A new ignition time model applied to super knock

An ignition time model is developed to model super knock in a compression engine. The model assumes that thermoacoustic interaction is the primary mechanism for the onset of super knock. By ignoring diffusive effects, a simple transport equation for the time to ignition of a fluid particle is derived. The significantly reduced cost of the chemistry model allows for complex hydrocarbon fuels to be simulated. Additionally, a zonal model for the secondary ignition of a charge due to the action of an expanding flame is developed. The flame compresses the unburned gas, causing the temperature and pressure to rise, which yields a pre-ignition in the unburned gas before the charge is engulfed by the flame. It is shown that the ignition time model compares well to the detailed chemical model with less than 1% difference in the prediction of ignition delay. Using this ignition time model, a multi-dimensional simulation of super knock in a rapid compression machine corresponding to the configuration of Wang et al. [1] is performed. It is found that interaction of the shock with the flame and the side wall of the cylinder significantly enhances the strength of the shock, and the in-cylinder pressure exceeds 300 bar. From the pressure rise predicted by the simulation, it is concluded that simulated ignition is a super knock event. Since the ignition time model excludes diffusive effects on the chemistry, it is proposed that acoustic resonance of the cylinder is the primary driver in the development of super knock for the configuration under examination and that inhomogeneous ignition due to transient flame compression could be a key mechanism for super knock.     

Influence of the ignition delay time on the explosion parameters of hydrocarbon–air–oxygen mixtures at elevated pressure and temperature

Combustion phenomena change as the conditions in which they are occurring change. Proper understanding and reliable prediction of these phenomena, including important explosion indexes (e.g., flammability limits, explosion pressures), are required for achieving safe and optimal performance of industrial processes and creating new applications. To this end, we investigated the influence of the residence time on aforementioned parameters of n-butane–oxygen mixture and a typical mixture for ethylene oxide production: methane–ethylene–oxygen, focusing on how elevated conditions affect the upper explosion limit and the explosion pressure. Elevated initial conditions (T = 230 °C, P = 4–16 bar) cause pre-ignition reactions to occur in the regime of the low temperature oxidation mechanism (LTOM). These reactions change the mixture composition prior to ignition. For both mixtures investigated, these changes in the initial mixture composition, due to pre-ignition reactions, result in a different explosion pressure. This is significant, because pressure rise is used as the ignition criterion. Consequently, a different classification of the investigated mixtures, as flammable or non-flammable, is possible, depending on the residence time prior to ignition. The experimental results are compared with theoretical calculations performed using detailed reaction kinetic models.     

Direct numerical simulations of turbulent flame expansion in fine sprays

Direct Numerical Simulations of expanding flame kernels following localized ignition in decaying turbulence with the fuel in the form of a fine mist have been performed to identify the effects of the spray parameters on the possibility of self-sustained combustion. Simulations show that the flame kernel may quench due to fuel starvation in the gaseous phase if the droplets are large or if their number is insufficient to result in significant heat release to allow for self-sustained flame propagation for the given turbulent environment. The reaction proceeds in a large range of equivalence ratios due to the random location of the droplets relative to the igniter location that causes a wide range of mixture fractions to develop through pre-evaporation in the unreacted gas and through evaporation in the preheat zone of the propagating flame. The resulting flame exhibits both premixed and non-premixed characteristics.     

Geometrical study of spark ignition in two dimensions

Spark ignition, as the first step during the combustion in Otto engines, has a profound impact on the further development of the flame kernel. Over the last ten years growing concern for environment protection, including low emission of pollutants has increased the interest in the numerical simulation of ignition phenomena to guarantee successful flame kernel development even for lean mixtures.

However, the process of spark ignition in a combustible mixture is not yet fully understood. The use of detailed reaction mechanisms, combined with electrodynamical modelling of the spark, is necessary to optimize ignition of lean mixtures.

This work presents simulations of the coupling of flow, chemical reactions and transport with discharge processes in order to investigate the development of a stable flame kernel initiated by an electrical spark. A two-dimensional code to simulate the early stages of flame kernel formation, shortly after the breakdown discharge, has been developed. The model includes Joule heating. The spark plasma channel formed as a consequence of the breakdown is incorporated into the initial conditions. The computations include the initial phase (1–5 µs), which is governed by pressure wave formation, but also the transition to flame propagation. A thorough study of the influence of the electrodes' geometry, i.e. shape and size, and gap width, has been performed for air and a lean H₂–air mixture. Also a detailed methane-air mechanism was chosen as another example including combustion.

Due to the fast expansion of the plasma channel, together with the geometrical complexity of the electrodes, a complicated flow field develops after the emission of a pressure wave by the expanding channel. Special numerical methods, including artificial viscosity, are required to resolve the complicated flow field during these first 1–5 µs. The heat release through chemical reactions and transport processes is almost negligible during this short phase. The second phase, i.e. the development of a propagating flame and the flame kernel expansion, can last up to several milliseconds and is dominated by diffusive processes and chemical reactions. It has been found that the geometry greatly influences the developing flame kernel and the flow field. As soon as chemical reactions begin to contribute significantly to the heat release, the effect becomes smaller.     

Effects of pressure rise rate on laminar flame speed under normal and engine-relevant conditions

Laminar flame speed (LFS) is one of the most important physicochemical properties of a combustible mixture. At normal and elevated temperatures and pressures, LFS can be measured using propagating spherical flames in a closed chamber. LFS is also used in certain turbulent premixed flame modelling for combustion in spark ignition engines. Inside the closed chamber or engine, transient pressure rise occurs during the premixed flame propagation. The effects of pressure rise rate (PRR) on LFS are examined numerically in this study. One-dimensional simulations are conducted for spherical flame propagation in a closed chamber. Detailed chemistry and transport are considered. Different values of PRR at the same temperature and pressure are achieved through changing the spherical chamber size. It is found that the effect of PRR on LFS is negligible under the normal and engine-relevant conditions considered in this study. This observation is then explained through the comparison between the unsteady and convection terms in the energy equation for a premixed flame.     

Investigation of lubricant induced pre-ignition and knocking combustion in an optical spark ignition engine

An experimental study was performed to investigate lubricant oil induced pre-ignition and knocking combustion process in a single cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine with full bore overhead optical access. Lubricant oil was deliberately injected to the exhaust area through a specially modified direct injector to trigger the stochastic pre-ignition in a premixed air and fuel mixture. Simultaneous heat release analysis and high speed combustion imaging were used to study the pre-ignition and combustion processes. Outlier detection based on robust statistical methods was validated as an effective and efficient approach to identify sporadic pre-ignition. When pre-ignition occurred, the pre-ignited flame-front exhibited much faster propagating speed than that of the normal spark-ignited flame-front in the first stage of flame development. In several cycles, pre-ignition was followed by the pre-ignited propagating flame-front and then a separate spark-ignited flame-front before they subsequently merged together. In a few other cycles, pre-ignition led to heavy knocking combustion caused either by the auto-ignition close to the flame-front or near the cylinder wall, or both. The ultimate knock intensity of such cycles was determined by the timing, size, and location of end-gas auto-ignition of the unburned gas. Furthermore, optical detection of the oil droplet entrained combustion in the cycle subsequent to the knocking combustion cycle implied that high frequency oscillation pressure waves ejected lubricant from the piston-ring crevice.     

Flame kernel characterization of laser ignition of natural gas–air mixture in a constant volume combustion chamber

In this paper, laser-induced ignition was investigated for compressed natural gas–air mixtures. Experiments were performed in a constant volume combustion chamber, which simulate end of the compression stroke conditions of a SI engine. This chamber simulates the engine combustion chamber conditions except turbulence of air–fuel mixture. It has four optical windows at diametrically opposite locations, which are used for laser ignition and optical diagnostics simultaneously. All experiments were conducted at 10 bar chamber pressure and 373 K chamber temperature. Initial stage of combustion phenomena was visualized by employing Shadowgraphy technique using a high speed CMOS camera. Flame kernel development of the combustible fuel–air mixture was investigated under different relative air–fuel ratios (λ=1.2?1.7) and the images were interrogated for temporal propagation of flame front. Pressure-time history inside the combustion chamber was recorded and analyzed. This data is useful in characterizing the laser ignition of natural gas–air mixture and can be used in developing an appropriate laser ignition system for commercial use in SI engines.     

Multipoint radiation induced ignition of dust explosions: turbulent clustering of particles and increased transparency

Understanding the causes and mechanisms of large explosions, especially dust explosions, is essential for minimising devastating hazards in many industrial processes. It is known that unconfined dust explosions begin as primary (turbulent) deflagrations followed by a devastating secondary explosion. The secondary explosion may propagate with a speed of up to 1000 m/s producing overpressures of over 8–10 atm, which is comparable with overpressures produced in detonation. Since detonation is the only established theory that allows rapid burning producing a high pressure that can be sustained in open areas, the generally accepted view was that the mechanism explaining the high rate of combustion in dust explosions is deflagration-to-detonation transition. In the present work we propose a theoretical substantiation of an alternative mechanism explaining the origin of the secondary explosion producing high speeds of combustion and high overpressures in unconfined dust explosions. We show that the clustering of dust particles in a turbulent flow ahead of the advancing flame front gives rise to a significant increase of the thermal radiation absorption length. This effect ensures that clusters of dust particles are exposed to and heated by radiation from hot combustion products of dust explosions for a sufficiently long time to become multi-point ignition kernels in a large volume ahead of the advancing flame. The ignition times of a fuel–air mixture caused by radiatively heated clusters of particles is considerably reduced compared with the ignition time caused by an isolated particle. Radiation-induced multipoint ignitions of a large volume of fuel–air ahead of the primary flame efficiently increase the total flame area, giving rise to the secondary explosion, which results in the high rates of combustion and overpressures required to account for the observed level of overpressures and damage in unconfined dust explosions, such as for example the 2005 Buncefield explosion and several vapour cloud explosions of severity similar to that of the Buncefield incident.     

Dynamics of triple-flames in ignition of turbulent dual fuel mixture: A direct numerical simulation study

Pilot-ignited dual fuel combustion involves a complex transition between the pilot fuel autoignition and the premixed-like phase of combustion, which is challenging for experimental measurement and numerical modelling, and not sufficiently explored. To further understand the fundamentals of the dual fuel ignition processes, the transient ignition and subsequent flame development in a turbulent dimethyl ether (DME)/methane-air mixing layer under diesel engine-relevant conditions are studied by direct numerical simulations (DNS). Results indicate that combustion is initiated by a two-stage autoignition that involves both low-temperature and high-temperature chemistry. The first stage autoignition is initiated at the stoichiometric mixture, and then the ignition front propagates against the mixture fraction gradient into rich mixtures and eventually forms a diffusively-supported cool flame. The second stage ignition kernels are spatially distributed around the most reactive mixture fraction with a low scalar dissipation rate. Multiple triple flames are established and propagate along the stoichiometric mixture, which is proven to play an essential role in the flame developing process. The edge flames gradually get close to each other with their branches eventually connected. It is the leading lean premixed branch that initiates the steady propagating methane-air flame. The time required for the initiation of steady flame is substantially shorter than the autoignition delay time of the methane-air mixture under the same thermochemical condition. Temporal evolution of the displacement speed at the flame front is also investigated to clarify the propagation characteristics of the combustion waves. Cool flame and propagation of triple flames are also identified in this study, which are novel features of the pilot-ignited dual fuel combustion.     

Measurements of the critical initiation radius and unsteady propagation of n-decane/air premixed flames

Unsteady flame propagation, the critical radius for flame initiation, and multiple flame regimes of n-decane/air mixtures are studied experimentally and computationally using outwardly propagating spherical flames at various equivalence ratios and pressures. The transient flame speeds, trajectories, and critical radius are measured. The experimental results are compared with direct numerical simulations using detailed high temperature kinetic models. Both experimental and numerical results show that there exist multiple flame regimes in the unsteady spherical flame initiation process. The transition between the flame regimes depends strongly on the mixture equivalence ratio (or Lewis number). It is found that there is a critical flame radius and that it increases dramatically as the mixture equivalence ratio and pressure decrease. The large increase of critical flame radius leads to a dramatic increase of the minimum ignition energy. Furthermore, the flame thickness and the radical pool concentration change significantly during the transition from the ignition flame regime to the self-sustained propagating flame regime. For the same steady state flame speeds, the predicted unsteady flame speeds and the critical flame radius differ significantly from the experimental results. Moreover, different chemical kinetic mechanisms predict different unsteady flame speeds. The existence of multiple flame regimes and the large critical radius of lean liquid fuel mixtures make the ignition of lean mixtures at low pressure and the development of a validated kinetic model more challenging. The unsteady flame regimes, speeds, and critical flame radius should be included as targets of future kinetic model development for turbulent combustion modeling.     

On laminar premixed flame propagating into autoigniting mixtures under engine-relevant conditions

Usually premixed flame propagation and laminar burning velocity are studied for mixtures at normal or elevated temperatures and pressures, under which the ignition delay time of the premixture is much larger than the flame resistance time. However, in spark-ignition engines and spark-assisted compression ignition engines, the end-gas in the front of premixed flame is at the state that autoignition might happen before the mixture is consumed by the premixed flame. In this study, laminar premixed flames propagating into an autoigniting dimethyl ether/air mixture are simulated considering detailed chemistry and transport. The emphasis is on the laminar burning velocity of autoigniting mixtures under engine-relevant conditions. Two types of premixed flames are considered: one is the premixed planar flame propagating into an autoigniting DME/air without confinement; and the other is premixed spherical flame propagating inside a closed chamber, for which four stages are identified. Due to the confinement, the unburned mixture is compressed to high temperature and pressure close to or under engine-relevant conditions. The laminar burning velocity is determined from the constant-volume propagating spherical flame method as well as PREMIX. The laminar burning velocities of autoigniting DME/air mixture at different temperatures, pressures, and autoignition progresses are obtained. It is shown that the first-stage and second-stage autoignition can significantly accelerate the flame propagation and thereby greatly increase the laminar burning velocity. When the first-stage autoignition occurs in the unburned mixture, the isentropic compression assumption does not hold and thereby the traditional method cannot be used to calculate the laminar burning velocity. A modified method without using the isentropic compression assumption is proposed. It is shown to work well for autoigniting mixtures. Besides, a power law correlation is obtained based on all the laminar burning velocity data. It works well for mixtures before autoignition while improvement is still needed for mixtures after autoignition.     

Infrared borescopic characterization of corona and conventional ignition for lean/dilute combustion in heavy-duty natural-gas engines

Natural gas (NG) is attractive for heavy-duty (HD) engines for reasons of cost stability, emissions, and fuel security. NG requires forced ignition, but conventional gasoline-engine ignition systems are not optimized for NG and are challenged to ignite mixtures that are lean or diluted with exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR). NG ignition is particularly difficult in large-bore engines, where it is more challenging to complete combustion in the time available. High-speed infrared (IR) in-cylinder imaging and image-derived quantitative metrics were used to compare two ignition systems in terms of the early flame-kernel development and cycle-to-cycle variability (CCV) in a heavy-duty, natural-gas-fueled engine that had been modified to enable exhaust-gas recirculation and to provide optical access via borescopes. Imaging in the near IR and short-wavelength IR yielded strong signals from the water emission lines, which acted as a proxy for flame front and burned-gas regions while obviating image intensification (which can reduce spatial resolution). The ignition systems studied were a conventional system and a high-frequency corona system. The air/fuel mixtures investigated included stoichiometric without dilution and lean with EGR. The corona system produced five separate elongated, irregularly shaped, nonequilibrium-plasma streamers, leading to immediate formation of five spatially distinct wrinkled flame kernels around each streamer. Compared to the conventional spark ignition, which produces a single flame kernel that exhibits an initial laminar growth regime before wrinkling, corona ignition's early achievement of higher flame surface areas significantly shortened the ignition delay, resulting in reduced overall combustion duration and CCV for each mixture. Additionally, although the lean, dilute mixture produced higher CCV than the stoichiometric, minimally diluted mixture with both igniters, the mixtures ignited by the corona system suffered less than those ignited by the conventional system. Image-based measurements of CCV agreed with those based on in-cylinder pressure.     

Gas-phase spontaneous ignition of hydrocarbons

The ignition of hydrocarbons at low temperatures is experimentally studied in a rapid-mixture-injection static reactor. The ignition process was monitored using a high-speed color video camera. It was found that, at low temperatures, ignition starts in kernels, a feature also characteristic of methods for measuring the ignition delay time at high and medium temperatures (shock tube, rapid compression machine). Kernel-mode ignition is associated with gas-dynamic phenomena inherent in different techniques of heating the gas to the desired temperature. Ignition in the kernel is of chain-thermal nature. The emergence of a visible kernel can be considered the beginning of hot flame propagation. It is shown that, in the self-ignition mode, the propagation of the flame front from the initial kernel occurs by the induction mechanism, proposed by Ya.B. Zel’dovich, rather than by the diffusion-heat-conduction mechanism. Introduction of a platinum wire into the reactor produces a catalytic effect in the negative temperature coefficient region, while virtually unaffecting the ignition delay at lower temperatures.     

Evaporating droplets in turbulent reacting flows

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations are carried out to determine the effects of turbulence on the preferential segregation of an evaporating spray and then to study the evolution of the resulting mixture fraction topology and propagating flame. First, the mixing between an initially randomly dispersed phase and the turbulent gaseous carrier phase is studied with non-evaporating particles. According to their inertia and the turbulence properties, the formation of clusters of particles is analyzed (formation delay, cluster characteristic size and density). Once the particles are in dynamical equilibrium with the surrounding turbulent flow, evaporation is considered through the analysis of the mixture fraction evolution. Finally, to mimic ignition, a kernel of burnt gases is generated at the center of the domain and the turbulent flame evolution is described.     

A comprehensive experimental and improved kinetic modeling study on the pyrolysis and oxidation of propyne

To improve our understanding of the combustion characteristics of propyne, new experimental data for ignition delay times (IDTs), pyrolysis speciation profiles and flame speed measurements are presented in this study. IDTs for propyne ignition were obtained at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 in ‘air’ at pressures of 10 and 30 bar, over a wide range of temperatures (690–1460 K) using a rapid compression machine and a high-pressure shock tube. Moreover, experiments were performed in a single-pulse shock tube to study propyne pyrolysis at 2 bar pressure and in the temperature range 1000–1600 K. In addition, laminar flame speeds of propyne were studied at an unburned gas temperature of 373 K and at 1 and 2 bar for a range of equivalence ratios. A detailed chemical kinetic model is provided to describe the pyrolytic and combustion characteristics of propyne across this wide-ranging set of experimental data. This new mechanism shows significant improvements in the predictions for the IDTs, fuel pyrolysis and flame speeds for propyne compared to AramcoMech3.0. The improvement in fuel reactivity predictions in the new mechanism is due to the inclusion of the propyne + H?₂ reaction system along with ?H radical addition to the triple bonds of propyne and subsequent reactions.     

Leading point behavior during the ignition of an annular combustor with liquid n-heptane injectors

Experimental and numerical investigations of ignition in combustors with multiple burners have recently emerged and have provided new insights on the last phase of ignition in gas turbine-like annular geometries where the flame propagates from burner to burner. Previous comparisons between calculations and experiments of light-round in a laboratory scale annular combustion chamber have demonstrated the ability of large-eddy simulation to predict such processes for perfectly premixed conditions and, more recently, for n-heptane spray injection. The present analysis focuses on two additional operating points with liquid n-heptane sprays and the turbulent flame propagation in the two-phase mixture is examined through the behavior of its leading points. The validation of the light-round process is characterized in terms of ignition delays. The detailed analysis of the propagation through the definition of a leading point enables to highlight some key phenomena responsible for the flame behavior, such as the influence of the liquid droplet spray and its vaporization in the chamber. Calculations indicate that the volumetric expansion due to the chemical reaction at the flame induces a strong azimuthal flow in the fresh stream at a distance of several sectors ahead of the flame, which modifies conditions in this region. This creates heterogeneities in the gas composition and wakes on the downstream side of the swirling jets formed by the injectors, with notable effects on the motion of the leading point and on the absolute flame velocity.     

LES/CMC modelling of ignition and flame propagation in a non-premixed methane jet

The Large Eddy Simulation (LES) / Conditional Moment Closure (CMC) model with detailed chemistry is used for modelling spark ignition and flame propagation in a turbulent methane jet in ambient air. Two centerline and one off-axis ignition locations are simulated. We focus on predicting the flame kernel formation, flame edge propagation and stabilization. The current LES/CMC computations capture the three stages reasonably well compared to available experimental data. Regarding the formation of flame kernel, it is found that the convection dominates the propagation of its downstream edge. The simulated initial downstream and radial flame propagation compare well with OH-PLIF images from the experiment. Additionally, when the spark is deposited at off-centerline locations, the flame first propagates downstream and then back upstream from the other side of the stoichiometric iso-surface. At the leading edge location, the chemical source term is larger than others in magnitude, indicating its role in the flame propagation. The time evolution of flame edge position and the final lift-off height are compared with measurements and generally good agreement is observed. The conditional quantities at the stabilization point reflect a balance between chemistry and micro-mixing. This investigation, which focused on model validation for various stages of spark ignition of a turbulent lifted jet flame through comparison with measurements, demonstrates that turbulent edge flame propagation in non-premixed systems can be reasonably well captured by LES/CMC.     

On the mechanism of the deflagration-to-detonation transition in a hydrogen-oxygen mixture

The flame acceleration and the physical mechanism underlying the deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) have been studied experimentally, theoretically, and using a two-dimensional gasdynamic model for a hydrogen-oxygen gas mixture by taking into account the chain chemical reaction kinetics for eight components. A flame accelerating in a tube is shown to generate shock waves that are formed directly at the flame front just before DDT occurred, producing a layer of compressed gas adjacent to the flame front. A mixture with a density higher than that of the initial gas enters the flame front, is heated, and enters into reaction. As a result, a high-amplitude pressure peak is formed at the flame front. An increase in pressure and density at the leading edge of the flame front accelerates the chemical reaction, causing amplification of the compression wave and an exponentially rapid growth of the pressure peak, which “drags” the flame behind. A high-amplitude compression wave produces a strong shock immediately ahead of the reaction zone, generating a detonation wave. The theory and numerical simulations of the flame acceleration and the new physical mechanism of DDT are in complete agreement with the experimentally observed flame acceleration, shock formation, and DDT in a hydrogen-oxygen gas mixture.     

弱浮力下导线绝缘层着火先期特性的研究

本文在低压弱浮力环境中模拟了微重力过载电流时导线绝缘层的着火先期过程,研究了压力对绝缘层着火先期特性的影响。结果表明,2 A时,绝缘层的温升率和最终平衡温度随压力降低而不断增大,模拟出了微重力下绝缘层的温升特性;10 A时,随着压力降低,绝缘层存在三种破坏机制;在不同区域压力对着火延迟时间的影响不同。最后,提高环境氧气浓度修正了低压对化学反应速率的抑制。结果表明,当压力在一定范围内降低时,随着氧气浓度的提高,绝缘层的着火极限范围拓宽,着火延迟时间缩短,可以初步模拟微重力下绝缘层的着火先期过程。     

Ethanol ignition in a high-pressure shock tube: Ignition delay time and high-repetition-rate imaging measurements

Ethanol is known to be prone to pre-ignition in internal combustion engines under high-load conditions and its ignition shows large deviations from ideal, spatially, and temporally-homogeneous ignition in shock tubes at moderate temperatures (800–950 K). In this context, the ignition of stoichiometric ethanol/O₂ mixtures with various levels of inert gas dilution was investigated in a high-pressure shock tube at ?20 bar between 800 and 1250 K. Ignition delay times were determined from spatially integral detection of chemiluminescence emission. Additionally, high-repetition-rate color imaging enabled the differentiation of the luminescence in time, space, and spectral range between various ignition modes. In the low-temperature range (800–860 K), different inhomogeneous ignition modes were identified. The addition of small amounts of helium into the undiluted fuel/air mixture was found to be efficient to mitigate pre-ignition, attributed to a variation in heat transfer and thus suppression of the build-up of local temperature inhomogeneities. The experiments in case of spatially homogeneous ignition show very good agreement with the predictions based on three detailed kinetics mechanisms (Zhang et al., CNF 190 (2018) 74, Frassoldati et al., CNF 159 (2012) 2295, and Zhou et al. CNF 197 (2018) 423), inhomogeneities, however, resulted in a shortening of the ignition delay times up to a factor of 2.6.