Modelling biodiesel–diesel spray combustion using multicomponent vaporization coupled with detailed fuel chemistry and soot models

A multicomponent vaporization model is integrated with detailed fuel chemistry and soot models for simulating biodiesel–diesel spray combustion. Biodiesel, a fuel mixture comprised of fatty-acid methyl esters, is an attractive alternative to diesel fuel for use in compression-ignition engines. Accurately modelling of the spray, vaporization, and combustion of the fuel mixture is critical to predicting engine performance using biodiesel. In this study, a discrete-component vaporization model was developed to simulate the vaporization of biodiesel drops. The model can predict differences in the vaporization rates of different fuel components. The model was validated by use of experimental data of the measured biodiesel drop size history and spray penetration data obtained from a constant-volume chamber. Gas phase chemical reactions were simulated using a detailed reaction mechanism that also includes PAH reactions leading to the production of soot precursors. A phenomenological multi-step soot model was utilized to predict soot emissions from biodiesel–diesel combustion. The soot model considered various steps of soot formation and destruction, such as soot inception, surface growth, coagulation, and PAH condensation, as well as oxidation by oxygen and hydroxyl-containing molecules. The overall numerical model was validated with experimental data on flame structure and soot distributions obtained from a constant-volume chamber. The model was also applied to predict combustion, soot and NOx emissions from a diesel engine using different biodiesel–diesel blends. The engine simulation results were further analysed to determine the soot emissions characteristics by use of biodiesel–diesel fuels.     

Influence of pilot-fuel mixing on the spatio-temporal progression of two-stage autoignition of diesel-sprays in low-reactivity ambient fuel-air mixture

The spatial and temporal locations of autoignition for direct-injection compression-ignition engines depend on fuel chemistry, temperature, pressure, and mixing trajectories in the fuel jets. Dual-fuel systems can provide insight into both fuel-chemistry and physical effects by varying fuel reactivities and engine operating conditions. In this context, the spatial and temporal progression of two-stage autoignition of a diesel-fuel surrogate, n-heptane, in a lean-premixed charge of synthetic natural-gas (NG) and air is imaged in an optically accessible heavy-duty diesel engine. The lean-premixed charge of NG is prepared by fumigation upstream of the engine intake manifold. Optical diagnostics include high-speed (15kfps) cool-flame chemiluminescence-imaging as an indicator of low-temperature heat-release (LTHR) and OH* chemiluminescence-imaging as an indicator high-temperature heat-release (HTHR). NG prolongs the ignition delay of the pilot fuel and increases the combustion duration. Zero-dimensional chemical-kinetics simulations provide further understanding by replicating a Lagrangian perspective for mixtures evolving along streamlines originating either at the fuel nozzle or in the ambient gas, for which the pilot-fuel concentration is either decreasing or increasing, respectively. The zero-dimensional simulations predict that LTHR initiates most likely on the air streamlines before transitioning to HTHR, either on fuel-streamlines or on air-streamlines in regions of near-constant ?. Due to the relatively short pilot-fuel injection-durations, the transient increase in entrainment near the end of injection (entrainment wave) is important for quickly creating auto-ignitable mixtures. To achieve desired combustion characteristics, e.g., multiple ignition-kernels and favorable combustion phasing and location (e.g., for reducing wall heat-transfer or optimizing charge stratification), adjusting injection parameters could tailor mixing trajectories to offset changes in fuel ignition chemistry.     

Differences between PREMIER combustion in a natural gas spark-ignition engine and knocking with pressure oscillations

PREMIER (PREmixed Mixture Ignition in the End-gas Region) combustion occurs with auto-ignition in the end-gas region when the main combustion flame propagation is nearly finished. Auto-ignition is triggered by the increases in pressure and temperature induced by the main combustion flame. Similarly to engine knocking, heat is released in two stages when engines undergo this type of combustion. This pattern of heat release does not occur during normal combustion. However, engine knocking induces pressure oscillations that cause fatal damage to engines, whereas PREMIER combustion does not. The purpose of this study was to elucidate PREMIER combustion in natural gas spark-ignition engines, and differentiate the causes of knocking and PREMIER combustion. We applied combustion visualization and in-cylinder pressure analysis using a compression–expansion machine (CEM) to investigate the auto-ignition characteristics in the end-gas region of a natural gas spark-ignition engine. We occasionally observed knocking accompanied by pressure oscillations under the spark timings and initial gas conditions used to generate PREMIER combustion. No pressure oscillations were observed during normal and PREMIER combustion. Auto-ignition in the end-gas region was found to induce a secondary increase in pressure before the combustion flame reached the cylinder wall, during both knocking and PREMIER combustion. The auto-ignited flame area spread faster during knocking than during PREMIER combustion. This caused a sudden pressure difference and imbalance between the flame propagation region and the end-gas region, followed by a pressure oscillation.     

A comparative study on partially premixed combustion (PPC) and reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) in an optical engine

Partially premixed combustion (PPC) and reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) are two new combustion modes in compression-ignition (CI) engines. However, the detailed in-cylinder ignition and flame development process in these two CI modes were not clearly understood. In the present study, firstly, the fuel stratification, ignition and flame development in PPC and RCCI were comparatively studied on a light-duty optical engine using multiple optical diagnostic techniques. The overall fuel reactivity (PRF number) and concentration (fuel-air equivalence ratio) were kept at 70 and 0.77 for both modes, respectively. Iso-octane and n-heptane were separately used in the port-injection (PI) and direct-injection (DI) for RCCI, while PRF70 fuel was introduced through direct-injection (DI) for PPC. The DI timing for both modes was fixed at –25°CA ATDC. Secondly, the combustion characteristics of PPC and RCCI with more premixed charge were explored by increasing the PI mass fraction for RCCI and using the split DI strategy for PPC. In the first part, results show that RCCI has shorter ignition delay than PPC due to the fuel reactivity stratification. The natural flame luminosity, formaldehyde and OH PLIF images prove that the flame front propagation in the early stage of PPC can be seen, while there is no distinct flame front propagation in RCCI. In the second part, the higher premixed ratio results in more auto-ignition sites and faster combustion rate for PPC. However, the higher premixed ratio reduces the combustion rate in RCCI mode and the flame front propagation can be clearly seen, the flame speed of which is similar to that in spark ignition engines but lower than that in PPC. It can be concluded that the ratio of flame front propagation and auto-ignition in RCCI and PPC can be modulated by the control over the fuel stratification degree through different fuel-injection strategies.     

Flow, spray and combustion analysis by laser techniques in the combustion chamber of a direct-injection diesel engine

The purpose of this paper is to show how the analysis of in -cylinder flow, fuel injection, and combustion by means of state-of-the-art optical techniques, as laser light-sheet, laser doppler anemometry and laser shadowgraphy, can help to support the understanding of the interaction of swirl flow development, spray formation, auto-ignition and combustion in near production-line direct-injection diesel engines and thus advances the development of engines with lower fuel consumption and emissions.     

Simultaneous 36 kHz PLIF/chemiluminescence imaging of fuel,CH2O and combustion in a PPC engine

The requirements on high efficiency and low emissions of internal combustion engines (ICEs) raise the research focus on advanced combustion concepts, e.g., premixed-charge compression ignition (PCCI), partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI), reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI), partially premixed combustion (PPC), gasoline compression ignition (GCI) etc. In the present study, an optically accessible engine is operated in PPC mode, featuring compression ignition of a diluted, stratified charge of gasoline-like fuel injected directly into the cylinder. A high-speed, high-power burst-mode laser system in combination with a high-speed CMOS camera is employed for diagnostics of the autoignition process which is critical for the combustion phasing and efficiency of the engine. To the authors’ best knowledge, this work demonstrates for the first time the application of the burst-system for simultaneous fuel tracer planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) and chemiluminescence imaging in an optical engine, at 36?kHz repetition rate. In addition, high-speed formaldehyde PLIF and chemiluminescence imaging are employed for investigation of autoignition events with a high temporal resolution (5 frames/CAD). The development of autoignition together with fuel or CH₂O distribution are simultaneously visualized using a large number of consecutive images. Prior to the onset of combustion the majority of both fuel and CH₂O are located in the recirculation zone, where the first autoignition also occurs. The ability to record, in excess of 100 PLIF images, in a single cycle brings unique possibilities to follow the in-cylinder processes without the averaging effects caused by cycle-to-cycle variations.     

Understanding cool flames and warm flames

Low-temperature flames such as cool flames, warm flames, double flames, and auto-ignition assisted flames play a critical role in the performance of advanced engines and fuel design. In this paper, an overview of the recent progresses in understanding low-temperature flames and dynamics as well as their impacts on combustion, advanced engines, and fuel development will be presented. Specifically, at first, a brief review of the history of cool flames is made. Then, the recent experimental studies and computational modeling of the flame structures, dynamics, and burning limits of non-premixed and premixed cool flames, warm flames, and double flames are presented. The flammability limit diagram and the temperature-dependent chain-branching reaction pathways, respectively, for hot, warm, and cool flames at elevated temperature and pressure will be discussed and analyzed. After that, the effect of low temperature auto-ignition of auto-igniting mixtures at high ignition Damköhler numbers at engine conditions on the propagation of cool flames, warm flames, and double flames as well as turbulent flames will be discussed. Finally, a new platform using low temperature flames for the development and validation of chemical kinetic models of alternative fuels will be presented. Discussions of future research of the dynamics and control of low temperature flames under engine conditions will be made.     

The oxidation characteristics of furan derivatives and binary TPGME blends under engine relevant conditions

Furan and its derivatives have been receiving attention as next generation alternative fuels, related to advanced bio-oil production. However, the ignition quality of furans allows their use only as an additive to diesel fuel in CI engines, which potentially requires the continued use of a fossil-derived base fuel. This study first adopts tri-propylene glycol mono-methyl ether (TPGME) as a substitute for diesel fuel with addition of furan and furan derivatives, including 2-methylfuran, 2,5-dimethylfuran, and furfural, thereby removing fossil-derived fuels from the mixture. With this motivation, gas-phase ignition characteristics of furans were investigated in a modified CFR motored engine, displaying an absence of low temperature heat release (LTHR), while n-heptane as a reference fuel shows a strong two-stage ignition characteristic under the same condition. The structural impact of furans is represented as global oxidation reactivities that are as follows: furan?<?2-methylfuran?<?2,5-dimethylfuran?<?furfural?<?n-heptane. The ranking of individual furans is supported by bond dissociation energies of each fuel's functional group substituent on the furan-ring. Ignition characteristics of TPGME display a strong low-temperature oxidation reactivity; however, its reactivity rapidly diminishes with increasing amounts of furan, shutting down low-temperature oxidation paths. The structural impact of furan and methyl-substituted furans on reactivity is significantly muted when blended with TPGME, as observed in a motored CFR engine and a constant volume spray combustion chamber.     

Effect of flash boiling injection on combustion and PN emissions of DISI optical engine fueled with butanol isomers/TPRF blends

Direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engines have been widely used in passenger cars due to their lower fuel consumption, better controllability, and high efficiency. However, DISI engines are suffering from wall wetting, imperfect mixture formation, excess soot emissions, and cyclic variations. Applying a new fuel atomization technique and using biofuels with their distinctive properties can potentially aid in improving DISI engines. In this research, the effects of isobutanol and 2-butanol and their blends with Toluene Primary Reference Fuel (TPRF) on spray characteristics, DISI engine combustion, and particle number (PN) emissions are investigated for conditions with and without flash boiling of the injected fuel. Spray characteristics are investigated using a constant volume chamber. Then, the combustion, flame propagation, and PN emissions are examined using an optical DISI engine. The fuel temperature is set to 298 K and 453 K for liquid injection and flash boiling injection, respectively. The tested blending ratio is 30 vol% butanol isomers and 70 vol% TPRF. The results of the spray test reveal that liquid fuel plumes are distinctly observed, and butanol blends show a slightly wider spray angle with lower penetration length compared to TPRF. However, under flash boiling injection, the sprays collapse towards the injector axis, forming a more extended single central vapor jet due to the plumes' interaction. Meanwhile, butanol blends yield a narrow spray angle with more extended penetration compared to TPRF. The flame visualization test shows that the flash boiling injection reduced yellow flames compared to liquid fuel injection, reflecting the improvements in mixture formation. Thus, improvements were noted in the heat release and PN emissions. Butanol addition reduced the PN emissions by 43% under regular liquid injection. Flash boiling injection provided an additional 25% reduction in PN emissions.     

Global reaction mechanism for the auto-ignition of full boiling range gasoline and kerosene fuels

Compact reaction schemes capable of predicting auto-ignition are a prerequisite for the development of strategies to control and optimise homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines. In particular for full boiling range fuels exhibiting two stage ignition a tremendous demand exists in the engine development community. The present paper therefore meticulously assesses a previous 7-step reaction scheme developed to predict auto-ignition for four hydrocarbon blends and proposes an important extension of the model constant optimisation procedure, allowing for the model to capture not only ignition delays, but also the evolutions of representative intermediates and heat release rates for a variety of full boiling range fuels. Additionally, an extensive validation of the later evolutions by means of various detailed n-heptane reaction mechanisms from literature has been presented; both for perfectly homogeneous, as well as non-premixed/stratified HCCI conditions. Finally, the models potential to simulate the auto-ignition of various full boiling range fuels is demonstrated by means of experimental shock tube data for six strongly differing fuels, containing e.g. up to 46.7% cyclo-alkanes, 20% napthalenes or complex branched aromatics such as methyl- or ethyl-napthalene. The good predictive capability observed for each of the validation cases as well as the successful parameterisation for each of the six fuels, indicate that the model could, in principle, be applied to any hydrocarbon fuel, providing suitable adjustments to the model parameters are carried out. Combined with the optimisation strategy presented, the model therefore constitutes a major step towards the inclusion of real fuel kinetics into full scale HCCI engine simulations.     

Vaporisation characteristics of methanol,ethanol and heptane droplets in opposed stagnation flow at low temperature and pressure

A computational model is developed and applied to study the vaporisation behaviour of three liquid fuels. This fundamental study is motivated by a need to understand how the performance of direct-injection-spark-ignition (DISI) engines may be affected by changes in fuel composition, especially alcohols. Currently, most DISI engines are designed for homogeneous-charge combustion, where the in-cylinder fuel injection, vaporisation and mixing is accomplished during the intake and early in the compression process. Thus the temperature and pressure are low, compared to post-compression conditions. The two-phase axisymmetric model is based upon an ideal opposed stagnation flow field. Liquid droplets are carried in one air stream that is met by an opposed air flow. Because of stagnation-flow similarity, the mathematical model can be represented as a one-dimensional boundary-value problem. Results show significant differences between methanol, ethanol and heptane fuels, which have potentially important impacts on the design and modification of fuel-injection systems for direct-injection engines with alternative fuels.     

Understanding multi-stage HCCI combustion caused by thermal stratification and chemical three-stage auto-ignition

The Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) concept shows great potential for improving engine efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions. However, the operation with this concept in Internal Combustion (IC) engines is still limited to low speed and load conditions, as excessive Pressure Rise Rates (PRR) are generated with its fast auto-ignition. To overcome this limitation, the use of moderate thermal and charge stratification has been promoted. This leads to multi-stage ignition, and thus a potentially acceptable PRR. Recently Sarathy et al. (2019), three-stage auto-ignition has been emphasized as a chemical phenomenon where the thermal runaway is inhibited during the main ignition event. The current paper demonstrates experimental evidence on this phenomenon observed during n-heptane and n-hexane auto-ignition at lean diluted conditions in a flat piston Rapid Compression Machine (RCM). Multi-stage ignition events caused by either chemical kinetics or by the well-known thermal stratification of this type of RCM are clearly identified and differentiated. The combination of these two factors seems to be a suitable solution to overcome PRR limitations.     

Effects of fuel viscosity on the primary breakup dynamics of a high-speed liquid jet with comparison to X-ray radiography

One of the major concerns in combustion engines is the sensitivity of engine performance to fuel properties. Recent works have shown that even slight differences in fuel properties can cause significant changes in performance and emission of an engine. In order to design the combustion engines with multi-fuel flexibilities, the precise assessment of fuel sensitivity on liquid jet atomization process is a prerequisite since the resulting fuel/air mixture is critical to the subsequent combustion process. The present study is focusing on the effect of physical fuel properties, mostly viscosity difference, on the breakup process of the liquid jet injected into still air. Two different jet fuels, CAT-A2 and CAT-C3, are considered here as surrogates for a fossil-based fuel and a bio-derived high-viscosity alternative fuel. The simulations are performed using the volume-of-fluid (VoF) interface tracking method coupled to Lagrangian particle method in order to capture the breakup instabilities of jets and the resulting droplets. The investigations take the actual geometry of the injector into account to resolve the unsteady flow phenomena inside the nozzle that impact the turbulence transition and atomization. The simulation results are compared to the experimental measurement using X-ray radiography. Both simulation and X-ray measurements consistently describe the effects of different fuels on the fundamental properties of atomization including the breakup length, transverse liquid volume fraction and the droplet sauter-mean-diameter. The application of a Detailed Numerical Simulation approach complemented by unique X-ray diagnostics is novel and providing new understanding and research directions in engine spray dynamics.     

A chemical kinetic interpretation of the octane appetite of modern gasoline engines

Fuel anti-knock quality is a critical property with respect to the effective design of next-generation spark-ignition engines which aim to have increased efficiency, and lower emissions. Increasing evidence in the literature supports the fact that the current regulatory measures of fuel anti-knock quality, the research octane number (RON), and motor octane number (MON), are becoming decreasingly relevant to commercial engines. Extrapolation and interpolation of the RON/MON scales to the thermodynamic conditions of modern engines is potentially valuable for the synergistic design of fuels and engines with greater efficiency. The K-value approach, which linearly weights the RON/MON scales based on the thermodynamic history of an engine, offers a convenient experimental method to do so, although complementary theoretical interpretations of K-value measurements are lacking in the literature.This work uses a phenomenological engine model with a detailed chemical kinetic model to predict and interpret known trends in the K-value with respect to engine intake temperature, pressure, and engine speed. The modelling results support experimental trends which show that the K-value increases with increasing intake temperature and engine speed, and decreases with increasing intake pressure. A chemical kinetic interpretation of trends in the K-value based on fundamental ignition behaviour is presented. The results show that combined experimental/theoretical approaches, which employ a knowledge of fundamental fuel data (gas phase kinetics, ignition delay times), can provide a reliable means to assess trends in the real-world performance of commercial fuels under the operating conditions of modern engines.     

Advanced gasoline engine development using optical diagnostics and numerical modeling

Twenty years ago, homogeneous-charge spark-ignition gasoline engines (using carburetion, throttle-body-, or port-fuel-injection) were the dominant automotive engines. Advanced automotive engine development remained largely empirical, and stratified-charge direct-injection gasoline-engine production was blocked by lack of robustness in its combustion process [W.G. Agnew, Proc. Combust. Inst. 20 (1984) 1-17]. Today, a wide range of direct-injection gasoline engines are in (or near) production, and combustion science is playing a direct role in advanced gasoline-engine development through the simultaneous application of advanced optical diagnostics, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, and traditional combustion diagnostics. This paper discusses the use of optical diagnostics and CFD in five gasoline-engine combustion systems: homogeneous spark-ignition port-fuel-injection (PFI), homogeneous spark-ignition direct-injection (DI), stratified wall-guided spark-ignition direct-injection (WG-SIDI), stratified spray-guided spark-ignition direct-injection (SG-SIDI), and homogeneous-charge compression-ignition (HCCI). The emphasis is on WG-SIDI, SG-SIDI, and HCCI engines. Key in-cylinder physical processes (e.g., sprays and vaporization, turbulent fuel-air mixing, wall wetting, ignition and early flame development, turbulent partially premixed flame propagation, and emissions formation) can be visualized, quantified, and optimized through optical engine experiments and CFD-based engine modeling. Outstanding issues for stratified engines include reducing piston wall-wetting, pool fires and smoke in WG-SIDI engines, eliminating intermittent misfires in SG-SIDI engines, and optimizing lean NO_x after-treatment systems. HCCI engines require better control of combustion timing and heat-release rate over wide speed/load operating ranges, smooth transitions between operating modes, and individual cylinder sensors and controls. Future directions in optical diagnostics and modeling are suggested to improve our fundamental understanding of important in-cylinder processes and to enhance CFD modeling capabilities.     

Numerical simulation of a mixed-mode reaction front in a PPC engine

The ignition process, mode of combustion and reaction front propagation in a partially premixed combustion (PPC) engine running with a primary reference fuel (87% iso-octane, 13% n-heptane by volume) is studied numerically in a large eddy simulation. Different combustion modes, ignition front propagation, premixed flame and non-premixed flame, are observed simultaneously. Displacement speed of CO iso-surface propagation describes the transition of premixed auto-ignition to non-premixed flame. High temporal resolution optical data of CH₂O and chemiluminescence are compared with simulated results. A high speed ignition front is seen to expand through fuel-rich mixture and stabilize around stoichiometry in a non-premixed flame while lean premixed combustion occurs in the spray wake at a much slower pace. A good qualitative agreement of the distribution of chemiluminescence and CH₂O formation and destruction shows that the simulation approach sufficiently captures the driving physics of mixed-mode combustion in PPC engines. The study shows that the transition from auto-ignition to flame occurs over a period of several crank angles and the reaction front propagation can be captured using the described model.     

Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the properties and performance of biodiesel produced from date seed oil used in the diesel engine

In the present study, the effect of ultrasound irradiation on the transesterification parameters, biodiesel properties, and its combustion profiles in the diesel engine was investigated. Moreover, date seed oil (DSO) was firstly utilized in the ultrasound-assisted transesterification reaction. DSO was extracted from Zahidi type date (Phoenix dactylifera) and was esterified to reduce its Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content. Biodiesel yield was optimized in both heating methods, so that the yield of 96.4% (containing 93.5% ester) at 60 °C, with 6 M ratio of methanol/oil, 1 wt% of catalyst (NaOH) and at 90 min of reaction time was reported. The ultrasound irradiation did not influence the reaction conditions except reaction time, reduced to 5 min (96.9% yield and 91.9% ester). The ultrasonic irradiation also influenced on the physicochemical properties of DSO biodiesel and improved its combustion in the diesel engine. The analysis results related to the engine and gas emission confirmed that the ultrasound-assisted produced biodiesel has lower density and viscosity, and higher oxygen content facilitating injection of fuel in the engine chamber and its combustion, respectively. Although, B40 (biodiesel blend consisting of 40% biodiesel and 60% net diesel fuel) as a blend of both fuels presented higher CO₂ and lower CO and HC in the emissions, the DSO biodiesel produced by ultrasound irradiation presented better specifications (caused about 2-fold improvement in emissions than that of conventional method). The findings of the study confirmed the positive effect of the ultrasound irradiation on the properties of the produced biodiesel along with its combustion properties in the diesel engine, consequently reducing air pollution problems.     

DMM及纳米颗粒添加剂对农用柴油机燃烧与排放性能的影响

本文通过在柴油中添加小比例二甲氧基甲烷(DMM)以及纳米氧化铝(Al2O3)颗粒研究一台小型农用柴油机的燃烧与排放特性。研究表明,随着柴油中DMM添加比例的增大,发动机燃烧特性参数如缸内压力、燃烧放热率及制动热效率得到明显地提升,着火延迟期以及CA50逐渐减小;排放方面HC和NOx增加,而CO和碳烟得到有效地抑制。燃油中同时添加DMM和纳米Al2O3颗粒后,发动机燃烧及排放方面得到了不同程度地优化。因此,将DMM与纳米颗粒的有机结合可为代用燃料在农用发动机中的推广应用提供新的思路。     

Large-eddy simulations of a stratified-charge direct-injection spark-ignition engine: Comparison with experiment and analysis of cycle-to-cycle variations

Multiple-cycle large-eddy simulations (LES) have been performed for an optically accessible, single-cylinder, four-stroke-cycle, spray-guided direct-injection spark-ignition (SG-DISI) engine operating in a stratified globally fuel-lean mode. The simulations combine a standard Smagorinsky turbulence model, a stochastic Lagrangian parcel method for liquid fuel injection and fuel spray modeling, a simple energy-deposition spark-ignition model, and a modified thickened flame model for turbulent flame propagation through highly stratified reactant mixtures. Comparisons between simulations and experiments include individual-cycle and ensemble-average pressure and apparent-heat-release-rate traces, individual-cycle and ensemble-average indicated mean effective pressures (IMEP), and instantaneous two-dimensional vapor-equivalence-ratio contours. Although the number of LES cycles is small (35), the results show that the simulations are able to capture the global combustion behavior that is observed in the experiments, including cycle-to-cycle variations. The simulation results are then analyzed further to provide insight into the conditions that lead to misfire versus robust combustion. As has been reported in earlier experimental and LES studies for homogeneous-charge SI engines, local conditions in the vicinity of the spark gap at the time of ignition largely determine the subsequent flame development. However, in contrast to homogeneous-charge engines, no single local or global quantity correlates as strongly with the eventual peak pressure or IMEP for each cycle. Rather, it is the interplay among the early flame kernel, the velocity field that it experiences, and the fuel distribution that it encounters that ultimately determines the fate of each combustion event. Deeper analysis and quantitative statistical comparisons between experiments and simulations will require the simulation of larger numbers of engine cycles.     

生物柴油发动机非常规排放的FTIR检测

采用傅里叶变换红外光谱FTIR,研究了汽车发动机燃用生物柴油的非常规排放物。所用燃料分别为纯柴油、纯生物柴油、生物柴油掺混比为20%的B20混合燃料。结果表明,该机燃用纯柴油和B20燃油的甲醛排放差别不大,纯生物柴油的甲醛排放则明显高于柴油。燃用B20燃油的乙醛排放略低于纯柴油;纯生物柴油的乙醛排放在中低负荷低于纯柴油,在高负荷时高于柴油及B20燃油。燃用B20燃油和纯生物柴油的丙酮排放要高于柴油,但排放量均较低。随着生物柴油掺混比例的增加,发动机甲苯和二氧化硫均呈逐渐下降趋势,纯生物柴油的二氧化硫排放大幅降低。燃用生物柴油后,发动机的二氧化碳排放有所降低,表明了生物柴油有利于温室气体的控制。