Combustion Concept Research Articles

Development of diesel combustion with low cooling loss and high dispersion spray using two-dimensional optical measurements

In this study, a novel, high-efficiency, and clean combustion concept utilizing low cooling loss and high dispersion spray is proposed. The research aims to validate the objectives of this concept through spatiotemporal analysis of phenomena when key variables such as combustion chamber shape, spray parameters, and swirl are modified. This new combustion approach focuses on achieving low heat loss by using smaller nozzle diameters, multi-hole nozzles, and reduced swirl compared to conventional combustion. The combustion chamber is designed with an increased cavity diameter and an expanded taper diameter to enhance upward spray dispersion, thereby reducing fuel spray penetration into the cavity and decreasing cooling loss. This configuration reduces the fuel spray penetration in cavity, achieving a reduction in cooling heat loss. Furthermore, to increase the volume in the lower part of the combustion chamber, a corner-bottom shape is employed. Additionally, by causing spray impingement through the corner bottom shape, the strategy aimed to prevent the return of the mail injections to the central part of the combustion chamber. These parameters were evaluated using two-dimensional optical measurements, which calculated thermal flux, temperature, velocity, and KL value distributions. The impact of cavity diameter on internal cooling loss is significant, and preventing flame stagnation from a smoke perspective is crucial. An increase in taper diameter reduces squish velocity, achieving heat losses reduction, while necessitating spray dispersion into the squish area. The influence of swirl ratio on heat losses is more pronounced in the squish and taper areas than inside the cavity, necessitating consideration of flame temperature reduction within the cavity when reducing swirl ratios. The implementation of double after injection influences low heat losses and avoids flame stagnation, enabling soot reduction. The corner bottom shape combustion chamber proved effective in reducing heat losses and particulate matter (PM) at medium and high loads.

Performance of a Methanol-Fueled Direct-Injection Compression-Ignition Heavy-Duty Engine under Low-Temperature Combustion Conditions

Low-temperature combustion (LTC) concepts, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and partially premixed combustion (PPC), aim to reduce in-cylinder temperatures in internal combustion engines, thereby lowering emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot. These LTC concepts are particularly attractive for decarbonizing conventional diesel engines using renewable fuels such as methanol. This paper uses numerical simulations and a finite-rate chemistry model to investigate the combustion and emission processes in LTC engines operating with pure methanol. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical processes in the engine and to identify optimal engine operation in terms of efficiency and emissions. The simulations replicated the experimentally observed trends for CO, unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs), and NOx emissions, the required intake temperature to achieve consistent combustion phasing at different injection timings, and the distinctively different combustion heat release processes at various injection timings. It was found that the HCCI mode of engine operation required a higher intake temperature than PPC operation due to methanol’s low ignition temperature in fuel-richer mixtures. In the HCCI mode, the engine exhibited ultra-low NOx emissions but higher emissions of UHC and CO, along with lower combustion efficiency compared to the PPC mode. This was attributed to poor combustion efficiency in the near-wall regions and engine crevices. Low emissions and high combustion efficiency are achievable in PPC modes with a start of injection around a crank angle of 30° before the top dead center. The fundamental mechanism behind the engine performance is analyzed.

Application of an Improved Workflow for the Identification of Flame Dynamics to Swirl Stabilized Wet Combustion

Abstract The estimation of flame transfer functions (FTF) from time series data generated by large eddy simulation (LES) via system identification (SI) is an important element of thermoacoustic analysis. A continuous time series of adequate length is required to achieve low uncertainty, especially when dealing with turbulent noise. Limited scalability of LES codes implies that the wall-clock-time required for generating such time series may be excessive. The present paper tackles this challenge by exploring how the superposition of multiple simulations with the same excitation signal, but varying initial conditions, increases signal-to-noise ratio and leads to more robust identification. In addition, the established SI approach, which relies on broadband excitation, is compared to excitation with approximate Dirac and Heaviside signals, promising simpler pre- and postprocessing. Results demonstrate that the proposed workflow reduces significantly the wall-clock-time required for robust FTF identification. This reduction in wall-clock-time requires more parallel computational resources, but it does not significantly increase the overall computational cost while also enabling FTF estimation using Heaviside excitation. The proposed method is assessed on a partially premixed, steam enriched (‘WET’) swirl burner with significant turbulent noise levels. Steam enrichment is a combustion concept that reduces harmful emissions such as NOx and CO2 while increasing engine efficiency. However, the effect of steam on the flame response, needs to be better understood. To this end, a combustion model including an optimized global chemical mechanism for partially premixed wet methane combustion, is presented and validated against experimental data.

Oxyfuel combustion based carbon capture onboard ships

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping sector is a challenging task. While renewable fuels stand out as the most promising long-term solution, their near- and mid-term viability is hampered by limited availability and high costs. An alternative approach is onboard carbon capture, which can reduce emissions from new ships as well as retrofitted vessels. This paper examines the techno-economic potential of oxyfuel combustion based carbon capture on ships. The oxyfuel concept uses an oxygen-rich atmosphere in the combustion process, resulting in a mixture of carbon dioxide and water. After the condensation of water, the carbon dioxide rich gas can be directly stored on board. Various onboard oxygen supply concepts are investigated, including different technologies for onboard air separation and liquid oxygen bunkering. Influences on the ship energy system are studied by system simulation of a deep-sea container vessel. Benchmarked against a technologically mature post-combustion carbon capture system, the results show that the oxyfuel concepts have limited competitiveness because of reduced engine efficiencies and high energy demands for onboard oxygen supply. Avoiding onboard oxygen supply by using liquefied oxygen as a byproduct from onshore electrolysis increases energy efficiency and the competitiveness of oxyfuel combustion but requires additional storage space. Sensitivity analyses highlight that the engine combustion concept and engine efficiency are the most critical influences on the techno-economic performance.

Phenomenological model for unburned hydrocarbon emissions from spark-ignition, pre-chamber, and dual-fuel internal combustion engines

Considering the strict regulations on the transport sector emissions, predictive models for engine emissions are essential tools to optimize high-efficient low-emission internal combustion engines (ICE) for vehicles. This aspect is of major importance, especially for developing new combustion concepts (e.g. lean, pre-chamber) or using alternative fuels. Among the gaseous emissions from spark-ignition (SI) engines, unburned hydrocarbons (uHC) are the most challenging species to model due to the complexity of the formation mechanisms. Phenomenological models are successfully used in these cases to predict emissions with a reduced computational effort. In this work, uHC phenomenological model approaches by the authors are further developed to improve the model predictivity for multiple variations including engine design, engine operating parameters, as well as different fuels and ignition methods. The model accounts for uHC contributions from piston top-land crevice, wall flame quenching, oil film fuel adsorption/desorption and features a tabulated-chemistry approach to describe uHC post-oxidation. With the support of 3D-CFD simulations, multiple novel modelling assumptions are developed and verified. The model is validated against an extensive measurement database obtained with two small-bore single-cylinder engines (SCE) fuelled with gasoline-like fuel, one with SI and one with pre-chamber, as well as against data from two different ultra-lean large-bore engines fuelled with natural gas (one equipped with a pre-chamber and one dual-fuel with a diesel pilot). The model correctly predicts the trends and absolute values of uHC emissions for all the operating conditions and the engines with an accuracy on average of 11.4%. The results demonstrate the general applicability of the model to different engine designs, the correct description of the main mechanisms contributing to fuel partial oxidation, and the potential to be extended to predict unburned fuel emissions with other fuels.

Hydrogen combustion analysis via infrared and visible optical diagnostics combined with CFD in a dual fuel engine at low load

Dual Fuel (DF) combustion concept has demonstrated to be a valid solution to ensure the utilization of diesel engines in heavy duty and naval applications. The substitution of part of diesel fuel with a cleaner gaseous one can reduce among others: carbon dioxides (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and surely particulate matter (PM). Nevertheless, the difficulties encountered by the reduced pilot liquid jet to reach out the furthest areas of the combustion chamber, especially at partial load, lead to unburned emissions of the premixed charge. They can be a serious issue to overcome when the premixed fuel is represented by a carbonaceous fuel like natural gas (NG). For this reason, hydrogen, that is carbon-free, represents the new progression to clean mobility. This work aims at deepening the in-cylinder phenomena through a synergetic methodology that involves experimental optical diagnostics and 3D numerical investigations. The experimental activity is carried out on a single cylinder research engine (SCRE) equipped with an optical apparatus allowing the visualization of the combustion process, later processed via high speed visible (VIS) and infrared (IR) imaging. Several filters applied on the IR camera permit to detect specific species such as CO2. Subsequently, these outcomes are used to validate numerical models, and in turn, the numerical results help to validate the species detected qualitatively via optical diagnostics and to identify which ones majorly affect the physical and chemical processes. Numerical simulations are performed with ANSYS Forte ® code on a geometry which accurately reproduces the shape of the combustion chamber. Combustion models include a turbulent-kinetic interaction model with a mechanism of 124 species and 660 reactions to deal with the autoignition phase and diesel surrogate oxidation, while to account for the flame propagation through the premixed charge the G-equation is considered. The reference test cases are characterized by two different engine speeds, 1500 and 2000 rpm, and a low load level, corresponding to 2 bar of brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) on light-duty vehicle. The hydrogen energy shares are between 83.2 and 81.8%. Results demonstrate that IR images and OH radical are key for the detection of ignition process of both diesel and hydrogen. The flame propagation in the air/H2 charge can be observed with the help of CFD elaborations. Finally, emission levels are adequately predicted by the chosen oxidation models.

Controllability of Pre-Chamber Induced Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition and Performance Comparison with Pre-Chamber Spark Ignition and Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition

This paper presents an experimental and numerical evaluation of the pre-chamber induced HCCI combustion concept (PC-HCCI) in terms of engine performance, emissions, and controllability. In this concept, a spark-initiated combustion in the pre-chamber is utilized to trigger the kinetically controlled combustion of an ultra-lean mixture in the main combustion chamber. The experimental measurements were performed on a single-cylinder engine with a custom-made active pre-chamber. A high compression ratio of 17.5 was used, which limits the maximum achievable engine load due to high knocking tendency but enables both standard PCSI combustion (flame propagation) at very high dilution levels and HCCI combustion at reasonable intake temperatures. The analysis of combustion characteristics and the resulting performance is performed at indicated mean effective pressures (IMEPs) of 3.5 and 3.0 bars, and three different intake temperatures of 80 °C, 90 °C, and 100 °C. The variation in engine load was achieved by adjusting the excess air ratio in the main chamber. On each combination of intake temperature and engine load, a spark sweep and an injected PC fuel mass sweep were performed to obtain the highest indicated efficiency while satisfying the restrictions in terms of combustion stability and knock intensity. It was shown that, unlike in a conventional HCCI engine, the combustion phasing can be directly and reliably controlled by adjusting either spark timing or the reactivity of the pre-chamber mixture, ensuring adequate combustion stability and eliminating potential misfires. A similar indicated efficiency as with conventional HCCI combustion was obtained, while the NOx emissions, although slightly elevated, are still insignificant. Compared to PCSI combustion at the same engine load, a 4-percentage-point increase in indicated efficiency and two times lower NOx emissions were achieved. Compared to the most efficient PCSI operating point, it was 1 percentage point lower, indicating that efficiency was achieved, but the specific NOx emissions are reduced by approximately 70%. Most importantly, very similar performance was obtained with significant variations in intake temperature, proving the reliability and adaptability of this combustion concept.

Engine-out hydrocarbon speciation and DOC reaction modeling for dual-fuel combustion concept

The concerns for global warming have pushed very harsh regulations on conventional propulsion systems based on the use of fossil fuels. New technologies are being promoted, but their current technological status needs further research and development to become a competitive substitute for the ever-present internal combustion engine. Transition technologies like hybrid-electric platforms are the preferred solution, but their dependence on the internal combustion engine demands continued developing and improving this technology. Advanced combustion modes like dual-mode dual-fuel combustion are attractive solutions with room for improvement. This work evaluates the specifics of the hydrocarbon composition emitted during the operation of a medium-duty dual-mode dual-fuel engine, analyzing the specific requirements of a diesel oxidation catalyst for this application. Also, the modeling approach of this after-treatment component is revised for this type of application, proposing a new approach and evaluating numerically the performance of a conventional diesel oxidation catalyst. The results show that the new modeling approach brings better accuracy when modeling the transient operation of the engine.

Modelling of JP-8 distributed combustion using a HyChem mechanism under gas turbine conditions

The critical advantages of liquid fuels in aviation over alternative energy carriers imply their dominance in the upcoming decades. The Mixture Temperature Controlled (MTC) combustion concept allows spatially homogeneous, efficient burning (distributed combustion) with low pollutant emission. MTC combustion of jet fuel JP-8 was investigated in an atmospheric burner, and the measured pollutant concentrations in the flue gas were reproduced using the Hybrid Chemistry (HyChem) approach employing Perfectly Stirred Reactor simulations. Using this robust approach comes with losing spatiotemporal characteristics if the mixture homogeneity assumption is globally valid. The effect of residence time and pressure under typical gas turbine operating conditions was investigated. Stable combustion was present above 3 ms residence time at pressures up the 60 bar, which was the upper limit of the investigated regime, while the lower residence time limit of stable combustion was 0.3 ms. The residence time interval of stable operation could be extended by applying flue gas recirculation. NO emission can be reduced by increasing the operating pressure, while the N2O production is dominant only up to 20 bar and in the 10–100 ms residence time range. CO emission vanishes above 10 ms residence time. Ultra-low emission operation requires >20 bar pressure and 10 ms residence time with distributed combustion, requiring larger combustion chambers for future jet engines.

Optical and thermodynamic investigation of jet-guided spark ignited hydrogen combustion

Hydrogen as an alternative fuel for engines is gaining interest to decarbonize the heavy-duty sector. Hydrogen combustion in engines conventionally relies on the Otto cycle and either port fuel or direct injection. This combustion concept usually results in poor power density and non-ideal efficiencies due to the lean premixed operation and low compression ratio required to avoid preignition and knocking. In this study, hydrogen is directly injected at high pressures into the combustion chamber and spark-ignited with two different ignition systems (inductive and nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharge) at the periphery of the jet, with fuel conversion taking place predominantly in jet-guided (diffusion) mode while injection remains active.A rapid compression expansion machine (RCEM) is used to investigate the jet-guided hydrogen combustion thermodynamically and optically by combining high-speed Schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging, and spark-induced breakdown spectroscopy (SIBS).SIBS reveals low air to fuel ratios at ignition time and location, ranging from 2.8 up to pure air depending on the condition and significant variation among repetitions. Both OH* chemiluminescence and Schlieren images illustrate how air entrainment pushes the flame-plasma kernel from the ignition location at the periphery of the jet towards the fuel-richer core, resulting in fast combustion of the already premixed fuel. Subsequently, the combustion process becomes dominated by the mixing dynamics. Under conditions of low in-cylinder pressures, the Heat Release Rate (HRR) closely follows the injected mass flow rate multiplied by the lower heating value of hydrogen, i.e., the combustion is mixing controlled. However, as the cylinder pressure increases, the mixing and combustion rates fall below the injected mass flow until lower densities are reached again.The delay between the start of injection and ignition primarily impacts the premixed peak, but the in-cylinder pressure and ignition source also play significant roles. This distinctive combustion process shows essential similarities to compression ignition Diesel combustion. The process holds the potential to achieve high efficiency, as hydrogen can be burned using process parameters typical of Diesel combustion without facing the constraints of knock or preignition and a complete absence of soot.

Exergoenvironment evaluation of carbon resource conversion and utilization via CO2 direct hydrogenation for methanol and power cogeneration

CO2 hydrogenation technology is pivotal for achieving low-carbon and sustainable development goals by curbing carbon dioxide emissions and enabling new value chains. Traditional CO2 hydrogenation systems face challenges like excessive unreacted gas cycling and inefficient component usage. This study employed direct CO2 hydrogenation for methanol production, and integrated the chemical looping combustion (CLC) concept to enhance energy efficiency and carbon cycle utilization in methanol-electricity production. The proposed method has yielded remarkable results, attaining an exergy efficiency of 57.72 %, with CO2 equivalent emissions at 0.27 kgCO2/kgCH3OH. Furthermore, it has demonstrated a reduction of approximately 9.60 % in energy consumption and an impressive 83.63 % decrease in carbon emissions compared to the reference system. Exergoenvironmental analysis was conducted for the entire process and individual units. The results indicated superior environmental performance of the cogeneration system compared to the single-production system when the recycling ratio of unreacted gas (Ru) ranged from 1.64 to 2.72. Furthermore, CLC was identified as a key area requiring optimization within the system and determined by the values of rb,k and B˙D,k. This observation remains consistent even as Ru changes. The system showcases significant potential in thermodynamics and environmental sustainability, and lays a theoretical foundation and innovative perspective for CO2 utilization technologies.

Numerical analysis of the hydrogen-air mixture formation process in a direct-injection engine for off-road applications

Among the different hydrogen premixed combustion concepts, direct injection (DI) is one of the most promising for internal combustion engine (ICE) applications. However, to fully exploit the benefits of this solution, the optimization of the mixture preparation process is a crucial factor. In the present work, a study of the hydrogen-air mixture formation process in a DI H2-ICE for off-road applications was performed through 3D-CFD simulations. First, a sensitivity analysis on the injection timing was carried out to select the optimal injection operating window, capable of maximizing mixture homogeneity, without a significant volumetric efficiency reduction. Then, different spray injector guiding caps were tested to assess their effect on in-cylinder dynamics and mixture characteristics consequently. Finally, the impact of swirl intensity on hydrogen distribution has been assessed. The optimization of the combustion chamber geometry has allowed the achievement of significant improvements in terms of mixture homogeneity.

Computational insights into flame development and emission formation in an ammonia engine with hydrogen-assisted pre-chamber turbulent jet ignition

Ammonia, as a promising green fuel for achieving carbon neutrality and zero-carbon emissions, encounters obstacles in practical engine applications due to its intrinsic combustion properties like low burning velocity and high autoignition temperature. Hydrogen-assisted pre-chamber turbulent jet ignition (TJI) technology has recently demonstrated great potential in extending the lean limits and enhancing the stability of ammonia combustion. As such, this study conducts a comprehensive analysis on the flame development and emission formation processes under the active pre-chamber TJI mode fueled with ammonia and hydrogen using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling integrated with detailed chemical kinetics, particularly focusing on the effects of hydrogen energy ratio and spark timing. It is found that the active ammonia-hydrogen TJI engine is typically characterized by four primary physical processes involving H2 mixture preparation in the pre-chamber, flame kernel formation and development within the pre-chamber, the formation and ejection of hot jet across the orifices, and the turbulent flame initiation and propagation in the main chamber. Hydrogen injection holds a scavenging effect on the residuals in the pre-chamber while forms fuel stratification near the spark plug, enhancing the ignition stability. Besides, the current combustion mode is commonly characterized by two-stage heat release in the main chamber, but exhibits a three-stage heat release as increasing the premixed H2 ratio. The first stage is dominated by a hot jet flame, the second stage is characterized by turbulent flame propagation or autoignition, and the third stage is induced by a secondary jet ejected from the pre-chamber, which becomes more prominent as the H2 ratio increases. Hydrogen blending could not only facilitate the turbulent flame propagation of NH3-air mixture in the main chamber but also enhance the initiation of flame kernel in the pre-chamber, thereby promoting the overall combustion process and potentially improving the thermal efficiency. The N2O emission is produced in two distinct stages, wherein N2O is generated and undergoes conversion during the main combustion phase, while unburned crevice gases mix with burned gases and convert into N2O during the expansion stroke. Increasing the premixed hydrogen ratio leads to an increased in-cylinder temperature, which in turn facilitates a reduction in N2O emissions and mitigates unburned ammonia. Furthermore, optimization of the spark timing is required after implementing the hydrogen addition into the intake manifold to achieve desirable combustion phasing and further improve the thermal efficiency. Finally, a novel combustion concept, denoted as TJI assisted compression ignition mode, is proposed for achieving high thermal efficiency in ammonia engines via adopting high compression ratio and premixed ammonia-hydrogen charge under the TJI strategy.

Technical evaluation of low-carbon fuels as a decarbonization pathway of the light-duty transport sector

The need to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector has renewed interest in low-carbon fuels, both from the production and utilization standpoint. The maturing of alternative processes to synthesize fuels from atmospheric CO2 and renewable non-edible feedstocks constitutes an interesting proposition, which needs to be matched by favorable drop-in properties and environmental performance once applied to internal combustion engines. To this end, the authors investigate the use of diesel-like high-reactivity and low-reactivity LCFs in a light-duty compression-ignition engine by experimentally assessing their implementation with existing hardware (drop-in) and discussing possible modifications to achieve improved results through calibration. The results revealed that high-reactivity fuels could operate under similar conditions to the standard diesel fuel, exhibiting similar efficiency and soot emissions combined with important reductions in NOx emissions. On the other hand, low-reactivity LCFs show advantages in promoting alternative combustion concepts because of the longer ignition delays, which make it possible to use lower injection pressures and have more stratified air–fuel mixtures, but at the same time, the results revealed that the implementation of these fuels might suffer from hardware limitations which worsens the combustion stability and the operation at low-load. Although the fuels tested exhibited variations in Tank-to-Wheel due to their carbon content and fuel economy, it was found that Well-to-Wheel CO2 intensity is eventually dominated by the renewable content of the fuel and the CO2 is greatly impacted by its production pathway, rather than the fuel consumption optimization. Finally, the study confirmed that, for the successful adoption of oxygenated low-carbon fuels (including alcohols), appropriate material selection in the engine fuel system and fuel additives are necessary to prevent components and seal performance degradation.

Data-Based In-Cylinder Pressure Model with Cyclic Variations for Combustion Control: An RCCI Engine Application

Cylinder-pressure-based control is a key enabler for advanced pre-mixed combustion concepts. In addition to guaranteeing robust and safe operation, it allows for cylinder pressure and heat release shaping. This requires fast control-oriented combustion models. Over the years, mean-value models have been proposed that can predict combustion metrics (e.g., gross indicated mean effective pressure (IMEPg), or the crank angle where 50% of the total heat is released (CA50)) or models that predict the full in-cylinder pressure. However, these models are not able to capture cycle-to-cycle variations. The inclusion of the cycle-to-cycle variations is important in the control design for combustion concepts, like reactivity-controlled compression ignition, that can suffer from large cycle-to-cycle variations. In this study, the in-cylinder pressure and cycle-to-cycle variations are modelled using a data-based approach. The in-cylinder conditions and fuel settings are the inputs to the model. The model combines principal component decomposition and Gaussian process regression. A detailed study is performed on the effects of the different hyperparameters and kernel choices. The approach is applicable to any combustion concept, but is most valuable for advance combustion concepts with large cycle-to-cycle variation. The potential of the proposed approach is successfully demonstrated for a reactivity-controlled compression ignition engine running on diesel and E85. The average prediction error of the mean in-cylinder pressure over a complete combustion cycle is 0.051 bar and of the corresponding mean cycle-to-cycle variation is 0.24 bar2. This principal-component-decomposition-based approach is an important step towards in-cylinder pressure shaping. The use of Gaussian process regression provides important information on cycle-to-cycle variation and provides next-cycle control information on safety and performance criteria.

The Experimental Investigation of the Effects on the Combustion, Performance, and Emission Characteristics of an RCCI Engine Using Methanol/Diesel Fuel

Reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion is considered one of the most promising low-temperature combustion (LTC) concepts aimed at reducing greenhouse gases for the transportation and power generation sectors. RCCI combustion mode is achieved by combining different fuel types with low and high temperatures. The aim of this study is to investigate combustion characteristics and reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In this experimental study, the effects of the RCCI strategy using methanol/diesel fuel on combustion characteristics (ignition delay, combustion duration), engine performance (brake-specific fuel consumption and brake-specific energy consumption), and emissions were examined in a four-cylinder, turbocharged, dual-fuel engine. The experiments were conducted at a constant speed of 1750 rpm at partial loads (40 Nm, 60 Nm, 80 Nm, and 100 Nm). The test results obtained with diesel fuel were compared with the test results obtained with methanol at different mass flow rates. When the results were examined, the minimum ignition delay (ID) occurred at 40 Nm torque, 5.63 crank angle (CA) with M12 fuel, while the maximum ID occurred with M26 fuel at 80 Nm torque, showing an increasing trend as engine load (EL) increased. The highest combustion time (CD) was achieved with M26 fuel at 100 Nm torque, whereas the lowest was achieved with the same fuel (M26) at 40 Nm. While the minimum brake-specific fuel consumption (bsfc) was 45.9 g/kWh for conventional diesel fuel at 40 Nm, the highest bsfc was 104.88 g/kWh for 100 Nm with M26 fuel. Generally, bsfc tends to increase with increasing load. Brake-specific energy consumption (bsec) had the lowest value of 1950.58 kJ/kWh with conventional diesel fuel at 40 Nm and the highest value of 4034.69 kJ/kWh with M26 fuel at 100 Nm. As the methanol content increased, significant improvements were observed in (NOx) and (CO2) emissions, while hydrocarbon (HC) and oxygen (O2) emissions increased as well. Smoke emissions decreased at low loads but tended to increase at high loads.

Numerical Investigation of NOx Reduction in a Hydrogen-Fueled Pulse Detonation Engine

A change in combustion concepts from conventional isobaric to constant volume combustion (CVC) has several advantages. Pulse detonation combustion (PDC) operates on CVC, increasing the engine's thermodynamic efficiency significantly. Little research has been conducted on pollutant emissions from pulse detonation engines (PDE). Because PDE burns at a higher temperature, it emits more NOx. The formation of NOx is investigated in this paper using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. For hydrogen fuel, a model is built by varying pressure, temperature, spark size, and geometry. The SST K- Omega model is used with transient conditions. EINOx was calculated using CFD analysis for 12 cm and 20 cm tubes. The results were encouraging. A 12 cm tube produced 200 g/kg of fuel EINOx, while a 20 cm tube produced 250 g/kg of fuel EINOx. The computed results are consistent with previous literature.

Combining Gasoline Compression Ignition and Powertrain Hybridization for Long-Haul Applications

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) combustion was demonstrated to be an effective combustion concept to achieve high brake thermal efficiency with low-reactivity fuels while offering improved NOx–soot trade-off. Nevertheless, future greenhouse gas regulations still challenge the heavy-duty transportation sector on both engine and vehicle basis. Hybridization is a possible solution in this scenario, allowing the avoidance of low-efficiency conditions and energy recovery during regenerative braking, improving overall vehicle efficiency. In this sense, this investigation proposes a detailed analysis to understand the optimum hybridization strategy to be used together with GCI to simultaneously harness low pollutant and CO2 emissions. For that, different hybrid architectures were defined in GT Drive (Mild hybrid 48 V P0 and P2 and full Hybrid P2 500 V) and submitted to 15 different use cases, constituted by five normative and real-driving conditions from the US, China, India, and Europe and three different payloads. Results showed that all hybridization strategies could provide fuel savings benefits to some extent. Nonetheless, usage profile is a dominant factor to be accounted for, benefiting specific hybrid powertrains. For instance, P0 and P2 48 V could provide similar savings as P2 500 V, where regenerative braking is limited. Nonetheless, P2 500 V is a superior powertrain if more demanding cycles are considered, allowing it to drive and recuperate energy without exceeding the Crate limitations of the battery.

A novel method for quantifying variations in NO formation pathways using a sub-mechanism accounting and reaction tracing algorithm

This work presents a new implementation of reaction path analysis that traces molar fluxes attributable to various sub-mechanisms from inception through to their final product. The post-processing procedure involves creating a network of these fluxes and quantifying the contributions made by the specified formation and destruction mechanisms through an iterative process starting from the individual initiation reactions. A key distinction of this approach is that the reaction fluxes are directly correlated to their initiation reaction, which is then followed throughout the entire reaction network. This allows for the distinction of contribution to the formation of a target species from an arbitrary number of sources. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated by examining the formation of NO in three different case studies: (1) the impact of equivalence ratio on methane/air premixed counterflow flames, (2) the effect of hydrogen addition on ultra-lean methane/air premixed counter flames, and (3) the influence of pressure elevation in partially premixed methane/air flames. The results are presented in emission indexes, NO production rates throughout the flame, and multidigraphs illustrating the allocated flows between the species. Compared to replicated analysis methods previously used for these case studies, this new approach provides a more comprehensive and detailed analysis for several reasons. Firstly, the method does not require duplicated simulations with modified kinetic mechanisms, but is applied purely post-processing. This avoids the previous problems of needing to re-simulate the flame multiple times and allows for the fully coupled chemistry set. Secondly, the method allows for an arbitrarily defined set of initiation pathways which propagate through all possible routes within the network. This allows for the identification of spatial/temporal variability in the sub-mechanisms and thereby yields more information than the integral values of previous methods.Novelty and significance statementUnderstanding reaction pathways that lead to the formation of pollutants such as NO is an essential aspect in the development of new sustainable and low-emission combustion concepts. However, evaluating the different underlying sub-mechanisms is difficult due to the high degree of interconnectedness and spatial/temporal overlap of the reaction pathways. This work, therefore, presents a new algorithm that can be used to investigate the contributions of an arbitrary number of sub-mechanisms to the formation or decomposition of a species. The results can be expressed not only as integral values, but also as spatially and/or temporally resolved production rates and reaction path figures and graphs, leading to a more comprehensive and detailed analysis. The approach is also applied as a purely post-processing technique, which does not require multiple simulations with different chemical kinetic mechanisms as has previously be applied.

Evaluation of Cooling Requirements for Rotating Detonation Combustors

Abstract In the last decade, the rotating detonation combustor (RDC) has received growing attention among the different pressure gain combustion concepts due to the simplicity of the design and the potential ease of integration in gas turbines. However, multiple technological challenges are still associated with its development. Researchers have pointed out concerns related to the heat loads determined by the high temperature and the complex flow field occurring in this kind of combustion chamber based on a small but meaningful set of experimental and numerical results. An investigation of the open literature has shown a strong sensitivity of the heat loads with multiple designs and operational parameters. The aim of this work is to provide a fundamental review of the primary drivers affecting heat load in a typical RDC in order to define basic cooling requirements for possible actual design of the combustor. Along with this, a simplified approach has been implemented for the estimation of the requirements for cold side convection cooling with respect to different heat load scenarios, shedding light on the compatibility of pure convection cooling for rotating detonation combustors. Finally, the results are used to determine guidelines for the design of a cooled and efficient RDC.