A strategy to extend load operation map range in oxy-fuel compression ignition engines with oxygen separation membranes

Abstract

The possibility of applying oxy-fuel combustion to a compression ignition engine (CIE) at different operating points regarding engine speed and load is studied in this work. To do so, a strategy is proposed to extend the load operation map range of a 2.2L turbocharged and direct-injection CIE under oxy-fuel combustion conditions using mixed ionic-electronic conducting membranes (MIEC) to acquire oxygen (O2) from the air. As nitrogen is not present in the intake flow, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are eliminated, and carbon capture is allowed. The strategy consists of modifying exhaust gas temperature and oxygen-fuel ratio , generating temperature-lambda maps to decide the optimal combination in terms of engine performance. Thus, the system behavior is analyzed at three engine speeds (1250rpm, 2500rpm and 3500rpm) with different load levels and compression ratio (CR) of 20. The baseline engine model is calibrated with experimental data within part-load operation ranges, and an apparent combustion time model calibrated with computational fluid dynamics data is applied to simulate the combustion process under oxy-fuel combustion conditions. Finally, specific parameters are researched to verify whether the system produces enough energy to heat up the MIEC, generating the necessary oxygen. Indeed, a few of them have been found very useful as design parameters for finding out oxy-fuel engine operation limits and estimating MIEC design features.