Efficiency Of Combustion Engines Research Articles

A comprehensive review on technical developments of methanol-fuel-based compression ignition (CI) engines to improve the performance, combustion, and emissions

Methanol (CH3OH) emerges as a highly promising, economically feasible, environmentally friendly, and renewable energy source amid the rising global energy demand. As contemporary energy utilization techniques advance and the imperative to curtail dependence on depleting fossil fuels intensifies, the focus on methanol-fueled compression ignition (CI) engines, particularly in the automotive sector, becomes dominant. Over the past decade, the exceptional resistance of methanol fuel to engine knocking and its capacity to mitigate harmful emissions have gained substantial attention from researchers. While numerous review articles have been published, few have delved comprehensively into the technical advancements of methanol-fueled CI engines with an increased investigation of their environmental and renewable applications. This research review endeavors to address this gap by offering a comprehensive analysis of methanol, whether in its pure form or as a blended fuel, in technically developed CI engines. The main goal is to review enhanced engine performance, combustion efficiency, and emission characteristics. The review examines the impact of critical parameters, including the incorporation of blended fuels with controlled volume fractions (VF), engine load (EL), engine speed (ES), injection methods, compression ratio (CR), ignition timing (IT), intake fuel temperature, injection timing (I/T), combustion methods, crank angle (CA), and air-to-fuel (A/F) ratio. These parameters are assessed by performance indicators such as brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and thermal efficiency (TE). Additionally, combustion parameters, including combustion duration (CD), ignition delay (ID), heat release rate (HRR) and injection timing, phasing, are studied, along with emissions parameters including nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon oxides (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), unburned methanol (UBM), formaldehyde (FA), particulate matter (PM) and soot in methanol-fueled CI engines. Finally, the research summary and future direction of methanol-fueled compression ignition (CI) engines have been concluded based on the previous work.

Experimental Investigation on Combustion Characteristics of LHR and Conventional Engines Using Tobacco and Cotton Seed Methyl Ester Blend

This study presents an experimental investigation into the combustion characteristics of Tobacco Seed Oil Methyl Ester (TSOME), Cotton Seed Oil Methyl Ester (CSOME) and its blend (TCOME) as alternatives fuel in both conventional and Low Heat Rejection (LHR) engines. The LHR engine, integrating thermal barrier Ni90 insert is inserted on piston crown to enhance combustion efficiency by reducing heat loss. The work focuses on comparing key combustion parameters such as in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) for TSOME, CSOME and its blend in both engines across varying load conditions. The experimental results indicate that both biodiesel fuels and its blend demonstrate good combustion characteristics near to conventional diesel. The LHR engine with blend outperformed compare to the conventional engine of higher peak pressures and heat releasing rate compared to CSOME and TSOME. Peak inside cylinder pressure and heat releasing rate occurred for both engines at 80% of load, for LHR engine peak pressure is 10% high and similarly heat releasing rate is 13% high compare to conventional engine. The present work suggests that the combination of LHR engine with blend of TSOME and CSOME offer a viable solution for improving engine combustion efficiency while reducing consumption of conventional fuels.

Research on jet ignition phases and control parameters in an active pre-chamber optical engine under ultra-lean combustion conditions

The active pre-chamber (APC) jet ignition system is one of the primary technologies for achieving ultra-lean combustion and high thermal efficiency in engines. The impact of the jet process within the engine, as well as its control parameters, on emission pollutants (particularly soot particles) remains unclear. This study focuses on examining the effects of various low-flow injection control strategies on engine combustion and emissions by using optical experiments and numerical simulations. It also explores the impact of different ignition advance angles (ignition timings) based on a short pre-chamber mixing interval to observe ignition combustion, flame propagation, and emission characteristics under ultra-lean conditions (λ = 2.0). The main conclusions are as follows. Appropriately increasing the injection mass can enhance engine load. However, further increases in injection mass significantly raise particulate emissions, resulting in an increase in particle number by up to more than 37-fold, especially for small particles in the 5–––10 nm size range. The chemical reaction between the luminous jet flame and the bright incandescent wake jet flame, as captured by high-speed photography, effectively characterizes the various stages of jet ignition. To reduce particulate matter emissions, it is crucial to avoid the foreseeable wake jet flame caused by the enrichment of the jet mixture in the pre-chamber. The low-flow injection timing should neither be too early nor close to the ignition spark timing. The early injection causes fuel to accumulate at the top of the pre-chamber, hindering the jet flame’s propagation into the main combustion chamber. Late low-flow injection leads to fuel enrichment, resulting in uneven mixing and poor atomization and diffusion due to short mixing times. Ignition after a short mixing time interval tends to increase knocking, resulting in intense combustion and an advanced phase, which slightly reduces load and combustion stability. Regarding the heat release ratio, the total heat release from the two combustion stages in the pre-chamber should ideally account for about 5–6 % of the heat release in the main chamber.

An experimental study on the influence of nozzle hole numbers and patterns of a passive pre-chamber spark ignition system

Pre-chamber spark ignition system enhances the combustion stability and efficiency of lean burn engines. Pre-chamber spark ignition system performance directly relies on the characteristics of the turbulent flame jet, which are governed by the pre-chamber geometrical parameters and nozzle hole configurations. Based on the existing literatures, limited research on nozzle hole numbers and patterns is noted with passive pre-chamber, and thus, the impact of these nozzle hole configurations on the combustion and flame development characteristics for hydrogen-methane-air mixtures is investigated in a constant volume combustion chamber. In the current study, single-layer nozzle hole configurations with three, four, six, and eight nozzle holes and double-layer nozzle hole configurations with six and eight nozzle holes are designed and tested in an optically accessible combustion chamber under various equivalence ratio conditions. The results indicated that the combustion characteristics deteriorated with an increase in nozzle holes, except with the single-layer four nozzle hole configuration. Compared to the single-layer eight nozzle hole configuration, the ignition delay and combustion duration for hydrogen-methane-air mixtures with single-layer four nozzle hole configuration was reduced by 31.9% and 30.7% under lean conditions. A reduction in flame jet penetration length, area and velocity and increased adjacent flame jet interaction was noticed for the single-layer configuration with more nozzle holes, and thus, a different nozzle hole pattern was studied in the current study. The double-layer configurations with more nozzle holes showed better combustion and flame development characteristics than single-layer configurations due to their unique flame structure, uniform and faster flame jet distribution, and reduced adjacent flame jet interaction. The ignition delay and combustion duration for hydrogen-methane-air mixtures with the double layer eight nozzle hole configuration were reduced by 30.5% and 40.7% compared to the single-layer eight nozzle hole configuration.

Ammonia diffusion combustion and emission formation characteristics in a single cylinder two stroke engine

Liquid ammonia diffusion combustion (LADC) is an effective approach to achieving high ammonia energy ratio (AER) and combustion efficiency in engines. However, there is a lack of simulation studies of LADC mode in ammonia/diesel dual direct injection engines. To address this gap, the study develops a numerical model based on an independently modified marine two-stroke engine. This model analyzes the combustion performance of ammonia in LADC mode and the pollutant generation mechanisms in LADC mode across various AER conditions. The findings indicate that in the LADC mode, the liquid phase ammonia spray exhibits a concentrated distribution area, facilitating thorough combustion of ammonia fuel. The diesel mixture and flame are entrained into the liquid phase ammonia spray, facilitating multi point ignition. This process notably enhances combustion speed, thereby reducing overall combustion duration. In comparison to pure diesel combustion, soot emissions are reduced by 99 % under the LADC mode, and CA90 advanced by 11.8 °C A. In addition, when the AER range is from 50 % to 70 %, the engine exhibits favorable combustion and emission characteristics. By appropriately adjusting the liquid ammonia injection quantity, the indicated thermal efficiency improves by 10.7 %, the equivalent indication specific fuel consumption decreases by 13.9 %, and the emission such as NOx and soot can be also reduced effectively.

Evaporation of stable microemulsion droplets

Emulsion fuels have the potential to reduce both particulate matter and NOx emissions and can potentially improve the efficiency of combustion engines. However, their limited stability remains a critical barrier to practical use as an alternative fuel. In this study, we explore the evaporation behavior of thermodynamically stable water-in-oil microemulsions. The water-in-oil microemulsion droplets prepared from different types of oil were acoustically levitated and heated using a continuous laser at different irradiation intensities. We show that the evaporation characteristics of these microemulsions can be controlled by varying water-to-surfactant molar ratio (ω) and volume fraction of the dispersed phase (ϕ). The emulsion droplets undergo three distinct stages of evaporation, namely preheating, steady evaporation, and unsteady evaporation. During the steady evaporation phase, increasing ϕ reduces the evaporation rate for a fixed ω. It is observed that the evaporation of microemulsion is governed by the complex interplay between its constituents and their properties. We propose a parameter (η) denoting the volume fraction ratio between volatile and nonvolatile components, which indicates the cumulative influence of various factors affecting the evaporation process. The evaporation of microemulsions eventually leads to the formation of solid spherical shells, which may undergo buckling. The distinction in the morphology of these shells is explored in detail using scanning electron microscopy imaging.

Numerical Investigation of the Fuel Tank Sloshing Condition of a Commercial Vehicle

This study investigates the impact of baffles on fuel sloshing behavior within truck fuel tanks using numerical simulations. The volume of the fluid multiphase model is employed to analyze the flow dynamics of 25% diesel fuel in a 250 L tank, modeled in a 3D domain. Two configurations were compared: a tank with baffles and one without. The primary focus is to analyze fuel distribution within the intake port region during vehicle acceleration and deceleration maneuvers. The simulated scenario mimics a realistic driving situation. The vehicle accelerates from 0 km/h to 60 km/h over 10 s, followed by a 3-s braking period to reach a complete stop (0 km/h) at the 13-s mark. The simulation then observes the fuel behavior within the tank for an addi-tional 7 s while the vehicle remains stationary. Results reveal significant differences in fuel behavior between baffled and unbaffled tanks. In the absence of baffles, the sloshing motion is substantial, leading to a complete depletion of fuel in the intake port region for a duration of 3 s during both the acceleration and deceleration phases (between 10 and 13 s). Compared to a standard tank, the presence of baffles significantly reduced the sloshing amplitude by approximately 70%. Furthermore, baffles led to a 50% decrease in pressure variations on the tank walls. Temporary fuel starvation can negatively impact engine performance and combustion efficiency. Conversely, the presence of baffles within the tank effectively mitigates sloshing and ensures continuous fuel presence at the intake port the entire simulation. This suggests that baffles play a crucial role in maintaining a stable and consistent fuel supply to the engine, even during dynamic vehicle maneuvers.

Insight into HTPB pyrolysis mechanism under high-temperature: A reactive molecular dynamics study

Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is widely utilized in solid and hybrid rocket propellants due to its mechanical properties and combustion performance. Insight into its pyrolysis process is key to enhancing combustion efficiency in rocket engines. This study employs ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the pyrolysis mechanism of HTPB under extreme conditions, with temperatures ranging from 1000 K to 2000 K. The results identify the primary degradation products and elucidate their formation mechanisms. The simulation reveals that C-C bond cleavage at polymerization sites is the initial step, followed by the formation of linear oligomers and butadiene. Subsequent reactions, including hydrogenation and dehydrogenation, lead to the generation of smaller molecular species. The kinetic analysis confirms that HTPB pyrolysis follows first-order reaction kinetics, with an activation energy of 8.12 kcal/mol. The findings are compared with existing experimental data, highlighting the influence of thermal environments on pyrolysis mechanisms and product distributions.

MODELING OF MIXTURE FORMATION IN A TWO-STROKE DIESEL ENGINE

The Ukrainian engine industry played a significant role in the creation, production, and improvement of the efficiency of two-stroke diesel engines with opposed mooved pistons and providing them with the highest indicators of liter and overall power. The results of research carried out at the department of engines and hybrid power plants of NTU "KhPI" reveal existing reserves for further improvement, ensuring world-class indicators and forming promising characteristics of two-stroke diesel engines of the 6DN12/2x12 series. Further developments to ensure a new level of power cannot be implemented exclusively by updating auxiliary units and systems. To create a promising power plant, the problem must be considered in a complex with an understanding of the physical and chemical processes in the engine cylinder. The two-stroke cycle and design features limit the possibilities of conducting experimental studies of engines of this type, and make it necessary to determine reserves for increasing their efficiency. In this case, the dissemination of ideas about the course of mixture formation processes in a two-stroke engine with lateral fuel injection becomes an urgent scientific and practical task. Solving this problem makes it possible to determine the reserves of increasing combustion efficiency in engines with reciprocating movement of pistons. Based on the results of the research, a mathematical model is proposed that allows us to determine the most rational ways of organizing mixture formation, provided the conditions of uniform distribution of fuel in the volume of the combustion chamber are ensured. The obtained results of the calculated studies are the basis for the development of structural elements, further experimental studies and the implementation of measures to ensure the further improvement of the mixing efficiency of two-stroke diesel engines of the 6DN12/2x12 series and their modifications.

The study on the engine pressure variation of utilizing n-butanol-gasoline blends at fueling spark ignition engines

Abstract Alternative fuel solutions are highly regarded as potential solutions to more emissions regulation as well as more efficient energetic consumption requirements. The more efficient combustion engines become, the lesser resources they require to propel vehicles thus resulting in lower carbon footprint and lower pollutants such as CO, HC and NOx. Alcohols are promising alternative fuels that can be used to fuel vehicles, on their own or in blends with conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel. A lot of studies have been done on alcohols such as ethanol, butanol and methanol. Each of the mentioned solutions have their advantages and disadvantages. Butanol looks a promising solution due to its high miscibility properties making it possible to blend in higher percentages with other fuels such as gasoline for example. Compared to ethanol, butanol is also less corrosive, making it ideal for older vehicles as well without any modifications to the fuel systems. Many studies have shown that the high oxygen content of butanol can help improve the combustion process in spark ignition engines, may improve thermal efficiency resulting in lower emissions and better overall engine stability. An improved engine stability can be measured by a lower variability between engine cycles during engine functioning. The objective of this paper is to determine the impact of fueling a spark ignition engine with a blend of 15% vol. n-butanol – 85% vol. gasoline on pressure variability and combustion. No engine adjustments/optimizations are done at fueling with the blended fuel vs pure gasoline. The baseline was set at an engine speed of 2500 min-1 and load of 55% while fueling with pure gasoline. After setting the baseline, the same measurements are done at fueling with the blended fuel.

Nano chloropsis microalgae biofuel with butyl alcohol and ZnO inhibited diesel engine combustion efficiency and pollution characteristics

Using alternative energy sources is crucial in light of the swift exhaustion of worldwide fossil fuel reserves, a situation worsened by industrialization and population expansion. Incorporating a certain amount of algal bio-oil into the biodiesel production process can improve its long-term sustainability. The use of butyl alcohol (butanol) as a blending enhancer, which mixes biodiesel (BD) and conventional fossil fuel (FD), shows potential for raising the total energy content and improving viscosity qualities. This research primarily focuses on oil extraction from algae and the subsequent production of biodiesel (BD). Five different BM variants were created utilizing B20But30 (BD-50 %, BD20 %, But-30 %), each with different amounts of zinc oxide. The several types of BM considered are B20But30 and B20But30 with ZnO at concentrations ranging from 25 to 100 ppm. The results demonstrate that the utilization of B20But30ZnO at different concentrations (100 ppm, 75 ppm, 50 ppm, and 25 ppm) and B20But30 alone lead to improvements in Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) by 13 %, 12.23 %, 10.68 %, 5.93 %, and 1.53 % respectively, compared to the baseline condition of FD (Full Load). The observed exhaust gas temperatures were as follows: 210°C for diesel fuel, 213°C for B20But30 fuel mix, 216°C for B20But30ZnO fuel blend with 25 ppm, 218°C for B20But30ZnO fuel blend with 50 ppm, 219°C for B20But30ZnO fuel blend with 75 ppm, and 223°C for B20But30ZnO fuel blend. Empirical studies have demonstrated that including ZnO in BM decreases NOx, CO2, and SO2 while concurrently increasing the concentration of HC (hydrocarbons). Therefore, it was found that the potential of using micro-algae-based biodiesel, along with butanol and Zinc oxide, as an alternative to traditional fuel in diesel engines showed great promise and practicality.

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.

Numerical investigation of hydrogen-diesel dual fuel engine: Combustion and emissions characteristics under varying hydrogen concentration and exhaust gas recirculation

This study investigates the impact of hydrogen addition and exhaust gas recirculation on combustion characteristics and emissions in a diesel-hydrogen dual-fuel engine. A 3D CFD model of a heavy-duty diesel engine is utilized under full load and constant speed conditions at 1600 rpm. Hydrogen is introduced into the intake system at varying percentages 0 %, 10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 %, and 50 % of total thermal energy, while exhaust gas is utilized at 5 % and 10 % of gas intake volume with 40 % hydrogen. Results show that increasing hydrogen percentage enhances engine efficiency. CO and soot emissions decrease significantly up to 33 % and 88 %, with 50 % H2 and 40 % H2 addition respectively, while NOX emissions increase notably by 57 % at 50 % hydrogen. Additionally, utilizing exhaust gas at 10 % intake volume effectively reduces NOX emissions but caused CO to increase. These findings underscore the substantial influence of hydrogen percentage on combustion characteristics and emissions formation, emphasizing the potential for emissions mitigation and improved combustion efficiency in dual-fuel engines.

Effects of hydrogen and methane anti-knocking characteristics on the efficiency and power output in argon power cycle engines

Argon Power Cycle (APC) combustion engine has a high efficiency, zero carbon emissions, and zero pollutant emissions, rendering it a promising way for achieving zero or carbon neutrality within the realm of internal combustion engine (ICE) technology. Previous studies have shown that while APCs significantly improve the thermal efficiency of ICEs, they also face serious knock problems due to their high temperatures and pressures, especially when hydrogen is used as a fuel. In this study, the anti-knocking characteristics of hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and ammonia were first investigated in APC through thermodynamic calculations by Ignition Delay Time. Then, based on testbench experiments, hydrogen and methane fuels were selected to further investigate the effect of different fuel anti-knocking characteristics on the indicated thermal efficiency and power of APC combustion engine. Test results showed that when using hydrogen, the APC ICE exhibited a pronounced knock tendency, and the test engine could not operate stably when the excess oxygen ratio <2.1 at compression ratio = 9.6. The CA50 of the maximum efficiency point was delayed in APC than in air for both hydrogen and methane, specially H2 has an obvious lag at about 5–15 ° CA. In comparison, when using methane, the combustion control of engine is easier, and the peak indicated thermal efficiency 59% and the peak indicated mean effective pressure 0.92 MPa are higher than 54.3% and 0.60 MPa of using hydrogen. The use of hydrogen still needs an anti-knocking strategy while an extra carbon capture device is necessary to ensure a closed argon cycle if methane is employed.

Experimental study on combustion instability characteristics in a pre-chamber natural gas engine under lean burn conditions

Pre-chamber jet ignition is a key technology for future high-efficiency natural gas (NG) engines. It can achieve fast and stable combustion through excellent ignition performance. However, there are still some challenges, such as high combustion instability near the lean burn limit and the narrow engine operating range. Therefore, this paper investigates the combustion instability of a pre-chamber NG engine under ultra-diluted conditions by experimental method. At two engine loads, experiments are carried out with different jet ignition intensity schemes to study the effect of jet ignition intensity on the cyclic combustion variations. Then, the combustion instability characteristics of the pre-chamber NG engine are studied by cyclic variation analysis and phase space reconstruction. The results show that with the increase in the jet ignition intensity, the cyclic combustion variations decrease, and the cyclic variation coefficient of the indicated mean effective pressure decreases to below 2%. The lean burn limit of the pre-chamber natural gas engine is extended to an excess air ratio of 2.0. The operation instability of the pre-chamber NG engine is mainly due to cyclic variations in the ignition and combustion process. The nonlinear dynamic analysis shows that the combustion process in the lean burn pre-chamber NG engine behaves with chaotic characteristics under the operating conditions of low jet ignition intensity. As the jet ignition intensity increases, the combustion stability is improved and the cycle-to-cycle variations change from fairly deterministic to more stochastic behavior. The chaotic characteristics of the combustion process become weaker. In conclusion, it is of great importance to generate stable and high ignition intensity jets for reducing combustion instability and improving combustion efficiency in lean burn pre-chamber NG engines.

Numerical study of the combustion process and NOx evolution mechanism of ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine under different intake conditions

To explore the distinction between generation atmosphere of fuel NOx and thermal NOx in an ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine, a numerical calculation model was established based on a detailed ammonia-hydrogen oxidation mechanism. The combustion process and NOx evolution mechanism of the ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine under different intake conditions were studied. The researchresults for different equivalence ratios show that the in-cylinder hydrogen volume is the primary factor influencing the initial heat release. When the equivalence ratio is between 0.89 and 1.14, the mixture exhibits a higher combustion rate, leading to a shorter CD and an earlier CA50. At this point, the heat release process closer to TDC contributes improving engine combustion efficiency and indicated efficiency. Therefore, when the equivalence ratio is between 0.89 and 1.00, combustion efficiency is higher than 98 % and indicated efficiency is higher than 43 %, the ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine achieves relatively higher economy. Both over-rich and over-dilute mixtures induce an enhancement of fuel NOx, while the higher in-cylinder temperature caused by stoichiometric combustion leads to a boom of thermal NOx. Consequently, the total NOx emission from the ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine is higher at equivalence ratios between 0.80 and 1.00, and the NOx emission reaches its peak at an equivalence ratio of 0.89. Analysis of the evolution process of key N components in the cylinder shows that incomplete combustion plays a significant role in fuel NOx emissions, while thermal NOx emissions are mainly influenced by the distribution of in-cylinder components and combustion temperature. Specifically, thermal NOx emissions primarily depend on the in-cylinder components distribution in the narrow equivalence ratio range around stoichiometric ratio, and are significantly affected by in-cylinder temperature under other conditions. The in-cylinder oxygen concentration significantly affects fuel NOx emissions under most operating conditions. Further optimization of intake temperature shows that combustion efficiency exceeds 90 % when the intake temperature is above 280 K. When the intake temperature reaches 310 K, the combustion efficiency reaches up to 98 %, thus an intake temperature of about 310 K is sufficient to meet the need for improving the combustion efficiency of ammonia-hydrogen compound fuel engine. To achieve high efficiency and lower NOx emissions, appropriate lean combustion combined with an intake temperature slightly above room temperature is recommended.

The impact of scavenging air state on the combustion and emission performance of marine two-stroke dual-fuel engine

The scavenging process significantly affects the combustion and emission performance of marine low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel engines. Optimizing scavenging air pressure and temperature can enhance the engine's combustion efficiency and emission control performance, thereby achieving more environmentally friendly and efficient operation of dual-fuel engines. This study focuses on marine low-speed two-stroke dual-fuel engines, analyzing the effects of scavenging air pressure (3.0 bar, 3.25 bar, 3.5 bar, and 3.75 bar) and scavenging air temperature (293 K, 303 K, and 313 K) on engine performance and emission products. The results indicate that scavenging air pressure has a greater impact on engine performance than scavenging air temperature. An increase in scavenging air pressure leads to higher thermal efficiency and power. As the scavenging air pressure increases from 3 to 3.75 bar, the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) increases from 44.02 to 53.26%, and indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) increases by approximately 0.35 MPa. Increased scavenging air pressure improves nitrogen oxide (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC) emissions. For every 0.25 bar increase in scavenging air pressure, NOx emissions decrease by 3.53%, HC emissions decrease by 33.35%, while carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increase by 0.71%. An increase in scavenging air temperature leads to lower ITE and IMEP. As the air temperature changes from 293 to 313 K, the ITE decreases by approximately 1%, and IMEP decreases by about 0.04 MPa. Increased scavenging air temperature improves CO2 emissions. For every 10 K increase in the air temperature, the CO2 emissions decrease by 0.02%, while NOx emissions increase by 4.84%, HC emissions increase by 34.39%. Therefore, controlling scavenging air pressure is more important than scavenging air temperature in the operational management of marine two-stroke engines. Higher power and lower NOx and HC emissions can be achieved by increasing the scavenging air pressure.

Comparison Of A Molecularly-Controlled Combustion Engine To A DISI Engine

In addition to the increased use of electromobility, significant improvements in the efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICE) to achieve a considerable reduction of emissions is crucial to advance the transition towards a sustainable transport sector. One approach to increase the efficiency of combustion engines is active pre-chamber ignited engines (Molecularly Controlled Combustion Engines, MCC). The traditional spark ignition is replaced by a chamber that ignites a secondary fuel. The burning fuel is emitted from the pre-chamber via multiple holes, igniting the fuel air mixture in the main combustion chamber. To eject the flame jets tangentially to the pent roof, the pre-chamber protrudes into the main chamber in the center of the main chamber’s pent roof. This particular geometry of an MCCengine, however, alters the flow field inside MCC-engines. To facilitate future developments around MCC-engines and to understand the interactions of the flow field with the pre-chamber, a Stereo Particle-Image Velocimetry (SPIV) study is conducted in an optically accessible MCC-engine model. Previous velocity field data, which were acquired using a Direct Injection Spark Ignition (DISI) engine configuration at the same operating point as the MCC-engine, are compared to those of the MCC-engine. Phase-averaged velocity field data of both engines acquired during the intake stroke are compared based on their in-plane velocity fields and the in-plane vorticity. The two engine configurations show significantly different magnitudes of velocity in their combustion chamber flow field. In the MCC-engine, a downwash flow component can be attributed to flow deflection caused by the pre-chamber protruding from the engine’s pent roof. One important flow feature of ICE, the tumble vortex, is analyzed for both engine configurations. An increased absolute vorticity and a different temporal development of the tumble vorticity is noted for the MCC-engine. The tumble flap, an engine component that influences the intake flow distribution, is considered a main contributor to the difference in flow velocity and tumble vorticity.

Constructing a Skeletal Iso-Propanol–Butanol–Ethanol (IBE)–Diesel Mechanism Using the Decoupling Method

In recent years, biofuels have gained considerable prominence in response to growing concerns about resource scarcity and environmental pollution. Previous investigations have revealed that the appropriate blending of iso-propanol–butanol–ethanol (IBE) into diesel significantly improves both the c combustion efficiency and emission performance of internal combustion engines (ICEs). However, the combustion mechanism of IBE–diesel for the numerical studies of engines has not reached maturity. In this study, a skeletal IBE–diesel multi-component mechanism, comprising 157 species and 603 reactions, was constructed using the decoupling method. It was formulated by amalgamating the reduced fuel-related sub-mechanisms derived from diesel surrogates (n-dodecane, iso-cetane, iso-octane, toluene, and decalin) and n-butanol, along with the detailed core sub-mechanisms of C1, C2, C3, CO, and H2. The constructed mechanism is capable of better matching the physical and chemical properties of actual diesel fuel. Extensive validation, including ignition delay, laminar flame speed, a premixed flame species profile, and engine experimental data, confirms the reliability of the mechanism in engine numerical studies. Subsequent investigations reveal that as the IBE blend ratio and EGR rate increase, the ignition delay exhibits an increase, while the combustion duration experiences a decrease. Blending IBE into diesel, along with a specific EGR rate, proves effective in simultaneously reducing NOx and soot emissions.

Experimental study on diesel spray flame and wall heat transfer of two-dimensional combustion chamber: effect of common rail pressure

Reducing the heat transfer occurring during the spray combustion of diesel engines remains a challenging task. This study investigated the spray flame behaviour, wall heat flux, and heat transfer phenomena of diesel engines at varying common rail pressures. A rapid compression and expansion machine (RCEM) was employed to simulate a single cycle of diesel spray combustion using split injection sprays. The two-dimensional (2D) stepped piston cavity is a uniquely shaped model used to describe the spray flame behaviour in the combustion chamber. To investigate the heat transfer phenomena, we installed wall heat flux sensors in the cylinder and cavity side. The results indicated that higher common rail pressures increased the peak value of the wall heat flux and reduced the combustion duration and the luminous flame. The higher common rail pressure led to an increase in spray velocity, thereby enhancing the turbulence level. This increase in turbulence to higher peak value of the wall heat flux. The highest peak value of the wall heat flux was reached by the cylinder head owing to the intense combustion region, followed by the cavity bottom owing to the highest flame temperature occurring around this location. Additionally, the heat transfer phenomena in diesel engines were successfully represented by local Nu-Re correlations. Our results contribute to the discussion on heat transfer phenomena that influence the thermal efficiency of diesel combustion engines.