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Monodisperse and polydisperse Sodium Chloride (NaCl) particles were used to calibrate the solid particle penetration for the Volatile Particle Remover (VPR) in a Horiba prototype Solid Particle Counting System (SPCS). Prior to the calibration, dilution ratios on the SPCS are verified carefully with a flame ionization analyzer (FIA). Size distributions for polydisperse aerosols upstream and downstream of the Volatile Particle Remover (VPR) were measured with a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS). It is found that overall penetrations for polydisperse aerosols are larger than 95%. Geometric standard deviations from the raw and the diluted by the VPR are within ±1.5% difference. Thus, shapes of size distributions aren't changed after dilution. Geometric mean diameters shift a little, on average ±5% after dilution. Therefore, the VPR doesn't change the aerosol characteristics after the aerosol is diluted and heated up to 320 °C.

Control of turbulence during the compression stroke is suggested by both theoretical calculations and experimental results obtained with an LDV measurement in a motored engine. The authors have found experimentally that when an axial distribution of swirl intensity exists, a large-scale annular vortex is formed inside the cylinder during the compression stroke and this vortex generates and transports turbulence energy. A numerical calculation is adopted to elucidate this phenomenon. Then, an axial stratification of swirl intensity is found to generate a large-scale annular vortex during the compression stroke by an interaction between the piston motion and the axial pressure gradient. The initial swirl profile is parametrically varied to assess its effect on the turbulence parameters. Among calculated results, turbulence energy is enhanced strongest when the swirl intensity is highest at the piston top surface and lowest at the bottom surface of the cylinder head.

According to previous papers on the combustion process in LHR diesel engines the combustion seems to deteriorate in LHR diesel engines. However it has been unclear whether this was caused by the high temperature gas or high temperature combustion chamber walls. This study was intended to investigate the effect of gas temperature on the rate of heat release through the heat release analysis and other measurements using a rapid compression-expansion machine. Experiments conducted at high gas temperatures which was achieved by the employment of oxygen-argon-helium mixture made it clear that the combustion at a high gas temperature condition deteriorated actually and this was probably due to the poorer mixing rate because of the increase in gas viscosity at a high gas temperature condition.

The applicability of several popular diesel particulate matter (PM) measurement techniques to low temperature combustion is examined. The instruments' performance in measuring low levels of PM from advanced diesel combustion is evaluated. Preliminary emissions optimization of a high-speed light-duty diesel engine was performed for two conventional and two advanced low temperature combustion engine cases. A low PM (<0.2 g/kg_fuel) and NOx (<0.07 g/kg_fuel) advanced low temperature combustion (LTC) condition with high levels of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and early injection timing was chosen as a baseline. The three other cases were selected by varying engine load, injection timing, injection pressure, and EGR mass fraction. All engine conditions were run with ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. An extensive characterization of PM from these engine operating conditions is presented.

The largest portion of hydrocarbon and/or carbon monoxide emissions is released during engine cold-transient operation. To achieve closed loop control as quickly as possible, a fast light off (FLO) oxygen sensor is required. The heater, element and structure of the thimble-type oxygen sensor that has been used in the market for some time has been improved to achieve closed loop control within 15 seconds. The heater is improved by concentrating the heating area and by lowering its resistance. The heater life is similar to that of the current type by using new materials and adopting new heater temperature control strategies. In addition to the efficiency of heat transfer, the low temperature characteristics of the element have also been improved. The fast light off thimble-type oxygen sensors can now be put to practical use to achieve emission reductions.

To investigate the ignition process in a diesel spray, the ignition in a transient fuel spray is analyzed numerically by a simple quasi-steady spray model coupled with the Shell kinetics model at various operating conditions and validity of this model is assessed by a comparison with existing experimental data. The calculated results indicate that the competition between the heat absorption of fuel and the hot air entrainment determines the equivalence ratio of mixtures favorable for the ignition to occur in the shortest time.

An on-board diesel particulate measurement (OBS-TRPM) instrument is developed to measure on-road exhaust PM emission at Horiba. It is used to characterize particulate matter (PM) emission from a gasoline vehicle, the 1999 Ford Windstar with California Ultra Low Emission (ULEV) certification. PM emissions from three test cycles, EPA FTP 72, SFTP-US06, and new European drive cycle (NEDC), are evaluated. It is found that the PM emission from the SFTP-US06 with the cold start is roughly two times higher than PM emissions from the cold FTP 72 and the cold NEDC. This may be due to aggressive drive patterns for the US06 while the vehicle is still cold. The aggressive drive pattern for the US06 makes the gasoline vehicle emit a much higher fraction of elemental carbon (EC), and lower fraction of organic carbon (OC). Fractions of the EC from the vehicle are 9.1% for the FTP 72, 6.3% for the NEDC, and 56.6% for the US06.

The on-board transient response diesel particulate measurement (OBS-TRPM) instrument measures on-road vehicle particulate emissions. It is a continuation of the Horiba on-board PM sampler (OBS-PM) [5]. The OBS-TRPM measures total diesel particulate emission by collecting diesel particulate matter (PM) on a pre-weighed 47 mm filter while the partial flow sample system (OBS-PM) runs under a proportional control strategy. A real-time diffusion charge sensor (DCS) takes sample upstream of the filter, and measures diesel PM in term of particle length (mm/cm3). By integrating the DCS real-time signal during the filter sampling, the cumulative fraction of diesel PM emission is obtained. Finally, diesel PM mass emission during a specific region, for example a Not-to-Exceed (NTE) zone, is calculated from the fraction of the real-time PM signal. Thus, the OBS-TRPM provides a solution to measure PM emission in NTE zones which are defined by the US EPA.

The accuracy of the injection rate meter based on W. Zeuch's method in the measurement of multiple injection rate and amount was calibrated using a small cam driven piston that is driven by an electric motor. For the pre- or early-injection, a sensor with a high sensitivity can be applied to measure the small pressure increase due to the small injection amount. In case of the multiple injection that has the post and/or late injection, a pressure sensor with a low sensitivity must cover not only the large pressure increase due to the main injection but also the small pressure increase due to the post and/or late injection because the output of the high sensitivity sensor is saturated after the main injection. So the linearity of the low sensitivity pressure sensor was calibrated with the cam driven piston prior to the experiment with the actual injection system.

The relation between the characteristics of a non-evaporating spray and those of a corresponding frame achieved in a rapid compression machine was investigated experimentally. The fuel injection pressure was changed in a range of 55 to 260 MPa and the other injection parameters such as orifice diameter and injection duration were changed systematically. The characteristics of the non-evaporating spray such as the Sauter mean diameter and the mean excess air ratio of the spray were measured by an image analysis technique. The time required for a pressure rise due to combustion was taken as an index to characterize the flame. It was concluded that the mean excess air ratio of a spray is the major factor which controls the burning rate and that the high injection pressure is effective in shortening the combustion duration and reducing soot formation.

The two-dimensional distribution of a soot cloud in an unsteady spray flame in a rapid compression machine(RCM) was visualized using the laser sheet scattering technique. A 40 mm x 50 mm cross section on the flame axis was illuminated by a thin laser sheet from a single pulsed Nd:YAG laser(wavelength 532 nm). Scattered light from soot particles was taken by a CCD camera via a high speed gated image intensifier. The temporal variation of the scattered light images were presented with the injection pressure as a parameter. The results showed that scattered light was intense near the periphery of the flame tip and that the scattered light becomes weaker significantly and disappears fast after the end of injection as injection pressure is increased. This technique was also applied to the visualization of the two-dimensional distribution of liquid droplets in the non-evaporating spray to correlate it with the soot concentration distribution.

An experimental evaluation of the reliability of the Zeuch's method was carried out. The following were derived: 1) cavitation limits the minimum back pressure available; 2) the injection rate measured by the Zeuch's method agrees with that by the W.Bosch's method; 3) the effect of dynamic pressure of the injected fuel jet has a negligible effect on the pressure sensor which is attached to the chamber wall; and 4) the high-frequency noise after the end of injection observed in the Zeuch's measurement can be effectively removed by either a low-pass filter or an inverse Fourier transform processing.

The structure of dense sprays was investigated using 2-D imaging techniques. To investigate the mechanism of atomization, the liquid phase in a non-evaporating spray was visualized by a thin laser sheet formed by a single pulse from a Nd:YAG laser at the distance from 4 to 19 mm from the nozzle orifice with the injection pressure and the surrounding gas density as parameters. A new technique for the visualization of vapor phase in an evaporating spray, the SSI (Silicone particle Scattering Imaging) method, was proposed to investigate the structure of the vapor phase regions of the spray.

The formation and oxidation processes of soot particles in unsteady spray flames were investigated in a quiescent atmosphere using 2-D laser sheet visualization. The mid-plane of a flame was illuminated twice during a short time-interval by a laser sheet from a double-pulsed YAG laser. An image pair of the scattered light from soot particles was taken by two intensified gated cameras in succession. The velocity vectors of soot clouds at various location in the sooting region were estimated using the spatial correlation between the image pair. The results of temporal and spatial variation of velocity and scattering intensity in the evolving soot clusters made it clear that soot is mainly formed in the periphery of the flame tip where the air entrainment is less and flame temperature favors soot formation.

A thermodynamic two-zone model which assumes a stoichiornetric burned gas region and unburned air region is presented in an attempt to calculate more precise rate of heat release of diesel combustion. A comparison is made of the rate of heat release obtained by the two-zone model with that obtained by the conventional single-zone model. It shows around 10 % increase in the rate of heat release with the two-zone model. The effect of state equation of gas is also examined with the single-zone model and the use of a real gas law in stead of the perfect gas law is found to yield minor difference in the rate of heat release at a high boost operating condition.

A prediction model of the cycle-to-cycle variation of the in-cylinder flow in IC engines which employs the time averaged k-ε turbulence model is proposed. The concept is based on an assumption that the power spectrum of the cycle-to-cycle variation can be deduced from the power spectra of both the mean velocity and turbulence intensity. To validate this model, in-cylinder velocity measurement in a transparent cylinder engine with a 2-valve cylinder-head is made using an LDV system. Comparisons of in-cylinder flow fields between the calculation and measurement show a good agreement in the cycle-to-cycle variation as well as the turbulence intensity. Finally, this model is applied to three kinds of flow fields to examine how the cycle-to-cycle variation may be effected. As a result, it is found that the swirl flow is effective to reduce the cycle-to-cycle variation, while the tumbling flow enhances the turbulence generation around the compression TDC.

To understand further the mixing process between the injected fuel and air in the combustion chamber of a diesel engine, the turbulent mixing process in a one-phase, two-dimensional transient jet was theoretically studied using the discrete vortex simulation. First, the simulation model was evaluated by comparisons between calculated and experimental data on two-dimensional turbulent jets. Second, the trajectories of the injected fluid elements marked with different colors were graphically demonstrated. Also the process of entrainment of the surrounding fluid into the jet was visually presented using colored tracers.

To measure the fuel vapor concentration in an unsteady evaporating spray injected into nitrogen atmosphere, the exciplex-forming method, which produces spectrally separated fluorescence from the liquid and vapor phase, was applied in this study. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the qualitative and quantitative applicability of the technique in a high temperature and high pressure atmosphere during the fuel injection period. One is to examine the thermal decomposition of TMPD dopant at a high temperature and a high pressure nitrogen atmosphere during a short period of time. The other is to calibrate the relationship between fluorescence intensity and vapor concentration of TMPD at different vapor temperatures. And then, the qualitative measurement of fuel vapor concentration distributions in diesel sprays was made by applying the technique.

The cross-sectional distribution of fuel vapor concentration in an evaporating spray was measured quantitatively by a new scattering imaging technique, silicone particle scattering imaging method, which was proposed in a previous paper[1]. When fuel containing silicone oil injected into a nitrogen environment at high temperature, the volatile base fuel in the droplets vaporized rapidly, leaving behind small droplets of silicone oil suspended in the vapor-gas mixture. The silicone oil droplets were illuminated by a thin laser sheet, and the scattered light was imaged by a CCD camera. The cross-sectional distribution of vapor concentration was estimated from the scattering image of the silicone oil droplets by Mie scattering theory. The results demonstrated clearly the inhomogeneity of the fuel vapor concentration. The distribution of vapor concentration was discontinuous, and islands of rich mixture with a scale of several millimeters existed in the center region of the spray.

Local heat flux from the flame to the combustion chamber wall, q̇, was measured the wall surfaces of a rapid compression-expansion machine which can simulate diesel combustion. Temperature of the flame zone, T1, was calculated by a thermodynamic two-zone model using measured values of cylinder pressure and flame volume. A local heat transfer coefficient was proposed which is defined as q̇/(T1-Tw). Experiments showed that the local heat transfer coefficient depends slightly on the temperature difference, T1-Tw, but depends significantly on the velocity of the flame which contacts the wall surface.