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The influence of spark plug orientation on early flame kernel development is investigated in an optically accessible gasoline direct injection homogeneous charged spark ignition engine. This investigation provides visual understanding and statistical characterization of how spark plug orientation impacts the early flame kernel and thus combustion phasing and engine performance. The projected images of flame kernel were captured through natural flame chemiluminescence with a high-speed camera at 10,000 frames per second, and the ignition secondary discharge voltage and current were measured with a 10 MHz DAQ system. The combustion metrics were determined using measurement from a piezo-electric in-cylinder pressure transducer and real-time engine combustion analyzer. Three spark plug orientations with two different electrode designs were studied. The captured images of the flame were processed to yield 2D and 1D probability distributions.

This present paper described an experimental study on the combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel engine at idle at different altitudes. Five altitudes ranging from 550m to up to 4500m were investigated. Combustion parameters including in-cylinder pressure and temperature, heat release, fuel mass burning and so forth, together with emission factors including CO, HC, NOx and PM were tested and analyzed. The result of on-board measurement manifested that in-cylinder pressure descended consistently with the rising of altitude, while both the maximum in-cylinder temperature and exhaust temperature ascended with the altitude. It was found that ignition delay was lengthened at higher altitude, but the combustion duration became shorter. The crank angle towards 90% fuel burnt has hardly changed with the variation of altitude. As for heat release, the difference of slopes observed at different altitudes was quite slight.

Along with the booming expansion of private car preservation, many Chinese cities are now struggling with hazy weather and ground-level ozone contamination. Although central government has stepped up efforts to purify skies above China, counter-strategies to curb ground-level ozone is comparatively weak. By using maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) method, this paper estimated the ozone forming potential for twenty-five Euro-3 to Euro-5 passenger cars burning conventional gasoline, methanol-gasoline, ethanol-gasoline, neat methanol and compressed natural gas (CNG). The results showed that, for all the fuel tested, VOC/NOx ratios and SR values decreased with the upgrading of emission standard. Except for Euro-3 M100 and Euro-4 M85, SR values for alternative fuel were to different degrees smaller than those for gasoline. When the emission standard was shifted from Euro-4 to Euro-5, OFP values estimated for gasoline vehicle decreased.

The effect of flow direction towards the spark plug electrodes on ignition parameters is analyzed using an innovative spark aerodynamics fixture that enables adjustment of the spark plug gap orientation and plug axis tilt angle with respect to the incoming flow. The ignition was supplied by a long discharge high energy 110 mJ coil. The flow was supplied by compressed air and the spark was discharged into the flow at varying positions relative to the flow. The secondary ignition voltage and current were measured using a high speed (10MHz) data acquisition system, and the ignition-related metrics were calculated accordingly. Six different electrode designs were tested. These designs feature different positions of the electrode gap with respect to the flow and different shapes of the ground electrodes. The resulting ignition metrics were compared with respect to the spark plug ground strap orientation and plug axis tilt angle about the flow direction.

The drive characteristics and gaseous emissions of legislated Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test data from 8 different spark ignition vehicles were compared to data from corresponding Worldwide harmonized Light vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC) tests. The effect of the official RDE exclusion of cold start and idling on the RDE test, and the effect of the use of the moving averaging window (MAW) analysis technique, were simultaneously investigated. Specific attention was paid to differences in drive characteristics of the three different driving modes and the effect this had on the distance-based CO2, CO and NOx emission factors for each. The average velocity of the RDE tests was marginally greater than the WLTC tests, while the average acceleration was smaller. The CO2 emission appeared on average 4% lower under the RDE tests compared to the WLTC tests, while the CO was 60% lower. The NOx values were 34% lower under the RDE testing, and appeared to be linked to the average acceleration.

Light-duty China-6, which is among the most stringent vehicle exhaust emission standards globally, mandates the monitoring and reporting of real driving emissions (RDE) from July, 2023. In the process of regulation promulgation and verification, more than 300 RDE tests have been performed on over 50 China-5 and China-6 certified models. This technical paper endeavors to summarize the experience of RDE practice in China, and discuss the impacts of some boundary conditions (including vehicle dynamic parameters, data processing methods, hybrid propulsion and testing altitude) on the result of RDE measurement. In general, gasoline passenger cars confront few challenges to meet the upcoming RDE NOx requirement, but some China-5 certified samples, even powered by naturally-aspirated engines may have PN issues. PN emissions from some GDI-hybrid powertrain systems also need further reduction to meet China-6 RDE requirements.

Human steering intervention is an important factor for the safety and control performance of autonomous vehicles. Accurate identification of human steering torque will enable human drivers to take over the controls from the autonomous driving system whenever they require or intend to. However, in the take-over process, both the human driver and actuator motor will apply active torques simultaneously on the steering wheel, thus the human torque cannot be detected by using a torque sensor due to the coupled torques. Therefore, effective estimation though the system dynamics can be an alternative measure to achieve the detection and a comparatively accurate quantification of the human steering intervention torque. In this paper, an online estimation strategy of human steering intervention torque for the steering actuation system of an autonomous vehicle is presented. The dynamic model of the steering actuation system is firstly established.

This work concerns the oxidation of biodiesel surrogates in a CI engine. An experimental study has been carried out in a single-cylinder common-rail CI engine with soybean biodiesel and two biodiesel surrogates containing neat methyl decanoate and methyl decanoate/n-heptane blends. Tests have been conducted with various intake oxygen concentrations ranging from 21% to approximately 9% at intake temperatures of 25°C and 50°C. The results showed that the ignition delay and smoke emissions of neat methyl decanoate were closer to that of soybean biodiesel as compared with methyl decanoate/n-heptane blends. A reduced chemical kinetic mechanism for the oxidation of methyl decanoate has been developed and applied to model internal combustion engines. A KIVA code, coupled with the Chemkin chemistry solver, was used as the computational platforms. The effects of various intake oxygen concentrations on the in-cylinder emissions of OH and soot were discussed.

Tumble motion plays a significant role in modern spark-ignition engines in that it promotes mixing of air/fuel for homogeneous combustion and increases the flame propagation speed for higher thermal efficiency and lower combustion variability. Cycle-by-cycle variations in the flow near the spark plug introduce variability to the initial flame kernel development, stretching, and convection, and this variability is carried over to the entire combustion process. The design of current direct-injection spark-ignition engines aims to have a tumble flow in the vicinity of the spark plug at the time of ignition. This work investigates how the flow condition changes in the vicinity of the spark plug throughout the late compression stroke via high-speed imaging of a long ignition discharge arc channel and its stretching, and via flow field measurement by particle imaging velocimetry.

As the world searches for ways to reduce humanity’s impact on the environment, the automotive industry looks to extend the viable use of the gasoline engine by improving efficiency. One way to improve engine efficiency is through more effective control. Torque-based control is critical in modern cars and trucks for traction control, stability control, advanced driver assistance systems, and autonomous vehicle systems. Closed loop torque-based engine control systems require feedback signal(s); indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) is a useful signal but is costly to measure directly with in-cylinder pressure sensors. Previous work has been done in torque and IMEP estimation using crankshaft acceleration and ion sensors, but these systems lack accuracy in some operating ranges and the ability to estimate cycle-cycle variation.

As a probable solution to both energy and environmental crisis, methanol and methanol gasoline have been used as gasoline surrogates in several provinces of China. Most recently, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China is drafting a special emission standard for methanol-fueled light-duty vehicles. Given the scarcity of available data, this paper evaluated regulated emissions, carbonyl compounds and particulate matter from a China-5 certificated gasoline/methanol dual-fuel vehicle over New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). The results elucidated that in context with gasoline mode, CO emitted in methanol mode decreased 11.2%, while no evident changes of THC and NOx emissions were noticed with different fueling regimes. The total carbonyls and formaldehyde have increased by 39.5% and 19.8% respectively after switching from gasoline to methanol. A remarkable decrease of 65.6% in particulate matter was observed in methanol mode.

The partially premixed combustion (PPC) was realized in a 6-cylinder heavy turbocharged diesel engine with single injection and EGR strategies. Combined with chemical reaction mechanism, the combustion and emission processes of this mode was analyzed using level-set turbulent flame propagation model. Based on the experiments and simulations, the impacts of PPC on the heat release, NOx and PM emissions were further investigated. The results show that both the early-injection and late-injection strategies have a two-stage heat release and significantly higher premixed combustion proportion than the conventional combustion mode, however, mixing controlled combustion was also observed in the late-injection mode. The NOx and PM emission was reduced simultaneously in PPC. However, in the late-injection strategy, this was achieved at the expense of increased HC emission. The dynamic process of the core components in PPC was much different from those in conventional diesel spray combustion.

With a focus on a heavy diesel engine, complete set of multi-field coupling methodology aimed at analyzing and optimizing for fatigue-strength of cylinder head is proposed. A detailed model of the engine consisting of both the coolant galleries and the surrounding metal components is employed in both fluid-dynamic and structural analyses to accurately mimic the influence of the thermo-mechanical load on the cylinder head and block structural reliability. This model carries out several simulating experiments like 3-dimensional CFD of in-cylinder combustion and engine cooling jacket, simulation of cylinder head temperature field which use fluid-structure interaction, stress and strain analysis under thermal-mechanical coupling conditions and high cycle fatigue analysis. In order to assess a proper CFD setup useful for the optimization, the experimentally measured temperature distribution within the engine head is compared to the CFD forecasts.

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is widely used as an alternative option in spark ignition engines because of its better fuel economy and in part cleaner emissions. To cope with the haze weather in Beijing, about 2000 gasoline/CNG dual-fuel taxis are servicing on-road. According to the government's plan, the volume of alternative fuel and pure electric vehicle will be further increased in the future. Thus, it is necessary to conduct an evaluation on the effectiveness of alternative fuel on curbing vehicular emissions. This research examined the regulated emissions and particulate matter of gasoline/CNG dual-fuel taxi over New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Emission tests in gasoline- and CNG-fuelled, cold- and warm-start modes were done for all five taxies. Test vehicles, Hyundai Elantra, are powered by 1.6L spark-ignited engines incorporated with 5-gear manual gearboxes.

This paper presents the PN (Particle Number) and some gaseous emissions results from a group of SI (Spark Ignition) passenger cars including HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PFI (Port Fuel Injection) and GDI (Gasoline Direction Injection) vehicles. The PEMS (Portable Emission Measurement System) was used for on-board emission measurements. The vehicles were driven using the routes complying with the EU Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test procedures required in the European Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/427, i.e. starting in an urban driving mode and then continuing into a rural driving mode and ending with motorway driving mode part. The percentage of these three segments is approximately 33%, 33%, 33% respectively. The total test time was between 90 to 120 minutes. The vehicles’ driving parameters such as road speed, tailpipe exhaust temperatures and energy consumption were recorded and their correlations with emissions were investigated.

This paper presents the emissions results and operational behavior of two hybrid vehicles over EU legislative Real Driving Emissions (RDE) and other on-road testing cycles. The behavior of one hybrid vehicle during real world driving is investigated, including analyses of air-fuel ratio and catalyst temperature changes, in order to elucidate the reasons for the emissions results seen in the other hybrid vehicle over an RDE cycle. It was observed that the catalyst cooled down over time when the hybrid vehicle SI (Spark Ignition) engine was turned off, meaning that when the engine restarted the catalyst efficiency was decreased until it was able to light-off once again. This leads to increases in the tailpipe emissions of CO, NOx and hydrocarbons after the engine restarts. In addition to this problem, the engine restarts demanded fuel enrichment, which resulted in incomplete combustion and further increases in CO and PN emissions.

TWC exposure to extreme temperature could result in irreversible damage or thermal failure. Thus, a strategy embedded in the engine control unit (ECU) called catalyst overheating protection (COP) will be activated to prevent TWC overheating. When COP is activated, the command air-fuel ratio will be enriched to cool the catalyst monolith down. Fuel enrichment has been proven a main prerequisite for ammonia formation in hot TWCs as a by-product of NOx reduction. Hence, COP events could theoretically be a source of post-catalyst ammonia from petrol vehicles, but this theory is yet to be confirmed in published literature. This paper validated this hypothesis using a self-programmed chassis-level test. The speed of the test vehicle was set to constant while the TWC temperature was raised stepwise until a COP event was activated.

The oil circulation rate (OCR) is a deciding factor for the performance of automotive air conditioning systems at both the system and component levels. OCR is defined as the percentage by mass of oil present in a representative sample of oil-refrigerant mixture drawn from the system at steady state. In recent years, many industries are opting for low-OCR compressors, and so the OCR values are getting smaller, making it even more important to be able to accurately measure the OCR in the system. All the different OCR measurement techniques rely on the ASHRAE Standard 41.4 for proper calibration. This standard describes OCR measurement using a sampling technique which involves connecting an evacuated sampling cylinder at the liquid line of the system at steady state to draw a sample containing the liquid mixture of refrigerant and oil. However, several factors such as orientation of sampling cylinder and valve opening speed can affect the OCR results.

The compressor oil is retained at different locations of the vapor compression system during operation. After shutdown, retained oil absorbs the vapor refrigerant and mixes with the liquid refrigerant gradually. Oil retention can largely affect the heat transfer and cause insufficient oil return. In this paper, the liquid mixture behaviors at the compressor suction and discharge are observed by flow visualization. Liquid mixture property variations are estimated by existing models according to the temperature and pressure variations. At the suction, the vapor refrigerant solubility with oil rapidly increases due to the pressure increase. The viscosity and surface tension decrease quickly with temperature and refrigerant mass fraction increase in the liquid layer. Flow visualization shows that the mixture film breaks from the top of the tube wall and flows down. The oil-refrigerant mixture accumulates at the bottom of the tube within seconds. The liquid level increases then decreases.

Oil migration has a great impact on vapor compression systems, especially for automobile air conditioning systems which require frequent on-off cycling without sufficient oil management inside the compressor. Excessive amounts of oil retained in the system and lack of oil returned to the compressor can cause low system efficiency and potential compressor failure. This paper explores and quantifies the transient effects in oil migration and property changes at the compressor suction and the discharge. Oil flow behavior and oil migration are quantified and analyzed by the high-speed camera recording and optical method at the compressor discharge and the liquid line under different compressor startup speeds and on-off frequencies. The flow under cold and warm startup conditions is studied and compared. The oil-refrigerant mixture flow at the suction and discharge during cold startup transitions from two-phase flow to vapor refrigerant flow and oil annular mist flow.