Flame Propagation into the Ring Crevice of a Spark Ignition Engine

Unreacted fuel in ring crevice volumes is a significant source of hydrocarbon emissions from spark ignition engines. If the ring crevice is designed with a wider clearance into which the flame will propagate, the unreacted fuel can be reduced. In this paper, the conditions of flame propagation into the ring crevice are investigated by using ionization probes imbedded in the moving piston of a four-stroke spark ignition engine. It is found that the flame propagates into the ring crevice if the quenching distance when the flame reaches the crevice is narrower than the piston top land clearance.