Abstract
The internal combustion Rankine cycle (ICRC) concept provides a potential solution for future high thermal efficiency and low emission powertrains, and direct water injection (DWI) proved to be the key parameter for ICRC optimization. This paper was dedicated to investigating the fundamental mechanisms of water spray characteristics under different water injection control parameters. In order to do so, an experimental test system was carefully designed and built based on the Bosch and Schlieren methods: the Bosch method is utilized to measure the effect of injection and ambient pressure on water injection characteristics, and the Schlieren method is utilized to investigate the impact of water injection and ambient temperature on water spray and evaporation processes. The experimental results indicate that both control parameters show important effects on water injection and spray characteristics. The water injection and ambient pressure show significant impacts on steady-state flow quantity and cyclic water injection quantity, and the water injection and ambient pressure affect the evaporation ability of water vapor within the spray which leads to a different variation trend during the initial, developing, and developed water spray stages. The results of this work can be used as fundamental supplements for ICRC, steam assistant technology (SAT), and DWI-related ICEs experimental and numerical researches, and provide extra information to understand the DWI process within engine-relevant conditions.
Highlights
As the dominant power source in automotive industry, internal combustion engines (ICEs) show tenacious vitality when facing the challenges of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in the modern transportation sector
Traditional ICEs suffer from relatively low tank-to-wheel efficiency and exhaust emissions [2], the accelerated evolvements of ICE electrification have paved the way for the research and development of high-efficiency and low-emission hybrid dedicated ICEs [3]
The ICEs within hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) operated under relatively narrow working conditions compared to traditional ones [4]—this alteration brings huge benefits when facing the challenges of efficiency and emissions optimization in ICEs
Summary
As the dominant power source in automotive industry, internal combustion engines (ICEs) show tenacious vitality when facing the challenges of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) in the modern transportation sector. The ICEs within hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) operated under relatively narrow working conditions compared to traditional ones [4]—this alteration brings huge benefits when facing the challenges of efficiency and emissions optimization in ICEs. The ICEs within hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) operated under relatively narrow working conditions compared to traditional ones [4]—this alteration brings huge benefits when facing the challenges of efficiency and emissions optimization in ICEs On this technical basis, to further enhance the thermal efficiency of hybrid-dedicated ICEs and to eliminate the exhaust emissions thoroughly, a novel ICE concept named “internal combustion. The idea of ICRC can be dated back to 1999 when there2was strong demand from the power generation industry for high efficiency and zero emission facilities [6]
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