The Research Development in Direct Injection Spark-Ignition Natural Gas Engine

Zheng, Jianjun; Chen, Xiao; Hu, Tiegang; Zhan, Zhangsong

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-33777-2_5

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 38 publications

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“…Pilot ignition uses a more-reactive fuel (e.g., diesel fuel) to initiate NG combustion. This increases engine cost and control complexities as it requires two fuel tanks, two separate fuel supply systems, and other engine and control modifications [61,62]. On the other hand, the economics and control complexities of the NG ignition system are also of particular concern in a cost-oriented market, as the capital costs need to be carefully weighed against long-term maintenance [63].…”

Section: Natural Gas In Diesel Enginesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation of Combustion Characteristics of a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine Retrofitted to Natural Gas Spark Ignition Operation

Liu¹

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The conversion of existing diesel engines to natural-gas spark ignition operation by adding a gas injector in the intake manifold for fuel delivery and replacing the diesel fuel injector with a spark plug to initiate and control the combustion process can reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum imports and curtail engine-out emissions. As the conventional diesel combustion chamber (i.e., flat head and bowl-in-piston) creates high turbulence, the engine can operate leaner, which would increase its efficiency and reduce emissions. However, natural gas combustion in such retrofitted engines presents differences compared to that in conventional spark ignited engines. Subsequently, the main goal of this study was to investigate the characteristics of natural gas combustion inside a diesel-like, fast-burn combustion chamber using a unique array of experimental and numerical tools. The experimental platform consisted of a heavy-duty single-cylinder diesel engine converted to natural-gas spark ignition and operated at a low-speed, lean equivalence ratio, and medium-load condition. The engine can also operate in an optical configuration (i.e., the stock piston and cylinder block can be replaced with a see-through piston and an extended cylinder block), which was used to visualize flame behavior. The optical data indicated a thick and fast-propagated flame in the piston bowl but slower flame propagation inside the squish region. In addition, a 3D numerical model of the optical engine was built to better explain the geometry effects. The simulation results suggested that while the region around the spark plug location experienced a moderate turbulence that helped with the ignition process, the interaction of squish, piston motion, and intake swirl created a highly-turbulent environment that favored the fast burn inside the bowl and stabilized the combustion process. However, the squish region experienced a much lower turbulence, which, combined with the reduced temperature and pressure during the expansion stroke and its higher surface-to-volume ratio, reduced the burning velocity and the flame propagation, but also avoided knocking. Consequently, the bowl-in-piston geometry separated the leanburn natural gas combustion into two distinct events. To extend the optical findings, the metal engine configuration was used to investigate the effects of gas composition, spark timing, equivalence ratio, and engine speed on the two-stage combustion. The results suggested that operating conditions controlled the magnitude and phasing of the two combustion events. Moreover, 3D CFD simulations of the metal engine configuration showed that the squish region contained an important mixture fraction that would burn much slower and can increase the phasing separation between the two combustion events to a point that a second peak would appear in the heat release rate. Moreover, the rapidburn event in such an engine was much shorter compared to its traditional definition (i.e., the time in crank angle degrees between the 10% and 90% energy-releas...

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Section: Natural Gas In Diesel Enginesmentioning

confidence: 99%