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An integrated system model containing sub-models for diesel engine, emissions, and aftertreatment devices has been developed. The objective is to study engine-device and device-device interactions. The emissions sub-models used are for NOx and PM (particulate matter) prediction. The aftertreatment sub-models used include a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Controllers have also been developed to allow for transient simulations, active DPF regeneration, and prevention/control of runaway DPF regenerations. The integrated system-level model has been used to simulate DPF regeneration via exhaust fuel injection ahead of the DOC. In addition, the controller model can use intake throttling to assist in active DPF regeneration if needed. Regeneration studies have been done for both steady engine load and with load transients. High to low engine load transients are of particular interest because they can lead to runaway DPF regeneration.

This computational study compares predictions and experimental results for the use of direct injected iso-octane fuel during the negative valve overlap (NVO) period to achieve HCCI combustion. The total fuel injection was altered in two ways. First the pre-DI percent, (the ratio of direct injected fuel during the NVO period “pre-DI” to the secondary fuel supplied at the intake manifold “PI”), was varied at a fixed pre-DI injection timing, Secondly the timing of the pre-DI injection was varied while all of the fuel was supplied during the NVO period. A multi-zone, two-dimensional CFD simulation with chemistry was performed using KIVA-3V release 2 implemented with the CHEMKIN solver. The simulations were performed during the NVO period only.

A single cylinder Yamaha research engine was operated with gasoline HCCI combustion using negative valve overlap (NVO). The injection strategy for this study involved using fuel injected directly into the cylinder during the NVO period (pre-DI) along with a secondary injection either in the intake port (PI) or directly into the cylinder (DI). The effects of timing of the pre-DI injection along with the percent of fuel injected during the pre-DI injection were studied in two sets of experiments using secondary PI and DI injections in separate experiments. Results have shown that by varying the pre-DI timing and pre-DI percent the main HCCI combustion timing can be influenced as a result of varied heat release during the negative valve overlap period along with hypothesized varied degrees of reformation of the pre-DI injected fuel. In addition to varying the main combustion timing the ISFC, emissions and combustion stability are all influenced by changes in pre-DI timing and percent.

Hydraulically intensified medium pressure common rail (MPCR) electronic fuel injection systems are an attractive concept for heavy-duty diesel engine applications. They offer excellent packaging flexibility and thorough engine management system integration. Two different concepts were evaluated in this study. They are different in how the pressure generation and injection events are related. One used a direct principle, where the high-pressure generation and injection events occur simultaneously producing a near square injection rate profile. Another concept was based on an indirect principle, where potential energy (pressure) is first stored inside a hydraulic accumulator, and then released during injection, as a subsequent event. A falling rate shape is typically produced in this case. A unit pump, where the hydraulic intensifier is separated from the injector by a high-pressure line, and a unit injector design are considered for both concepts.

A multi-objective genetic algorithm methodology was applied to a heavy-duty diesel engine at three different operating conditions of interest. Separate optimizations were performed over various fuel injection nozzle parameters, piston bowl geometries and swirl ratios (SR). Different beginning of injection (BOI) timings were considered in all optimizations. The objective of the optimizations was to find the best possible fuel economy, NOx, and soot emissions tradeoffs. The input parameter ranges were determined using design of experiment methodology. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) was used for the optimization. For the optimization of piston bowl geometry, an automated grid generator was used for efficient mesh generation with variable geometry parameters. The KIVA3V release 2 code with improved ERC sub-models was used. The characteristic time combustion (CTC) model was employed to improve computational efficiency.

The combustion and emissions of a diesel/natural gas dual-fuel engine are studied. Available engine experimental data demonstrates that the dual-fuel configuration provides a potential alternative to diesel engine operation for reducing emissions. The experiments are compared to multi-dimensional model results. The computer code used is based on the KIVA-3V code and consists of updated sub-models to simulate more accurately the fuel spray atomization, auto-ignition, combustion and emissions processes. The model results show that dual-fuel engine combustion and emissions are well predicted by the present multi-dimensional model. Significant reduction in NOx emissions is observed in both the experiments and simulations when natural gas is substituted for diesel fuel. The HC emissions are under predicted by numerical model as the natural gas substitution is increased.

The effect of injection rate shape on spray evolution and emission characteristics is investigated and a methodology for active control of fuel injection is proposed. Extensive validation of advanced vaporization and primary jet breakup models was performed with experimental data before studying the effects of systematic changes of injection rate shape. Excellent agreement with the experiments was obtained for liquid and vapor penetration lengths, over a broad range of gas densities and temperatures. Also the predicted flame lift-off lengths of reacting diesel fuel sprays were in good agreement with the experiments. After the validation of the models, well-defined rate shapes were used to study the effect of injection rate shape on liquid and vapor penetration, flame lift-off lengths and emission characteristics.

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 new primary breakup model was developed and applied to simulate the diesel fuel spray and atomization process. The continuous liquid fuel jet was simulated by a discrete Lagrangian particle method, and the primary breakup of the jet was calculated using a new 1-D Eulerian method that provides the jet breakup time and drop size distribution. A set of correlations of the breakup characteristics, including the breakup time and drop size, were developed for a range of operating conditions. The correlations were then used in the KIVA code to predict the jet primary breakup. For drop secondary breakups, the Kelvin-Helmholtz/Rayleigh-Taylor hybrid model was employed. The new primary breakup model was first validated by comparison to experimental breakup length and jet liquid tip penetration lengths. Predictions of the new breakup model were also compared with experimental data and predictions of the standard breakup model.

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.

An approach to accurately capture overall behavior in a system level model of DI Diesel HCCI engine operation is presented. The modeling methodology is an improvement over the previous effort [36], where a multi-zone model with detailed chemical kinetics was coupled with an engine cycle simulation code. This multi-zone technique was found to be inadequate in capturing the fuel spray dynamics and its impact on mixing. An improved methodology is presented in this paper that can be used to model fully and partially premixed charge compression ignition engines. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) driven model is used where the effects of fuel injection, spray evolution, evaporation, and turbulent mixing are considered. The modeling approach is based on the premise that once the initial spray dynamics are correctly captured, the overall engine predictions during the combustion process can be captured with good accuracy.

An integrated system based modeling approach has been developed to understand early Direct Injection (DI) Diesel Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) process. GT-Power, a commercial one-dimensional (1-D) engine cycle code has been coupled with an external cylinder model which incorporates sub-models for fuel injection, vaporization, detailed chemistry calculations (Chemkin), heat transfer, energy conservation and species conservation. In order to improve the modeling accuracy, a multi-zone model has been implemented to account for temperature and fuel stratifications in the cylinder charge. The predictions from the coupled simulation have been compared with experimental data from a single cylinder Caterpillar truck engine modified for Diesel HCCI operation. A parametric study is conducted to examine the effect of combustion timing on four major control parameters. Overall the results show good agreement of the trends between the experiments and model predictions.

An ultrahigh injection pressure, common rail fuel injection system was designed, fabricated, and evaluated. The result was a system suitable for high-power density diesel engine applications. The main advantages of the concept are a very short injection duration capability, high injection pressure independent of engine speed, a simplified electronic control valve, and good packaging flexibility. Two prototype injectors were developed. Tests were performed on an injector flow bench and in a single cylinder research engine. The first prototype delivered 320 mm3 within 2.5 milliseconds with a 2600 bar peak injection pressure. A conventional minisac nozzle was used. The second prototype employed a specially designed pintle nozzle producing a near-zero cone angle liquid jet impinging on a 9-mm cylindrical target centered on the piston bowl crown (OSKA-S system). The second prototype had the capability to deliver 316mm3 in 0.97ms.

The authors used auxiliary gas injection (AGI) to increase in-cylinder mixing during the latter portion of combustion in a direct injection (DI) diesel engine in order to reduce soot emissions without affecting NOx. Experiments were conducted using various gas injection directions and compositions to explore the effect of these parameters. Simulations were employed to provide additional insight. AGI direction was found to have a profound impact on soot emissions. Researchers suggested that this was due to changes in the fuel spray-gas jet interaction with injection direction. Simulations supported this theory and suggested that the number of soot clouds affected by the gas jet may also be a factor. The oxygen content of the gas jet was also found to have an influence on emissions. Researchers found that, when the oxygen content of the gas jet was increased, soot emissions decreased. However, this was found to have a detrimental affect on NO.

Fuel Injection System (FIS) research on injection pressure, timing control, and rate shaping, and studies on the modeling of injector nozzle flows and their effect on fuel spray characteristics are usually conducted separately. Only recently has the fuel injection and spraying process been studied as a complete system, i.e., including both the high-pressure fuel delivery and its effect on the nozzle flow characteristics, including nozzle cavitation. A methodology for coupling the fuel injection system and its effect on spray characteristics is presented here. The method is applied to an example case of a conventional pump-line-nozzle system. Mathematical models for characterizing the flows from the pump to the nozzle are formulated and solved using the Method of Characteristics and finite difference techniques. The nozzle internal flow is modeled using zero-dimensional flow models, in which the nozzle cavitation and its effect on the nozzle exit flow are accounted for.