Browse Topic: Lean burn engines

Items (777)
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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The escalating energy demand in today’s world has amplified exhaust emissions, contributing significantly to climate change. One viable solution to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions is the utilization of hydrogen alongside gasoline in internal combustion engines. In pursuit of this objective, combustion characteristics of iso-octane/hydrogen/air mixtures are numerically investigated to determine the impact of hydrogen enrichment. Simulations are conducted at 400 K over a wide range of equivalence ratio 0.7 ≤ Ф ≤ 1.4 and pressure 1–10 atm. Adiabatic flame temperature, thermal diffusivity, laminar burning velocity, and chemical participation are assessed by varying hydrogen concentration from 0 to 90% of fuel molar fraction. As a result of changes in thermal properties and chemical participation, it is noticed that the laminar burning velocity (LBV) increases with higher hydrogen concentration and decreases as pressure increases. Chemical participation and mass diffusion were found to be
Almansour, Bader
In this article, the effects of mixture dilution using EGR or excessive air on adiabatic flame temperature, laminar flame speed, and minimum ignition energy are studied to illustrate the fundamental benefits of lean combustion. An ignition system developing a new active pre-chamber (APC) design was assessed, aimed at improving the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) of a 1.5 L four-cylinder gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine. The engine combustion process was simulated with the SAGE detailed chemistry model within the CONVERGE CFD tool, assuming the primary reference fuel (PRF) to be a volumetric mixture of 93% iso-octane and 7% n-heptane. The effects of design parameters, such as APC volume, nozzle diameter, and nozzle orientations, on ITE were studied. It was found that the ignition jet velocity from the pre-chamber to the main chamber had a significant impact on the boundary heat losses and combustion phasing. The simulation showed that, under 16.46 compression ratio (CR) and
Peethambaram, Mohan RajZhou, QuanbaoWaters, BenjaminPendlebury, KenFu, HuiyuHaines, AndrewHale, DavidHu, TiegangZhang, JiaxiangWu, XuesongZhang, Xiaoyu
Lean-burn hydrogen internal combustion engines are a good option for future transportation solutions since they do not emit carbon-dioxide and unburned hydro-carbons, and the emissions of nitric-oxides (NOx) can be kept low. However, under lean-burn conditions the combustion duration increases, and the combustion stability decreases, leading to a reduced thermal efficiency. Turbulent jet ignition (TJI) can be used to extend the lean-burn limit, while decreasing the combustion duration and improving combustion stability. The objective of this paper is to investigate the feasibility of a passive pre-chamber TJI system on a heavy-duty hydrogen engine under lean-burn conditions using CFD modelling. The studied concept is mono-fuel, port-fuel injected, and spark ignited in the pre-chamber. The overall design of the pre-chamber is discussed and the effect of design parameters on the engine performance are studied. From this analysis, it was found that the volume of the pre-chamber and the
Maas, RalphBekdemir, CemilSomers, Bart
Amid rising demands for fuel efficiency and emissions reduction, enhancing the thermal efficiency of gasoline engines has become imperative, which requires higher efficiency combustion strategies and integrated optimized design to maximize the work output from fuel. In gasoline engine, both increasing the compression ratio and using lean burn mode improve the ratio of useful work output to the energy input effectively, which resulting in higher thermal efficiency. Although there is limited scope for increasing the compression ratio due to the higher sensitivity to knocking, especially under stoichiometric conditions, reduced sensitivity could be got with leaner mixture fill into cylinder, which can further increase the specific heat ratio and thermal efficiency. However, realizing the efficiency benefits of lean burn in gasoline engines necessitates overcoming critical challenges like ensuring robust ignition process and accelerating burning rates to achieve short, stable combustion
Du, JiakunQi, HongzhongChen, HongLi, YuhuaiZhan, WenfengJiang, XiaoxiaoWu, WeilongZhang, Zonglan
Ultra-lean combustion of GDI engine could achieve higher thermal efficiency and lower NOx emissions, but it also faces challenges such as ignition difficulties and low-speed flame propagation. In this paper, the sparked-spray is proposed as a novel ignition method, which employs the spark to ignite the fuel spray by the cooperative timing control of in-cylinder fuel injection and spark ignition and form a jet flame. Then the jet flame fronts propagate in the ultra-lean premixed mixture in the cylinder. This combustion mode is named Sparked-Spray Induced Combustion (SSIC) in this paper. Based on a 3-cylinder 1.0L GDI engine, a 3D simulation model is established in the CONVERGE to study the effects of ignition strategy, compression ratio, and injection timing on SSIC with a global equivalence ratio of 0.50. The results show it is easier to form the jet flame when sparking at the spray front because the fuel has better atomization and lower turbulent kinetic energy at the spray front. The
Li, MinglongLong, QuanYu, WangchaoHu, ZongjieYin, YongQin, XiongjieLi, Liguang
The passive pre-chamber (PC) is valued for its jet ignition (JI) and is suitable for wide use in the field of gasoline direct injection (GDI) for small passenger cars, which can improve the performance of lean combustion. However, the intake, exhaust, and ignition combustion stability of the engine at low speed is a shortcoming that has not been overcome. Changing the structural design to increase the fluidity of the main chamber (MC) and pre-chamber (PC) may reduce jet ignition performance, affecting engine dynamics. This investigation is based on non-uniformly nozzles distributed passive pre-chamber, which is adjusted according to the working medium exchange between PC and MC. The advantages and disadvantages of the ignition mode of PC and SI in the target engine speed range are compared through optical experiments on a small single-cylinder GDI engine. The results show that with the increase of λ from 1.0 to 1.6, the promotion effect of PCJI on dynamic performance gradually
Tang, YuanzhiLou, DimingFang, LiangFan, BenzhengWu, XijiangWang, ZhiyuZhang, YunhuaTan, PiqiangHu, Zhiyuan
In order to improve the fuel economy for future high-efficiency spark ignition engines, the applications of advanced combustion strategies are considered to be beneficial with an overall lean and/or exhaust gas recirculation diluted cylinder charge. Stronger and more reliable ignition sources become more favorable under extreme lean/EGR conditions. Existing research indicates that the frequency of plasma restrikes increases with increased flow velocity and decreased discharge current level, and a higher discharge current can reduce the gap resistance and maintain the stretched plasma for a longer duration under flow conditions. An in-house developed current boost control system provides flexible control of the discharge current level and discharge duration. The current boost ignition system is based on a multi-coil system with a discharge current level of 180mA. In this study, a comparative study has been conducted to investigate the efficacy of multi-coil and multi-core ignition
Yu, XiaoLeblanc, SimonWang, LinyanZheng, MingTjong, Jimi
High cycle-to-cycle variations (CTCV) in a Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE), especially in the lean-burn condition, not only lower the engine’s efficiency but also increase emissions and torque variations. High CTCV are mainly due to the variations in: mixture motion within the cylinder at the time of spark, amount of air and fuel fed to the cylinder, and mixing of the fresh mixture and residual gases within the cylinder during each cycle. In this article, multiple cycle-based methodologies were compared and analyzed specifically for H2-ICEs based on systematic experimentation. The experimental test campaign was performed on a Port Fuel Injection (PFI) H2-ICE designed by PUNCH Torino and data is processed with MATLAB. A MATLAB code is also proposed as a tool for comparing multiple methodologies for the analysis of CTCV specifically for H2-ICE. In order to compare different methodologies, the operating conditions of the H2-ICE were kept constant for all the results
Azeem, NaqashBeatrice, CarloVassallo, AlbertoGessaroli, DavidePesce, FrancescoGolisano, RobertoSacco, Nicola
The push for environmental protection and sustainability has led to strict emission regulations for automotive manufacturers as evident in EURO VII and 2026 EPA requirements. The challenge lies in maintaining fuel efficiency and simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint while meeting future emission regulations. Alcohol (primarily methanol, ethanol, and butanol) and ether (dimethyl ether) fuels, owing to their comparable energy density to existing fuels, the comparative ease of handling, renewable production, and suitable emission characteristics may present an attractive drop-in replacement, fully or in part as an additive, to the gasoline/diesel fuels, without extensive modifications to the engine geometry. Additionally, lean and diluted combustion are well-researched pathways for efficiency improvement and reduction of engine-out emissions of modern engines. Modern internal combustion engines typically employ various in-cylinder emission reduction techniques along with a multi
Sandhu, Navjot SinghYu, XiaoTing, DavidZheng, Ming
As a novel ignition technology, pre-chamber ignition can enhance ignition energy, promote flame propagation, and augment turbulence. However, this technology undoubtedly faces challenges, particularly in the context of emission regulations. Of this study, the transient characteristics of combustion and emissions in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) gasoline engine with active pre-chamber ignition (PCI) under the first combustion cycle of quick start are focused. The results demonstrate that the PCI engine is available on the first cycle for lean combustion, such as lambda 1.6 to 2.0, and exhibit particle number (PN) below 7×107 N/mL at the first cycle. These particles are predominantly composed of nucleation mode (NM, <50 nm) particles, with minimal accumulation mode (AM, >50 nm) particles. It was observed that under a quick start engine speed of 800r/min, reducing the injection pulse width of pre-chamber and port fuel injection (PFI), advancing the injection timing of pre-chamber
Miao, XinkeLiu, RenheZhang, ZhihengDeng, JunLi, LiguangHong, Wei
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a proven strategy for the reduction of NOX emissions in spark ignited (SI) engines and compression ignition engines, especially in lean burn conditions where the increase of thermal efficiency is obtained. The dilution level of the mixture with EGR is in a conventional SI engine limited by the increase of combustion instability (CoV IMEP). A possible method to extend the EGR dilution level and ensure stable combustion is the implementation of an active pre-chamber combustion system. The pre-chamber spark ignited (PCSI) engine enables fast and stable combustion of lean mixtures in the main chamber by utilizing high ignition energy of multiple flame jets penetrating from the pre-chamber to the main chamber. In this paper, as an initial research step, a numerical analysis is performed by employing the 0D/1D simulation model, validated with the initial experimental and 3D-CFD results. The simulation model is used for the prediction of possible benefits of
Dilber, ViktorKrajnovic, JosipUgrinić, SaraSjeric, MomirTomic, RudolfKozarac, Darko
In the perspective of a reduction of emissions and a rapid decarbonisation, especially for compression ignition engines, hydrogen plays a decisive role. The dual fuel technology is perfectly suited to the use of hydrogen, a fuel characterized by great energy potential. In fact, replacing, at the same energy content, the fossil fuel with a totally carbon free one, a significant reduction of the greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and total hydrocarbon, as well as of the particulate matter can be obtained. The dual fuel with indirect injection of gaseous fuel in the intake manifold, involves the problem of hydrogen autoignition. In order to avoid this difficulty, the optimal conditions for the injection of the incoming mixture into the cylinder were experimentally investigated. All combustion processes are carried out on a research engine with optical access. The engine speed has is set at 1500 rpm, while the EGR valve is deactivated. The purpose of this work is to research the minimum
Mancaruso, EzioRossetti, SalvatoreVaglieco, Bianca Maria
Improving thermal efficiency of an internal combustion engine is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce life cycle-based CO2 emissions for transportation. Lean burn technology has the potential to reach high thermal efficiency if simultaneous low NOx, HC, and CO emissions can be achieved. Low NOx can be realized by ultra-lean (λ ≥ 2) spark-ignited combustion; however, the HC and CO emissions can increase due to slow flame propagation and high combustion variability. In this work, we introduce a new combustion concept called turbulent jet-controlled compression ignition, which utilizes multiple turbulent jets to ignite the mixture and subsequently triggers end gas autoignition. As a result, the ultra-lean combustion is further improved with reduced late-cycle combustion duration and enhanced HC and CO oxidation. A low-cost passive prechamber is innovatively fueled using a DI injector in the main combustion chamber through spray-guided stratification. This concept has been
Yu, XinZhang, AnqiBaur, AndrewEngineer, NayanCleary, David
The push for environmental protection and sustainability has led to strict emission regulations for automotive manufacturers as evident in EURO VII and 2026 EPA requirements. The challenge lies in maintaining fuel efficiency and simultaneously reducing the carbon footprint while meeting future emission regulations. Alcohol (primarily methanol, ethanol, and butanol) and ether (dimethyl ether) fuels, owing to their comparable energy density to existing fuels, the comparative ease of handling, renewable production, and suitable emission characteristics may present an attractive drop-in replacement, fully or in part as an additive, to the gasoline/diesel fuels, without extensive modifications to the engine geometry. Additionally, lean and diluted combustion are well-researched pathways for efficiency improvement and reduction of engine-out emissions of modern engines. Modern spark ignition (SI) engines typically employ various in-cylinder emission reduction techniques along with a three
Sandhu, Navjot SinghLeblanc, SimonYu, XiaoReader, GrahamZheng, Ming
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