Experimental Determination of Knock in Gas SI Engine

Determination of knock start for any engine tuning remains a difficult work for many engine manufacturers. This study investigates different combinations of existing knock indices in order to produce an upgraded indicator easier to calibrate. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder gas engine bounded to combined heat and power (CHP). Effects of spark advance, volumetric efficiency and equivalent ratio are studied under constant speed operation. The ratio IMPO / MAPO (with IMPO defined as the Integral of Modulus of Pressure Oscillation and MAPO as the Maximum Amplitude of Pressure Oscillation) is proposed as a suitable indicator. In any engine setting, it remains constant under non knocking conditions. When knock occurs, a model deduced from dimensionless analysis allows to determine the oversteps of Knock Limited Spark Timing from IMPO / MAPO measurements with an accuracy lower than 1 CA.