An investigation on the effects of oxygen enriched combustion air on engine performance was extended to include the implications from the second law of thermodynamics. A unique feature of this investigation is the examination of equal power engines. As the oxygen content of the combustion air increases, the engine size (displacement) can decrease to achieve the same brake power. The use of oxygen enriched combustion air will have a direct affect on the combustion process and on the overall engine thermodynamics. For example, for cases with higher inlet oxygen concentration (and hence less nitrogen dilution), for the same operating conditions, the combustion gas temperatures and engine cylinder heat losses will be higher. In addition, for increasing oxygen content, the second law losses associated with mixing could be reduced. The major objective of this study was to quantify these expectations for a range of operating conditions.
Results include detail thermodynamic results of temperatures, pressures and properties as functions of the oxygen concentration of the combustion air. Results also include engine performance parameters such as power, torque, fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, and exhaust temperatures. For one comparison, engine performance and fuel consumption were obtained for an equivalence ratio of 1.0, MBT spark timing, and 2500 rpm. For oxygen enriched combustion air with 32% oxygen, equal power output was obtained with 73% of the displaced volume (all else the same). For the higher oxygen case, the brake fuel consumption increased about 11% primarily due to higher heat losses and higher exhaust gas energy which were a consequence of the higher gas temperatures. From the second law analyses, the percentage of the availability destroyed by combustion was reduced from 20.2% to 18.0% for an increase in the oxygen concentration from 21% to 32%. Other comparisons are reported.