Low Temperature Combustion Mode Research Articles

A relative comparison of HCCI, PCCI, and RCCI combustion strategies: an alternative fuels perspective

Low temperature combustion (LTC) strategies have the potential for simultaneous reduction in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and soot emissions while achieving higher thermal efficiency. Commercial widespread implementation of LTC strategies demands addressing several challenges, including narrow operating load range, lack of ignition timing control, and reducing high unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. These challenges could be because the conventional engine design and fuels cannot adapt well to LTC modes. Thus, replacing conventional diesel fuel with suitable alternative fuels for LTC strategies is essential. In the present work, three LTC strategies, Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI), and Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI), are compared with conventional diesel combustion in a production, light-duty diesel engine from an alternative fuel perspective to come up with a befitting strategy and fuel to achieve wider operating range and lower emissions. The fuel selection strategy based on the fundamental fuel property requirements of the three LTC strategies has been discussed in detail. The baseline reference data is fixed by comparing three LTC strategies with conventional diesel combustion using diesel and gasoline as reference fuel at 40% load, the maximum common achievable load among the three LTC strategies. This is followed by an investigation of the effect of alternative fuels across three LTC strategies to address the shortcomings of the LTC strategies. The results show that the engine operating load range could be extended, and HC and CO emissions are reduced significantly with alternative fuels in the three LTC strategies.

An Experimental Study of Operating Range, Combustion and Emission Characteristics in an RCCI Engine Fueled with Iso-Propanol/n-Heptane

Recently, studies have been carried out using environmentally sustainable technologies with more efficient energy conversion to fulfill emission requirements. One of these technologies, reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI), is a low-temperature combustion mode and has a dual fuel strategy. The controllability of combustion, high thermal efficiency and low nitrogen oxide (NOx) and soot emissions are some of the most prominent advantages of this combustion mode. In this study, the effects of the premixed ratio (PR) and intake air temperature (IAT) on the operating range, combustion characteristics and emissions were investigated experimentally. In the experiments, iso-propanol and n-heptane were used as fuels. The experiments were carried out for two different case studies. In the first case, the experiments were performed at a 50 °C intake air temperature and three different premix ratios (PR25, PR50, PR75). The minimum brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was 268 g/kWh and the widest operating range was obtained with PR25. In addition, the lowest emission values in NOx, hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emission formation were recorded with the use of PR25 fuel. In the other case, experiments were conducted at three different intake air temperatures (30 °C, 50 °C, 70 °C) with PR50. The minimum BSFC was measured as 268 g/kWh and the widest operating range was observed at a 70 °C intake air temperature. At the same time, the lowest NOx emission values were obtained at a 30 °C intake air temperature. The maximum HC emission was determined as 586 ppm at a 30 °C intake air temperature. In addition, the minimum CO emission was measured as 0.142% by volume at a 70 °C intake air temperature.

CFD analysis of combustion and emission characteristics of biodiesel under conventional and late-injection based premixed combustion conditions

The simultaneous reduction in NOx and smoke emissions can be achieved with biodiesel under a late-injection based low temperature combustion (LTC) strategy. However, this occurs at the expense of a substantial increase in unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. It is worthwhile to understand the reasons behind the formation of these emissions, emphasizing comparison with conventional combustion, which is known to result in significantly low HC and CO emission levels, particularly with oxygenated biodiesel fuel. The present investigation attempts to examine the same with 3D CFD simulation. Experimental data were obtained from a light-duty diesel engine using biodiesel from non-edible Karanja oil. The unmodified engine with OEM low-pressure mechanical fuel injection system was utilized for conventional combustion operation. It is replaced with a modified common rail injection system for a late-injection-based LTC mode of operation. By combining retarded high-pressure injection with EGR, sufficient premixing was sustained to enable late injection-based premixed combustion (LI LTC). The combustion simulation was performed using CONVERGE CFD tool, utilizing a two-component surrogate of methyl butanoate (MB) and n-dodecane to represent biodiesel. A reduced chemical kinetic mechanism, developed and validated in an earlier investigation on biodiesel combustion, was utilized in the current study. The mechanism was solved using the SAGE Detailed CHEMKIN solver in CONVERGE. Validation was conducted at two engine operating conditions defining low and high loads for both combustion modes. The cylinder pressure and heat release rates were predicted with a maximum error of 1.5 and 13%, respectively. The validated CFD tool was employed to compare and analyze the equivalence ratio, in-cylinder gas temperatures, and HC and CO contours between conventional and LI LTC modes. Under LTC mode, the cylinder pressure and heat release rates were predicted with a maximum error of 10 and 15%, respectively. The comparison revealed fuel-rich regions concentrated near the bowl in conventional combustion, while the fuel was spread throughout the combustion chamber in LI LTC mode with over-rich and over-lean regions near the cylinder wall. The cylinder temperature is significantly higher for conventional combustion than LI LTC mode. The O and OH radical concentrations are higher for conventional combustion, corroborating with lower CO emissions, as they aid in CO oxidation. Fuel-rich regions contribute to increased CO emissions, whereas over-lean regions at a low-temperature result in high HC emissions, exhibited by the emission contours. Possible countermeasures to reduce high HC and CO emissions in LI LTC mode include maintaining higher coolant temperatures to enable HC and CO oxidation in the near-wall regions and fuel injection system modification to alter the air–fuel mixing.

Development and evaluation of a skeletal mechanism for EHN additized gasoline mixtures in large Eddy simulations of HCCI combustion

Advanced Low Temperature Combustion modes, such as the Sandia proposed Additive-Mixing Fuel Injection (AMFI), can unlock significant potential to boost fuel conversion efficiency and ultimately improve the energy conversion of internal combustion engines. This is a novel improved combustion process that is enabled by supplying small (<5%) variable amounts of autoignition improver to the fuel to enhance the engine operation and control. Common, diesel-fuel ignition-quality enhancing additive, 2-ethylexyl nitrate (EHN), is doped into gasoline to enable Sandia LTGC + AMFI combustion. This manuscript focuses on the development of a reduced sub-mechanism for EHN chemical kinetics at engine relevant conditions that is implemented into a skeletal mechanism for chemical kinetic studies of gasoline surrogate fuels. The mechanism validation utilized zero-dimensional numerical simulations and comparison to shock tube ignition-delay data of pure and EHN-doped n-heptane. Additional validation is presented with Homogeneous Charge Compression-Ignition (HCCI) engine data of pure and EHN-doped research-grade E10 gasoline. Then, the mechanism was deployed in a 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) using Large Eddy Simulations (LES) to model the HCCI engine experiments of 0.4% vol EHN additized E10 gasoline at several equivalence ratios. Simulations showed a very good performance of the mechanism, and the model accurately reproduced (a) the ignition point, (b) combustion phasing, (c) combustion duration, and (d) the peak of the heat release rates of the engine experiments. The results show that EHN promotes Low-Temperature Heat Release, ultimately driving the gasoline to autoignite at thermodynamic conditions where the fuel would not otherwise ignite. Overall, this work demonstrates a viable reduced chemical-kinetic mechanism for EHN and shows that it can be combined with a skeletal gasoline mechanism for CFD-LES analysis of well-mixed LTGC that matches well with experimental results. The CFD-LES analysis also shows the spatial distribution of EHN-fuel interactions that control the autoignition throughout the combustion chamber.

Detailed investigation on the oxidation behavior and kinetic triplet of tight oil via TG-DSC-PDSC analyses

It remains some barriers for continental tight oils to enhance oil recovery owing to low or ultra-low permeability in China. Whether low temperature combustion mode (or deflagration fracturing) could be employed to expand the fracture, is an interesting but debatable topic in consideration of the not well-understood oxidation behavior and kinetic mechanism for the tight oil. This study initiated a comprehensive characterization on the oxidation behavior and kinetic triplet for the Mahu tight oil via the combination of atmospheric and pressurized thermal analyses (TG/DTG, DSC/DDSC, PDSC) and unconventional Popescu method. Threshold, peak, and end temperatures were shifted to higher temperature ranges following lower cumulative heat emission (from 13.21 to 9.15 kJ·g−1) with the heating rate increment from 5 to 15 K·min−1. Inversely, a more thorough oxidation process with higher cumulative heat releases (8.69 kJ·g−1 for LTO, 4.48 kJ·g−1 for HTO) was presented under elevated pressure condition. In order to elucidate the latent reaction mechanism, seven sequential temperature subzones were divided to acquire the most probable mechanism function G(α) and corresponding kinetic parameters. The results indicated that, owing to the high reservoir pressure, generated enormous heat in LTO stage had a significant acceleration to initiate and sustain the low temperature combustion process, which in some degree was conducive to update and expand the understanding of the low temperature in-situ combustion mode of air injection in low permeability and tight oil reservoirs via fracturing reservoir matrix.

Quantification of φ-operating range with impact of exhaust gas recirculation under low-temperature combustion mode with polyoxymethylene dimethyl ether: A perspective study

Low-Temperature Combustion (LTC) especially Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode of combustion is a capable substitute mode of combustion to conventional diesel combustion (CDC) to provide better soot-NOx trade-off and HC-CO trade-off characteristics. The current study mainly focuses on the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) effects and equivalence ratio optimization on W20P20 (64% diesel, 16% WCO biodiesel, and 20% PODE) fuel along with exergy analysis in the HCCI mode of operation. The reason for inculcating exergy analysis in this research is to depict that low-temperature combustion provides a better heat transfer rate inside the cylinder. EGR has been varied in terms of 10%, 20%, and 30% in volume proportions along with the inlet fuel-air mixtures since, the fuel was injected through a pilot fuel injector in the inlet manifold. A novel factor in this research is considering both soot-NOx and HC-CO trade-off characteristics in optimizing the equivalence ratio with the influence of EGR over W20P20 fuel. The performance parameters such as BTE and BSEC show a mere decrement of about 6.67% and 29% of maximum with the influence of EGR while better combustion was found in terms of avoiding misfiring at a low equivalence ratio of 0.29–0.35 and knocking at a high equivalence ratio of 0.61–0.71 for W20P20 fuel. The operating range extension of the equivalence ratio was found with W20P20 fuel which further increased again with the increase in EGR addition. The emission limits of soot, NOx, CO, and HC particles were analyzed, in which the highest NOx reduction of 53% was obtained with 30% EGR irrespective of the equivalence ratio. The highest soot reduction was 61.85% with 20% EGR at a higher equivalence ratio. The highest HC reduction was 18% with 20% EGR at a lower equivalence ratio. The CO emissions seemed to reduce by 12% at a lower equivalence ratio while they increased by 47% at a higher equivalence ratio. The comparative results were studied for EGR influence with W20P20 fuel in the HCCI mode of combustion.

Optical and Numerical Investigations on Combustion and OH Radical Behavior Inside an Optical Engine Operating in LTC Combustion Mode

Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) is a relevant process for internal combustion engines (ICE). This combustion mode is based on premixed fuel/air and fuel lean in-cylinder mixture allowing reduction in NOx and PM emissions while maintaining higher thermal efficiency. In order to investigate the effect of engine operating conditions on the behavior of LTC mode, including OH radical evolution, optical measurements and numerical simulations were performed on a transparent CR diesel engine. The homogeneity of the engine charge was obtained by using very early injection timings. In this study, varying injection strategies were investigated for different engine speeds. In parallel to the experimentation, simulations of LTC mode for the same experimental operations were carried out. The model used in this study is based on a stochastic reactor model. This model includes a turbulence (k-ε) model based on a zero-dimensional energy cascade to calculate the turbulent time scale during the cycle. On the other hand, due to the stochastic approach and to reduce initial heterogeneities of the mixture, a confidence parameter was introduced in the global model to consider the real variation ranges of engine. This latter was modeled as a function of the Reynolds number allowing to initiate heterogeneities of temperature and of species mass. OH radicals were estimated with high spatial and temporal resolution using chemiluminescence measurements. Simulated in-cylinder pressure and the OH radical rate were compared to the experimental data. A good agreement was observed in terms of in-cylinder pressure trace and ignition delay times, meaning that the confidence coefficient model is accurate to describe the initial heterogeneities of the mixture. The simulated OH rate profile has the same shape as the measured OH trace and the main ignition occurs at the same time. This study corroborates that the OH radical is an appropriate tool to identify combustion stages.

Numerical study on a natural gas-fueled engine under low temperature combustion mode

Natural gas, which is also referred to as eco-friendly fuel, is being seen as a potential solution to challenge the decline of crude oil resources and the deteriorating air quality in urban areas. This fuel has been verified to emit less CO, HC, and PM compared to other fuels. A potential approach to reducing NOx and soot emissions while also achieving low fuel consumption is the low temperature combustion process. In this study, internal combustion engines were simulated under various conditions. The objective was to investigate the effect of different operating variables on the low temperature combustion mode. To begin with, a natural gas powered engine was modeled using complex chemical kinetics software. The outcomes of the simulation were then compared to experimental data, demonstrating a high level of agreement. Subsequently, the impacts of key variables, including the air-fuel ratio, compression ratio, and engine speed, were analyzed using a cycle simulation code. Increasing the compression ratio improves engine performance, and the specific fuel consumption decreases. However, it leads to a significant increase in NOx emissions until a certain value. Thereafter, it changes the trend. Engine speed indirectly affects performance by increasing fuel consumption and changing ignition timing. A leaner air fuel ration may be used to produce more power and keep the temperature of combustion below a certain value (low-temperature combustion), ensuring low NOx emissions.

A Review of Low Temperature Combustion Mode of Engine

Since the 21st century, people's increasing attention to fuel economy and environmental issues has prompted the engine research community to continuously develop new efficient and clean combustion theories and methods. In terms of combustion technology, many researchers have proposed different new engine combustion methods, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion (HCCI), premixed charge compression combustion (PCCI), and reaction controlled compression ignition (RCCI), which are the three main low-temperature combustion methods. These combustion methods are different from the premixed combustion method of the spark ignition (SI) engine represented by the traditional gasoline engine and the diffusion combustion method of the compression ignition (CI) engine represented by the traditional diesel engine. The flame temperature affects the combustion and emission process of the engine, and realizes the efficient and clean combustion of the engine. This paper first briefly describes the conventional engine combustion method, and then briefly summarizes the comparison between these three low-temperature combustion methods and their respective combustion and emission characteristics as well as advantages and disadvantages, with respect to the conventional combustion method.

Comparative study on the spray and combustion characteristics between diesel and kerosene underlow-temperature combustion (LTC)mode conditions

Kerosene, an intermediate component of wide distillation fuel, has drawn increasing attention for low-temperature combustion mode due to its compromise of evaporation and ignition characteristics between diesel and gasoline. This study focuses on the comparison of spray and combustion characteristics between diesel and kerosene under low-temperature combustion mode conditions based on visualization tests in a constant volume chamber. Different injection pressures, ambient temperatures, and oxygen concentrations were tested at a constant ambient density of 16.67 kg/m3. The image processing results reveal that the liquid penetration distance of kerosene shows a maximum reduction of 33.5% compared to diesel with a smaller cone angle and spray area at 160 MPa and 800 K. At the same time, the ignition delay of kerosene is 0.9 ms longer than that of diesel, and the injection and combustion processes of kerosene are separated, making it much more similar to the premixed combustion. An increase in injection pressure improves the spray penetration distance but exerts little influence on the flame lift-off length and ignition delay for both fuels. Kerosene presents a lower spatially integrating natural luminosity, especially at low injection pressure. The liquid spray penetration distance and the ignition delay of kerosene are more sensitive to the increase in ambient temperature. However, the higher ambient temperature presents a greater effect on the SINL of diesel. With the decrease of ambient oxygen concentration, the ignition delay, flame lift-off length, spatially integrating natural luminosity, and soot oxidation rate of both fuels decrease obviously. Especially at 15 vol.% ambient oxygen, kerosene presents a much weaker luminosity. These results imply that kerosene exhibits a very similar trend to diesel in terms of spray and combustion characteristics. Moreover, kerosene has a stronger potential to reduce soot formation than diesel with a better fuel-air mixing process under low-temperature combustion mode conditions.

Optimization of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion in a light-duty diesel engine operated using ethyl acetate-gasoline blends

The low temperature combustion mode of homogeneous charge compression ignition eliminates particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen (NO x) emissions trade-off that prevails in high-temperature, diffusion-controlled conventional diesel combustion (CDC). In the present research, the significant challenge of narrow operating load range that hinders the commercial implementation of light-duty HCCI engines was overcome by employing ethyl acetate-gasoline blends. The gasoline concentration in test fuels was reduced in 10% decrements, from 84% to 24%, to replace it with ethyl acetate. The use of ethyl acetate, a renewable fuel, can help solve the energy crisis due to the rapid depletion of fossil fuels. An ignition improver was blended in the test fuels in a predetermined amount of 6% so that combustion stability was not hampered at lower loads. Parametric investigations were conducted to study the effect of progressively increasing ethyl acetate in test fuels on HCCI combustion, performance, and emissions. The machine learning tool of artificial neural network was implemented to learn the behavior of the test engine, considering load and fuel composition as input variables. The feedforward artificial neural network models were developed to predict the start of combustion, combustion phasing, indicated thermal efficiency, and emissions of carbon monoxide, soot, NO x, and unburned hydrocarbon (HC). A multi-objective optimization was performed to arrive at the best operating condition by integrating artificial neural network models with the genetic algorithm. All the developed artificial neural network models could predict responses with acceptable accuracy. The genetic algorithm indicated that the optimum point of the operation was at 80% load and 65% ethyl acetate in the test fuels. Experiments were conducted to validate the optimal HCCI conditions that resulted in 27% higher indicated thermal efficiency, 54% lower HC+NOx, and 99% lower soot emissions than CDC. Overall, the present study demonstrated the benefits of considering ethyl acetate as a fuel to improve HCCI engine metrics of off-road diesel engines.

NUMERICAL STUDY OF WATER ADDITION ON THE COMBUSTION CHARACTERISTICS IN AN HCCI ETHANOL ENGINE

Low-temperature combustion modes have attracted global attention in recent years, especially the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode. The HCCI combustion produces high-speed combustion, achieving relatively high thermal efficiencies while emitting low NOX and soot. However, due to the lack of direct control to start the combustion, one of the main challenges in this type of engine is to ensure that auto-ignition occurs close to the top dead center for a wide operation range. There are a few combustion phase control techniques to solve this limitation, and one of them is water injection. In this regard, this paper explores the influence of water concentration in an ethanol HCCI engine as a form of combustion phasing control. The work was conducted numerically using a zero-dimensional single-zone model with a chemical kinetic mechanism containing 56 species and 383 reactions. The numerical model results were well agreed with the reported experimental data. The water fraction ranged from 0 to 18% by mass at 3% intervals. The results demonstrate that water injection is an efficient strategy to control the combustion phasing by adjusting the charge reactivity. The increase in water fraction reduced in-cylinder pressure and heat release rates. Furthermore, the combustion phase was advanced, the combustion duration was extended, and thermal efficiency was about 44.3% with the increase in water concentration.

Review of morphological and chemical characteristics of particulates from compression ignition engines

Particulates from compression ignition (CI) engines have received serious attention in the last two decades. CI engines emit higher particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) than spark ignition (SI) engines. Both these species are harmful to human health and the environment. Compared to NOx emissions, PM constitutes many more chemical species in solid and liquid phases. This review paper focuses on soot morphology and chemical characterization of PM emissions from CI engines. Effects of different fuels, lubricating oil, and engine operating conditions on particulate characteristics are analyzed exhaustively. The first part of this paper focuses on the effects of particulates on living organisms, the consequences of exposure to diesel particulates, and the composition of diesel particulates. In recent decades, micro and nano-scale characteristics of PM have been exhaustively investigated to understand its structure, formation, and chemical functionalities. Typically, particulates comprise of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the soluble organic fraction (SOF), and trace metals. This paper summarizes most aspects of diesel particulate emissions for the benefit of active researchers in the field and underlines the importance of particulate emission reduction from the CI engines. Diesel combustion generates particles with enormous long-chain aggregates of smaller sizes and immature soot particles. Low-temperature combustion (LTC) modes and oxygenated fuels reduce the soot emissions and generate compact/clustered aggregates. Oxygenated fuels in CI engines produce more nucleation mode particles (NMPs) and high-reactivity soot aggregates. Higher trace metal concentrations were observed in diesel origin particulates than biofuel origin particulates. Biodiesel origin particulates possess higher mutagenicity and carcinogenicity because of nitro-PAHs. Transient engine operations cause higher particulates than steady-state engine operations.

Detailed analysis of particulate emissions of a multi-cylinder dual-mode dual-fuel engine operating with diesel and gasoline

Internal combustion engines are still within the future of highway transport. Low-temperature combustion modes are prone to substitute conventional diesel combustion engines, seeking better performance and improved emissions control. The dual-mode dual-fuel combustion approach has been confirmed as a feasible combustion mode for achieving ultra-low NOx and soot emissions simultaneously. The aim of this work is to experimentally measure the particle emissions of the dual-mode dual-fuel concept while maintaining good thermal efficiency and EURO VI engine-out NOx levels. A detailed analysis of the most relevant characteristics of the particle size distribution is carried out to depict the requirements of a potential filtering system considering the effects of an upstream diesel oxidation catalyst. The results show that total particle numbering is within the typical values of the current most popular technologies: around 2·1013 #/kWh for RCCI and around 1014 #/kWh for DMDF. RCCI combustion tends to produce more particles sized below 35 nm in diameter, while DMDF shows a clear dominance of sizes above 40 nm. In terms of total particulate matter, RCCI results in total mass concentrations around 4 mg/kWh thanks to the highly premixed combustion, but diffusive combustion mode results in total mass emissions over 50 mg/kWh.

Numerical Study of the Effects of Lambda and Injection Timing on RCCI Combustion Mode

Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI), which is a low temperature combustion mode based on the principle of working with dual fuel, has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years due to its advantages such as high thermal efficiency, low NOx and soot emissions, and controllability of combustion. In this study, the effects of injection timing and lambda on RCCI combustion mode were investigated numerically by validating the experimental data with Converge CFD software. A four-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline direct-injection engine with a compression ratio of 9.2 was used in RCCI combustion mode at an engine speed of 1000 rpm. The maximum cylinder pressure also increased and RCCI combustion was advanced while the injection timing was advanced. The highest peak pressure was obtained at SOI=-50°CA aTDC, and the lowest peak pressure was obtained at SOI=-25°CA aTDC. Similarly, the highest peak HRR value was acquired as 213 J/°CA at SOI=-50°CA aTDC. It has been observed that as the lambda decreases, the maximum cylinder pressure increases, and combustion advances. In addition, the heat release rises with a decrease in lambda value. The maximum heat release rate was acquired as 77.91 J/°CA at λ=1.2. The results show that injection timing and lambda have a great influence on RCCI combustion mode and the combustion phase can be controlled with these parameters.

Numerical investigation on the ignition and flame characteristics of n-dodecane-n-butanol spray under diesel engine conditions

In this work, the ignition and flame characteristics of pure n-dodecane (Bu0) and its blends with n-butanol at 20% (Bu20) and 40% (Bu40) volume fraction at ambient temperatures of 800 K, 850 K and 900 K are numerically investigated under diesel engine conditions. Results show that n-dodecane-n-butanol blend undergo a two-stage ignition regardless of n-butanol blending ratio and ambient temperature. The first-stage ignition site is located at the spray periphery for all test cases except for Bu20 at 800 K. However, the second-stage ignition site moves to the spray head for all test cases but it remains at the spray periphery for Bu0. The mass fractions of formaldehyde (CH2O), hydroxyl radical (OH), hydroperoxyl (HO2) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) species at quasi-steady state are also slightly shifted to the fuel-lean region at higher n-butanol blending ratio and lower ambient temperature. Furthermore, the longer ignition delay at higher n-butanol blending ratio and lower ambient temperature leads to a wider distribution of the low-temperature combustion (M-LTC) mode. Meanwhile, the high-temperature combustion (M-HTC) and high-temperature diffusion combustion (M-HTC-diff) modes appear and are dominant from the second-stage ignition onwards.

Thermodynamic Investigation of a Modified Compression Ignition Engine Fueled by Diesel Biodiesel Ethanol Blends

The present study contrasts the thermodynamics analysis of modified diesel engines with traditional diesel engines. Thermodynamics study is done by the use of energy and exergy analysis for diesel, B20 (blend of 80 per cent diesel by volume with 20 per cent mahua biodiesel) and LHR modification and LTC 15 per cent EGR fuelled with B20 blend and 5 per cent ethanol with various loads ranging from no load to full load. Implemented two technologies for increasing engine efficiency. One of the primary techniques is the Low Heat Rejection (LHR) concept (or the so-called “Adiabatic” engine) applied. In the engine cylinder, a ceramic layer of Alumina (Al2O3) was used to modify the Low Heat Rejection (LHR). Another technique is Low-temperature combustion (LTC) modes are added by joining the inlet and exhaust pipes through valves to control the exhaust gas at an optimal rate of 15 per cent. The findings of energy and exergy distribution in the engine were compared using optimum alterations with fuel blends such as 20 per cent mahua biodiesel and 5 per cent ethanol. From energy distribution, best shaft power (QBP) (2.8kW) is transformed from heat input observed in the optimum altered engine at full load conditions compared to others. Due to modifications employed in the engine and fuels. Maximum unaccounted energy (QUN) loss in diesel (44 %). And highest thermal efficiency (31.2 %) is revealed in B20E5 (LHR+15 % LTC). From exergy distribution, it noticed that the same trend of energy distribution and at 100 per cent load condition, maximum (12.54kW) in diesel and minimum (8.45 kW) in B20E5 (LHR+15 % LTC) has obtained input availability (Ain).The maximum conversion rate of availability in brake power (Abp) (0.61 kW) in B20 (LHR). Compared to diesel, second law or exergetic efficiency more in B20E5 (LHR+15 % LTC).

Experimental assessment on characteristics of premixed charge compression ignition engine fueled with multi-walled carbon nanotube-included Tamanu methyl ester

The premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) engine is developed to develop combustion at low temperatures to enhance engine efficiency and decrease exhaust emissions. This study was performed to compare the performance and emission characteristics of the PCCI mode-based engine operated with induction of ethanol in the inlet manifold and direct injection of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-blended Tamanu methyl ester (TME) at various proportions such as 10, 40, 70, and 100 ppm in comparison with the conventional CI engine fueled with diesel and TME. It was found that adding 100 ppm of MWCNT could provide significant improvements in the performance and emission characteristics of the PCCI engine because of its superior atomization, catalytic behavior, and high surface-to-volume ratio. As a result of comparison with conventional CI engine, brake thermal efficiency and brake-specific fuel consumption of PCCI engine running on MWCNT-blended TME was reduced by 4.12% and increased by 4.28%, respectively. Besides, emissions of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and smoke were reduced by 3.3%, 3.27%, 75%, and 45%, respectively. For combustion analysis, the CI engine has a higher in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate than the PCCI mode, which could be due to the PCCI mode's lower combustion and lean charge mixture. ICP and HRR of PCCI engines running on MWCNT-blended TME were reduced by 7.5% and 3.8%, respectively. In general, this current study reveals a significant reduction in pollutant emissions and an increase in engine performance by using a combined strategy between MWCNT-blended TME and low-temperature combustion mode like PCCI, which was previously unexplored.

A study on flexible dual-fuel and flexi combustion mode engine to mitigate NO, soot and unburned emissions

In the present study, an existing commercial light-duty automotive diesel engine is modified to a flexible dual-fuel engine (FDFE). The FDFE operates with different low and high reactivity dual fuel combinations under low temperature combustion (LTC) mode using combined multipoint fuel injection and common rail direct injection systems. The FDFE can smoothly transit between LTC and conventional diesel combustion (CDC) mode. FDFE combines SI and CI benefits and stands as a potential internal combustion engine for future hybrid electric options. In this study, the modified engine was operated in flexi fuel mode with methanol/diesel, methanol/biodiesel, methanol/dimethyl ether (DME), methanol/polyoxymethylene dimethyl ether (PODE), (methanol + Isobutanol blends)/diesel and (methanol + PODE blends)/diesel in LTC strategy at a different speed and torque conditions. This approach improved the brake thermal efficiency by 8%, decreased NO and soot emissions by more than 90% compared to CDC mode. The improvement in brake thermal efficiency reduced CO2 emissions compared to CDC mode. In the FDFE engine, combustion phasing and fuel energy input are maintained as same as in CDC mode to investigate the dual-fuel effects in LTC mode over a neat diesel mode. Experimental study with energy and exergy analysis was carried out to assess the technical suitability of the FDFE as compared to the conventional diesel engine. The results proved that without relying on the after- treatment systems and fossil fuels, it is possible to reduce the NO, soot, unburnt hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide and CO2 emissions from the diesel engine, paving the way for extending the life of the diesel engine.

Fuel-reforming effects on a gasoline direct injection engine under a low-temperature combustion mode: Experimental and kinetics analyses

Dedicated in-cylinder reforming where gasoline fuel is injected directly into a rich mixture can control the combustion of gasoline engines. This work investigates the effects of injection parameters and in-cylinder fuel reforming on a gasoline direction injection (GDI) engine operated under low-temperature combustion mode. The single-cylinder research engine is modified from a dedicated 4-cylinder spark-ignited engine used in subcompact passenger vehicles. Experimental and kinetics results on direct fuel injection into an oxygen-depleted environment of the engine’s recompression interval are analyzed under 0.53 MPa indicated mean effective pressure and 1500 RPM. Zero-dimensional kinetics simulations show that the recompression reactions are net endothermic under near-stoichiometric environments. Substantial short-chain hydrocarbons (CH4, C2H4, C3H6) are reformed, while CO and H2 are small under the O2-depleted environment. These kinetics reformates strongly depend on the start of injection timing (SOI). Consequently, the kinetics species shorten predicted ignition delays and play a significant role in advanced combustion phasing. Validated 3D-CFD results further indicate the effects of these reformates on advanced combustion. Experimentally, SOI, injection pressure Pinj = 5 and 6 MPa, single/double pulses injection, and mixture equivalence ratios ϕ are varied in the recompression and intake strokes. Underϕ = 0.97, excessive ringing intensities (RI) over 5 MW/m2 are observed under advanced SOIs. The fierce combustion, excessive combustion noise metrics, NOx emissions can be reduced significantly by retarding SOI, double-pulse injection, and ϕ variations. Under ϕ < 0.67, measured NOx emissions are below 10 ppm. For all pulse-injection strategies, the peak recompression pressures are dropped by up to 13% lower than 2.0 MPa of the motoring pressure, indicating that the net endothermic reactions occur during the recompression. Therefore, the reformed products chemically control the main combustion, and 41 % indicated thermal efficiency is achievable.