Lean Operating Limit Research Articles

Precombustion Chamber Design for Emissions Reduction From Large Bore NG Engines

Precombustion chambers (PCCs) are an ignition technology for large bore, natural gas engines, which can extend the lean operating limit through improved combustion stability. Previous research indicates that the PCC is responsible for a significant portion of engine-out emissions, especially near the lean limit of engine operation. In this work, six concept PCC designs are developed with the objective of reducing engine-out emissions, focusing on oxides of nitrogen (NOx). The design variables include chamber geometry, chamber volume, fuel delivery, nozzle geometry, and material thermal conductivity. The concepts are tested on a single cylinder of a large bore, two-stroke cycle, lean burn, natural gas compressor engine, and the results are compared with stock PCC performance. The pollutants of interest include NOx, carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The results indicate that PCC volume has the largest effect on the overall NOx–CO tradeoff. Multiple nozzles and electronic PCC fuel control were found to enhance main chamber combustion stability, particularly at partial load conditions. The PCC influence on VOCs was insignificant; rather, VOCs were found to be heavily dependent on fuel composition.

Extension of the lean limit through hydrogen enrichment of a LFG-fueled spark-ignition engine and emissions reduction

In this experimental investigation the affect of hydrogen addition to a landfill gas-fueled naturally-aspirated spark-ignition engine was explored. Hydrogen concentrations of 0%, 30%, 40%, and 50% by volume were added to simulated landfill gas (60% CH 4 and 40% CO 2). Efficiency, coefficient of variance of indicated mean effective pressure, and CO emissions were measured from near stoichiometric mixtures up to the lean operating limit. Engine-out NOx emissions were compared to predicted future best available control technology targets for NOx emissions in landfill gas-to-energy projects. From this study, it was determined that with 40% hydrogen by volume untreated exhaust NOx emissions can meet the 0.22 g/kWh NOx target while retaining 95% of baseline power and low CO emissions.

Extending the Lean Limit of Natural-Gas Engines

Two different methods to improve the thermal efficiency and reduce the emissions from lean-burn natural-gas fueled engines have been developed and are described in this paper. One method used a “squish-jet” combustion chamber designed specifically to enhance turbulence generation, while the second method provided a partially stratified-charge mixture near the spark plug in order to enhance the ignition of lean mixtures of natural gas and air. The squish-jet combustion chamber was found to reduce brake specific fuel consumption by up to 4.8% in a Ricardo Hydra engine, while the NOx efficiency trade-off was greatly improved in a Cummins L-10 engine. The partially stratified-charge combustion system extended the lean limit of operation in the Ricardo Hydra by some 10%, resulting in a 64% reduction in NOx emissions at the lean limit of operation. Both techniques were also shown to be effective in increasing the stability of combustion, thereby reducing cyclic variations in cylinder pressure.

The Lean Mixture Operational Limits of a Spark Ignition Engine When Operated on Fuel Mixtures

The operation of spark ignition (SI) engines on lean mixtures is attractive, in principle, since it can provide improved fuel economy, reduced tendency to knock, and extremely low NOx emissions. However, the associated flame propagation rates become degraded significantly and drop sharply as the operating mixture is made increasingly leaner. Consequently, there exist distinct operational lean mixture limits beyond which satisfactory engine performance cannot be maintained due to the resulting prolonged and unstable combustion processes. This paper presents experimental data obtained in a single cylinder, variable compression ratio, SI engine when operated in turn on methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, gasoline, iso-octane, and some of their binary mixtures. A quantitative approach for determining the operational limits of SI engines is proposed. The lean limits thus derived are compared and validated against the corresponding experimental results obtained using more traditional approaches. On this basis, the dependence of the values of the lean mixture operational limits on the composition of the fuel mixtures is investigated and discussed. The operational limit for throttled operation with methane as the fuel is also established.

Study of cycle-by-cycle variations of a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas–hydrogen blends

Cycle-by-cycle variations of a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas–hydrogen blends with hydrogen volumetric fraction of 0%, 12%, 23%, 30% and 40% were studied. The effect of hydrogen addition on cycle-by-cycle variations of the natural gas engine was analyzed. The results showed that the peak cylinder pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise and the indicated mean effective pressure increased and their corresponding cycle-by-cycle variations decreased with the increase of hydrogen fraction at lean mixture operation. The interdependency between the combustion parameters and the corresponding crank angle tended to be strongly correlated with the increase of hydrogen fraction under lean mixture operation. Coefficient of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure gave a low level and is slightly influenced by hydrogen addition under the stoichiometric and relatively rich mixture operation while it decreased remarkably with the increase of hydrogen fraction under the lean mixture operation. The excessive air ratio at CoV imep = 10% extended to the leaner mixture side with the increase of hydrogen fraction and this indicated that the engine lean operating limit could be extended with hydrogen addition.

An Imaging Study of Compression Ignition Phenomena of Iso-Octane, Indolene, and Gasoline Fuels in a Single-Cylinder Research Engine

High-speed imaging combined with the optical access provided by a research engine offer the ability to directly image and compare ignition and combustion phenomena of various fuels. Such data provide valuable insight into the physical and chemical mechanisms important in each system. In this study, crank-angle resolved imaging data were used to investigate homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) operation of a single-cylinder four-valve optical engine fueled using gasoline, indolene, and iso-octane. Lean operating limits were the focus of the study with the primary objective of identifying different modes of reaction front initiation and propagation for each fuel. HCCI combustion was initiated and maintained over a range of lean conditions for various fuels, from ϕ=0.69 to 0.27. The time-resolved imaging and pressure data show that high rates of heat release in HCCI combustion correlate temporally to simultaneous, intense volumetric blue emission. Lower rates of heat release are characteristic of spatially resolved blue emission. Gasoline supported leaner HCCI operation than indolene. Iso-octane showed a dramatic transition into misfire. Similar regions of preferential ignition were identified for each of the fuels considered using the imaging data.

Prechamber NO x formation in low BMEP 2-stroke cycle natural gas engines

Precombustion chambers (PCCs) are an ignition technology for large bore, natural gas engines enabling increased combustion stability while extending the lean limit of operation. A PCC is a small chamber, typically 1–2% of the clearance volume, in which a near-stoichiometric mixture of fuel and air is ignited by a standard spark plug. After the mixture in the PCC is ignited, its pressure rises and expels a flame jet of hot gas mixture into the main chamber. The amount of energy a typical PCC produces is roughly one million times that of a conventional spark plug. In this work the role that the PCC plays in the formation of oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) is investigated. Previous research indicates that the PCC is responsible for a significant part of engine-out NO x , especially near the lean limit of engine operation. Experimental results are presented from a large bore lean-burn 2-stroke cycle engine. The data shows that the PCC is responsible for a significant part of engine-out NO x emissions. However, the PCC NO x does not form in the PCC. Rather it forms within the gas jet after it penetrates into the main chamber combustion gases.

Study on the extension of lean operation limit through hydrogen enrichment in a natural gas spark-ignition engine

An experimental study aimed at investigating the extension of lean operation limit through hydrogen addition in a SI engine was conducted on a six-cylinder throttle body injection natural gas engine. Four levels of hydrogen enhancement were used for comparison purposes: 0%, 10%, 30% and 50% by volume. The effects of various engine operating conditions on engine's lean burn capability were also examined. Test results were then analyzed from a combustion point of view. The results show that engine's lean operation limit could be extended through adding hydrogen and increasing load level (intake manifold pressure). Effect of engine speed on lean operation limit is smaller. At low load level increase in engine speed is beneficial to extending lean operation limit but this is not true at high load level. The effects of engine speed are even weaker when the engine is switched to hydrogen enriched fuelling. Spark timing also influences on lean operation limit and both over-retarded and over-advanced spark timing are not advisable. It is also observed there existed a limiting value imposed on spark-90% MFB burn duration if lean operation limit is not to be exceeded and interestingly, this limiting value was independent on hydrogen enhancement level and engine operating conditions examined in this study.

Investigation on the effect of concentration of methane in biogas when used as a fuel for a spark ignition engine

The influence of reduction in the concentration of CO 2 in biogas on performance, emissions and combustion in a constant speed spark ignition (SI) engine was studied experimentally. A lime water scrubber was used to lower carbon dioxide (CO 2) levels from 41% in biogas to 30% and 20%. The tests covered the range of equivalence ratios from rich to the lean operating limit at a constant speed of 1500 rpm and at compression ratio of 13:1 with a masked valve to enhance swirl. With a reduction in the CO 2 level there was a significant improvement in the performance and reduction in emissions of hydrocarbons (HC) particularly with lean mixtures. The lean limit of combustion also gets extended. Heat release rates indicated enhanced combustion rates, which are mainly responsible for the improvement in thermal efficiency. A reduction in the CO 2 level by 10% seemed to be sufficient for reducing HC levels and the NO levels were also not significantly raised. The spark timings were to be retarded by about 5° when the CO 2 concentration was decreased by 10%.

Experimental study on thermal efficiency and emission characteristics of a lean burn hydrogen enriched natural gas engine

In order to analyze the effect of hydrogen addition on natural gas (NG) engine's thermal efficiency and emission, an experimental research was conducted on a spark ignition NG engine using variable composition hydrogen/CNG mixtures (HCNG). The results showed that hydrogen enrichment could significantly extend the lean operation limit, improve the engine's lean burn ability, and decrease burn duration. However, nitrogen oxides ( NO x ) were found to increase with hydrogen addition if spark timing was not optimized according to hydrogen's high burn speed. Also found when spark timing was set at constant was that hydrogen addition actually increases heat transfer out of the cylinder due to smaller quenching distance and higher combustion temperature, thus is not good to improve thermal efficiency if combined with the effect of non-ideal spark timing. But if spark timing was retarded to MBT, taking advantage of hydrogen's high burn speed, NO x emissions exhibited no obvious increase after hydrogen addition and engine thermal efficiency increased with the increase of hydrogen fraction. Unburned hydrocarbon always decreased with the increase of hydrogen fraction.

Experimental Investigation of the Knock and Combustion Characteristics of CH4, H2, CO, and Some of Their Mixtures

Experimental data obtained in a single-cylinder, variable compression ratio, spark ignition (SI), cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine when operating on CH4, H2, CO, simulated reforming product gas (2H2 + CO), and some of their mixtures are presented. The dependence of the value of some key operational and combustion variables, including the knock and lean operational limits, combustion duration, and exhaust emission on fuel composition, is investigated. The significant effect of the presence of H-bearing species such as CH4, H2, or H2O on the combustion and knock characteristics of dry CO is also highlighted. Guidelines as to the suitability of these fuels for SI engine applications are provided.

Spark-ignition engine performance with ‘Powergas’ fuel (mixture of CO/H 2): A comparison with gasoline and natural gas

Results are presented of tests from a variable compression ratio Ricardo E6 single-cylinder spark-ignition (SI) engine operating on ‘Powergas’—a synthetic fuel consisting mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The tests cover a range of air/fuel ratios from rich to the lean operating limit at different speeds and two different compression ratios. Measured results are given for brake torque, brake specific fuel consumption and the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) and total unburnt hydro-carbon (THC) emissions in the exhaust gases. Experimental results indicate that ‘Powergas’ produces about 20 and 30% lower engine power output than natural gas (NG) and gasoline fuelling respectively under similar operating conditions. For ‘Powergas’, concentrations of THC and CO in the exhaust were negligible, but carbon dioxide (CO 2) and NO x were found to be higher compared to other fuels. The engine simulation program ISIS has been used to simulate some of the exhaust emissions and the results show agreement with the experimental values and help explain the experimental results.

The Operational Mixture Limits in Engines Fueled With Alternative Gaseous Fuels

The operation of engines whether spark ignition or compression ignition on a wide range of alternative gaseous fuels when using lean mixtures can offer in principle distinct advantages. These include better economy, reduced emissions, and improved engine operational life. However, there are distinct operational mixture limits below which acceptable steady engine performance cannot be sustained. These mixture limits are usually described as the “lean operational limits,” or loosely as the ignition limits which are a function of various operational and design parameters for the engine and fuel used. Relatively simple approximate procedures are described for predicting the operational mixture limits for both spark ignition and dual fuel compression ignition engines when using a range of common gaseous fuels such as natural gas/methane, propane, hydrogen, and some of their mixtures. It is shown that good agreement between predicted and corresponding experimental values can be obtained for a range of operating conditions for both types of engines.

Cyclic variations on LPG and gasoline-fuelled lean burn SI engine

Lean operation is an attractive operational condition; it is known as one of the methods to increase thermal efficiency, and to decrease exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. However, as the mixture leans, cyclic variations increase. Cyclic variations are usually attributed to the result of random fluctuations, excess air ratio and flow field due to the turbulent nature of the flow in the cylinder that limits the range of operating conditions of the spark ignition engine. Gaseous fuels as clean, economical and abundant fuels can improve the lean operating limits and decrease the cyclic variations. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to investigate the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a fuel for spark ignition engine in terms of lean operation, and focuses on the cyclic variations and exhaust emissions. The results of this study showed that use of LPG decreased the coefficient of variation in the indicated mean effective pressure, and emission.

The relative effects of fuel concentration, residual-gas fraction, gas motion, spark energy and heat losses to the electrodes on flame-kernel development in a lean-burn spark ignition engine

The potential of lean combustion for the reduction in exhaust emissions and fuel consumption in spark ignition engines has long been established. However, the operating range of lean-burn spark ignition engines is limited by the level of cyclic variability in the early-flame development stage that typically corresponds to the 0-5 per cent mass fraction burned duration. In the current study, the cyclic variations in early flame development were investigated in an optical stratified-charge spark ignition engine at conditions close to stoichiometry [air-to-fuel ratio (A = 15] and to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F = 22). Flame images were acquired through either a pentroof window (‘tumble plane’ of view) or the piston crown (‘swirl plane’ of view) and these were processed to calculate the intra-cycle flame-kernel radius evolution. In order to quantify the relative effects of local fuel concentration, gas motion, spark-energy release and heat losses to the electrodes on the flame-kernel growth rate, a zero-dimensional flame-kernel growth model, in conjunction with a one-dimensional spark ignition model, was employed. Comparison of the calculated flame-radius evolutions with the experimental data suggested that a variation in A/F around the spark plug of Φ(A/F) ≈ 4 or, in terms of equivalence ratio Φ, a variation in Φ ≈ 0.15 at most was large enough to account for 100 per cent of the observed cyclic variability in flame-kernel radius. A variation in the residual-gas fraction of about 20 per cent around the mean was found to account for up to 30 per cent of the variability in flame-kernel radius at the timing of 5 per cent mass fraction burned. The individual effect of 20 per cent variations in the ‘mean’ in-cylinder velocity at the spark plug at ignition timing was found to account for no more than 20 per cent of the measured cyclic variability in flame kernel radius. An individual effect of similar level was attributed to the heat losses to the electrodes, and a much lower effect than that, namely 5-10 per cent at most, could be attributed to cyclic variations in spark-energy release traces. Even when the variations in mean velocity were coupled to both the effects of heat losses to the electrodes and spark-energy release variations, the combined effect was found to account for no more than 40-50 per cent of the observed cyclic variability in flame-kernel radius at the 5 per cent mass-fraction burned timing of 40 ° crank angle after ignition timing.

Improving emissions and performance characteristics of lean burn natural gas engines through partial stratification

A partially stratified charge (PSC) engine concept has been developed to improve the combustion process in a spark ignition engine fuelled by natural gas, operating at lean air-fuel ratios. In general, this technique is effective at increasing fuel conversion efficiency and brake mean effective pressure at relative air-fuel ratios greater than λ = 1.5. Preliminary testing at 2500r/min showed that PSC reduced combustion duration by almost 10 per cent at a given air-fuel ratio. It was also effective in extending the lean limit of engine operation, which meant that the engine could be run at lower loads without throttling. PSC technology provides an alternative method of load control to throttling, and hence reduces associated pumping losses. Further investigation was conducted at 1500 r/min and a lean air-fuel ratio of λ = 1.65. PSC was found to significantly improve engine performance when compared with homogeneous charge operation at the same air-fuel ratio. The optimized data were compared to simple throttled and lean baseline data and a dramatic reduction in NOx emissions was observed, with little efficiency penalty. These initial results demonstrate that the lean-burn, partially stratified charge strategy is a viable means of engine control, and has significant performance and emissions benefits.

The nature of early flame development in a lean-burn stratified-charge spark-ignition engine

The operating range of lean-burn SI engines is limited by the level of cycle-by-cycle variability in the early flame development, which typically corresponds to the 0–5% mass fraction burned. An experimental investigation was undertaken to study this flame variability in an optical, stratified-charge, SI engine close to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F=22). Double-exposed flame images acquired through either a pentroof window (“tumble plane” of view) or the piston crown (“swirl plane” of view) were processed to calculate the intra-cycle flame growth and convection rates under 1500 RPM low-load conditions. Projected flame-boundary analysis was also performed to investigate the effect of flame shape/wrinkling on the subsequent timing of 5% mass fraction burned on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The images showed that the flame always preserved its shape while growing in size (even when it had been initiated with a highly convoluted shape); image processing demonstrated the manner with which the flame-growth speed varied as the flame propagated and approached the pentroof and piston-crown walls for slow, “typical” or fast burning cycles. It was found that it was beneficial to have a high convection velocity in the swirl plane of flow during the first 10° CA after ignition timing (corresponding to less than 0.1% mass fraction burned), but after this stage it was beneficial to have a moderate convection velocity for the flame. However, on the tumble plane of flow, a high convection velocity was preferable up to 30° CA after ignition timing (corresponding, typically, to 1% mass fraction burned). Slow development of a flame was associated with higher stretch rates for the same flame radius than fast-developing flames during the period of growth from 3 to 6 mm in radius (about 0.1–1% mass fraction burned). Extended analysis of the projected flame front's shape and its wrinkling showed that the fastest lean-condition flames had contour characteristics similar to those of the flames recorded for stoichiometric conditions. This suggested that the fastest lean flames on a cycle-by-cycle basis might have been richer than the average in the vicinity of the spark plug at ignition.

An examination of the flame spread limits in a dual fuel engine

The performance of a gas-fuelled diesel engine (dual fuel) is examined at light load and an effective threshold limit to the combustion of the gaseous fuel through bulk flame spread is identified. The relationship of such a limit to some of the key operating parameters is then discussed. A comparison between the measured values of the limit with those corresponding to the lower flammability limits of the gaseous fuel when evaluated under the prevailing cylinder conditions during pilot diesel fuel ignition showed similar trends. It is suggested that such a similarity may form a basis for estimating the lean operational limits for dual fuel combustion in engines. A simple approach for estimating the limiting equivalence ratio for the apparent bulk flame spread limit is described for a methane-fuelled dual fuel engine.

Effects of Piston Design and Inlet Gas flow on the Performance and Exhaust Emissions in a Natural Gas Fueled Spark Ignition Engine.

An experimental study was made on a natural gas fueled spark ignition engine to improve its thermal efficiency and exhaust emissions by the lean burn operation. A multi-cylinder engine was tested for purposes of practical application. Investigated were the effects of the piston design and the gas motion induced by a shrouded inlet valve on the combustion process, the thermal efficiency, exhaust emissions and the lean limit of stable operation. It was found that a bowl-in-piston resulted in higher thermal efficiency and extended lean limit as compared with a flat piston. A shrouded inlet valve generally resulted in shorter duration of combustion, lower NOx emissions and lower thermal efficiency than a conventional valve. When a shrouded inlet valve was set so as to direct the mixture flow toward the prechamber throat, the lean limit was extended with low exhaust emissions and relatively high thermal efficiency.

Assessment of simulated biogas as a fuel for the spark ignition engine

Results are presented of tests with a variable compression ratio Ricardo E6 single-cylinder spark-ignition engine operating on simulated biogas formed from different mixtures of domestic natural gas and carbon dioxide. The fraction of carbon dioxide in the simulated biogas was changed from 0 to about 40% by volume to cover the range typically encountered in sources of biogas in practice. The tests covered a range of air:fuel ratios from rich to the lean operating limit at four speeds and a number of compression ratios. Measured results are given for power, exhaust temperature, thermal efficiency and the mole fractions of the regulated emissions carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NO x ) and total unburnt hydro-carbon (HC) in the exhaust gases. Experimental results indicate that the presence of carbon dioxide can improve NO x emissions, but since lower cylinder pressures result, engine power and thermal efficiency are reduced and the level of unburnt HC is increased. Measured data, however, suggest that it is possible to significantly increase the compression ratio as an effective means of improving biogas-fuelled engine performance when CO 2 is present. While this would normally raise the emissions of both NO x and HC, the former is offset by the CO 2 content of the biogas.