Browse Topic: Lean burn engines

Items (791)
Compared to regular fuels, biofuels can play a key role as low-carbon transitional energy sources for ICE vehicles as the fleet moves towards increasing electrification. Blending of ethanol plays a key role in enhancing the anti-knock properties of the fuel and also allows renewable hydrocarbons (such as bio-naphtha) to be incorporated into the blend whilst maintaining an acceptable overall fuel quality. Super lean burn ICE technology with λ between 2 and 3 can lead to enhanced fuel economy and reduced NOx emissions. The Toyota prototype engine used to generate data for this project injects most of the fuel in PFI mode to generate a homogeneous super-lean charge in the cylinder, but just before spark ignition the DI injector sprays a small amount of fuel towards the spark plug to create a richer charge near the spark plug to promote flame kernel development. Various fuel formulations with high biofuel content were tested in both conventional and super lean burn engines. Certain fuel
Aradi, AllenKrueger-Venus, JensJain, Sandeep KumarCracknell, RogerKolbeck, AndreasShibuya, MasahikoYamada, RyotaMatsubara, NaoyoshiKitano, Koji
Lean operation of spark-ignition engines can lead to engine thermal efficiency gains and lower NOx emissions due to reduced combustion temperatures. Yet, lean operation could still face challenges in end-gas autoignition and knock generation due to higher intake pressures and trapped NO in the residual gas. This study evaluates the impact of NO on end-gas autoignition for two gasoline fuels with similar octane rating but different composition: high cycloalkane fuel (HCA) and high olefin fuel (HO). Experiments were performed at stoichiometric and lean (λ = 2) conditions and at two engine speeds of 1400 rpm and 2000 rpm. Accompanying chemical kinetics simulations in CHEMKIN revealed that the mechanisms controlling the effect of NO on autoignition are similar λ = 2 and λ = 1, with NO + HO2 = NO2 + OH being the main pathway for enhancing reactivity by promoting low-temperature heat release (LTHR). The compositionally different fuels reacted differently to NO seeding and engine speed, and
Kim, NamhoAbboud, RamiSjöberg, MagnusLopez Pintor, DarioSaggese, ChiaraMatsubara, NaoyoshiKitano, KojiYamada, RyotaSugata, Kenji
In the near to mid-term, hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE) can be a bridge technology for reducing carbon emissions. A few challenges anticipated under lean-burn H2-ICE operation are the significant drop in turbo-out temperatures, combined with higher water content, and the possible presence of unburned hydrogen in the exhaust, which could have a potential impact on performance and durability of the downstream exhaust aftertreatment system, particularly oxidation and SCR catalysts, as these conditions can suppress low-temperature oxidation activity, perturb Cu-site speciation and redox cycling in SCR catalysts, and exacerbate hydrothermal aging under sustained wet operation. This study examines the impact of excess water and residual hydrogen on Cu-SCR durability, active site chemistry, and stability for the case with and without an upstream oxidation catalyst, through aging tests at 450 °C and 550 °C. Changes in Cu redox cycles were assessed through site quantification
Kim, Mi-YoungDaya, RohilKamasamudram, Krishna
Research on high efficiency and low emission control strategies are crucial for addressing energy security and pollution challenges for combustion engines of vehicles. This paper investigates the effects of increasing the compression ratio and excess air coefficient (λ) in naturally aspirated engines via active pre-chamber technology, and further enhancing λ through the synergy of active pre-chamber with intake boosting and Miller cycle technology, on combustion efficiency and pollutant emissions. Experiments were conducted on a high-compression-ratio (up to 16.6) single-cylinder gasoline engine. Under natural aspiration, the effective compression ratio was raised via valve timing, while λ was increased using integrated passive and active pre-chamber systems. Under boosted conditions, intake flow was controlled via a flow meter, and λ was controlled via an active pre-chamber to analyze the λ distribution and thermal efficiency at high-efficiency operating points. Results indicate that
Deng, JunLi, XiaoliangMiao, XinkeXu, BingxinZhang, JianQiLi, Liguang
The discharge characteristics of ignition systems critically influence flame kernel formation and ignition stability under lean-burn conditions. This study experimentally compares a transistor coil ignition (TCI) and a capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) system in a constant-volume combustion chamber using hydrogen–air mixtures. The electrical behavior of both systems was first characterized through synchronized measurements of voltage, current, and high-speed imaging under various operating conditions with a resistive spark plug. The CDI system exhibited high-current (≈750 mA), short-duration (≈250 μs) discharges with strong instantaneous power but limited total spark-gap energy (≈5 mJ), while the TCI system produced lower-current, longer-duration (≈3 ms) discharges with higher cumulative energy (≈30 mJ). Flow-field tests revealed that the TCI discharge duration and energy release were strongly influenced by airflow, whereas CDI discharge behavior remained largely unchanged at flow
Cong, BinghaoJin, LongYu, XiaoZhou, QingTjong, JimiZheng, Ming
Utilizing low carbon fuel in lean burn combustion presents a compelling strategy for improving thermal efficiency and reducing NOx emissions. Methane, the main content of natural gas, still receives challenge of a rapid and complete combustion process because of its low flame speed. The long combustion duration deteriorates the performance of a spark ignition engine, in terms of poor combustion instability and misfire. Although ignition timing can be utilized to adjust the combustion phasing, the ignition process faces challenges due to reduced background pressure and temperature at advanced spark timings. In this paper, a rapid compression machine equipped with a specially designed flow chamber is utilized to enhance the turbulence flow, and a custom-built ignition module is utilized to provide boosted discharge current to enhance the ignition stability under flow conditions. An effective spark energy required to enhance the combustion process is investigated under both stoichiometric
Jin, LongCong, BinghaoYu, XiaoKong, XiangxinReader, GrahamZheng, Ming
To mitigate global warming, many countries are working toward carbon neutrality. Reducing CO₂ emissions from vehicles requires electrification technologies in hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs, PHEVs) and improving thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines (ICEs). Lean-burn combustion is one approach to improving ICE thermal efficiency. Biofuels and synthetic fuels can also reduce CO₂ emissions in existing vehicles. Ethanol, a bio-derived fuel, is widely used in varying contents worldwide, and its further utilization is anticipated. This study examines the effects of ethanol blending on emissions, thermal efficiency, knocking, and combustion speed in a super-lean-burn engine. Gasoline surrogates with varying ethanol contents were tested at an excess air ratio (λ) of 2.5. Higher ethanol content reduced nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions due to lower adiabatic flame temperature. Total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions measured by a Flame Ionization Detector (FID) showed a
Sugata, KenjiMatsubara, NaoyoshiYamada, RyotaKitano, Koji
Our laboratory has proposed the focusing compression principle which employs pulsed super-multi jets of gas colliding around the chamber center. This principle aims to achieve high thermal efficiency by reducing both exhaust and cooling losses. Exhaust loss is minimized due to relatively-silent high compression. Cooling loss is reduced due to thermal insulation caused by fuel-air mixture being confined to the chamber center and the compressible flow effect. In previous studies, we conducted fundamental gasoline combustion experiments on a proof-of-concept opposed-piston engine which incorporated this principle. This engine featured eight intake nozzles in an octagonal configuration and utilized non-sinusoidal and strongly asymmetric piston movements. The results indicated the possibility of high thermal efficiency based on less knocking under high compression, and the potential for stable combustion under lean-burn conditions. As a next step towards practical application with
Nishizawa, TomohikoNaitoh, KenBaba, ShotaroUkegawa, HirakuYamada, SotaOzono, YukaAbiko, MireiSuzuki, YosukeHara, NamitoIto, YoshikuniMatsubara, KosakuUenoyama, Kazuyuki
The maritime industry is one of the most energy-intensive sectors, characterized by high fuel consumption and significant environmental impact. As global trade relies on shipping, the challenge of reducing pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions becomes ever more pressing. Natural gas (NG) is considered as a transitional fuel, capable of lowering CO₂ emissions by 20–30% compared to conventional marine fuels. However, to fully harness this potential, significant advances in combustion technology are necessary, particularly with ultra-lean combustion strategies. One of the most promising pathways is pre-chamber combustion, a solution that can simultaneously improve the efficiency and sustainability of NG marine engines. In this scenario, the passive pre-chamber geometry plays a key role, as it directly influences ignition behavior, combustion stability, and exhaust emissions. This work presents an experimental study conducted on a single-cylinder marine engine prototype, retrofitted from
Marchitto, LucaTornatore, CinziaPennino, VincenzoMariani PhD, AntonioBeatrice, CarloAccurso, FrancescoGorietti, ValentinaPesce, FrancescoGiardino, AngeloVitti, Luciano
TOC
Tobolski, Sue
Hydrogen-fueled reciprocating engines typically feature reasonable efficiencies and low engine-out emissions but low power density, compromising their utility and economics. Previous hydrogen engine research has found efficiency and anti-knock benefits when using either Miller cycles or water injection. This article therefore studies, for the first time, a directly injected (DI), spark-ignited, heavy-duty, turbocharged and hydrogen-fueled engine operated with both Miller cycles and water injection. Miller cycles, with either early or late intake valve closure, and water injection combine to achieve high engine efficiencies approaching 50%, which is significantly higher than the same engine with standard valve timing. The increased susceptibility of hydrogen autoignition in these Miller cycles is overcome by water injection, which simultaneously increases the charge density, counteracting both lean-burn hydrogen’s and Miller cycles’ commonly observed power loss. This demonstrates that
Mortimer, JoelPoursadegh, FarzadBrear, MichaelYang, Yi
Hydrogen combustion in internal combustion engines offers numerous advantages, such as zero CO2 emissions and high flame speed, which make it a promising alternative fuel for green vehicle solutions. In order to maximize the engine performance with hydrogen, however, meticulous calibration of the air-fuel mixture must be performed, particularly when lean and stoichiometric combustion conditions are considered. Lean burning, i.e., excess air, offers better thermal efficiency and lower NOx emissions but can cause lower engine power and combustion instability. Stoichiometric combustion, however, ensures complete combustion of the fuel-air mixture, but at the cost of higher combustion temperatures and consequently, high NOx emissions. Calibration strategies for hydrogen engines are presented in this paper by comparing the lean and stoichiometric strategies and their implications on engine power output, efficiency, and emissions. Test data from several hydrogen engine configurations
Jadhav, AjinkyaBandyopadhyay, DebjyotiSutar, Prasanna SSonawane, Shailesh BalkrishnaRairikar, Sandeep DThipse, Sukrut S
For the sustainable development of human society, energy saving, emission reduction, and carbon reduction are urgent challenges to be addressed in the energy industry. As a power device for energy conversion in the transportation sector, the internal combustion engine also needs to enhance its thermal efficiency while cutting pollutant emissions. To meet the current stringent requirements, lean combustion has been widely studied as an effective strategy. However, the ignition difficulty resulting from lean burn needs to be addressed. As a high-energy ignition system, the prechamber turbulent jet ignition can accelerate in-cylinder combustion, thereby enhancing engine efficiency and reducing emissions. Thus, it is considered a promising technology. This review reveals efforts to apply prechamber ignition systems to optimize combustion in the engine characterized by low-carbon fuels and low-emission features. First, this article briefly introduces the evolution of the prechamber
Bai, XiujuanZheng, Dayuan
Hydrogen is a promising alternative to conventional fuels for decarbonizing the commercial vehicle sector due to its carbon-free nature. This study investigates the ignition and flame propagation characteristics of hydrogen in a 2-liter single-cylinder optical research engine representative of the commercial vehicle sector. The main objective was to enable high power density operation while minimizing NOx emissions. For that, ultra-lean combustion was employed to lower in-cylinder temperatures, addressing the challenge of NOx formation. To counteract delayed and unstable combustion under lean conditions, an active pre-chamber ignition system was implemented. It uses a gas-purged pre-chamber with separate hydrogen injection and spark plug ignition. Turbulent hot gas jets from the pre-chamber ignite the fresh mixture in the main combustion chamber, enabling faster and more stable ignition compared to conventional spark plugs. Additionally, the low volumetric energy density of hydrogen
Borken, PhilippBill, DanielLink, LukasDinkelacker, FriedrichHansen, Hauke
Alcohol fuels are regarded as a feasible approach to address rising energy demands and reduce the dependency on fossil fuels, with ethanol and methanol emerging as a promising renewable fuel for spark-ignition engines. In this research work, tests were performed on a spark ignition engine altered from a diesel engine that employs ethanol/methanol-gasoline blend as fuel operating under lean conditions. The experiments were conducted at 10.5:1 compression ratio and 1500 rpm under full throttle condition with three fuel blends namely M10 (10% of methanol+ 90% gasoline), E10 (10% of ethanol+ 90% gasoline), E5M5 (5% of each ethanol and methanol+ 90% gasoline). Investigational results reveals that alcohol-gasoline blends displayed low COV of IMEP. Furthermore, the alcohol-gasoline mixtures enhanced the peak in-cylinder pressure owing to improved flame speed and flammability limits. Adopting lean-burn operation and high compression ratio can efficiently improve combustion attributes in an
Devunuri, SureshPorpatham, Dr. E
The two-stroke engine, known for its small displacement and high performance, is space-efficient when installed in a vehicle. As such, incorporating two-stroke engines into HEVs is an effective way to reduce vehicle weight and optimize engine space. However, one downside is that the amount of unfired elements in the exhaust gas increases due to the air/fuel mixture being expelled into the exhaust system during the scavenging process. Moreover, combustion can become unstable due to the large volume of residual burned gases in the cylinder. To address these issues, we propose a two-stroke engine equipped with intake and exhaust valves that directly inject fuel into the cylinder. In our first report, we presented an engine design and method that enable high scavenging efficiency and stable combustion in a two-stroke engine [1]. In this second report, we share the results of our research aimed at improving fuel efficiency and achieving low emissions, all while maintaining the high
Sakurai, YotaHisano, AtsushiSaitou, MasahitoIchi, Satoaki
Lean burn combustion is an effective strategy to reduce the in-cylinder temperature. Hence reduce NOx emissions and increase the thermal efficiency of the system. One essential aspect of successful combustion is the flame kernel initiation and development. However, as the fuel-air mixture becomes leaner, challenges arise in achieving a stable flame kernel initiation and a moderate speed of flame propagation. This empirical research aims to investigate the impact of the transient high current ignition strategy on flame kernel development, flame propagation and auto-ignition timing of lean Dimethyl Ether (DME). In this work, a rapid compression machine is employed at engine-relevant conditions, a pressure of ~15 bar and temperature of ~650K. Spark-assistance is applied at the end of compression to enable a spark-assisted compression ignition combustion mode. The spark event is initiated by a transient high current ignition system, which includes a traditional transistorized coil ignition
Asma, SabrinaYu, XiaoJin, LongTjong, JimiZheng, Ming
Ammonia is a promising fuel for achieving zero-carbon emissions in internal combustion engines. However, its low flame speed and heat of combustion pose significant challenges for efficient combustion. The pre-chamber (PC) spark-ignition (SI) system offers a viable solution by generating multiple ignition points in the main chamber (MC), enhancing combustion efficiency and enabling at the same time lean-burn operation. This study investigates the combustion characteristics and emissions of an active PC spark-ignition heavy-duty engine fueled with ammonia and ammonia-methane mixtures through numerical 3D-CFD simulations performed using the CONVERGE software. These simulations provide an accurate representation of the complex chemical and physical phenomena occurring within the combustion chamber. The study starts from a fully methane-fueled case, validated against experimental data, and subsequently explores different ammonia-methane mixtures. Then, a detailed spark timing (ST) analysis
Palomba, MarcoSalahi, Mohammad MahdiCameretti, Maria CristinaMahmoudzadeh Andwari, Amin
The purpose of this work is to highlight the benefits of improved scavenging efficiency for premixed, lean-burn, spark-ignited heavy-duty engines fueled by hydrogen. Scavenging efficiency measures the effectiveness of replacing exhaust gases with fresh air (or an air-fuel mixture) within the cylinder of an internal combustion engine. Enhanced scavenging efficiency reduces residual gas content and increases the proportion of fresh air, resulting in a cooler local mixture temperature. Additionally, it improves heat dissipation within the combustion chamber, cooling potential hotspots and allowing for earlier injections with fewer restrictions due to combustion anomalies, particularly pre-ignitions. To increase scavenging efficiency in a 4-stroke internal combustion engine, valve timing adjustments were made by introducing a valve lift profile with greater overlap of the exhaust valve closing and the inlet valve opening sequences. Additionally, a high-efficiency turbocharger was used to
Schuette, ChristophBorg, JonathanGiordana, SergioRapetto, Nicola
This paper deals with the hydrogen-to-helium jets comparison within the framework of the assessment of helium as a potential hydrogen surrogate. The comparison is centred on the assessment of the combined action of pressure ratio with gas properties on the dynamics of the jet exiting an outward-opening injector. The shots are performed at injection pressures and backpressures ranging from 21 to 36 bar and from 1.2 to 5 bar, respectively. The Schlieren technique is deployed to capture the jets images. The study demonstrates that at certain pressure ratios helium is an appealing solution bridging the lab safety with fidelity to hydrogen-like jet behaviour. Decreasing pressure ratio minimizes the hydrogen-to-helium difference in axial penetration and area, enabling helium to yield a hydrogen-like development. The findings underscore the impact of the pressure ratio on how the gas properties, such as density and diffusivity, dictate the evolution of the axial propagation and area
Coratella, CarloTinchon, AlexisHespel, CamilleDober, GavinFoucher, Fabrice
The dual-fuel combustion process, which is offered as a retrofit solution for conventional diesel engines by various manufacturers, represents an option for reducing emissions from internal combustion engines and is already available today. Current dual-fuel engines run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is usually of fossil origin. Due to the existing infrastructure and the possibility of producing LNG by means of electrolysis and methanation, LNG can already be produced in a 100% climate-neutral way and thus make a contribution to climate neutrality in the shipping industry. The adoption of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems in the maritime sector became more significant in 2020 following the enforcement of the sulphur emission cap. By lowering the sulphur content in the fuel, technologies in the exhaust tract are also conceivable without the use of expensive scrubber systems. Dual-fuel LNG/diesel engines are typically operated in lean-burn mode to reduce the risk of knocking
Seipel, PascalGlauner, ManuelDinwoodie, JulesBuchholz, Bert
The transition to decarbonized transportation necessitates significant modifications to internal combustion engines for alternative carbon-neutral fuels, particularly hydrogen. The integration of alternative systems is crucial for improving engine control, facilitating real-time engine health monitoring and facilitate early problem detection. This study investigates the potentialities of an ignition system specifically designed for H2 applications, with the integration of a smart coil diagnostic system with the aim to enhance engine performance and control capabilities. Experiments were conducted on a single-cylinder research engine across varying spark advanced, throttle positions, and engine speeds, comparing the novel ignition system with integrated diagnostics against traditional spark plug. Results demonstrate improvements in combustion stability and control when innovative spark plug was employed. Compared to a conventional spark plug, the Hy2Fire® system consistently delivered
Ricci, FedericoPapi, StefanoAvana, MassimilianoDal Re, MassimoGrimaldi, Carlo
The commercial vehicle industry continues to move in the direction of lower emissions while reducing its carbon footprint. This study focuses on hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE) since it offers a zero-carbon solution to the industry while showing very low NOx emissions when coupled to a conventionally sized aftertreatment SCR system. This work highlights modeling efforts for analyzing key boosting configurations to operate a hydrogen engine at high lambda (relative air–fuel ratio) for lowering NOx, maintain the aftertreatment system reasonable in size, and improving brake thermal efficiency (BTE). GT-Power was used to model H2-ICE engines from 13L to 19L in displacement with different boosting architectures. Key configurations include a variable geometry turbine (VGT) turbocharger coupled with a supercharger (SC), a VGT with higher engine displacement, and a VGT coupled in series with a fixed geometry turbine (FGT) turbocharger. An exhaustive study comparing these boosting
Gurjar, ShubhamMcCarthy, Jr., James E.Manickavasagan, ThirumoolanChaudhari, Amol S.Nimeshkumar, ParmarBachu, PruthviBitsis, Christopher
Methanol is significantly emerging as a promising alternative fuel in the pursuit of carbon neutrality. This study aims to analyze the combustion characteristics of methanol in a spark-ignition (SI) engine operating under high compression ratios and ultra-lean conditions through both experimental and simulation approaches. The objective is to derive optimized combustion efficiency by employing various ignition strategies based on discharge energy. To this end, experiments were conducted using a Rapid Compression Expansion Machine (RCEM) to replicate realistic engine environments. The effects of discharge energy and spark duration across different spark coil configurations were investigated through both experimental methods and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The experimental results showed that the use of multiple spark coils achieved an energy release rate of approximately 239 mJ/s, more than twice that of the single-coil configuration. Simulation results were in good
Choi, JeongyeonLim, Ocktaeck
Methanol is a promising fuel for achieving carbon neutrality in the transportation sector, particularly for internal combustion engine vehicles. With its high-Octane number, methanol enables higher thermal efficiency compared to gasoline engines. Additionally, its wide flammability range allows stable engine operation under lean burn conditions at low to mid-load levels. These characteristics make methanol well-suited for lean-burn strategies, which reduce pumping losses and enhance thermal efficiency. However, there remains a lack of studies on the influence of injection timing under different lean conditions, particularly in a wall-guided spark ignition engine. Wall-guided systems use the chamber wall or piston surface to redirect and stratify the fuel-air mixture near the spark plug at the time of ignition. The combustion performance of lean-burn engines in highly sensitive to variations in injection and excess air ratio. In this study, experiments were conducted on a single
Lee, SeungwonKim, HyunsooHwang, JoonsikBae, Choongsik
This study explores strategies to extend the lean combustion limit, improve thermal efficiency, and reduce engine-out emissions in a hybrid-dedicated homogeneous lean-burn engine. Under lean combustion conditions, slow laminar flame speed hinders flame kernel growth, leading to combustion instability and limiting lean limit of air excess ratio. To address this challenge, the combustion system is developed to generate high-intensity in-cylinder flow promoting plasma channel expansion at the spark plug gap and enabling the formation of larger initial flame kernel. A newly designed intake port and piston bowl geometry were introduced to enhance tumble flow, significantly raising convective flow speed at the spark plug gap. This accelerated the initial combustion process and effectively expanded the lean combustion limit. A high-energy multiple ignition was also implemented to prevent spark channel blow-off or short circuit caused by increased electrical resistance, further improving
Oh, HeechangLee, JonghyeokSim, KiseonPark, JongilKim, TaekyunKang, HyunjinHong, SeungwooHan, DongheeKim, Dokyun
The effect of injection pressure, start of injection (SOI) timing, charge dilution, and valve timing on charge motion and early flame development was investigated for a pre-production automotive gasoline engine. Experiments were performed in a single-cycle optical engine designed to represent the high-tumble (Tumble ratio = 1.8), lean-burn engine. Time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to characterize velocity flow fields throughout the swept volume during the intake and compression strokes. Diffuse back illuminated imaging allowed for visualization and quantification of the injected liquid fuel spray and its interactions with the tumble vortex. Hydroxyl (OH*) chemiluminescence imaging was performed to image spark channel elongation and early flame kernel development. It was observed that an optimal injection timing of 320° before top dead center (bTDC) resulted in attenuation of the tumble motion and an associated reduction in compression flows that shifted the tumble
MacDonald, JamesEkoto, IsaacHan, DongheeLee, Jonghyeok
The development of lean-burn gasoline engines has continued due to their significant improvements in thermal efficiency. However, challenges associated with NOx emissions have hindered their mainstream adoption. As a result, the development of an effective NOx after-treatment system has become a key focus in lean-burn engine research. Additionally, HC emissions pose another challenge, as they tend to increase under lean combustion conditions while their conversion efficiency simultaneously declines. This study presents a novel after-treatment system incorporating a lean NOx trap(LNT) and a passive SCR(pSCR) system. This configuration enables efficient NOx reduction at a competitive cost while maintaining operational simplicity. Moreover, conventional catalyst technologies, including three-way catalysts (TWCs) and fuel-cut NOx traps (FCNTs), were optimized to maximize conversion performance under lean operating conditions. To further enhance system performance, various control
Oh, HeechangLee, JonghyeokSim, KiseonLim, SeungSooPark, JongilPark, MinkyuKang, HyunjinHan, DongheeLee, KwiyeonSong, Jinwoo
An engine was built in this study that enabled the conditions in a pre-chamber and in the main combustion chamber to be visualized simultaneously for the purpose of elucidating the mechanism of pre-chamber combustion. An investigation was made of how the state of pre-chamber combustion, including the location of initial flame generation and its subsequent propagation, influenced pre-chamber jet combustion. The state of pre-chamber combustion was intentionally varied by changing the position of pre-chamber ignition. As a result, it was found that changing the position of pre-chamber ignition varied the location where the pre-chamber flame occurred, how the flame propagated and the timing and strength of the flame jet that was ejected into the main chamber. The results revealed that these differences in the state of pre-chamber combustion markedly changed the rate of combustion fluctuation, combustion period, lean-burn limit and other combustion characteristics depending on the ignition
Onuma, TakeruYamada, HirotoUgajin, TaiseiShinozaki, KaitoTahara, RyotaIijima, Akira
Pre-chamber combustion has been applied as a method of low fuel consumption in spark ignition engines, and in recent years the application of pre-chambers to gasoline engines has also been actively studied. In many gasoline engines, stoichiometric combustion is common. We decided that a passive type pre-chamber with only one port fuel injection is sufficient for stoichiometric combustion. The pre-chamber system relatively has two merits of lower cost and ease of installing than other prechamber systems. Therefore, we focused on investigating the effects of improving combustion speed and knock resistance in use of the passive type pre-chamber and the applicability of the pre-chamber system in various operating points. As the concrete approach, we evaluated the heat balance and the knock resistance with and without a pre-chamber in engine bench test. As a result, the knock resistance and the fuel consumption were improved. In addition, as a result of considering lean burn in the passive
Nakao, YoshinoriSakurai, YotaHisano, AtsushiSaitou, MasahitoSuzuki, Tomoharu
Ozone (O3) was introduced into the intake air in a natural gas fueled engine ignited by micro-pilot of diesel fuel, to utilize the reactive O-radicals decomposed from the O3 for the promotion of the combustion and for improvements in the thermal efficiency and exhaust emissions. Experiments were carried out in a single cylinder engine to elucidate the effects of the ozone addition under the lean burn conditions. A supercharger was employed to increase the intake air amount and vary the equivalence ratio of natural gas. The experimental results showed that the O3 addition has a limited effect on the ignition of the diesel fuel injected near top dead center, while the heat release during the flame propagation in the natural gas/air mixture was increased at the lower equivalence ratio of natural gas. Further the ignition of natural gas was promoted, resulting in the increase of the combustion efficiency and the degree of constant volume heat release. The cooling loss and the NOx emissions
Kobashi, YoshimitsuMiyata, ShokiKawahara, NobuyukiInagaki, Ryuya
Pre-chamber combustion is well known for the effective way to improve thermal efficiency in internal combustion engine. An active pre-chamber can accomplish super lean burn while a passive pre-chamber can easily improve combustion with low-cost. Therefore, various studies have been carried out. However, since its combustion characteristics are very complicated, the sequence of events for torch ignition and flame propagation in main-chamber from ignition and flame propagation inside pre-chamber have not been well clarified. Especially, investigation on the process from torch ejection to ignition of mixture in main-chamber has been carried out using combustion vessels and rapid compression machines, but this phenomenon has not been clarified. In this study, three types of optically accessible passive pre-chamber with different orifice patterns (normal six orifices, asymmetric five orifices and tangential five orifices) were designed and installed to a single-cylinder gasoline spark
Hokimoto, SatoshiMoriyoshi, YasuoKuboyama, TatsuyaEgashira, ShuichiNagai, Yoshitaka
This study offers an overview of the impact of lean burn technology in two-wheeler vehicles, specifically concentrating on enhancing the fuel economy and addressing the challenges associated with its adoption. Lean burn systems, characterized by a fuel-air mixture with a higher air content than stoichiometric ratio. The study focuses on technology which meets stringent emission standards while enabling the optimization of fuel efficiency. The lean burn system employs strategies to optimize air-fuel ratio using electronic fuel injection, ignition timing control, and advanced engine control algorithms like - updated torque modulation control algorithm for drivability, lambda control algorithm for rich and lean switch and NOx modelling algorithm for LNT catalyst efficiency tracking. The challenges related to lean burn systems, includes issues related to combustion stability, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, and their impact on drivability, is summarized in the study. Mitigation strategies
Somasundaram, KarthikeyanSivaji, PurushothamanJohn Derin, CVishal, KarwaManoj Kumar, SMaynal, Rajesh
As the demand for cleaner and more efficient propulsion systems increases, hydrogen internal combustion engines have emerged as a promising solution due to their high thermal efficiency and zero-carbon emissions potential. Achieving ultra-lean combustion conditions (lambda > 2.8) in hydrogen engines significantly improves thermal efficiency while maintaining combustion stability and reducing knock intensity. However, hydrogen injection timing and pressure are crucial factors influencing the combustion and emission characteristics of hydrogen engines. This study investigates the effects of hydrogen injection timing and pressure on the combustion performance and emission characteristics of a direct injection hydrogen engine under different load conditions. Experimental tests were conducted on a multi-cylinder engine equipped with a hydrogen direct injection system, focusing on part-load operation to explore the interplay between injection parameters and engine performance. Results show
Du, JiakunWu, GuangquanChen, HongSun, FanjiaXie, FangxiLi, YuhuaiSun, YaoQi, HongzhongLi, Yong
In cogeneration system, the pre-chamber natural gas engine adopts combustion technologies such as ultra-high supercharged lean burn and Miller cycle to increase the theoretical efficiency by increasing the specific heat ratio and the mechanical efficiency by improving the specific power. In recent years, the use of hydrogen fuel has been attracting attention in order to achieve carbon neutrality, and it is required to operate existing high-efficiency natural gas engines by appropriately mixing hydrogen. For this purpose, it is important to have natural gas and hydrogen co-combustion technology that allows combustion at any mixture ratio without major modifications. The authors mixed hydrogen into the fuel of an ultra-high supercharged lean burn pre-chamber natural gas engine (Bore size: 200mm) that has already achieved high efficiency and performed combustion experiments at BMEP (Brake mean effective pressure) of 2 MPa or more. The engine load and hydrogen mixture ratio were used as
Morikawa, KojiKimura, ShinSakai, ShunyaMoriyoshi, Yasuo
With the global shift towards sustainable and low-emission transportation, hydrogen-fueled engines stand out as a promising alternative to traditional fossil fuels, offering significant potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the performance and emissions characteristics of a hydrogen-powered heavy-duty compression ignition engine, which has been modified to operate as a Spark Ignition (SI) engine with a high compression ratio of 17:1. The evaluation was conducted across various speeds, loads, and spark timings under ultra-lean combustion conditions. The analysis utilized a modified 6-cylinder, 13-liter Volvo D13 diesel engine, configured to operate in single-cylinder mode with the addition of a spark plug for SI operation. The study examined key performance metrics, including brake thermal efficiency (BTE), power output, and specific fuel consumption, under the selected operating conditions. Emissions profiles for nitrogen oxides
Dyuisenakhmetov, AibolatPanithasan, Mebin SamuelCenker, EmreAlRamadan, AbdullahIm, HongTurner, James
Ammonia (NH3) is emerging as a promising fuel for longer range decarbonised heavy transport, predominantly due to relative favourable characteristics as an effective hydrogen carrier. This is despite generally unfavourable combustion and toxicity attributes, restricting ammonia’s end use to applications where robust health and safety protocols can always be assured. In the currently reported work, a spark ignited thermodynamic single cylinder research engine was equipped with separate gaseous ammonia and hydrogen port injection fuelling, with the aim of understanding the impact of varied co-fuelling upon combustion, fuel economy and engine-out emissions (and the arising implications upon future emissions after-treatment). Under stoichiometric conditions, the engine could be operated in a stable manner on pure NH3 at low-to-medium speeds and medium-to-high engine loads, with up to ~20% hydrogen (by energy) required at the lowest engine loads. Engine-out NH3 emissions remained relatively
Ambalakatte, AjithGeng, SikaiMurugan, ReeseVaraei, AmirataCairns, AlasdairHarrington, AnthonyHall, JonathanBassett, Michael
Alpha Engineered Composites’ thin profile textile composite heat shields provide thermal protection through several thermodynamic mechanisms including: radiation reflection; heat spreading; and finally heat transfer resistance. Typical under the hood automotive applications require heat shield average operational temperature up to 225°C, but newer internal combustion engines are being designed for higher operational temperatures to: increase efficiency through higher compression cycle ratios and lean burning; boost power through turbocharging; increase energy density; and support advanced emissions controls like EGR that can increase average operational temperature up to 300°C. Unfortunately, thermo-oxidative degradation mechanisms negatively impact the polymer structural adhesive within a heat shield textile composite and degrade thermal protection mechanisms. High average operational temperature degradation of traditional versus next generation textile composite heat shields is
Vazquez, Mark
This work is part of a production-intent program at Cummins to develop a 6.7L direct injection (DI), lean burn H2 spark ignition (SI) engine for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles that are intended to be compliant with global VII criteria pollutants emissions standards. The engine features a low-pressure DI fuel injection system, a tumble-based combustion system with a pent-roof combustion chamber, two-stage boosting system without EGR, and dual overhead cams (DOHC) with cam phasers. The paper focuses primarily on the performance system architecture development encompassing combustion system, air-handling system, and valve strategy. Comprehensive 3D-CFD guided design analysis has been conducted to define the tumble ports, injection spray pattern, and injection strategy to optimize charge homogeneity and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE). In addition, the boosting system architecture and the valve strategy have been thoroughly evaluated through 1-D system-level engine cycle
Liu, LeiZhang, YuQin, XiaoHui, HeMin, XuLeggott, Paul
The efficiency of combustion has a major impact on the performance and emission characteristics of a spark-ignited LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) engine. The shape of the combustion chamber determines the homogeneous charge intake velocity, which is crucial for the turbulent motion that encourages flame propagation and quickens combustion. It need the right amount of compression ratio, charge squish velocity and turbulent kinetic energy to sustain combustion and propel laminar flames. There are a number of names for the motion of the charge within the cylinder: swirl, squish, tumble and turbulence. All of these terms affect how air and fuel are mixed and burned. Piston shape affects in-cylinder motion, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and improves combustion characteristics. The shape of the piston quench zone has a substantial impact on the charge velocity inside the combustion chamber. The impact on charge motion was analyzed using computer modeling using STAR-CD on pentroof
Sagaya Raj, GnanaR L, KrupakaranPasupuleti, ThejasreeNatarajan, Manikandan
With the global promotion of carbon neutrality policies, internal combustion engine (ICE) of traditional fossil fuel is gradually transitioning to carbon neutral fuel ICE, and hybrid dedicated engines are gradually replacing traditional internal combustion engines in the passenger car market. Ultra-lean combustion supported by active pre-chamber is one of the key technologies for achieving high thermal efficient over 45% BTE. However, there are still issues like cold start and PN emissions caused by impingement of liquid fuel injection in pre-chamber, and there is still room for improvement in thermal efficiency by less energy of pilot ignition fuel. Gaseous fuel such as hydrogen or methane have no wetting issues, and can be more easily controlled in terms of the injection amount in pre-chamber, thereby using a less amount of gaseous fuel as the pilot ignition fuel could be a solution. Due to the above situation, this article conducted experiments on a lean burn gasoline engine by
Liu, YaodongLiu, MingliHe, ZhentaoLi, XianZhao, ChuanQian, DingchaoQu, HanshiLi, Jincheng
Direct injection in the cylinder of a hydrogen internal combustion engine results in increasing NOx emissions in high-temperature oxygen rich environments. To explore the effect of excess air ratio λ on the NOx emissions of a direct injection hydrogen fueled internal combustion engine (HICE), a CFD simulation model was built based on a turbocharged direct injection hydrogen internal combustion engine using Converge software, and investigates the impact of lean burn on the NOx emissions. The simulation results show that increasing the excess air ratio λ can lower the in-cylinder mean temperature and effectively reduce the generation of NOx. The maximum temperature difference between λ=2.1 and λ=2.7 is 400K when engine speed is 4500 r/min. As the engine speed increases, under the same condition of λ, different loads at different speeds result in differences in the reaction temperature inside the cylinder, with higher temperatures at high speeds, so both the cylinder temperature and NOx
Peng, TianyuLuo, QingheTang, Hongyang
NOx after-treatment has greatly limited the development of lean-burn technology for gasoline engines. NH3-Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology has been successfully applied to NOx conversion in diesel engines. For gasoline engines, SCR catalyst is required to maintain high activity over a higher temperature window. In this study, we utilized a turbocharged and intercooled 2.0 L petrol engine to investigate the NOx conversion of two zeolite-based SCR catalysts, Cu-SSZ-13 and Fe/Cu-SSZ-13, at exhaust flows ranging from 80 to 300 kg/h and exhaust temperatures between 550 to 600°C. The catalysts were characterized using SEM, ICP, XRD, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, and other methods. The selected Fe/Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst showed higher NOx conversion (>80%) in the temperature range of 550~600oC and 80~300 kg/h exhaust gas flow. NOx output could be controlled below 10ppm. The characterization results showed that although the specific surface area and acidic sites decreased after the aging treatment
Pan, ShiyiWang, RuwenZhang, NanXu, ZhiqinHu, JiangtaoLiao, XiukeDuan, PingpingChen, Ruilian
The application of short burn durations at lean engine operation has the potential to increase the efficiency of spark-ignition engines. To achieve short burn durations, spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI) as well as active pre-chamber (PC) combustion systems are suitable technologies. Since a combination of these two combustion concepts has the potential to achieve shorter burn durations than the application of only one of these concepts, the concept of jet-induced compression ignition (JICI) was investigated in this study. With the JICI, the fuel is ignited in the PC, and the combustion products igniting the charge in the main combustion chamber (MC) triggered the autoignition of the MC charge. A conventional gasoline fuel (RON 95 E10) and a Porsche synthetic fuel (POSYN) were investigated to assess the fuel influence on the JICI. Variations of the relative air/fuel ratio in the exhaust gas (λex) were performed to evaluate both the occurrence of the JICI and the dilution
Burkardt, PatrickGünther, MarcoVillforth, JonasPischinger, Stefan
Hydrogen engines are currently considered as a viable solution to preserve the internal combustion engine (ICE) as a power unit for vehicle propulsion. In particular, lean-burn gasoline Spark-Ignition (SI) engines have been a major subject of investigation, due to their reduced emission levels and high thermodynamic efficiency. Lean charge is suitable for passenger car applications, where the demand of mid/low power output does not require an excessive amount of air to be delivered by the turbocharging unit, but can difficulty be tailored in the field of high-performance engine, where the air mass delivered would require oversized turbocharging systems or more complex charging solutions. For this reason, the range of feeding conditions near the stochiometric is explored in the field of high-performance engines (20 BMEP), leading to the consequent issue of abatement of pollutant emissions. In this work, a 1D model is applied to the modeling of a four cylinder engine fueled with direct
Marinoni, AndreaMontenegro, GianlucaCerri, TarcisioDella Torre, AugustoOnorati, Angelo
The research for sustainable alternative fuels for combustion engines was driven by the urgency to meet future emission regulation norms and mitigate climate change and dependency on fossil fuels. In this context, methanol emerges as a promising candidate due to its potential for greenhouse gas-neutral production methods and its advantageous characteristics for employment in SI engines. Adverse effects, such as elevated emissions due to incomplete combustion along with liner impingement and oil dilution as a consequence of the high injected fuel mass and the large enthalpy of vaporization, can be improved by a dual injection concept. The tests were conducted on a single-cylinder research engine derived from a common passenger vehicle engine. The exhaust gas composition was measured with an FTIR-analyzer employing a methanol-specific evaluation method, standard exhaust gas analyzers, and a solid particle counter system with 10 and 23 μm cut-off sizes. The ratio of DI mass to total mass
Fitz, PatrickFellner, FelixRößlhuemer, RaphaelHärtl, MartinJaensch, Malte
TOC
Tobolski, Sue
Hydrogen engines are currently considered as a viable solution to preserve the internal combustion engine (ICE) as a power unit for vehicle propulsion. In particular, lean-burn gasoline Spark-Ignition (SI) engines have been a major subject of investigations, due to their reduced emission levels and high thermodynamic efficiency. Lean charge is suitable for the purpose of passenger car applications, where the demand of mid/low power output does not require an excessive amount of air to be delivered by the turbocharging unit, but can difficulty be tailored in the field of high performance engine, where the air mass delivered would require oversized turbocharging systems or more complex charging solutions. For this reason, the range of feeding conditions near the stochiometric value is explored in the field of high performance engines, leading to the consequent issue of abatement of pollutant emissions. In this work a 1D model is applied to the modeling of a V8 engine fueled with direct
Montenegro, GianlucaMarinoni, AndreaDella Torre, AugustoD'Errico, GianlucaOnorati, AngeloCerri, Tarcisio
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