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The next steps of the current European and US legislation, EURO 6c and LEV III, and the incoming new test cycles will impose more severe restrictions on pollutant emissions for Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. In particular, soot emission limits will represent a challenge for the development of this kind of engine concept, if injection and after-treatment systems costs are to be minimized at the same time. The paper illustrates the results obtained by means of a numerical and experimental approach, in terms of soot emissions and combustion stability assessment and control, especially during catalyst-heating conditions, where the main soot quantity in the test cycle is produced. A number of injector configurations has been designed by means of a CAD geometrical analysis, considering the main effects of the spray target on wall impingement.

In this work a numerical analysis of multiple-injection strategy in homogeneous operation in DISI engines is presented. Moving toward Euro 6 emission standards, one of the main challenges for GDI engines is the reduction of particulate emission in terms of mass and particle number. In fact, in stratified operation, the droplets injected during compression stroke may cause a significant amount of soot production, due to locally non-premixed combustion. Besides, in medium and high load, the liner and piston spray impingement is another possible reason of production of soot emission. In order to meet the required performance and emission targets, focusing on the reduction of particulate emission, a multiple injection strategy can be considered as an option to control both the mixture stratification and the wall impingement. In particular, in this work a multiple injection strategy during intake stroke in homogeneous condition is analyzed.

Direct-injection represents a consolidated technology to increase performance and efficiency in spark-ignition engines. It reduces the knock tendency and makes engine downsizing possible through the use of turbocharging. Better control of CO and HC emissions at cold-start is also ensured since there is no wall-impingement in the intake port. However, to take advantages of all the theoretical benefits derived from GDI technology, detailed investigations of both fuel-air mixing and combustion processes are necessary to extend the stratified charge operations in the engine map and to reduce soot emissions, that are now severely regulated by emission standards. In this work, the authors developed a CFD methodology to investigate and optimize the fuel-air mixing process in direct-injection, spark-ignition engines. The Eulerian-Lagrangian approach is used to model the evolution of the fuel spray emerging from a multi-hole injector.

The small two-stroke engine represents a strategic typology of propulsion system for applications in which lightweight and high power density are required. However, the conventional two-stroke engine will not be compliant with forthcoming legislations about pollutant emissions and new solutions, such as electrification, are seriously taken into account by industry to overcome the two-stroke engine drawbacks. In this scenario, a promising way to allow the two-stroke engine to be competitive is represented by the use of direct injection systems, in order to overcome the long-standing issue of short circuiting fuel. The authors in previous studies developed a low-pressure direct injection (LPDI) system for a 300 cm3 two-stroke engine that was ensuring the same power output of the engine in carbureted configuration and raw pollutant emissions consistent with a four-stroke engine of similar performance.

Direct Injection technology for Spark Ignition engines is currently undergoing a significant development process in order to achieve its complete potential in terms of fuel conversion efficiency, while preserving the ability to achieve future, stringent emission limits. In this process, improving the fuel spray analysis capabilities is of primary importance. Among the available experimental techniques, the momentum flux measurement is one of the most interesting approaches as it allows a direct measurement of the spray-air mixing potential and hence it is currently considered an interesting complement to spray imaging and Phase Doppler Anemometry. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the fuel spray evolution when it undergoes flash boiling, a peculiar flow condition occurring when the ambient pressure in which the spray evolves is below the saturation pressure of the injected fluid.

In the next future, improvements of direct injection systems for spark-ignited engines are necessary for the potential reductions in fuel consumptions and exhaust emissions. The admission and spread of the fuel in the combustion chamber is strictly related to the injector design and performances, such as to the fuel and environmental pressure and temperature conditions. In this paper the spray characterization of a GDI injector under normal and flash-boiling injection conditions has been investigated. The paper is mainly focused both on the capability of the injection apparatus/temperatures controller system to realize flash-boiling conditions, and the diagnostic setup to catch the peculiarities of the spray behavior. The work aims reporting the spray characterization under normal and flash-boiling conditions.