena. In swirl-supported compression ignition (CI) engines, mean in-cylinder flow structures formed during the intake stroke deeply influence mixture preparation prior to combustion, heat transfer and pollutant oxidation all of which could potentially improve engine performance. Therefore, the ability to characterize these mean flow structures is relevant for achieving performance improvements. CI mean flow structure is mainly described by a precessing vortex. The location of the vortex center is key for the characterization of the flow structure. Consequently, this work aims at evaluating algorithms that allow for the location of the vortex center both, in ensemble-averaged velocity fields and in instantaneous velocity fields.

Engine Combustion Network promotes fundamental investigations on a number of different spray configurations with the goal of providing experimental results under highly controlled conditions for CFD validation. Most of the available experiments up to now have been obtained in spray vessels, which miss some of the interactions governing spray evolution in the combustion chamber of an engine, such as the jet wall interaction and the transient conditions in the combustion chamber. The main aim of the present research is to compare the results obtained with a three-hole, 90 μm injector, known as ECN’s Spray B, in these constant-volume vessels and more recent Heavy-Duty engines with those obtained in a Light Duty Single Cylinder Optical Engine, under inert and reactive conditions, using n-dodecane. In-cylinder conditions during the injection were estimated by means of a 1-D and 0-D model simulation, accounting for heat transfer and in-cylinder mass evolution.

Focusing on the dual-mode dual-fuel (DMDF) combustion concept, a combined optimization of the piston bowl geometry with the fuel injection strategy was conducted at low, mid, and high loads. By coupling the KIVA-3V code with the enhanced genetic algorithm (GA), a total of 14 parameters including the piston bowl geometric parameters and the injection parameters were optimized with the objective of meeting Euro VI regulations while improving the fuel efficiency. The optimal piston bowl shape coupled with the corresponding injection strategy was summarized and integrated at various loads. Furthermore, the effects of the key geometric parameters were investigated in terms of organizing the in-cylinder flow, influencing the energy distribution, and affecting the emissions. The results indicate that the behavior of the DMDF combustion mode is further enhanced in the aspects of improving the fuel economy and controlling the emissions after the bowl geometry optimization.

Fleet electrification has been demonstrated as a feasible solution to decarbonize the heavy-duty transportation sector. The combination of hybridization and advanced combustion concepts may provide further advantages by also introducing reductions on criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and soot. In this scenario, the interplay among the different energy paths must be understood and quantified to extract the full potential of the powertrain. One of the key devices in such powertrains is the battery, which involves different aspects regarding operation, safety, and degradation. Despite this complexity, most of the models still rely on resistance-capacity models to describe the battery operation. These models may lead to unpractical results since the current flow is governed by limiters rather than physical laws. Additionally, phenomena related with battery degradation, which decreases the nominal capacity and enhances the heat generation are also not considered in this approach.

Electrification and hybridization of powerplants in the transportation sector is one of the most important changes in the last few decades. Lithium-ion batteries are the main energy storage systems, but despite the maturity of this technology, it has certain constrains compared to traditional internal combustion engines in the day-to-day usage. As the operating conditions of the batteries are pushed to the limits to overcome certain disadvantages relative to other conventional systems like charge and discharge times or vehicle driving range, new concerns and safety limitations must be considered. High power rates and cooling deficiencies can produce excessive operating temperatures within the cells, leading to problems with degradation or even unchain chemical reactions that can end in thermal runaway, one of the most worrying failure modes attaining electric platforms nowadays.

The combination of more strict regulation for pollutant and CO2 emissions and the new testing cycles, covering a wider range of transient conditions, makes very interesting the development of predictive tools for engine design and pre-calibration. This paper describes a new integrated Virtual Engine Model (VEMOD) that has been developed as a standalone tool to simulate new standard testing cycles. The VEMOD is based on a wave-action model that carries out the thermo-and fluid dynamics calculation of the gas in each part of the engine. In the model, the engine is represented by means of 1D ducts, while the volumes, such as cylinders and reservoirs, are considered as 0D elements. Different sub-models are included in the VEMOD to take into account all the relevant phenomena. Thus, the combustion process is calculated by the Apparent Combustion Time (ACT) 1D model, responsible for the prediction of the rate of heat release and NOx formation.

It is known that in-cylinder airflow structures during intake and compression strokes deeply affects the combustion process in compression ignition (CI) engines. This work presents a methodology for the analysis of the swirling structures by means of the CFD proprietary code Converge 2.3. The methodology is based on the CFD modelling and the comparison of results with in-cylinder velocity fields measured by particle image velocimetry (PIV). Furthermore, the analysis is extended to the accuracy evaluation of other methods available to define the flow in the cylinder of internal combustion engines, such as experiments in steady flow rigs. These methods, in junction with simple phenomenological models, have been traditionally used to determine some of the fundamental variables that define the in-cylinder flow in ICE engines. The CFD analysis is focused in the flow structures around top dead centre (TDC) at the end of the compression stroke.

The Engine Combustion Network (ECN) is a coordinate effort from research partners from all over the world which aims at creating a large experimental database to validate CFD calculations. Two injectors from ECN, namely Spray C and D, have been compared in a constant pressure flow vessel, which enables a field of view of more than 100 mm. Both nozzles have been designed with similar flow metrics, with Spray D having a convergent hole shape and Spray C a cylindrical one, the latter being therefore more prone to cavitation. Although the focus of the study is on reacting conditions, some inert cases have also been measured. High speed schlieren imaging, OH* chemiluminescence visualization and head-on broadband luminosity have been used as combustion diagnostics to evaluate ignition delay, lift off length and reacting tip penetration. Parametric variations include ambient temperature, oxygen content and injection pressure variations.

In recent years, the automotive industry has been increasingly committed to developing new solutions for better and more efficient engines. One of them is the use of new insulating materials (thermal conductivity < 0.4 W/m-K, heat capacitance < 500 kJ/m3-K) to coat the engine combustion chamber walls, as well as the exhaust manifold. The main idea when coating the combustion chamber with these materials is to obtain a reduction of the temperature difference (thermal swing) between gas and walls during the engine cycle and minimize heat losses. Experimental measurements of the possible performance improvements are very difficult to obtain, mainly because the techniques available to measure wall temperature are limited. Therefore, simulations are typically used to investigate insulated combustion chambers. Nevertheless, the new generation of insulating coatings is posing challenges to numerical modelling, as layer thickness is very small (~100 μm).

An existing one-dimensional (1D) spray model, which successfully captures inert spray processes, has been extended to enable prediction of ignition delay and lift-off length under reacting conditions. For that purpose, an additional transport equation for the progress variable has been incorporated, which includes detailed chemistry effects by means of a tabulation method based upon an external flamelet solver. The transport equation for the progress variable is solved in a quasi-1D fashion, along presumed mixture fraction trajectories, while the 1D approach is retained for the mixture fraction and axial velocity fields. The paper includes the model development, as well as the validation against Spray A measurements from the Engine Combustion Network. In spite of the simplified approach, the model captures some of the experimental trends of the lift-off length and ignition delay with a quite low computational cost.

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling has many potentials for the design and calibration of modern and future engine concepts, including facilitating the exploration of operation conditions and casting light on the involved physical and chemical phenomena. As more attention is paid to the matching of different fuel types and combustion strategies, the use of detailed chemistry in characterizing auto-ignition, flame stabilization processes and the formation of pollutant emissions is becoming critical, yet computationally intensive. Therefore, there is much interest in using tabulated approaches to account for detailed chemistry with an affordable computational cost. In the present work, the tabulated flamelet progress variable approach (TFPV), based on flamelet assumptions, was investigated and validated by simulating constant-volume Diesel combustion with primary reference fuels - binary mixtures of n-heptane and iso-octane.