Math-based spark ignition engine modelling including emission prediction for control applications

Abstract

A complete spark ignition (SI) engine model is a multi-domain model including fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, combustion, electrical, and mechanical sub-models. The complexity of these models depends on the type of analysis used for model development, which may vary from highly detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis (multi-dimensional model) to simpler data-based analysis in which the data is obtained from experiments (zero-dimensional model). The main objective of our research is to develop a math-based SI engine model for control application and real time simulation. The model must be accurate enough to capture the combustion characteristics (e.g., combustion temperature) and predict emission gases, while being fast enough for real time simulation purposes. In this paper, a physics-based model of an SI engine is presented which consists of different sub-models including: throttle body and manifold model, four-stroke quasi-dimensional thermodynamic model of gas exchange and power cycles, two-zone combustion and flame propagation model, emission gases model based on the chemical kinetics equations, and mechanical torque model. Moreover, part of the simulation results is validated against the GT-Power simulation results. The math-based model is created in the MapleSim environment. The symbolic nature of MapleSim significantly shortens the simulation time and also enables parametric sensitivity analysis.