Comparison of heat losses at the impingement point and in between two impingement points in a diesel engine using phosphor thermometry

In-cylinder heat losses in diesel engines reduce engine efficiency significantly and account for a considerable amount of injected fuel energy. A great part of the heat losses during diesel combustion presumably arises from the impingement of the flame. The present study compares the heat losses at the point where the flame impinges onto the piston bowl wall and the heat losses between two impingement points. Measurements were performed in a full metal heavy-duty diesel engine with a small optical access through a removed exhaust valve. The surface temperature at the impingement point of the combusting diesel spray and at a point in between two impingement points was determined using phosphor thermometry. The dynamic heat fluxes and the heat transfer coefficients which result from the surface temperature measurements are estimated. Simultaneous cylinder pressure measurements and high-speed videos are associated to individual surface temperature measurements. Thus each surface temperature measurement is linked to a specific impingement and combustion events. An analysis of the surface temperature in connection with the high speed images reveals the great impact of flame impingement on instantaneous local heat flux at the impingement point. Absence of such an effect in between two impingement points implies an inhomogeneous temperature field.