Air-fuel Ratio Research Articles

Effects of Heat Transfer on Combustion Characteristics in a Cylindrical Vortex Combustor

A vortex flows in micro/meso scale combustors for small-scale power generation play a crucial role in enhancing combustion efficiency and stability. They enhance mixing between fuel and air, promoting better combustion and help stabilize flames by maintaining consistent fuel-air ratios. The temperature are significantly impacts the reactant temperature due to heat conduction wall in Cylindrical Vortex Combustor (CVC). This phenomenon, known as preheating, occurs as the wall transfers heat to the reactants. ANSYS Fluent software is used for conducted a numerical investigation on a CVC. The combustor was characterized by a prescribed mass flow rate of 40 mg/s and an equivalence ratio (j) ranging from 0.5 to 1.5. Our analysis aimed to understand the combustion behavior within this confined geometry, considering factors such as heat loss and temperature behavior. The numerical findings indicate that elevated equivalence ratios correlate with the highest flame temperature in micro-combustion. Specifically, at an equivalence ratio of j=0.5, the flame temperature remains consistently low compared to the higher value of j=1.5. However, when accounting for wall temperature effects, the maximum flame temperature occurs at an equivalence ratio of j=1.3. The heat dissipation region is quite limited, especially at low equivalence ratio. In summary, heat transfer in cylindrical vortex combustors (CVC) contribute to reliable and efficient power generation, making them essential for portable energy systems.

Isolated microgrid frequency stabilization through nonlinear model predictive control of a gas engine generator set

Gas engine generator sets are applied in microgrids due to their capability to provide reliable, responsive and efficient distributed power generation, enhancing grid resilience and enabling the integration of renewable energy sources. This article proposes a methodology for stabilizing the frequency of an isolated microgrid subjected to a measurable disturbance by controlling the power of a premixed turbocharged natural gas engine. Control difficulties of this task include strongly nonlinear dynamics, time delay in the air-fuel path and constrained operating conditions. Conventional control methods like proportional-integral control have difficulties solving these problems, and require extensive tuning efforts and gain scheduling to deliver acceptable performance, prompting adoption of advanced control strategies. The presented approach utilizes a cascaded control architecture with a nonlinear model predictive controller (NMPC) for high level control and engine specific low-level controllers for controlling the intake manifold pressure and air-fuel ratio. The NMPC captures the inherent nonlinear dynamics, accounts for an input delay and handles state-dependent constraints. The cascaded control architecture enables the usage of a comparably simple model for the NMPC design, reducing the computational cost and the parametrization effort. This additionally enables application of the high level controller for different gas engine types and allows design of the controller in a simple simulation environment prior to the experiments on the real engine. Experimental results highlight the NMPC’s ability to control the engine at its physical limits over the entire load range without inducing frequency oscillations using just one parameter set. This emphasizes the robustness of the presented approach, making it a promising solution for real-world applications.

Experimental Analysis of Long-Term Fuel Trim Performance in a Gasoline Engine Under Various Operating Conditions

This paper analyzes the effect of operating conditions on the enrichment of the fuel-air mixture in a car engine due to a decrease in air mass with increasing altitude above sea level. This study focuses on fuel trim, particularly long-term fuel trim, in optimizing the composition of the fuel-air mixture before it enters the engine's combustion chamber. Experimental studies were conducted on the Bishkek–Osh highway in the Kyrgyz Republic, a road characterized by flat, mountainous, and high-altitude sections with complex terrain. Based on the research objectives, experimental results were obtained, and graphs of long-term fuel trim as a percentage of terrain altitude were constructed and analyzed for flat, mountainous, and high-altitude sections of the Bishkek–Osh highway. The study established that fuel trim indicators can be used to analyze changes in the air-fuel mixture's air excess coefficient (λ = 1, stoichiometric ratio). The reduction in long-term fuel trim was observed in flat, mountainous, and high-altitude sections as air density and pressure decreased with increasing altitude above sea level. The results show that with a reduction in long-term fuel trim to -6.25% to -7.81% at altitudes between 1500 and 3000 meters above sea level, the air excess coefficient (λ) drops to 0.92–0.94. At an altitude of 770 meters (flat terrain), λ was measured at 0.97. The difference in λ (0.03–0.05) indicates that an increase in altitude significantly affects the air-fuel ratio (AFR), impacting mixture formation during vehicle operation in mountainous and high-altitude conditions.

Future technological directions for hydrogen internal combustion engines in transport applications

The paper discusses some of the requirements, drivers, and resulting technological paths for manufacturers to develop hydrogen combustion engines for use in two types of market application – on-road heavy- and light-duty. One of the main requirements is legislative certainty, and this has now been afforded – at least in the major market of Europe – by the European Union's recent adoption into law of tailpipe emissions limits specifically designed to encourage the uptake of hydrogen engines in heavy-duty vehicles, giving manufacturers the confidence they need to invest in productionized solutions to offer to customers.It then discusses combustion systems and boosting systems for the two market types, emphasizing that heavy-duty vehicles need best efficiency throughout their operating map while light-duty ones, since they are rarely operated at full load, will mainly primarily need efficiency in the part-load region. This difference will likely cause a divergence in solutions, with heavy-duty engines running very lean everywhere and light-duty ones likely operating at the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, at least for most of the map. The impacts of the strategies on engine systems and vehicle integration are discussed.It is postulated that due to reasons of preignition avoidance and efficiency hydrogen engines will rapidly adopt direct injection and that the long-term heavy-duty types will migrate towards the typical current spark-ignition-type cylinder head architecture where tumble, rather than swirl, will ultimately be needed for air motion in the cylinder for these reasons. They may also adopt active pre-chamber technology to ignite extremely lean mixtures for maximum efficiency and minimum emissions of oxides of nitrogen.It is suggested that light-duty engines will evolve less from their current gasoline architectural norm since they already contain all of the necessary fundamentals for hydrogen combustion. However, since part-load efficiency will be important, some new strategies may become desirable. Developing dual-fuel light-duty engines could accelerate their uptake as the heavy-duty market simultaneously accelerates the creation of the fuel supply infrastructure.The likely technological evolution suggests that variable valve trains, and specifically cam profile switching technology, would be extremely useful for all types of hydrogen engine, especially since they are readily available in different gasoline engines now. New operating strategies afforded by variable valve trains would benefit both heavy- and light-duty engines, and these strategies will become more sophisticated. There will therefore likely be a convergence of technologies for the two markets, albeit with some key differences maintained due to their vehicle applications and their differing operation in the field.

Hydrogen-enriched lean-burn strategy for gasoline direct injection engine utilizing non-thermal plasma fuel reformer

The objective of the task is to sustain and enhance combustion stability at the extension of lean limit of customized Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) Engine with the supplementation of Hydrogen Rich Gas (HRG) and hydrogen. HRG was supplemented from the on board non thermal Plasma Fuel Reformer (PFR) and hydrogen from the bottled storage through integrated gas control device to the GDI engine. The gas constituents of PFR was theoretically arrived from thermodynamic combustion equations to determine energy based fuel proportion in the ternary fuel injection system. Binary fuel mixture of HRG and hydrogen 10%, 18%, 30% of energy based proportion with gasoline were experimented on test engine. The impact of discrete and binary fuel mixture with gasoline at Stoichiometric Fuel Air ratio was observed and extended baseline equivalence ratio until misfire of the ternary fuel air mixture was occurred. Apart from significant improvement of performance the addition gaseous mixture increases oxides of nitrogen marginally. From the perspective it was noticed that combustion products exhibit better heat transfer out of cylinder at the Maximum Brake Torque Timing (MBT). This was attributed to higher combustion temperatures and improved quenching distances which in turn increased thermal efficiency against the specified equivalence ratio. However retarding MBT suppresses oxides of nitrogen and continued to increase thermal efficiency. It was concluded that lightning fast burn speed, fine fuel atomization of 10% mass based hydrogen and HRG 18%combination fraction increase engine thermal efficiency while decreasing NOx emission and alleviate HC trade-off characteristics.

Investigation of bioethanol low-carbon fuel for diesel engines under idling conditions: Combustion, engine performance and emissions

In this study, the low idle operation is defined as the engine running at the lowest engine speed with a few slight loads. Idling is necessary for most vehicles, especially for buses and trucks that frequently travel long distances, as drivers often rest inside the vehicle. However, under idling conditions, weak air flow and low air-fuel ratio result in poor air to fuel mixture, ultimately causing incomplete combustion and the production of more harmful exhaust emissions. Bioethanol, as a low-carbon fuel, has great potential for application in diesel engines due to its unique properties. In this research, the influences of different diesel-bioethanol blends (BE0, BE5, BE10, BE15) on combustion and emissions of a diesel engine were investigated under idle conditions. The main results show that there was no phase separation phenomenon even up to 15% bioethanol was directly blended with diesel by volume. And adding bioethanol to diesel had no significant impact on combustion pressure peak, but it postponed the start of combustion (SOC). Surprisingly, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) and smoke were simultaneously decreased by over 52% and 78% with the intervention of bioethanol, respectively.

Evaluation of Energy Conversion and Distribution on the SI-PFI Engine Fueled by A Gasoline-Bioethanol Blend with AFR Variations

This study aims to investigate the engine performance of spark-ignition engines with port fuel injection using E50 fuel, which contains 50% gasoline or pertalite (in Indonesia) and 50% hydrate bioethanol, at air-fuel ratio variations of 10:1, 12:1, and 14:1. The experiments were conducted using a 1-cylinder, 662 cc engine research test with a constant load of 3 kg and engine speed variations of 1500 and 1800 RPM, as well as a compression ratio of 10:1 and standard ignition timing. The engine ran with E50 fuel, and the experimental results were compared with those of E0 for an air-fuel ratio of 14:1. According to the data, the fuel energy of E50 in an AFR of 14:1 is 0.11 kW higher than that of E0, and it increases by 21.6% when the engine speed increases from 1500 to 1800 RPM. The results also indicate that the efficiency of all performance indicators, such as indicative thermal efficiency, brake thermal efficiency, and mechanical efficiency, is maximized when the engine is operated at an AFR of 10:1 for E50 fuel. Additionally, the volumetric efficiency of E50 reaches its maximum when the fuel is burned at an AFR of 14:1, and it increases as the engine speed increases. However, it should be noted that the brake power decreases due to the frictional power of the fuel increase.

Математична модель камери згоряння газотурбінного двигуна, який працює на етанолі

Ethanol is one of the most promising alternative fuels for Ukraine. To convert existing projects of power and cogeneration plants based on gas turbine engines (GTEs) operating on petroleum products and natural gas to ethanol, as well as for their design and performance calculation, it is necessary to have a mathematical model of the working process of GTE combustor. The object of the study is the working process of the GTE combustor fueling on ethanol. The subject of the study is a mathematical model of the working process of GTE combustor fueling on ethanol. The work aims to improve a mathematical model of the working process of a GTE combustor fueling on ethanol by changing the algorithm for calculation of the fuel air ratio, considering thermal dissociation, and a correctly formulated equivalent chemical reaction path of the combustion process. To achieve the aim, the following tasks were solved: based on the use of experimental values of specific isobaric heat capacities of combustion products, which are a function of temperature and pressure, a mathematical model of the working process of the GTE combustor was improved ("simplified" mathematical model); based on the solution of the system of equations of chemical thermodynamics, a mathematical model of the working process of the GTE combustor was developed ("complex" mathematical model); the results of calculation by "simplified" mathematical model of the working process of the GTE combustor were compared with the "complex" one. The following results were obtained: the difference in the calculation of the combustion products' thermodynamic parameters between the developed mathematical models was less than 1.2% for the three modes of the General Electric CF6-80A engine. Conclusion: the "simplified" mathematical model of the working process of the GTE combustor fueling on ethanol was improved. A feature of the model is the implicit consideration of the effect of thermal dissociation and correctly formulated equivalent chemical reaction path of the combustion process by using experimental values of specific isobaric heat capacities of combustion products. This will improve the accuracy of fuel air ratio calculation and other thermodynamic parameters of GTE combustor mathematical models fueling on ethanol, without significantly complicating the model algorithm.

Hydrogen-fueled PFI SI engine investigation for near-zero NOx emissions in de-throttled and supercharged ultra-lean burn conditions

This study investigates the efficiency and combustion characteristics of a hydrogen port fuel injection (PFI) spark ignition (SI) engine under various load levels, excess air ratios and intake pressures. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder research engine to evaluate the effects of throttle opening and supercharging on pumping work and combustion parameters. The key findings indicate that abnormal combustion events are more closely related to the relative air-fuel ratio (λ) than to load, further limiting load increases during de-throttled operation. Additionally, combustion variability compromised mixture enleanment in both naturally aspirated and supercharged conditions. The gross indicated efficiency was approximately 40.7% across the range of 2.2 < λ < 3.5 with minimal variation. Efficiency gains were linked to reduced heat transfer losses in lean conditions, as validated by computational heat transfer, thermodynamic and fluid dynamic models on Gamma Technologies GT-ISE software. Moreover, nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were nearly zero for all test conditions when λ was above 2.2. These findings provide crucial insights into optimizing hydrogen engine performance under various intake pressures, highlighting the potential for achieving high efficiency and low emissions.

A novel valve strategy for particulate matter reduction in a gasoline direct injection engine operated at cold conditions

In this study, we proposed a novel intake strategy to reduce Particulate matter (PM) emissions from gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines during cold-start conditions emissions. This strategy is characterized by generating strong intake turbulence and low in-cylinder pressure during fuel injection through delayed intake valve opening, which theoretically promotes fuel atomization and fuel-air mixture, thereby suppressing PM formation during combustion. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder GDI research engine, operating at 1500 rpm, 3, 6, and 8 bar IMEP, and stoichiometric air-fuel ratio conditions with low coolant and lubricant temperatures to experimentally demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed valve strategy in reducing PM emissions. Benchmark tests were performed using an intake camshaft with intake valve opening (IVO) at −13 °aTDC and intake valve closing (IVC) at 227 °aTDC. The novel strategy uses an intake camshaft with very late IVO at 66 °aTDC and IVC at 226 °aTDC. Two injection pressures (Pinj = 100/200 bar) were used to evaluate the pressure requirement for achieving low PM emissions with both strategies. Start of injection was swept and optimized to match the valve strategy. The results showed that the novel valve strategy leads to a 50%–90% reduction in particle number and mass emissions in cold-start conditions, and a lower injection pressure requirement to achieve comparable particle number and mass emissions compared with the normal one. For the novel valve strategy, the fuel impingement with early injection timings is largely mitigated, and thus an early injection timing shortly before the IVO is recommended.

Experimental study on spray ignition and blow out performances in a centrally staged annular combustor: Low pressure conditions

The ignition and flame propagation process within the centrally staged annular combustor is considerably intricate, particularly under low pressure conditions. Experiments with kerosene as fuel were conducted under varying pressures ranging from 30 to 90 kPa. A high-speed camera was employed to capture images of the ignition process. The experiments illustrate that the fuel–air ratio at the ignition boundary initially decreases and then increases with increasing pressure drop at different inlet pressures. The ratio increases as the pressure decreases at a constant pressure drop, exhibiting a more pronounced effect, particularly at lower pressures. The flame propagation time of annular combustion is shortened by the increase in the fuel–air ratio. Moreover, an increase in pressure drop enhances flame propagation speed and reduces flame propagation time. Under identical working conditions and parameters, lower inlet pressures result in longer flame propagation time. Additionally, asymmetry is observed in circumferential flame propagation within the annular combustor. Since the swirl flow direction exhibits faster propagation speeds, the ratio of propagation speeds remains nearly constant across different directions. Furthermore, distinct flame propagation paths are identified in various directions. Three different flame propagation patterns were observed, including “archlike-axial,” “entrainment-rotation,” and “sweep-transverse.” Fuel–air ratio and pressure drop serve as primary parameters governing flame propagation patterns. The flame propagation pattern exhibits similarities to that of atmospheric conditions, with the exception of the inhibition observed in the entrainment-rotation pattern. Notably, compared to the ignition between two adjacent burners, ignition in the middle of a certain burner shows a higher probability of successful ignition.

Experimental and simulation study on lean combustion characteristics of passive pre-combustion chamber ignition boosted GDI engine

In order to verify the potential application of passive pre-combustion chamber technology in commercial GDI engines, the efficiency characteristics, combustion characteristics (CA50, Knock Index and COV) and emission characteristics of a pre-combustion chamber ignition engine in a boosted environment were studied by three-stage injection strategy to form a lean burn environment (λ = 1.3). A 3D simulation model of pre-combustion chamber ignition engine is established. Combined with the engine bench test results, the process of intake, mixture formation, combustion and emission generation under different working conditions is simulated by simulation method. The development process of TKE (turbulent kinetic energy), air-fuel ratio, temperature and combustion emissions in the main/pre-combustor is studied. It is found that under high load conditions in boosted pre-combustion chamber engine, the average knock index can be controlled between 2 and 3.4 bar, and the COV can be controlled between 3% and 3.5%. The indicated thermal efficiency reaches over 40% within the load range of IMEP from 10 to 14 bar. When the load increases, NOx and soot emissions show a downward trend, the HC and CO emissions slight increase. The pre-combustion chamber engine exhibits a tumble intake pattern around the cylinder axis perpendicular to the cylinder axis. The TKE reaches its maximum value 20 CAD before the top dead center and then rapidly decreases. The use of a three-injection strategy can form a uniform stratified mixture at the ignition moment. The fuel air equivalence ratio in the ignition area of the pre-combustion chamber is 0.8–0.9, slightly higher than the average fuel air equivalence ratio of 0.75.

Improving used Lubricant Oil Burner Performance: Effect of Swirled Flow of Internally Distributor Type on the Combustion and Flue Gas Temperature and Emission

This study aimed to experimentally investigate the combustion characteristics of used lubricant oil (ULO). A simple cylindrical burner of the natural draft vaporizing type, equipped with an internal air distributor, was designed and fabricated to achieve this objective. The burner’s efficiency was evaluated based on combustion temperature, flue gas temperature, and concentration levels. The key feature of this burner lies in the swirled flow of air combustion and ULO vapor within the combustion chamber, facilitated by the swirled flow air distributor type. Various air-fuel ratios (ϕ), ranging from 0.5 to 4, were considered in characterizing the burner’s performance. The results revealed increased combustion and flue gas temperatures in the radial airflow types. The highest temperatures achieved using the radial flow type are 930 oC and 410 oC for combustion and exhaust gas temperature, respectively. In contrast, the combustion chamber and exhaust gas temperatures are 980 oC and 465 oC for the swirled flow type, respectively. It was found that there is a decrease in the emission of CO and CO2 by volume under optimum conditions. This decrement was attributed to the swirled flow effects, which promoted a better mixture of air combustion and ULO vapor during combustion.

THERMOELECTRIC TEC UNTUK MEMBANTU MENINGKATKAN MASSA OKSIGEN PADA PROSES PEMBAKARAN MOTOR BAKAR

This research was conducted to determine the effect of TEC or air cooling on the torque produced on a 110 cc motorbike. The TEC is connected to the intake manifold using a hose and the exhaust gas is connected to a gas sensor to see the Air Fuel Ratio AFR. This research shows the same results as the theory that decreasing air temperature can fertilize the fuel mixture, which is proven by a decrease in AFR of around 4.8% and this occurs The increase in power at 5600 rpm is 6.8 HP, around 1.8 HP higher than not using TEC.

Artificial neural network based forecasting of diesel engine performance and emissions utilizing waste cooking biodiesel

Ecological and environmental problems resulting from fossil fuels are due to the harmful emissions released into the atmosphere. The rising interest in searching for alternative fuels like biodiesel is growing to solve these problems. Waste cooking oil (WCO) is transformed into methyl ester and combined with biodiesel in percentages of 25, 50, 75, and 100%. Research is done on the impacts of methyl ester blends on engine performance and emissions. Compared to diesel, the methyl ester combination showed 25% lower brake power and 24% loss in thermal efficiency at maximum load and 1500 rpm. However, diesel fuel showed 23% lower specific fuel consumption increase than biodiesel. Compared to diesel, methyl ester exhibits 15% lower air-fuel ratio and 4% volumetric efficiency. Biodiesel lowers CO, HC, and smoke concentrations by 12, 44, and 48%, respectively, compared to diesel. Biodiesel emits 23% higher NOx at 1500 rpm and 100% engine load. To predict the emissions and performance of different percentages of biodiesel at engine speed variation, an artificial neural network (ANN) model is presented. ANN modeling minimizes labor, time, and finances and uses nonlinear data. Predictions were produced about the brake output power, specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, air-fuel ratio, volumetric efficiency, and emissions of smoke, CO, HC, and NOx as a function of engine speed and blend ratio. All correlation coefficients (r) over 0.99 and R2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$R^{2}$$\\end{document} values were beyond 0.98 for all variables. There were low values of MSE, MAPE, and MSLE with significant predictive ability. WCO’s biodiesel is a viable diesel engine replacement fuel.

A real-time temperature field prediction method for steel rolling heating furnaces based on graph neural networks

In the billet reheating process during steel rolling, the real-time and accurate prediction of the temperature field is a prerequisite for the dynamic regulation of the heating process, which is crucial for ensuring the quality of billet reheating and reducing the energy consumption of the reheating furnace. The most commonly used finite element thermal field simulation and analysis methods are unable to meet the demand for real-time prediction under dynamic working conditions. Furthermore, traditional machine learning methods struggle to handle irregular data that includes spatial location information, resulting in inaccurate temperature field predictions, which in turn affect the furnace control efficiency and the quality of the product. In light of these limitations, this study proposes a Graph Neural Network (GNN)-based temperature field prediction method for steel rolling reheating furnaces. This method considers the interactions between the nodes within the reheating furnace and constructs a temperature field topology graph to effectively capture these interactions, including heat conduction and convection. Additionally, in the feature fusion and state updating mechanism of the model, we introduce process parameters, such as the air-fuel ratio, as additional inputs to enhance the ability of the GNN to handle complex variables. This enables real-time accurate simulation of the internal temperature distribution of the reheating furnace. The experimental results demonstrate that the model prediction error is controlled within 2.9 % and the response time is maintained within 20 ms, thereby validating the reliability and efficacy of the method in practical applications.

Influence of variable enhanced LIVC miller cycle coupled with high compression ratio on the performance and combustion of a supercharged spark ignition engine

A novel variable enhanced late intake valve closing (LIVC) Miller cycle with asynchronous valve opening was proposed. Relevant tests were carried out in a supercharged spark ignition (SI) engine with high compression ratio, which mainly included the effects of variable valve timing on performance and combustion characteristics, as well as the comparison with the baseline engine. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of different intake and exhaust opening timing on the performance and combustion characteristics of the enhanced LIVC Miller cycle with asynchronous valve opening, and further explore the energy saving potential of this Miller cycle. The results showed that the application of variable enhanced Miller cycle effectively improved the anti-knock ability and pumping loss of the engine with high compression ratio. On the one hand, the optimization of pumping loss substantially improved the fuel economy under small load conditions. On the other hand, better combustion performance and air-fuel ratio could be achieved at medium and high loads. Meanwhile, the exhaust valve should be opened as earlier as possible to achieve the best fuel economy. Correspondingly, under optimal valve timing, compared with the baseline engine, the asynchronous intake valve opening variable enhanced Miller cycle engine with high compression ratio had a fuel economy optimization of more than 3.5 % under all loads, and the maximum fuel economy optimization was 12.74 % under the condition of 11 bar.

Effect of Fuel Injection Parameters on Engine Performance in A Conventional Single Cylinder Spark Ignition Engine

In this study, a 1D model was created using the Ricardo-Wave program for a single-cylinder, spark ignition, four-stroke, direct injection engine with a stroke volume of 398 cc. Air-fuel ratio (AFR), mixture temperature (MT), and start of injection (SOI) were used as fuel injection parameters. Using these parameters, 343 different cases were created. Brake power, thermal efficiency, and fuel consumption were used as engine performance parameters. By holding one injection parameter constant, a contour plot was created to examine the effect of the other two parameters on the engine performance parameter. According to the results, the effect of MT and SOI on brake power is 1%, the effect of AFR on brake power is 9.6%, the effect of MT and SOI on thermal efficiency is 1%, and the effect of AFR on thermal efficiency is 12.8%. The effect of MT and SOI on fuel consumption is 0.04%, the effect of AFR on fuel consumption is 22.9%, and the effect of AFR on brake specific fuel consumption is 22.9%. These results indicate that the most significant effect is provided by AFR, while MT and SOI also have a slight impact on engine performance.

Impact of cylinder deactivation on fuel efficiency in off-road heavy-duty diesel engines during high engine speed operation

Off-road heavy-duty diesel engines are equipped with complex aftertreatment systems to meet the stringent EPA Tier 4 emission standards. Traditionally, the thermal management of the aftertreatment system, aimed at efficiently reducing tailpipe emissions, involves controlling engine exhaust flow and temperature. However, this approach often leads to inefficient engine operation, especially in the low to mid-load regions, resulting in higher fuel consumption. Prior studies have highlighted the potential of cylinder deactivation (CDA) in reducing fuel consumption and increasing the exhaust temperature for thermal management in on-road applications. As the significance of controlling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from off-road machinery comes into focus, this study aims to experimentally demonstrate the fuel efficiency benefits and efficient aftertreatment thermal management achieved through CDA during high-speed operation on a Tier 4 level off-road heavy-duty diesel engine. In a typical off-road duty cycle, such as Non-Road Transient Cycle (NRTC), about 82.5% of cycle’s energy is produced in the engine speed range of 1750–2200 rpm, prompting investigation into the impact of CDA during high-speed operations. CDA results in airflow reductions and increased exhaust gas temperatures due to lower air–fuel ratio (AFR). The reduced airflow operation minimizes pumping work, allowing for higher open cycle efficiency, and thereby translating into lower fuel consumption. The study reveals a new finding: fuel benefits from CDA extend over a larger load range (up to 8.3 bar BMEP) during high-speed operation in off-road heavy-duty engines compared to findings in on-road heavy-duty engines. This phenomenon can be attributed to sufficient oxygen inducted during CDA operation, resulting from similar turbocharger speeds compared to all-cylinder firing operation, especially at high-loads, thereby maintaining particulate matter (PM) concentration within prescribed constraints. Steady-state test results demonstrate a reduction in fuel consumption from 33.7% at 0.4 bar to 1.4% at 8.3 bar BMEP, at 2100 rpm engine speed.

Data-driven models for the prediction of H2 generation through chemical reaction and performance evaluation of on-board hydrogen fuelled sintering tube furnace

Hydrogen is emerging as a sustainable fuel for the future. In this present work, data-driven modelling tools viz. Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) and Least Square Fit (LSF) method, are employed to determine the rate of production of H2 gas by the chemical reaction between aluminium and water in the presence of aq. NaOH. Reactions are carried out at NaOH concentrations of 1M–5M, water temperatures 303K–333K. Hydrogen gas obtained at 333K/4M is found to have a yield of ⁓88 % of the theoretical yield. The activation energy of the reaction is found to be 57.62 kJ mol−1. The fitted models are validated with experimental results for two unknown conditions. The correlation coefficient obtained for the RBFNN model is 0.999, which indicates the high reliability of the model. On-board production of H2 gas by the chemical reaction was used for heating a sintering tube furnace. The hot products of the combustion of hydrogen and air at various fuel-air ratios were used to heat the sintering tube furnace. The maximum thermal efficiency obtained for the furnace is 76.22 % at a fuel-air ratio of 1:60 corresponds to a fuel-air equivalent ratio (λ) of 0.57.