A quasi-dimensional model for SI engines fueled with gasoline–alcohol blends: Knock modeling

Abstract

As knock is one of the main factors limiting the efficiency of spark-ignition engines, the introduction of alcohol blends could help to mitigate knock concerns due to the elevated knock resistance of these blends. A model that can accurately predict their autoignition behavior would be of great value to engine designers. The current work aims to develop such a model for alcohol–gasoline blends. First, a mixing rule for the autoignition delay time of alcohol–gasoline blends is proposed. Subsequently, this mixing rule is used together with an autoignition delay time correlation of gasoline and an autoignition delay time correlation of methanol in a knock integral model that is implemented in a two-zone engine code. The predictive performance of the resulting model is validated through comparison against experimental measurements on a CFR engine for a range of gasoline–methanol blends.The knock limited spark advance, the knock intensity, the knock onset crank angle and the value of the knock integral at the experimental knock onset have been simulated and compared to the experimental values derived from in-cylinder pressure measurements.