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Charge cooling due to fuel evaporation in a direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) engine typically allows for an increased compression ratio relative to port fuel injection (PFI) engines. It is clear that this results in a thermal efficiency improvement at part load for homogenous-charge DISI engines. However, very little is known regarding the effect of compression ratio on stratified charge operation. In this investigation, DISI combustion data have been collected on a single cylinder engine equipped with a variable compression ratio feature. The results of experiments performed in stratified-charge direct injection (SCDI) mode show that despite its over-advanced phasing, thermal conversion efficiency improves with higher compression ratios. This benefit is quantified and dissected through an efficiency analysis. Furthermore, since the engine was equipped with both wall-guided DI and PFI systems, direct comparisons are made at part load for fuel consumption and emissions.

A CFD based design optimization methodology was developed and adopted to the development of a stratified-charge direct-injection spark ignition (DISI) combustion system. Two key important issues for homogeneous charge operation, volumetric efficiency and mixing homogeneity, are addressed. The intake port is optimized for improved volumetric efficiency with a CFD based numerical optimization tool. It is found that insufficient fuel-air mixing is the root cause for the low rated power of most DISI engines. The fuel-air mixing in-homogeneity is due to the interaction between intake flow and injected fuel spray. An injector mask design was proposed to alleviate such interaction, then to improve air-fuel mixture homogeneity. It was then confirmed with dynamometer testing that the optimized design improved engine output and at the same time had lower soot and CO emissions.

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements were performed on a single cylinder optically accesible version of a 3.0L 4-valve engine using a Camshaft Profile Switching (CPS) system. The flow field was investigated at two engine speeds (750 and 1500 rpm), two manifold pressures (75 and 90 kPa) and two intake cam centerlines (maximum lift at 95° and 115° aTDCi respectively). Images were taken in the swirl plane at 10 mm and 40 mm below the deck with the piston at 300° aTDC of intake (60° bTDC compression) and BDC respectively. In the tumble plane, images were taken in a plane bisecting the intake valves with the piston at BDC and 300° aTDC. The results showed that the swirl ratio was slightly lower for this system compared with a SCV system (swirl control valve in the intake port) under the same operating conditions. The swirl and tumble ratios generated were not constant over the range of engine speeds and manifold pressures (MAP) but instead increased with engine speed and MAP.

Variable Cam Timing (VCT) has been proven to be a very effective method in PFI (Port Fuel Injection) engines for improved fuel economy and combustion stability, and reduced emissions. In DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engines, VCT is applied in both stratified-charge and homogeneous charge operating modes. In stratified-charge mode, VCT is used to reduce NOx emission and improve combustion stability. In homogeneous charge mode, the function of VCT is similar to that in PFI engines. In DISI engine, however, the VCT also affects the available fuel-air mixing time. This paper focuses on VCT effects on the induction process and the fuel-air mixing homogeneity in a DISI engine. The detailed induction process with large exhaust-intake valve overlap has been investigated with CFD modeling. Seven characteristic sub-processes during the induction have been identified. The associated mechanism for each sub-process is also investigated.

This paper proposes a film dynamics model for liquid film resulting from fuel spray impinging on a wall surface. It is based on a thin film assumption and uses numerical particles to represent the film to be compatible with the particle spray models developed previously. The Lagrangian method is adopted to govern the transport of the film particles. A new, statistical treatment was introduced of the momentum exchange between the impinging spray and the wall film to account for the directional distribution of the impinging momentum. This model together with the previously published models for outgoing droplets constitutes a complete description of the spray wall impingement dynamics. For model validation, films resulting from impinging sprays on a flat surface with different impingement angles were calculated and the results were compared with the corresponding experimental measurements.