Managing SI/HCCI Dual-Mode Engine Operation

Gasoline HCCI engine has the potential of providing better fuel economy and emissions characteristics than the current SI engines. However, management of HCCI operation for a vehicle is a challenging task. In this paper, the issues of mode transitions between the Spark Ignition and HCCI regimes, and the dynamic nature of the load trajectory within the HCCI regime are considered. Then the phenomena encountered in these operations are illustrated by the data from a single-cylinder engine with electromagnetic-variable-valve timing control. Mode transitions from the SI to HCCI regime may be categorized as robust and non-robust. In a robust transition, every intended HCCI cycle is successful. In a non-robust transition, one or more intended HCCI cycles misfire, although the cycles progress to a satisfactory HCCI operating point in steady state. (The spark ignition was kept on so that the engine could recover from a misfired cycle.) Thus a stable HCCI point does not imply a robust transition from the corresponding SI operating point on the load/speed map. By carefully mapping the engine transition behavior, a smooth SI-HCCI-SI transition could be achieved.