Combustion Model for a Homogeneous Turbocharged Gasoline Direct-Injection Engine

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Homogeneous charge is a preferred operation mode of gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines. However, a limited amount of work exists in the literature for combustion models of this mode of engine operation. Current work describes a model developed to study combustion in a homogeneous charge GDI engine. The model was validated using experimental data from a 1.6 L Ford EcoBoost® engine, tested at the U.S. EPA. The combustion heat release was approximated using a double-Wiebe function, to account for the rapid initial premixed combustion followed by a gradual diffusion-like state of combustion, as observed in this GDI engine. Variables of Wiebe correlations were adjusted into a semipredictive combustion model. The effectiveness of semipredictive combustion model was tested in prediction of in-cylinder pressures. The root-mean-square (RMS) errors between experiments and numerical results were within 2.5% of in-cylinder peak pressures during combustion. The semipredictive combustion model was further studied to develop a predictive combustion model. The performance of predictive combustion model was examined by regenerating the experimental cumulative heat release. The heat release analysis developed for the GDI engine was further applied to a dual mode, turbulent jet ignition (DM-TJI) engine. DM-TJI is a distributed combustion technology with the potential to provide diesel-like efficiencies and minimal engine-out emissions for spark-ignition engines. The DM-TJI engine was observed to offer a faster burn rate and lower in-cylinder heat transfer compared to the GDI engine.