Optimum injection and combustion for gaseous fuel engine : characteristics of hydrogen auto-ignition phenomena

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsujimura, T.; Mikami, S.; Senda, J.; Fujimoto, H. [Doshisha Univ. (Japan). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Nakatani, K. [Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan); Tokunaga, Y. [Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan)

2002-07-01

A study was conducted in which the auto-ignition characteristics of hydrogen were examined in order to determine which factors dominate auto-ignition delay of hydrogen jets. Experiments were performed in a rapid compression/expansion machine in order to study the effects of ambient gas density and oxygen concentration on the auto-ignition delays. The focus of research was on an inert gas circulation type cogeneration system to apply hydrogen to a medium-sized diesel engine. Freedom of fuel-oxidizer mixing, ignition and combustion in the system could be achieved for stable combustion, high thermal efficiency, and zero emission. The study also involved chemical analysis using a detailed hydrogen reaction model that could simulate auto-ignition delays under various temperature, pressures, equivalence ratio, and dilution. It is shown that auto-ignition delays of hydrogen jets are very dependent on the ambient gas temperature and less dependent on its density and oxygen concentration. Temperature and hydrogen concentrations have significant impacts on the production and consumption rates of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and OH radicals. 21 refs., 1 tab., 10 figs.

The influence of different auto-ignition modes on the behavior of pressure waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Han; Yao, Anren; Yao, Chunde

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Modes of pressure oscillations in knocking, HCCI and super knock are recognized. • Three representative auto-ignition modes in engines are proposed. • A new method of “Energy Injected” is brought into understanding pressure wave. • Simulation results revealed the decisive factors for these three auto-ignition modes. • Different modes lead to different pressure wave behaviors damaging engines. - Abstract: For internal combustion engines, the knock of Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition engines, the conventional knock of gasoline engines and the super knock are all caused by the auto-ignition of unburned mixture which leads to the oscillation burning, but their Maximal Pressure Oscillation Amplitude (MPOA) and Maximum Pressure Rising Rate (MPRR) are totally different. In order to explore the reason, we propose three typical auto-ignition modes and then bring up the method of “Energy Injected” (EI) which is based on the experiment measured heat release rate. Through changing the heat source term in the energy equation for different auto-ignition modes, we conducted a series of numerical simulations for these three modes. After that, the following pressure oscillations can be compared and analyzed. The numerical simulation results show that different combustion pressure waves with different oscillation characteristics come from different auto-ignition modes, thus the macroscopic MPRR and MPOA are totally different. Furthermore, the method of “EI” based on the experiment measured heat release rate can accurately and rapidly help to research the formation and propagation of pressure waves in the engine combustion chamber.

Mitigation of Autoignition Due to Premixing in a Hypervelocity Flow Using Active Wall Cooling

Science.gov (United States)

Axdahl, Erik; Kumar, Ajay; Wilhite, Alan

2013-01-01

Preinjection of fuel on the forebody of an airbreathing vehicle is a proposed method to gain access to hypervelocity flight Mach numbers. However, this creates the possibility of autoignition either near the wall or in the core of the flow, thereby consuming fuel prematurely as well as increasing the amount of pressure drag on the vehicle. The computational fluid dynamics code VULCAN was used to conduct three dimensional simulations of the reacting flow in the vicinity of hydrogen injectors on a flat plate at conditions relevant to a Mach 12 notional flight vehicle forebody to determine the location where autoignition occurs. Active wall cooling strategies were formulated and simulated in response to regions of autoignition. It was found that tangential film cooling using hydrogen or helium were both able to nearly or completely eliminate wall autoignition in the flow domain of interest.

Controlled auto-ignition characteristics of methane-air mixture in a rapid intake compression and expansion machine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Gyubaek; Jeong, Dongsoo [Engine Research Team, Eco-Machinery Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 104 Sinseongno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea); Moon, Gunfeel [Department of Clean Environmental system, University of Science and Technology, 52 Eoeun-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea); Bae, Choongsik [Engine Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1 GuSeong-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea)

2010-10-15

The characteristics of controlled auto-ignition (CAI) were investigated with a methane-air mixture and simulated residual gas, that represents internal exhaust gas recirculation (IEGR). Supply systems were additionally installed on the conventional rapid compression machine (RCM), and this modified machine - a rapid intake compression and expansion machine (RICEM) - was able to simulate an intake stroke for the evaluation of controlled auto-ignition with fuel-air mixture. The fuel-air mixture and the simulated residual gas were introduced separately into the combustion chamber through the spool valves. Various IEGR rates and temperatures of the IEGR gas were tested. The initial reaction and the development in controlled auto-ignition combustion were compared with spark-ignited combustion by visualization with a high-speed digital camera. Under the controlled auto-ignition operation, multi-point ignition and faster combustion were observed. With increasing the temperature of IEGR gas, the auto-ignition timing was advanced and burning duration was shortened. The higher rate of IEGR had the same effects on the combustion of the controlled auto-ignition. However, this trend was reversed with more than 47 per cent of IEGR. (author)

Numerical study of laminar nonpremixed methane flames in coflow jets: Autoignited lifted flames with tribrachial edges and MILD combustion at elevated temperatures

KAUST Repository

M. Al-Noman, Saeed

2016-07-07

Autoignition characteristics of laminar nonpremixed methane jet flames in high-temperature coflow air are studied numerically. Several flame configurations are investigated by varying the initial temperature and fuel mole fraction. At a relatively low initial temperature, a non-autoignited nozzle-attached flame is simulated at relatively low jet velocity. When the initial temperature is higher than that required for autoignition, two regimes are investigated: an autoignited lifted flame with tribrachial edge structure and an autoignited lifted flame with Mild combustion. The autoignited lifted flame with tribrachial edge exhibited three branches: lean and rich premixed flame wings and a trailing diffusion flame. Characteristics of kinetic structure for autoignited lifted flames are discussed based on the kinetic structures of homogeneous autoignition and flame propagation of stoichiometric mixture. Results showed that a transition from autoignition to flame propagation modes occurs for reasonably stoichiometric mixtures. The autoignited lifted flame with Mild combustion occurs when methane fuel is highly diluted with nitrogen. The kinetic structure analysis shows that the characteristics of Mild combustion can be treated as an autoignited lean premixed lifted flame. Transition behavior from Mild combustion to nozzle-attached flame was investigated by increasing the fuel mole fraction. As the maximum flame temperature increases with decreasing liftoff height, the kinetic structure showed a transition behavior from autoignition to flame propagation of a lean premixed flame. © 2016 The Combustion Institute

Auto-ignition control in turbocharged internal combustion engines operating with gaseous fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duarte, Jorge; Amador, Germán; Garcia, Jesus; Fontalvo, Armando; Vasquez Padilla, Ricardo; Sanjuan, Marco; Gonzalez Quiroga, Arturo

2014-01-01

Control strategies for auto-ignition control in turbocharged internal combustion engines operating with gaseous fuels are presented. Ambient temperature and ambient pressure are considered as the disturbing variables. A thermodynamic model for predicting temperature at the ignition point is developed, adjusted and validated with a large experimental data-set from high power turbocharged engines. Based on this model, the performance of feedback and feedforward auto-ignition control strategies is explored. A robustness and fragility analysis for the Feedback control strategies is presented. The feedforward control strategy showed the best performance however its implementation entails adding a sensor and new control logic. The proposed control strategies and the proposed thermodynamic model are useful tools for increasing the range of application of gaseous fuels with low methane number while ensuring a safe running in internal combustion engines. - Highlights: • A model for predicting temperature at the ignition point. • Robust PID, modified PID, and feedforward strategies for auto-ignition control. • λ′ were the best set of tuning equations for calculating controller parameters. • Robust PID showed significant improvements in auto-ignition control. • Feedforward control showed the best performance

Numerical Analysis of the Interaction between Thermo-Fluid Dynamics and Auto-Ignition Reaction in Spark Ignition Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Saijyo, Katsuya; Nishiwaki, Kazuie; Yoshihara, Yoshinobu

The CFD simulations were performed integrating the low-temperature oxidation reaction. Analyses were made with respect to the first auto-ignition location in the case of a premixed-charge compression auto-ignition in a laminar flow field and in the case of the auto-ignition in an end gas during an S. I. Engine combustion process. In the latter simulation, the spatially-filtered transport equations were solved to express fluctuating temperatures in a turbulent flow in consideration of strong non-linearity to temperature in the reaction equations. It is suggested that the first auto-ignition location does not always occur at higher-temperature locations and that the difference in the locations of the first auto-ignition depends on the time period during which the local end gas temperature passes through the region of shorter ignition delay, including the NTC region.

Investigation of the Livengood–Wu integral for modelling autoignition in a high-pressure bomb

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hu, Zhixin; Somers, Bart L.M.T.; Cracknell, Roger F.; Bradley, Derek

2016-01-01

The reaction progress variable, which is widely used in premixed and diffusion combustion studies, comprises a set of pre-selected intermediate species to denote reaction progress. Progress towards autoignition can also be traced by the Livengood–Wu (LW) integral. Autoignition occurs when the LW

Autoignition characteristics of laminar lifted jet flames of pre-vaporized iso-octane in heated coflow air

KAUST Repository

Alnoman, Saeed

2015-12-01

The stabilization characteristics of laminar non-premixed jet flames of pre-vaporized iso-octane, one of the primary reference fuels for octane rating, have been studied experimentally in heated coflow air. Non-autoignited and autoignited lifted flames were analyzed. With the coflow air at relatively low initial temperatures below 940 K, an external ignition source was required to stabilize the flame. These lifted flames had tribrachial edge structures and their liftoff heights correlated well with the jet velocity scaled by stoichiometric laminar burning velocity, indicating the importance of the edge propagation speed on flame stabilization. At high initial temperatures over 940 K, the autoignited flames were stabilized without requiring an external ignition source. These autoignited lifted flames exhibited either tribrachial edge structures or mild combustion behaviors depending on the level of fuel dilution. Two distinct transition behaviors were observed in the autoignition regime from a nozzle-attached flame to a lifted tribrachial-edge flame and then to lifted mild combustion as the jet velocity increased at a certain fuel dilution level. The liftoff data of the autoignited flames with tribrachial edges were analyzed based on calculated ignition delay times. Analysis of the experimental data suggested that ignition delay time may be much less sensitive to initial temperature under atmospheric pressure conditions as compared with predictions. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autoignition characteristics of laminar lifted jet flames of pre-vaporized iso-octane in heated coflow air

KAUST Repository

Al-Noman, Saeed M.; Choi, Sang Kyu; Chung, Suk-Ho

2015-01-01

The stabilization characteristics of laminar non-premixed jet flames of pre-vaporized iso-octane, one of the primary reference fuels for octane rating, have been studied experimentally in heated coflow air. Non-autoignited and autoignited lifted

Direct Numerical Simulation of Turbulent Multi-Stage Autoignition Relevant to Engine Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jacqueline

2017-11-01

Due to the unrivaled energy density of liquid hydrocarbon fuels combustion will continue to provide over 80% of the world's energy for at least the next fifty years. Hence, combustion needs to be understood and controlled to optimize combustion systems for efficiency to prevent further climate change, to reduce emissions and to ensure U.S. energy security. In this talk I will discuss recent progress in direct numerical simulations of turbulent combustion focused on providing fundamental insights into key `turbulence-chemistry' interactions that underpin the development of next generation fuel efficient, fuel flexible engines for transportation and power generation. Petascale direct numerical simulation (DNS) of multi-stage mixed-mode turbulent combustion in canonical configurations have elucidated key physics that govern autoignition and flame stabilization in engines and provide benchmark data for combustion model development under the conditions of advanced engines which operate near combustion limits to maximize efficiency and minimize emissions. Mixed-mode combustion refers to premixed or partially-premixed flames propagating into stratified autoignitive mixtures. Multi-stage ignition refers to hydrocarbon fuels with negative temperature coefficient behavior that undergo sequential low- and high-temperature autoignition. Key issues that will be discussed include: 1) the role of mixing in shear driven turbulence on the dynamics of multi-stage autoignition and cool flame propagation in diesel environments, 2) the role of thermal and composition stratification on the evolution of the balance of mixed combustion modes - flame propagation versus spontaneous ignition - which determines the overall combustion rate in autoignition processes, and 3) the role of cool flames on lifted flame stabilization. Finally prospects for DNS of turbulent combustion at the exascale will be discussed in the context of anticipated heterogeneous machine architectures. sponsored by DOE

Direct numerical simulations of premixed autoignition in compressible uniformly-sheared turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Towery, Colin; Darragh, Ryan; Poludnenko, Alexei; Hamlington, Peter

2017-11-01

High-speed combustion systems, such as scramjet engines, operate at high temperatures and pressures, extremely short combustor residence times, very high rates of shear stress, and intense turbulent mixing. As a result, the reacting flow can be premixed and have highly-compressible turbulence fluctuations. We investigate the effects of compressible turbulence on the ignition delay time, heat-release-rate (HRR) intermittency, and mode of autoignition of premixed Hydrogen-air fuel in uniformly-sheared turbulence using new three-dimensional direct numerical simulations with a multi-step chemistry mechanism. We analyze autoignition in both the Eulerian and Lagrangian reference frames at eight different turbulence Mach numbers, Mat , spanning the quasi-isentropic, linear thermodynamic, and nonlinear compressibility regimes, with eddy shocklets appearing in the nonlinear regime. Results are compared to our previous study of premixed autoignition in isotropic turbulence at the same Mat and with a single-step reaction mechanism. This previous study found large decreases in delay times and large increases in HRR intermittency between the linear and nonlinear compressibility regimes and that detonation waves could form in both regimes.

Influences of diesel pilot injection on ethanol autoignition - a numerical analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Burnete, N. V.; Burnete, N.; Jurchis, B.; Iclodean, C.

2017-10-01

The aim of this study is to highlight the influences of the diesel pilot quantity as well as the timing on the autoignition of ethanol and the pollutant emissions resulting from the combustion process. The combustion concept presented in this paper requires the injection of a small quantity of diesel fuel in order to create the required autoignition conditions for ethanol. The combustion of the diesel droplets injected in the combustion chamber lead to the creation of high temperature locations that favour the autoignition of ethanol. However, due to the high vaporization enthalpy and the better distribution inside the combustion chamber of ethanol, the peak temperature values are reduced. Due to the lower temperature values and the high burning velocity of ethanol (combined with the fact that there are multiple ignition sources) the conditions required for the formation of nitric oxides are not achieved anymore, thus leading to significantly lower NOx emissions. This way the benefits of the Diesel engine and of the constant volume combustion are combined to enable a more efficient and environmentally friendly combustion process.

Effects of methyl substitution on the auto-ignition of C16 alkanes

KAUST Repository

Lapuerta, Magín

2015-12-18

The auto-ignition quality of diesel fuels, quantified by their cetane number or derived cetane number (DCN), is a critical design property to consider when producing and upgrading synthetic paraffinic fuels. It is well known that auto-ignition characteristics of paraffinic fuels depend on their degree of methyl substitution. However, there remains a need to study the governing chemical functionalities contributing to such ignition characteristics, especially in the case of methyl substitutions, which have not been studied in detail. In this work, the auto-ignition of 2,6,10-trimethyltridecane has been compared with the reference hydrocarbons used for cetane number determination, i.e. n-hexadecane and heptamethylnonane, all of them being C16 isomers. Results from a constant-volume combustion chamber under different pressure and temperature initial conditions showed that the ignition delay time for both cool flame and main combustion events increased less from n-hexadecane to trimethyltridecane than from trimethyltridecane to heptamethylnonane. Additional experimental results from blends of these hydrocarbons, together with kinetic modelling, showed that auto-ignition times and combustion rates were correlated to the concentration of the functional groups indicative of methyl substitution, although not in a linear manner. When the concentration of these functional groups decreased, the first stage OH radical concentration increased and ignition delay times decreased, whereas when their concentration increased, H2O2 production was slower and ignition was retarded. Contrary to the ignition delay times, DCN was correlated linearly with functional groups, thus homogenizing the range of values and clarifying the differences between fuels.

Effects of methyl substitution on the auto-ignition of C16 alkanes

KAUST Repository

Lapuerta, Magí n; Herná ndez, Juan J.; Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

The auto-ignition quality of diesel fuels, quantified by their cetane number or derived cetane number (DCN), is a critical design property to consider when producing and upgrading synthetic paraffinic fuels. It is well known that auto-ignition characteristics of paraffinic fuels depend on their degree of methyl substitution. However, there remains a need to study the governing chemical functionalities contributing to such ignition characteristics, especially in the case of methyl substitutions, which have not been studied in detail. In this work, the auto-ignition of 2,6,10-trimethyltridecane has been compared with the reference hydrocarbons used for cetane number determination, i.e. n-hexadecane and heptamethylnonane, all of them being C16 isomers. Results from a constant-volume combustion chamber under different pressure and temperature initial conditions showed that the ignition delay time for both cool flame and main combustion events increased less from n-hexadecane to trimethyltridecane than from trimethyltridecane to heptamethylnonane. Additional experimental results from blends of these hydrocarbons, together with kinetic modelling, showed that auto-ignition times and combustion rates were correlated to the concentration of the functional groups indicative of methyl substitution, although not in a linear manner. When the concentration of these functional groups decreased, the first stage OH radical concentration increased and ignition delay times decreased, whereas when their concentration increased, H2O2 production was slower and ignition was retarded. Contrary to the ignition delay times, DCN was correlated linearly with functional groups, thus homogenizing the range of values and clarifying the differences between fuels.

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working at high pressures in a compressor for an air conditioner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Chul Jin; Choi, Hyo Hyun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of); Sohn, Chae Hoon, E-mail: chsohn@sejong.ac.kr [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 143-747 (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-15

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working in a compressor for an air conditioner is studied experimentally. The adopted lubricating oil is an unknown mixture with multi-components and known to have flash point temperature of 170 deg. C. First, its auto-ignition temperature is measured 365 deg. C at atmospheric pressure. The lubricating oil works under high-pressure condition up to 30 atm and it is heated and cooled down repeatedly. Accordingly, auto-ignition temperatures or flammable limits of lubricating oil are required at high pressures with respect to fire safety. Because there is not a standard test method for the purpose, a new ignition-test method is proposed in this study and thereby, auto-ignition temperatures are measured over the pressure range below 30 atm. The measured temperatures range from 215 deg. C to 255 deg. C and they strongly depend on pressure of gas mixture consisting of oil vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen. They are close to flash point temperature and the lubricating oil can be hazardous when it works for high-pressure operating condition and abundant air flows into a compressor.

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working at high pressures in a compressor for an air conditioner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Chul Jin; Choi, Hyo Hyun; Sohn, Chae Hoon

2011-01-01

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working in a compressor for an air conditioner is studied experimentally. The adopted lubricating oil is an unknown mixture with multi-components and known to have flash point temperature of 170 deg. C. First, its auto-ignition temperature is measured 365 deg. C at atmospheric pressure. The lubricating oil works under high-pressure condition up to 30 atm and it is heated and cooled down repeatedly. Accordingly, auto-ignition temperatures or flammable limits of lubricating oil are required at high pressures with respect to fire safety. Because there is not a standard test method for the purpose, a new ignition-test method is proposed in this study and thereby, auto-ignition temperatures are measured over the pressure range below 30 atm. The measured temperatures range from 215 deg. C to 255 deg. C and they strongly depend on pressure of gas mixture consisting of oil vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen. They are close to flash point temperature and the lubricating oil can be hazardous when it works for high-pressure operating condition and abundant air flows into a compressor.

A numerical study of the influence of ammonia addition on the auto-ignition limits of methane/air mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Schoor, F.; Norman, F.; Vandebroek, L.; Verplaetsen, F.; Berghmans, J.

2009-01-01

In this study the auto-ignition limit of ammonia/methane/air mixtures is calculated based upon a perfectly stirred reactor model with convective heat transfer. The results of four different reaction mechanisms are compared with existing experimental data at an initial temperature of 723 K with ammonia concentrations of 0-20 mol.% and methane concentrations of 2.5-10 mol.%. It is found that the calculation of the auto-ignition limit pressure at constant temperature leads to larger relative deviations between calculated and experimental results than the calculation of the auto-ignition temperature at constant pressure. In addition to the calculations, a reaction path analysis is performed to explain the observed lowering of the auto-ignition limit of methane/air mixtures by ammonia addition. It is found that this decrease is caused by the formation of NO and NO 2 , which enhance the oxidation of methane at low temperatures.

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working at high pressures in a compressor for an air conditioner.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chul Jin; Choi, Hyo Hyun; Sohn, Chae Hoon

2011-01-15

Auto-ignition of lubricating oil working in a compressor for an air conditioner is studied experimentally. The adopted lubricating oil is an unknown mixture with multi-components and known to have flash point temperature of 170 °C. First, its auto-ignition temperature is measured 365 °C at atmospheric pressure. The lubricating oil works under high-pressure condition up to 30 atm and it is heated and cooled down repeatedly. Accordingly, auto-ignition temperatures or flammable limits of lubricating oil are required at high pressures with respect to fire safety. Because there is not a standard test method for the purpose, a new ignition-test method is proposed in this study and thereby, auto-ignition temperatures are measured over the pressure range below 30 atm. The measured temperatures range from 215 °C to 255 °C and they strongly depend on pressure of gas mixture consisting of oil vapor, nitrogen, and oxygen. They are close to flash point temperature and the lubricating oil can be hazardous when it works for high-pressure operating condition and abundant air flows into a compressor. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of cyclic variations during mode switching between spark ignition and controlled auto-ignition combustion operations

OpenAIRE

Chen, T; Zhao, H; Xie, H; He, B

2014-01-01

© IMechE 2014. Controlled auto-ignition, also known as homogeneous charge compression ignition, has been the subject of extensive research because of their ability to provide simultaneous reductions in fuel consumption and NOx emissions from a gasoline engine. However, due to its limited operation range, switching between controlled auto-ignition and spark ignition combustion is needed to cover the complete operating range of a gasoline engine for passenger car applications. Previous research...

Experimental investigation of the influence of internal and external EGR on the combustion characteristics of a controlled auto-ignition two-stroke cycle engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andwari, Amin Mahmoudzadeh; Aziz, Azhar Abdul; Said, Mohd Farid Muhamad; Latiff, Zulkarnain Abdul

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Investigate the effect of In-EGR, Ex-EGR and octane number on a CAI 2-stroke engine. • Effect of In-EGR, Ex-EGR and octane number on combustion phasing of the engine. • Effect of In-EGR, Ex-EGR and octane number on cyclic variability of the engine. • Identify the CAI combustion upper and lower boundary for operating regions. - Abstract: A two-stroke cycle engine incorporated with a controlled auto-ignition combustion approach presents a high thermodynamic efficiency, ultra-low exhaust emissions and high power-to-weight ratio features for future demand of prime movers. The start of auto-ignition, control of the auto-ignition and its cyclic variability, are major concerns that should be addressed in the combustion timing control of controlled auto-ignition engines. Several studies have been performed to examine the effect of internal exhaust gas recirculation utilization on auto-ignited two-stroke cycle engines. However, far too little attention has been devoted to study on the influence of external exhaust gas recirculation on the cyclic variation and the combustion characteristics of controlled auto-ignition two-stroke cycle engines. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of external exhaust gas recirculation in combination with internal exhaust gas recirculation on the combustion characteristics and the cyclic variability of a controlled auto-ignition two-stroke engine using fuel with different octane numbers. In a detailed experimental investigation, the combustion-related and pressure-related parameters of the engine are examined and statistically associated with the coefficient of variation and the standard deviation. The outcomes of the investigation indicates that the most influential controlled auto-ignition combustion phasing parameters can be managed appropriately via regulating the internal and external exhaust gas recirculation and fuel octane number. In general, start of auto-ignition and its cyclic variability are

Third O2 addition reactions promote the low-temperature auto-ignition of n-alkanes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong

2016-01-20

Comprehensive low-temperature oxidation mechanisms are needed to accurately predict fuel auto-ignition properties. This paper studies the effects of a previously unconsidered third O2 addition reaction scheme on the simulated auto-ignition of n-alkanes. We demonstrate that this extended low-temperature oxidation scheme has a minor effect on the simulation of n-pentane ignition; however, its addition significantly improves the prediction of n-hexane auto-ignition under low-temperature rapid compression machine conditions. Additional simulations of n-hexane in a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine show that engine-operating parameters (e.g., intake temperature and combustion phasing) are significantly altered when the third O2 addition kinetic mechanism is considered. The advanced combustion phasing is initiated by the formation and destruction of additional radical chain-branching intermediates produced in the third O2 addition process, e.g. keto-dihydroperoxides and/or keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ethers. Our results indicate that third O2 addition reactions accelerate low-temperature radical chain branching at conditions of relevance to advance engine technologies, and therefore these chemical pathways should also be considered for n-alkanes with 6 or more carbon atoms. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

CH4/air homogeneous autoignition: A comparison of two chemical kinetics mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tingas, Efstathios Al.; Manias, Dimitris M.; Sarathy, Mani; Goussis, Dimitris A.

2018-01-01

Reactions contributing to the generation of the explosive time scale that characterise autoignition of homogeneous stoichiometric CH4/air mixture are identified using two different chemical kinetics models; the well known GRI-3.0 mechanism (53

Transcritical phenomena of autoignited fuel droplet at high pressures under microgravity

Science.gov (United States)

Segawa, Daisuke; Kajikawa, Tomoki; Kadoka, Toshikazu

2005-09-01

An experimental study has been performed under microgravity to obtain the detailed information needed for the deep understanding of the combustion phenomena of single fuel droplets which autoignite in supercritical gaseous environment. The microgravity environments both in a capsule of a drop shaft and during the parabolic flight of an aircraft were utilized for the experiments. An octadecanol droplet suspended at the tip of a fine quartz fiber in the cold section of the high-pressure combustion chamber was transferred quickly to be subjected to a hot gaseous medium in an electric furnace, this followed by autoignition and combustion of the fuel droplet in supercritical gaseous environment. High-pressure gaseous mixture of oxygen and nitrogen was used as the ambient gas. Temporal variation of temperature of the fuel droplet in supercritical gaseous environment was examined using an embedded fine thermocouple. Sequential backlighted images of the autoignited fuel droplet or the lump of fuel were acquired in supercritical gaseous environment with reduced oxygen concentration. The observed pressure dependence of the ignition delay and that of the burning time of the droplet with the embedded thermocouple were consistent with the previous results. Simultaneous imaging with thermometry showed that the appearance of the fuel changed remarkably at measured fuel temperatures around the critical temperature of the pure fuel. The interface temperature of the fuel rose well beyond the critical temperature of the pure fuel in supercritical gaseous environment. The fuel was gasified long before the end of combustion in supercritical gaseous environment. The proportion of the gasification time to the burning time decreased monotonically with increasing the ambient pressure.

Probabilistic parameter estimation in a 2-step chemical kinetics model for n-dodecane jet autoignition

Science.gov (United States)

Hakim, Layal; Lacaze, Guilhem; Khalil, Mohammad; Sargsyan, Khachik; Najm, Habib; Oefelein, Joseph

2018-05-01

This paper demonstrates the development of a simple chemical kinetics model designed for autoignition of n-dodecane in air using Bayesian inference with a model-error representation. The model error, i.e. intrinsic discrepancy from a high-fidelity benchmark model, is represented by allowing additional variability in selected parameters. Subsequently, we quantify predictive uncertainties in the results of autoignition simulations of homogeneous reactors at realistic diesel engine conditions. We demonstrate that these predictive error bars capture model error as well. The uncertainty propagation is performed using non-intrusive spectral projection that can also be used in principle with larger scale computations, such as large eddy simulation. While the present calibration is performed to match a skeletal mechanism, it can be done with equal success using experimental data only (e.g. shock-tube measurements). Since our method captures the error associated with structural model simplifications, we believe that the optimised model could then lead to better qualified predictions of autoignition delay time in high-fidelity large eddy simulations than the existing detailed mechanisms. This methodology provides a way to reduce the cost of reaction kinetics in simulations systematically, while quantifying the accuracy of predictions of important target quantities.

Auto-Ignition and Spray Characteristics of n-Heptane and iso-Octane Fuels in Ignition Quality Tester

KAUST Repository

Jaasim, Mohammed

2018-04-04

Numerical simulations were conducted to systematically assess the effects of different spray models on the ignition delay predictions and compared with experimental measurements obtained at the KAUST ignition quality tester (IQT) facility. The influence of physical properties and chemical kinetics over the ignition delay time is also investigated. The IQT experiments provided the pressure traces as the main observables, which are not sufficient to obtain a detailed understanding of physical (breakup, evaporation) and chemical (reactivity) processes associated with auto-ignition. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, CONVERGE™, was used to capture the detailed fluid/spray dynamics and chemical characteristics within the IQT configuration. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence with multi-zone chemistry sub-models was adopted with a reduced chemical kinetic mechanism for n-heptane and iso-octane. The emphasis was on the assessment of two common spray breakup models, namely the Kelvin-Helmholtz/Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) and linearized instability sheet atomization (LISA) models, in terms of their influence on auto-ignition predictions. Two spray models resulted in different local mixing, and their influence in the prediction of auto-ignition was investigated. The relative importance of physical ignition delay, characterized by spray evaporation and mixing processes, in the overall ignition behavior for the two different fuels were examined. The results provided an improved understanding of the essential contribution of physical and chemical processes that are critical in describing the IQT auto-ignition event at different pressure and temperature conditions, and allowed a systematic way to distinguish between the physical and chemical ignition delay times.

Experimental Study on Diesel Spray Characteristics and Autoignition Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Özgür Oğuz Taşkiran

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this study is to get the temporal and spatial spray evolution under diesel-like conditions and to investigate autoignition process of sprays which are injected from different nozzle geometries. A constant volume combustion chamber was manufactured and heated internally up to 825 K at 3.5 MPa for experiments. Macroscopic properties of diesel spray were recorded via a high-speed CCD camera by using shadowgraphy technique, and the images were analyzed by using a digital image processing program. To investigate the influence of nozzle geometry, 4 different types of divergent, straight, straight-rounded, convergent-rounded nozzles, were manufactured and used in both spray evolution and autoignition experiments. The internal geometry of the injector nozzles were obtained by using silicone mold method. The macroscopic properties of the nozzles are presented in the study. Ignition behaviour of different nozzle types was observed in terms of ignition delay time and ignition location. A commercial Diesel fuel, n-heptane, and a mixture of hexadecane-heptamethylnonane (CN65—cetane number 65 were used as fuels at ignition experiments. The similar macroscopic properties of different nozzles were searched for observing ignition time and ignition location differences. Though spray and ignition characteristics revealed very similar results, the dissimilarities are presented in the study.

N-decane-air end-gas auto-ignition induced by flame propagation in a constant volume chamber: Influence of compression history

OpenAIRE

Quintens , Hugo; Strozzi , Camille; Zitoun , Ratiba; Bellenoue , Marc

2017-01-01

International audience; The present study aims at characterizing the end-gas auto-ignition of n-decane – air mixtures induced by a flame propagation in a constant volume chamber. A numerical tool is developed, and the study is first focused on academic compressions, e.g. at constant rate of pressure rise. Thermodynamic conditions of transition from deflagration to auto-ignition are first determined, and the involved physical processes are highlighted. A square section combustion chamber is th...

An experimental and numerical analysis of the HCCI auto-ignition process of primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel in an engine, varying the engine parameters

OpenAIRE

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon; Gilbert, Philippe

2008-01-01

For a future HCCI engine to operate under conditions that adhere to environmental restrictions, reducing fuel consumption and maintaining or increasing at the same time the engine efficiency, the choice of the fuel is crucial. For this purpose, this paper presents an auto-ignition investigation concerning the primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel, in order to study the effect of linear alkanes, branched alkanes and aromatics on the auto-ignition. The auto-ignition o...

Effect of oxygen content on n-heptane auto-ignition characteristics in a HCCI engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Zhijun; Kang, Zhe; Deng, Jun; Hu, Zongjie; Li, Liguang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • n-Heptane HCCI combustion under air and oxygen intake was compared. • n-Heptane auto-ignition postponed due to higher specific heat capacity as oxygen increase. • The increment of heat release fraction during low temperature reaction is studied. • Oxygen enrichment lead to suppressed negative temperature coefficient. • The mechanism of low temperature reaction enhancement as oxygen increase is investigated. - Abstract: To take maximum advantage of the high efficiency of homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion mode and internal combustion Rankine cycle concept, in this study, the n-heptane auto-ignition characteristics have been investigated using a compression ignition internal combustion Rankine cycle engine test bench and a zero-dimensional thermodynamic model coupled with a detailed kinetic model. The n-heptane auto-ignition process shows that under both air and oxygen intake, a typical two-stage combustion in which oxygen enrichment has very minor effects on the n-heptane high temperature reaction. The higher specific heat capacity of oxygen compared with nitrogen leads to an overall increased specific heat capacity, which lowers the in-cylinder temperature during compression stroke, thereby delaying the low temperature reaction initial timing. The higher oxygen content also improves the H-atom abstraction, first O_2 addition, second O_2 addition and peroxyalkylhydroperoxide isomerization, thereby improving the overall reaction rate and the heat release fraction of low temperature reaction. As a result, the in-cylinder temperature at the end of low temperature reaction also increases, thereby shortening significantly the negative temperature coefficient duration compared with a combustion cycle using air as oxidizer.

Comparative Autoignition Trends in Butanol Isomers at Elevated Pressure

KAUST Repository

Weber, Bryan W.

2013-03-21

Autoignition experiments of stoichiometric mixtures of s-, t-, and i-butanol in air have been performed using a heated rapid compression machine (RCM). At compressed pressures of 15 and 30 bar and for compressed temperatures in the range 715-910 K, no evidence of a negative temperature coefficient region in terms of ignition delay response is found. The present experimental results are also compared with previously reported RCM data of n-butanol in air. The order of reactivity of the butanols is n-butanol > s-butanol ≈ i-butanol > t-butanol at the lower pressure but changes to n-butanol > t-butanol > s-butanol > i-butanol at higher pressure. In addition, t-butanol shows preignition heat release behavior, which is especially evident at higher pressures. To help identify the controlling chemistry leading to this preignition heat release, off-stoichiometric experiments are further performed at 30 bar compressed pressure, for t-butanol at φ = 0.5 and φ = 2.0 in air. For these experiments, higher fuel loading (i.e., φ = 2.0) causes greater preignition heat release (as indicated by greater pressure rise) than the stoichiometric or φ = 0.5 cases. Comparison of the experimental ignition delays with the simulated results using two literature kinetic mechanisms shows generally good agreement, and one mechanism is further used to explore and compare the fuel decomposition pathways of butanol isomers. Using this mechanism, the importance of peroxy chemistry in the autoignition of the butanol isomers is highlighted and discussed. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Auto-ignition generated combustion. Pt. 2. Thermodynamic fundamentals; Verbrennungssteuerung durch Selbstzuendung. T. 2. Experimentelle Analyse

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guibert, P. [Paris-6 Univ. (France). Lab. de Mecanique Physique; Morin, C. [Paris-6 Univ. (France); Mokhtari, S.

2004-02-01

The combustion initiation by auto-ignition demonstrates benefits in NO{sub x} reduction and in process stability for both spark-ignited and compression ignited engines. Based on the better thermodynamic particularities of the auto-ignition, which have been presented in the first part, the characteristics of this process are demonstrated in the second part by experimental analysis. For comparison with similar studies, the analyses have been carried out in base of a two stroke loop scavenged spark-ignition single cylinder engine. (orig.) [German] Die Steuerung der Verbrennung durch Selbstzuendung zeigt Vorteile bezueglich Senkung der NO{sub x}-Emission und Prozessstabilitaet, sowohl bei Otto- als auch bei Dieselmotoren. Auf Grundlage der thermodynamischen Besonderheiten der Selbstzuendvorgaenge, die im ersten Teil praesentiert wurden, erfolgt im zweiten Teil eine experimentelle Betrachtung der Prozesscharakteristika. Zur Vergleichbarkeit mit aehnlichen Untersuchungen wird die experimentelle Analyse auf Basis eines Zweitakt-Einzylinder-Ottomotors mit Umkehrspuelung durchgefuehrt. (orig.)

Global reaction mechanism for the auto-ignition of full boiling range gasoline and kerosene fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Vandersickel, A.; Wright, Y. M.; Boulouchos, K.

2013-12-01

Compact reaction schemes capable of predicting auto-ignition are a prerequisite for the development of strategies to control and optimise homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines. In particular for full boiling range fuels exhibiting two stage ignition a tremendous demand exists in the engine development community. The present paper therefore meticulously assesses a previous 7-step reaction scheme developed to predict auto-ignition for four hydrocarbon blends and proposes an important extension of the model constant optimisation procedure, allowing for the model to capture not only ignition delays, but also the evolutions of representative intermediates and heat release rates for a variety of full boiling range fuels. Additionally, an extensive validation of the later evolutions by means of various detailed n-heptane reaction mechanisms from literature has been presented; both for perfectly homogeneous, as well as non-premixed/stratified HCCI conditions. Finally, the models potential to simulate the auto-ignition of various full boiling range fuels is demonstrated by means of experimental shock tube data for six strongly differing fuels, containing e.g. up to 46.7% cyclo-alkanes, 20% napthalenes or complex branched aromatics such as methyl- or ethyl-napthalene. The good predictive capability observed for each of the validation cases as well as the successful parameterisation for each of the six fuels, indicate that the model could, in principle, be applied to any hydrocarbon fuel, providing suitable adjustments to the model parameters are carried out. Combined with the optimisation strategy presented, the model therefore constitutes a major step towards the inclusion of real fuel kinetics into full scale HCCI engine simulations.

An experimental and numerical analysis of the HCCI auto-ignition process of primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel in an engine, varying the engine parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr-I' Ecole (France); Gilbert, Philippe [UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 2, place de la Gare de Ceinture, 78210 St Cyr-I' Ecole (France)

2008-11-15

For a future HCCI engine to operate under conditions that adhere to environmental restrictions, reducing fuel consumption and maintaining or increasing at the same time the engine efficiency, the choice of the fuel is crucial. For this purpose, this paper presents an auto-ignition investigation concerning the primary reference fuels, toluene reference fuels and diesel fuel, in order to study the effect of linear alkanes, branched alkanes and aromatics on the auto-ignition. The auto-ignition of these fuels has been studied at inlet temperatures from 25 to 120 C, at equivalence ratios from 0.18 to 0.53 and at compression ratios from 6 to 13.5, in order to extend the range of investigation and to assess the usability of these parameters to control the auto-ignition. It appeared that both iso-octane and toluene delayed the ignition with respect to n-heptane, while toluene has the strongest effect. This means that aromatics have higher inhibiting effects than branched alkanes. In an increasing order, the inlet temperature, equivalence ratio and compression ratio had a promoting effect on the ignition delays. A previously experimentally validated reduced surrogate mechanism, for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene, has been used to explain observations of the auto-ignition process. (author)

Characteristics of autoignited laminar lifted flames in heated coflow jets of carbon monoxide/hydrogen mixtures

KAUST Repository

Choi, Byungchul; Chung, Suk-Ho

2012-01-01

and then increased as the jet velocity increased. Based on the mechanism in which the autoignited laminar lifted flame is stabilized by ignition delay time, the liftoff height can be influenced not only by the heat loss, but also by the preferential diffusion between

Auto-Ignition and Spray Characteristics of n-Heptane and iso-Octane Fuels in Ignition Quality Tester

KAUST Repository

Jaasim, Mohammed; Elhagrasy, Ayman; Sarathy, Mani; Chung, Suk-Ho; Im, Hong G.

2018-01-01

breakup models, namely the Kelvin-Helmholtz/Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) and linearized instability sheet atomization (LISA) models, in terms of their influence on auto-ignition predictions. Two spray models resulted in different local mixing

Characteristics of Syngas Auto-ignition at High Pressure and Low Temperature Conditions with Thermal Inhomogeneities

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki; Mansfield, Andrew B.; Wooldridge, Margaret S.; Im, Hong G.

2015-01-01

Effects of thermal inhomogeneities on syngas auto-ignition at high-pressure low-temperature conditions, relevant to gas turbine operation, are investigated using detailed one-dimensional numerical simulations. Parametric tests are carried out for a range of thermodynamic conditions (T = 890-1100 K, P = 3-20 atm) and composition (Ф = 0.1, 0.5). Effects of global thermal gradients and localized thermal hot spots are studied. In the presence of a thermal gradient, the propagating reaction front transitions from spontaneous ignition to deflagration mode as the initial mean temperature decreases. The critical mean temperature separating the two distinct auto-ignition modes is computed using a predictive criterion and found to be consistent with front speed and Damkohler number analyses. The hot spot study reveals that compression heating of end-gas mixture by the propagating front is more pronounced at lower mean temperatures, significantly advancing the ignition delay. Moreover, the compression heating effect is dependent on the domain size.

Characteristics of Syngas Auto-ignition at High Pressure and Low Temperature Conditions with Thermal Inhomogeneities

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki

2015-05-31

Effects of thermal inhomogeneities on syngas auto-ignition at high-pressure low-temperature conditions, relevant to gas turbine operation, are investigated using detailed one-dimensional numerical simulations. Parametric tests are carried out for a range of thermodynamic conditions (T = 890-1100 K, P = 3-20 atm) and composition (Ф = 0.1, 0.5). Effects of global thermal gradients and localized thermal hot spots are studied. In the presence of a thermal gradient, the propagating reaction front transitions from spontaneous ignition to deflagration mode as the initial mean temperature decreases. The critical mean temperature separating the two distinct auto-ignition modes is computed using a predictive criterion and found to be consistent with front speed and Damkohler number analyses. The hot spot study reveals that compression heating of end-gas mixture by the propagating front is more pronounced at lower mean temperatures, significantly advancing the ignition delay. Moreover, the compression heating effect is dependent on the domain size.

A direct numerical simulation of cool-flame affected autoignition in diesel engine-relevant conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krisman, Alexander; Hawkes, Evatt Robert.; Talei, Mohsen; Bhagatwala, Ankit; Chen, Jacqueline H.

2016-11-11

In diesel engines, combustion is initiated by a two-staged autoignition that includes both low- and high-temperature chemistry. The location and timing of both stages of autoignition are important parameters that influence the development and stabilisation of the flame. In this study, a two-dimensional direct numerical simulation (DNS) is conducted to provide a fully resolved description of ignition at diesel engine-relevant conditions. The DNS is performed at a pressure of 40 atmospheres and at an ambient temperature of 900 K using dimethyl ether (DME) as the fuel, with a 30 species reduced chemical mechanism. At these conditions, similar to diesel fuel, DME exhibits two-stage ignition. The focus of this study is on the behaviour of the low-temperature chemistry (LTC) and the way in which it influences the high-temperature ignition. The results show that the LTC develops as a “spotty” first-stage autoignition in lean regions which transitions to a diffusively supported cool-flame and then propagates up the local mixture fraction gradient towards richer regions. The cool-flame speed is much faster than can be attributed to spatial gradients in first-stage ignition delay time in homogeneous reactors. The cool-flame causes a shortening of the second-stage ignition delay times compared to a homogeneous reactor and the shortening becomes more pronounced at richer mixtures. Multiple high-temperature ignition kernels are observed over a range of rich mixtures that are much richer than the homogeneous most reactive mixture and most kernels form much earlier than suggested by the homogeneous ignition delay time of the corresponding local mixture. Altogether, the results suggest that LTC can strongly influence both the timing and location in composition space of the high-temperature ignition.

Impact of Formaldehyde Addition on Auto-Ignition in Internal-Combustion Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwahara, Kazunari; Ando, Hiromitsu; Furutani, Masahiro; Ohta, Yasuhiko

By employing a direct-injection diesel engine equipped with a common-rail type of injection system, by adding formaldehyde (CH2O) to the intake air, and by changing the fuel-injection timing, the compression ratio and the intake-air temperature, a mechanism for CH2O as a fuel additive to affect auto-ignition was discussed. Unlike an HCCI type of engine, the diesel engine can expose an air-fuel mixture only to a limited range of the in-cylinder temperature before the ignition, and can separate low- and high-temperature parts of the mechanism. When low-temperature oxidation starts at a temperature above 900K, there are cases that the CH2O advances the ignition timing. Below 900K, to the contrary, it always retards the timing. It is because, above 900K, a part of the CH2O changes into CO together with H2O2 as an ignition promoter. Below 900K, on the other hand, the CH2O itself acts as an OH radical scavenger against cool-flame reaction, from the beginning of low-temperature oxidation. Then, the engine was modified for its extraordinary function as a gasoline-knocking generator, in order that an effect of CH2O on knocking could be discussed. The CH2O retards the onset of auto-ignition of an end gas. Judging from a large degree of the retardation, the ignition is probably triggered below 900K.

Performance Characterization and Auto-Ignition Performance of a Rapid Compression Machine

OpenAIRE

Hao Liu; Hongguang Zhang; Zhicheng Shi; Haitao Lu; Guangyao Zhao; Baofeng Yao

2014-01-01

A rapid compression machine (RCM) test bench is developed in this study. The performance characterization and auto-ignition performance tests are conducted at an initial temperature of 293 K, a compression ratio of 9.5 to 16.5, a compressed temperature of 650 K to 850 K, a driving gas pressure range of 0.25 MPa to 0.7 MPa, an initial pressure of 0.04 MPa to 0.09 MPa, and a nitrogen dilution ratio of 35% to 65%. A new type of hydraulic piston is used to address the problem in which the hydraul...

Effects of Mixture Stratification on Combustion and Emissions of Boosted Controlled Auto-Ignition Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Hunicz

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The stratification of in-cylinder mixtures appears to be an effective method for managing the combustion process in controlled auto-ignition (CAI engines. Stratification can be achieved and controlled using various injection strategies such as split fuel injection and the introduction of a portion of fuel directly before the start of combustion. This study investigates the effect of injection timing and the amount of fuel injected for stratification on the combustion and emissions in CAI engine. The experimental research was performed on a single cylinder engine with direct gasoline injection. CAI combustion was achieved using negative valve overlap and exhaust gas trapping. The experiments were performed at constant engine fueling. Intake boost was applied to control the excess air ratio. The results show that the application of the late injection strategy has a significant effect on the heat release process. In general, the later the injection is and the more fuel is injected for stratification, the earlier the auto-ignition occurs. However, the experimental findings reveal that the effect of stratification on combustion duration is much more complex. Changes in combustion are reflected in NOX emissions. The attainable level of stratification is limited by the excessive emission of unburned hydrocarbons, CO and soot.

The use of CO 2 as an additive for ignition delay and pollutant control in CH 4 /air autoignition

KAUST Repository

Tingas, Efstathios Al.; Im, Hong G.; Kyritsis, Dimitrios C.; Goussis, Dimitris A.

2017-01-01

The effect of CO2 dilution on the adiabatic and isochoric autoignition of CH4/air mixtures is analyzed with Computational Singular Perturbation (CSP) algorithmic tools, with a particular emphasis on the determination of the features of the chemical

An experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of the inlet temperature, equivalence ratio and compression ratio on the HCCI auto-ignition process of Primary Reference Fuels in an engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert (France); Cavadiasa, Simeon [UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert (France)

2008-11-15

In order to understand better the auto-ignition process in an HCCI engine, the influence of some important parameters on the auto-ignition is investigated. The inlet temperature, the equivalence ratio and the compression ratio were varied and their influence on the pressure, the heat release and the ignition delays were measured. The inlet temperature was changed from 25 to 70 C and the equivalence ratio from 0.18 to 0.41, while the compression ratio varied from 6 to 13.5. The fuels that were investigated were PRF40 and n-heptane. These three parameters appeared to decrease the ignition delays, with the inlet temperature having the least influence and the compression ratio the most. A previously experimentally validated reduced surrogate mechanism, for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene, has been used to explain observations of the auto-ignition process. The same kinetic mechanism is used to better understand the underlying chemical and physical phenomena that make the influence of a certain parameter change according to the operating conditions. This can be useful for the control of the auto-ignition process in an HCCI engine. (author)

Autoignition Studies of Diesel Alternative Biofuels

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Weijing

The autoignition of biofuel compounds that offer potential as diesel fuel alternatives was studied under high-pressure engine-like conditions using the shock tube technique. Ignition delay times were determined in reflected shock experiments using measured pressure and electronically-excited OH emission. Measurements were made at conditions ranging from 650 to 1350 K, pressures from 6 to 50 atm, and for fuel/air/diluent mixtures at equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 2. The wide range of temperatures examined provides observation of autoignition in three reactivity regimes, including the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) regime which is characteristic of fuels containing alkyl functionalities. Compounds studied include biodiesel-related compounds and real biodiesel fuels, dimethyl ether, and 3-methylheptane which is representative of compounds found in synthetic diesel fuels produced using the Fischer-Tropsch and hydrotreatment processes. Biodiesel compounds studied include biodiesel surrogates, methyl decanoate, methyl-5-decenoate, and methyl-9-decenoate; compounds found in large quantities in biodiesels, methyl palmitate, methyl stearate, methyl oleate, and methyl linoleate; and soy-based and animal fat based methyl ester biodiesels. Comparison of biodiesel compounds illustrates the influence of molecular structure (e.g., chain length, double bonds, and ester functionality) on reactivity. For methyl decanoate, the effect of high pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) conditions relevant to internal combustion engines was also determined. Results showed that the first-order influence of EGR by displacing fuel and O2 to decrease radical branching. Measurements were compared to kinetic modeling results from models available in the literature providing varying degrees of model validation. Reaction flux analyses were also carried out to further examine the kinetic differences in different temperature regimes for fuel compounds. For example, reaction flux analyses

Direct numerical simulations of exhaust gas recirculation effect on multistage autoignition in the negative temperature combustion regime for stratified HCCI flow conditions by using H2O2 addition

Science.gov (United States)

El-Asrag, Hossam A.; Ju, Yiguang

2013-04-01

Direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of a stratified flow in a homogeneous compression charge ignition (HCCI) engine are performed to investigate the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and temperature/mixture stratification effects on the autoignition of synthetic dimethyl ether (DME) in the negative temperature combustion region. Detailed chemistry for a DME/air mixture is employed and solved by a hybrid multi-time scale (HMTS) algorithm to reduce the computational cost. The effect of ? to mimic the EGR effect on autoignition are studied. The results show that adding ? enhances autoignition by rapid OH radical pool formation (34-46% reduction in ignition delay time) and changes the ignition heat release rates at different ignition stages. Sensitivity analysis is performed and the important reactions pathways affecting the autoignition are specified. The DNS results show that the scales introduced by thermal and mixture stratifications have a strong effect after the low temperature chemistry (LTC) ignition especially at the locations of high scalar dissipation rates. Compared to homogenous ignition, stratified ignitions show similar first autoignition delay times, but 18% reduction in the second and third ignition delay times. The results also show that molecular transport plays an important role in stratified low temperature ignition, and that the scalar mixing time scale is strongly affected by local ignition in the stratified flow. Two ignition-kernel propagation modes are observed: a wave-like, low-speed, deflagrative mode and a spontaneous, high-speed, ignition mode. Three criteria are introduced to distinguish these modes by different characteristic time scales and Damkhöler numbers using a progress variable conditioned by an ignition kernel indicator. The low scalar dissipation rate flame front is characterized by high displacement speeds and high mixing Damkhöler number. The proposed criteria are applied successfully at the different ignition stages and

Performance Characterization and Auto-Ignition Performance of a Rapid Compression Machine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Liu

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A rapid compression machine (RCM test bench is developed in this study. The performance characterization and auto-ignition performance tests are conducted at an initial temperature of 293 K, a compression ratio of 9.5 to 16.5, a compressed temperature of 650 K to 850 K, a driving gas pressure range of 0.25 MPa to 0.7 MPa, an initial pressure of 0.04 MPa to 0.09 MPa, and a nitrogen dilution ratio of 35% to 65%. A new type of hydraulic piston is used to address the problem in which the hydraulic buffer adversely affects the rapid compression process. Auto-ignition performance tests of the RCM are then performed using a DME–O2–N2 mixture. The two-stage ignition delay and negative temperature coefficient (NTC behavior of the mixture are observed. The effects of driving gas pressure, compression ratio, initial pressure, and nitrogen dilution ratio on the two-stage ignition delay are investigated. Results show that both the first-stage and overall ignition delays tend to increase with increasing driving gas pressure. The driving gas pressure within a certain range does not significantly influence the compressed pressure. With increasing compression ratio, the first-stage ignition delay is shortened, whereas the second-stage ignition delay is extended. With increasing initial pressure, both the first-stage and second-stage ignition delays are shortened. The second-stage ignition delay is shortened to a greater extent than that of the first-stage. With increasing nitrogen dilution ratio, the first-stage ignition delay is shortened, whereas the second-stage is extended. Thus, overall ignition delay presents different trends under various compression ratios and compressed pressure conditions.

Numerical study of laminar nonpremixed methane flames in coflow jets: Autoignited lifted flames with tribrachial edges and MILD combustion at elevated temperatures

KAUST Repository

M. Al-Noman, Saeed; Choi, Sang Kyu; Chung, Suk-Ho

2016-01-01

Autoignition characteristics of laminar nonpremixed methane jet flames in high-temperature coflow air are studied numerically. Several flame configurations are investigated by varying the initial temperature and fuel mole fraction. At a relatively

ADAPTATION OF N-HEPTANE AUTOIGNITION TABULATION FOR COMPLEX CHEMISTRY MECHANISMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neven Duić

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The adaptation of auto-ignition tabulation for effective use of complex chemical mechanisms will be presented in this paper. Taking cool flame ignition phenomenon into account could improve numerical simulations of combustion in compression ignition engines. Current approaches of successful simulation of this phenomenon are based on the extraction of ignition delay times, heat releases and also reaction rates from tabulated data dependant on four parameters: temperature, pressure, equivalence ratio and exhaust gasses mass fraction. The methods described here were used to create lookup tables including cool flame using a comprehensive chemical mechanism without including reaction rates data (as used by other authors. The method proved to be stable for creating tables and these results will be shown, as well as initial implementation results using the tables in computational fluid dynamics software.

Autoignition of straight-run naphtha: A promising fuel for advanced compression ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Alabbad, Mohammed; Issayev, Gani; Badra, Jihad; Voice, Alexander K.; Giri, Binod; Djebbi, Khalil; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Sarathy, Mani; Farooq, Aamir

2017-01-01

Naphtha, a low-octane distillate fuel, has been proposed as a promising low-cost fuel for advanced compression ignition engine technologies. Experimental and modelling studies have been conducted in this work to assess autoignition characteristics of naphtha for use in advanced engines. Ignition delay times of a certified straight-run naphtha fuel, supplied by Haltermann Solutions, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid comparison machine over wide ranges of experimental conditions (20 and 60 bar, 620–1223 K, ϕ = 0.5, 1 and 2). The Haltermann straight-run naphtha (HSRN) has research octane number (RON) of 60 and motor octane number (MON) of 58.3, with carbon range spanning C3–C9. Reactivity of HSRN was compared, via experiments and simulations, with three suitably formulated surrogates: a two-component PRF (n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, a three-component TPRF (toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, and a six-component surrogate. All surrogates reasonably captured the ignition delays of HSRN at high and intermediate temperatures. However, at low temperatures (T < 750 K), the six-component surrogate performed the best in emulating the reactivity of naphtha fuel. Temperature sensitivity and rate of production analyses revealed that the presence of cyclo-alkanes in naphtha inhibits the overall fuel reactivity. Zero-dimensional engine simulations showed that PRF is a good autoignition surrogate for naphtha at high engine loads, however, the six-component surrogate is needed to match the combustion phasing of naphtha at low engine loads.

Autoignition of straight-run naphtha: A promising fuel for advanced compression ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Alabbad, Mohammed

2017-11-24

Naphtha, a low-octane distillate fuel, has been proposed as a promising low-cost fuel for advanced compression ignition engine technologies. Experimental and modelling studies have been conducted in this work to assess autoignition characteristics of naphtha for use in advanced engines. Ignition delay times of a certified straight-run naphtha fuel, supplied by Haltermann Solutions, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid comparison machine over wide ranges of experimental conditions (20 and 60 bar, 620–1223 K, ϕ = 0.5, 1 and 2). The Haltermann straight-run naphtha (HSRN) has research octane number (RON) of 60 and motor octane number (MON) of 58.3, with carbon range spanning C3–C9. Reactivity of HSRN was compared, via experiments and simulations, with three suitably formulated surrogates: a two-component PRF (n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, a three-component TPRF (toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, and a six-component surrogate. All surrogates reasonably captured the ignition delays of HSRN at high and intermediate temperatures. However, at low temperatures (T < 750 K), the six-component surrogate performed the best in emulating the reactivity of naphtha fuel. Temperature sensitivity and rate of production analyses revealed that the presence of cyclo-alkanes in naphtha inhibits the overall fuel reactivity. Zero-dimensional engine simulations showed that PRF is a good autoignition surrogate for naphtha at high engine loads, however, the six-component surrogate is needed to match the combustion phasing of naphtha at low engine loads.

An experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of the inlet temperature, equivalence ratio and compression ratio on the HCCI auto-ignition process of Primary Reference Fuels in an engine

OpenAIRE

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias

2008-01-01

In order to understand better the auto-ignition process in an HCCI engine, the influence of some important parameters on the auto-ignition is investigated. The inlet temperature, the equivalence ratio and the compression ratio were varied and their influence on the pressure, the heat release and the ignition delays were measured, The inlet temperature was changed from 25 to 70 degrees C and the equivalence ratio from 0.18 to 0.41, while the compression ratio varied from 6 to 13.5. The fuels t...

The development and experimental validation of a reduced ternary kinetic mechanism for the auto-ignition at HCCI conditions, proposing a global reaction path for ternary gasoline surrogates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim; Cavadias, Simeon; Amouroux, Jacques [UPMC Universite Paris 06, LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France)

2009-02-15

To acquire a high amount of information of the behaviour of the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) auto-ignition process, a reduced surrogate mechanism has been composed out of reduced n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene mechanisms, containing 62 reactions and 49 species. This mechanism has been validated numerically in a 0D HCCI engine code against more detailed mechanisms (inlet temperature varying from 290 to 500 K, the equivalence ratio from 0.2 to 0.7 and the compression ratio from 8 to 18) and experimentally against experimental shock tube and rapid compression machine data from the literature at pressures between 9 and 55 bar and temperatures between 700 and 1400 K for several fuels: the pure compounds n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene as well as binary and ternary mixtures of these compounds. For this validation, stoichiometric mixtures and mixtures with an equivalence ratio of 0.5 are used. The experimental validation is extended by comparing the surrogate mechanism to experimental data from an HCCI engine. A global reaction pathway is proposed for the auto-ignition of a surrogate gasoline, using the surrogate mechanism, in order to show the interactions that the three compounds can have with one another during the auto-ignition of a ternary mixture. (author)

Autoignition characterization of primary reference fuels and n-heptane/n-butanol mixtures in a constant volume combustion device and homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

KAUST Repository

Baumgardner, Marc E.

2013-12-19

In this study, the autoignition behavior of primary reference fuels (PRF) and blends of n-heptane/n-butanol were examined in a Waukesha Fuel Ignition Tester (FIT) and a Homogeneous Charge Compression Engine (HCCI). Fourteen different blends of iso-octane, n-heptane, and n-butanol were tested in the FIT - 28 test runs with 25 ignition measurements for each test run, totaling 350 individual tests in all. These experimental results supported previous findings that fuel blends with high alcohol content can exhibit very different ignition delay periods than similarly blended reference fuels. The experiments further showed that n-butanol blends behaved unlike PRF blends when comparing the autoignition behavior as a function of the percentage of low reactivity component. The HCCI and FIT experimental results favorably compared against single and multizone models with detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms - both an existing mechanism as well as one developed during this study were used. The experimental and modeling results suggest that that the FIT instrument is a valuable tool for analysis of high pressure, low temperature chemistry, and autoignition for future fuels in advanced combustion engines. Additionally, in both the FIT and engine experiments the fraction of low temperature heat release (fLTHR) was found to correlate very well with the crank angle of maximum heat release and shows promise as a useful metric for fuel reactivity in advanced combustion applications. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

A Phenomenological Model for Prediction Auto-Ignition and Soot Formation of Turbulent Diffusion Combustion in a High Pressure Common Rail Diesel Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghui Zhou

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A new phenomenological model, the TP (Temperature Phase model, is presented to carry out optimization calculations for turbulent diffusion combustion in a high-pressure common rail diesel engine. Temperature is the most important parameter in the TP model, which includes two parts: an auto-ignition and a soot model. In the auto-ignition phase, different reaction mechanisms are built for different zones. For the soot model, different methods are used for different temperatures. The TP model is then implemented in KIVA code instead of original model to carry out optimization. The results of cylinder pressures, the corresponding heat release rates, and soot with variation of injection time, variation of rail pressure and variation of speed among TP model, KIVA standard model and experimental data are analyzed. The results indicate that the TP model can carry out optimization and CFD (computational fluid dynamics and can be a useful tool to study turbulent diffusion combustion.

Prediction of autoignition in a lifted methane/air flame using an unsteady flamelet/progress variable model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ihme, Matthias; See, Yee Chee [Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)

2010-10-15

An unsteady flamelet/progress variable (UFPV) model has been developed for the prediction of autoignition in turbulent lifted flames. The model is a consistent extension to the steady flamelet/progress variable (SFPV) approach, and employs an unsteady flamelet formulation to describe the transient evolution of all thermochemical quantities during the flame ignition process. In this UFPV model, all thermochemical quantities are parameterized by mixture fraction, reaction progress parameter, and stoichiometric scalar dissipation rate, eliminating the explicit dependence on a flamelet time scale. An a priori study is performed to analyze critical modeling assumptions that are associated with the population of the flamelet state space. For application to LES, the UFPV model is combined with a presumed PDF closure to account for subgrid contributions of mixture fraction and reaction progress variable. The model was applied in LES of a lifted methane/air flame. Additional calculations were performed to quantify the interaction between turbulence and chemistry a posteriori. Simulation results obtained from these calculations are compared with experimental data. Compared to the SFPV results, the unsteady flamelet/progress variable model captures the autoignition process, and good agreement with measurements is obtained for mixture fraction, temperature, and species mass fractions. From the analysis of scatter data and mixture fraction-conditional results it is shown that the turbulence/chemistry interaction delays the ignition process towards lower values of scalar dissipation rate, and a significantly larger region in the flamelet state space is occupied during the ignition process. (author)

Investigation of Spark Ignition and Autoignition in Methane and Air Using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Chemical Reaction Kinetics. A numerical Study of Ignition Processes in Internal Combustion Engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordrik, R.

1993-12-01

The processes in the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines have received increased attention in recent years because their efficiencies are important both economically and environmentally. This doctoral thesis studies the ignition phenomena by means of numerical simulation methods. The fundamental physical relations include flow field conservation equations, thermodynamics, chemical reaction kinetics, transport properties and spark modelling. Special attention is given to the inclusion of chemical kinetics in the flow field equations. Using his No Transport of Radicals Concept method, the author reduces the computational efforts by neglecting the transport of selected intermediate species. The method is validated by comparison with flame propagation data. A computational method is described and used to simulate spark ignition in laminar premixed methane-air mixtures and the autoignition process of a methane bubble surrounded by hot air. The spark ignition simulation agrees well with experimental results from the literature. The autoignition simulation identifies the importance of diffusive and chemical processes acting together. The ignition delay times exceed the experimental values found in the literature for premixed ignition delay, presumably because of the mixing process and lack of information on low temperature reactions in the skeletal kinetic mechanism. Transient turbulent methane jet autoignition is simulated by means of the KIVA-II code. Turbulent combustion is modelled by the Eddy Dissipation Concept. 90 refs., 81 figs., 3 tabs.

Experimental validation of concentration profiles in an HCCI engine, modelled by a multi-component kinetic mechanism: Outline for auto-ignition and emission control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim, E-mail: hatim-machrafi@enscp.f [UPMC Universite Paris 06, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris, 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); Universite de Liege, Thermodynamique des Phenomenes Irreversibles, 17, Allee du Six-Aout, 4000 Liege (Belgium)

2010-10-15

In order to contribute to the auto-ignition and emission control for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), a kinetic multi-component mechanism, containing 62 reactions and 49 species for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene is validated in this work, comparing for the concentration profiles of the fuel, the total hydrocarbons, O{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, CO, acetaldehyde and iso-butene. These species are sampled during the combustion and quantified. For these measurements an automotive exhaust analyser, a gas chromatograph, coupled to a mass spectrometer and a flame ionisation detector are used, depending on the species to be measured. The fuel, total hydrocarbons, O{sub 2}, CO{sub 2}, iso-butene and acetaldehyde showed a satisfactory quantitative agreement between the mechanism and the experiments. Both the experiments and the modelling results showed the same formation behaviour of the different species. An example is shown of how such a validated mechanism can provide for a set of information of the behaviour of the auto-ignition process and the emission control as a function of engine parameters.

Experimental validation of concentration profiles in an HCCI engine, modelled by a multi-component kinetic mechanism: Outline for auto-ignition and emission control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machrafi, Hatim

2010-01-01

In order to contribute to the auto-ignition and emission control for Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), a kinetic multi-component mechanism, containing 62 reactions and 49 species for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene is validated in this work, comparing for the concentration profiles of the fuel, the total hydrocarbons, O 2 , CO 2 , CO, acetaldehyde and iso-butene. These species are sampled during the combustion and quantified. For these measurements an automotive exhaust analyser, a gas chromatograph, coupled to a mass spectrometer and a flame ionisation detector are used, depending on the species to be measured. The fuel, total hydrocarbons, O 2 , CO 2 , iso-butene and acetaldehyde showed a satisfactory quantitative agreement between the mechanism and the experiments. Both the experiments and the modelling results showed the same formation behaviour of the different species. An example is shown of how such a validated mechanism can provide for a set of information of the behaviour of the auto-ignition process and the emission control as a function of engine parameters.

Experimental investigation of the auto-ignition characteristics of oxygenated reference fuel compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Walton, Stephen Michael

The increased use of biofuels presents an opportunity to improve combustion performance while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gases and pollutant emissions. This work focused on improving the fundamental understanding of the auto-ignition chemistry of oxygenated reference fuel compounds. A systematic study of the effects of ester structure on ignition chemistry was performed using the University of Michigan Rapid Compression Facility. The ignition properties of the ester compounds were investigated over a broad range of pressures (P=5-20 atm) and temperatures (T=850-1150 K) which are directly relevant to advanced combustion engine strategies. Ignition delay times for five esters were determined using the RCF. The esters were selected to systematically consider the chemical structure of the compounds. Three esters were saturated: methyl butanoate, butyl methanoate, and ethyl propanoate; and two were unsaturated: methyl crotonate and methyl trans-3-hexenoate. The unsaturated esters were more reactive than their saturated counterparts, with the largest unsaturated ester, methyl trans-3-hexenoate having the highest reactivity. Two isomers of the saturated esters, butyl methanoate and ethyl propanoate, were more reactive than the isomer methyl butanoate. The results are explained if we assume that butyl methanoate and ethyl propanoate form intermediate ring structures which decompose more rapidly than esters such as methyl butanoate, which do not form ring structures. Modeling studies of the reaction chemistry were conducted for methyl butanoate and ethyl propanoate, for which detailed mechanisms were available in the literature. The new experimental data indicated that literature rate coefficients for some of the methyl butanoate/HO2 reactions were too fast. Modifying these within the theoretical uncertainties for the reaction rates, led to excellent agreement between the model predictions and the experimental data. Comparison of the modeling results with the

CH4/air homogeneous autoignition: A comparison of two chemical kinetics mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Tingas, Efstathios Al.

2018-03-11

Reactions contributing to the generation of the explosive time scale that characterise autoignition of homogeneous stoichiometric CH4/air mixture are identified using two different chemical kinetics models; the well known GRI-3.0 mechanism (53/325 species/reactions with N-chemistry) and the AramcoMech mechanism from NUI Galway (113/710 species/reactions without N-chemistry; Combustion and Flame 162:315-330, 2015). Although the two mechanisms provide qualitatively similar results (regarding ignition delay and profiles of temperature, of mass fractions and of explosive time scale), the 113/710 mechanism was shown to reproduce the experimental data with higher accuracy than the 53/325 mechanism. The present analysis explores the origin of the improved accuracy provided by the more complex kinetics mechanism. It is shown that the reactions responsible for the generation of the explosive time scale differ significantly. This is reflected to differences in the length of the chemical and thermal runaways and in the set of the most influential species.

Quantitative measurements of in-cylinder gas composition in a controlled auto-ignition combustion engine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, H.; Zhang, S.

2008-01-01

One of the most effective means to achieve controlled auto-ignition (CAI) combustion in a gasoline engine is by the residual gas trapping method. The amount of residual gas and mixture composition have significant effects on the subsequent combustion process and engine emissions. In order to obtain quantitative measurements of in-cylinder residual gas concentration and air/fuel ratio, a spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) system has been developed recently. The optimized optical SRS setups are presented and discussed. The temperature effect on the SRS measurement is considered and a method has been developed to correct for the overestimated values due to the temperature effect. Simultaneous measurements of O2, H2O, CO2 and fuel were obtained throughout the intake, compression, combustion and expansion strokes. It shows that the SRS can provide valuable data on this process in a CAI combustion engine.

Quantitative measurements of in-cylinder gas composition in a controlled auto-ignition combustion engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, H; Zhang, S

2008-01-01

One of the most effective means to achieve controlled auto-ignition (CAI) combustion in a gasoline engine is by the residual gas trapping method. The amount of residual gas and mixture composition have significant effects on the subsequent combustion process and engine emissions. In order to obtain quantitative measurements of in-cylinder residual gas concentration and air/fuel ratio, a spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) system has been developed recently. The optimized optical SRS setups are presented and discussed. The temperature effect on the SRS measurement is considered and a method has been developed to correct for the overestimated values due to the temperature effect. Simultaneous measurements of O 2 , H 2 O, CO 2 and fuel were obtained throughout the intake, compression, combustion and expansion strokes. It shows that the SRS can provide valuable data on this process in a CAI combustion engine

Auto-ignition modelling: analysis of the dilution effects by the unburnt gases and of the interactions with turbulence for diesel homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines; Modelisation de l'auto-inflammation: analyse des effets de la dilution par les gaz brules et des interactions avec la turbulence dediee aux moteurs Diesel a charge homogene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Subramanian, G.

2005-09-15

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) is an alternative engine combustion process that offers the potential for substantial reductions in both NO{sub x} and particulate matter still providing high Diesel-like efficiencies. Combustion in HCCI mode takes place essentially by auto-ignition. It is mainly controlled by the chemical kinetics. It is therefore necessary to introduce detailed chemistry effects in combustion CFD codes in order to properly model the HCCI combustion process. The objective of this work is to develop an auto-ignition model including detailed chemical kinetics and its interactions with turbulence. Also, a comprehensive study has been performed to analyze the chemical influence of CO and H{sub 2} residual species on auto-ignition, which can be present in the exhaust gases. A new auto-ignition model, TKI-PDF (Tabulated Kinetics for Ignition - with turbulent mixing interactions through a pdf approach) dedicated to RANS 3D engine combustion CFD calculations is proposed. The TKI-PDF model is formulated in order to accommodate the detailed chemical kinetics of auto-ignition coupled with turbulence/chemistry interactions. The complete model development and its validation against experimental results are presented in two parts. The first part of this work describes the detailed chemistry input to the model. The second part is dedicated to the turbulent mixing description. A method based on a progress variable reaction rate tabulation is used. A look-up table for the progress variable reaction rates has been built through constant volume complex chemistry simulations. Instantaneous local reaction rates inside the CFD computational cell are then calculated by linear interpolation inside the look-up table depending on the local thermodynamic conditions. In order to introduce the turbulent mixing effects on auto-ignition, a presumed pdf approach is used. The model has been validated in different levels. First, the detailed kinetic approach was

The effects of CO addition on the autoignition of H-2, CH4 and CH4/H-2 fuels at high pressure in an RCM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gersen, Sander; Darmeveil, Harry; Levinsky, Howard

2012-01-01

Autoignition delay times of stoichiometric and fuel-lean (phi = 0.5) H-2, H-2/CO, CH4, CH4/CO, CH4/H-2 and CH4/CO/H-2 mixtures have been measured in an Rapid Compression Machine at pressures ranging from 20 to 80 bar and in the temperature range 900-1100K. The effects of CO addition on the ignition

Autoignition of isooctane beyond RON and MON conditions

KAUST Repository

Masurier, Jean-Baptiste; Waqas, Muhammad; Sarathy, Mani; Johansson, Bengt

2018-01-01

The present study experimentally examines the low temperature autoignition area of isooctane within the in-cylinder pressure - in-cylinder temperature map. Experiments were run with the help of a CFR engine. The boundaries of this engine were extended so that experiments could be performed outside the domain delimited by RON and MON traces. Since HCCI combustion is governed by kinetics, the rotation speed for all the experiments was set at 600 rpm to allow time for low temperature heat release (LTHR). All the other parameters (intake pressure, intake temperature, compression ratio and equivalence ratio), were scanned, such as the occurrence of isooctane combustion. The principal results showed that LTHR for isooctane occurs effortlessly under high intake pressure (1.3 bar) and low intake temperature (25 °C). Increasing the intake temperature leads to the loss of the LTHR, and therefore to a smaller domain on the pressure-temperature trace. In such a case, the LTHR domain is restricted from 20 to 50 bar in pressure and from 600 to 850 K in temperature. By slightly decreasing the intake pressure, the LTHR domain remains unchanged, but the LTHR tends to disappear, and finally, at 1.0 bar, the LTHR domain ceases to exist. When the equivalence ratio is moved from 0.3 to 0.4, the LTHR domain is delimited in the same range of pressure and temperature, but the start of combustion occurs slightly earlier for the same pressure-temperature trace. Similar conclusions were drawn regarding the variation of both intake pressure and temperature, except that few LTHR points were observed under 1.0 bar intake.

Autoignition of isooctane beyond RON and MON conditions

KAUST Repository

Masurier, Jean-Baptiste

2018-04-03

The present study experimentally examines the low temperature autoignition area of isooctane within the in-cylinder pressure - in-cylinder temperature map. Experiments were run with the help of a CFR engine. The boundaries of this engine were extended so that experiments could be performed outside the domain delimited by RON and MON traces. Since HCCI combustion is governed by kinetics, the rotation speed for all the experiments was set at 600 rpm to allow time for low temperature heat release (LTHR). All the other parameters (intake pressure, intake temperature, compression ratio and equivalence ratio), were scanned, such as the occurrence of isooctane combustion. The principal results showed that LTHR for isooctane occurs effortlessly under high intake pressure (1.3 bar) and low intake temperature (25 °C). Increasing the intake temperature leads to the loss of the LTHR, and therefore to a smaller domain on the pressure-temperature trace. In such a case, the LTHR domain is restricted from 20 to 50 bar in pressure and from 600 to 850 K in temperature. By slightly decreasing the intake pressure, the LTHR domain remains unchanged, but the LTHR tends to disappear, and finally, at 1.0 bar, the LTHR domain ceases to exist. When the equivalence ratio is moved from 0.3 to 0.4, the LTHR domain is delimited in the same range of pressure and temperature, but the start of combustion occurs slightly earlier for the same pressure-temperature trace. Similar conclusions were drawn regarding the variation of both intake pressure and temperature, except that few LTHR points were observed under 1.0 bar intake.

The possibility of controlled auto-ignition (CAI) in gasoline engine and gas to liquid (GTL) as a fuel of diesel engine in Korea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, D. [Korea Inst. of Machinery and Materials, Daejou (Korea)

2005-07-01

A significant challenge grows from the ever-increasing demands for the optimization of performance, emissions, fuel economy and drivability. The most powerful technologies in the near future to improve these factors are believed Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) in gasoline engine and Gas to Liquid (GTL) as a fuel of Diesel engine. In recent years there has been an increasing trend to use more complex valvetrain designs from traditional camshaft driven mechanical systems to camless electromagnetic or electrohydraulic solutions. Comparing to fixed valve actuation systems, variable valve actuation (VVA) should be powerful to optimize the engine cycle. The matching of valve events to the engine performance and to emission requirements at a given engine or vehicle operating condition can be further optimized to the Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) in gasoline engine, which has benefits in NOx emission, fuel consumption, combustion stability and intake throttle load. In case of Diesel engine, the increasing demands for NOx and soot emission reduction have introduced aftertreatment technologies recently, but been in need of basic solution for the future, such as a super clean fuel like Gas to Liquid (GTL), which has benefits in comparability to diesel fuel, independency from crude oil and reduction of CO, THC and soot emissions. Korea looks to the future with these kinds of technologies, and tries to find the possibility for reaching the future targets in the internal combustion engine. (orig.)

Influence of fuel type, dilution and equivalence ratio on the emission reduction from the auto-ignition in an Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim [UPMC Universite Paris 06, ENSCP, 11 rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05 (France); Universite Libre de Bruxelles, TIPs - Fluid Physics, CP165/67, 50 Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 1050 Brussels (Belgium); Cavadias, Simeon [UPMC Universite Paris 06, ENSCP, 11 rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France); UPMC Universite Paris 06, Institut Jean Le Rond D' Alembert, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05 (France); Amouroux, Jacques [UPMC Universite Paris 06, ENSCP, 11 rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris (France)

2010-04-15

One technology that seems to be promising for automobile pollution reduction is the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI). This technology still faces auto-ignition and emission-control problems. This paper focuses on the emission problem, since it is incumbent to realize engines that pollute less. For this purpose, this paper presents results concerning the measurement of the emissions of CO, NO{sub x}, CO{sub 2}, O{sub 2} and hydrocarbons. HCCI conditions are used, with equivalence ratios between 0.26 and 0.54, inlet temperatures of 70 C and 120 C and compression ratios of 10.2 and 13.5, with different fuel types: gasoline, gasoline surrogate, diesel, diesel surrogate and mixtures of n-heptane/toluene. The effect of dilution is considered for gasoline, while the effect of the equivalence ratio is considered for all the fuels. No significant amount of NO{sub x} has been measured. It appeared that the CO, O{sub 2} and hydrocarbon emissions were reduced by decreasing the toluene content of the fuel and by decreasing the dilution. The opposite holds for CO{sub 2}. The reduction of the hydrocarbon emission appears to compete with the reduction of the CO{sub 2} emission. Diesel seemed to produce less CO and hydrocarbons than gasoline when auto-ignited. An example of emission reduction control is presented in this paper. (author)

Diesel/CNG Mixture Autoignition Control Using Fuel Composition and Injection Gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Firmansyah

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Combustion phasing is the main obstacle to the development of controlled auto-ignition based (CAI engines to achieve low emissions and low fuel consumption operation. Fuel combinations with substantial differences in reactivity, such as diesel/compressed natural gas (CNG, show desirable combustion outputs and demonstrate great possibility in controlling the combustion. This paper discusses a control method for diesel/CNG mixture combustion with a variation of fuel composition and fuel stratification levels. The experiments were carried out in a constant volume combustion chamber with both fuels directly injected into the chamber. The mixture composition was varied from 0 to 100% CNG/diesel at lambda 1 while the fuel stratification level was controlled by the injection phasing between the two fuels, with gaps between injections ranging from 0 to 20 ms. The results demonstrated the suppressing effect of CNG on the diesel combustion, especially at the early combustion stages. However, CNG significantly enhanced the combustion performance of the diesel in the later stages. Injection gaps, on the other hand, showed particular behavior depending on mixture composition. Injection gaps show less effect on combustion phasing but a significant effect on the combustion output for higher diesel percentage (≥70%, while it is contradictive for lower diesel percentage (<70%.

Intermediate species measurement during iso-butanol auto-ignition

KAUST Repository

Ji, Weiqi

2015-10-01

© 2015 The Combustion Institute.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This work presents the time histories of intermediate species during the auto-ignition of iso-butanol at high pressure and intermediate temperature conditions obtained using a rapid compression machine and recently developed fast sampling system. Iso-butanol ignition delays were acquired for iso-butanol/O2 mixture with an inert/O2 ratio of 7.26, equivalence ratio of 0.4, in the temperature range of 840-950 K and at pressure of 25 bar. Fast sampling and gas chromatography were used to acquire and quantify the intermediate species during the ignition delay of the same mixture at P = 25.3 bar and T = 905 K. The ignition delay times and quantitative measurements of the mole fraction time histories of methane, ethene, propene, iso-butene, iso-butyraldehyde, iso-butanol, and carbon monoxide were compared with predictions from the detailed mechanisms developed by Sarathy et al., Merchant et al., and Cai et al. It is shown that while the Sarathy mechanism well predicts the overall ignition delay time, it overpredicts ethene by a factor of 6-10, underpredicts iso-butene by a factor of 2, and overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde by a factor of 2. Reaction path and sensitivity analyses were carried out to identify the reactions responsible for the observed inadequacy. The rates of iso-butanol hydrogen atom abstraction by OH radical and the beta-scission reactions of hydroxybutyl radicals were updated based on recently published quantum calculation results. Significant improvements were achieved in predicting ignition delay at high pressures (25 and 30 bar) and the species concentrations of ethene and iso-butene. However, the updated mechanism still overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde concentrations. Also, the updated mechanism degrades the prediction in ignition delay at lower pressure (15 bar) compared to the original mechanism developed by Sarathy et al.

Intermediate species measurement during iso-butanol auto-ignition

KAUST Repository

Ji, Weiqi; Zhang, Peng; He, Tanjin; Wang, Zhi; Tao, Ling; He, Xin; Law, Chung K.

2015-01-01

© 2015 The Combustion Institute.Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. This work presents the time histories of intermediate species during the auto-ignition of iso-butanol at high pressure and intermediate temperature conditions obtained using a rapid compression machine and recently developed fast sampling system. Iso-butanol ignition delays were acquired for iso-butanol/O2 mixture with an inert/O2 ratio of 7.26, equivalence ratio of 0.4, in the temperature range of 840-950 K and at pressure of 25 bar. Fast sampling and gas chromatography were used to acquire and quantify the intermediate species during the ignition delay of the same mixture at P = 25.3 bar and T = 905 K. The ignition delay times and quantitative measurements of the mole fraction time histories of methane, ethene, propene, iso-butene, iso-butyraldehyde, iso-butanol, and carbon monoxide were compared with predictions from the detailed mechanisms developed by Sarathy et al., Merchant et al., and Cai et al. It is shown that while the Sarathy mechanism well predicts the overall ignition delay time, it overpredicts ethene by a factor of 6-10, underpredicts iso-butene by a factor of 2, and overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde by a factor of 2. Reaction path and sensitivity analyses were carried out to identify the reactions responsible for the observed inadequacy. The rates of iso-butanol hydrogen atom abstraction by OH radical and the beta-scission reactions of hydroxybutyl radicals were updated based on recently published quantum calculation results. Significant improvements were achieved in predicting ignition delay at high pressures (25 and 30 bar) and the species concentrations of ethene and iso-butene. However, the updated mechanism still overpredicts iso-butyraldehyde concentrations. Also, the updated mechanism degrades the prediction in ignition delay at lower pressure (15 bar) compared to the original mechanism developed by Sarathy et al.

Experiments and modeling of the autoignition of methylcyclohexane at high pressure

KAUST Repository

Weber, Bryan W.; Pitz, William J.; Mehl, Marco; Silke, Emma J.; Davis, Alexander C.; Sung, Chihjen

2014-01-01

New experimental data are collected for methyl-cyclohexane (MCH) autoignition in a heated rapid compression machine (RCM). Three mixtures of MCH/O2/N2/Ar at equivalence ratios of φ=0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 are studied and the ignition delays are measured at compressed pressure of 50bar and for compressed temperatures in the range of 690-900K. By keeping the fuel mole fraction in the mixture constant, the order of reactivity, in terms of inverse ignition delay, is measured to be φ=0.5>φ=1.0>φ=1.5, demonstrating the dependence of the ignition delay on oxygen concentration. In addition, an existing model for the combustion of MCH is updated with new reaction rates and pathways, including substantial updates to the low-temperature chemistry. The new model shows good agreement with the overall ignition delays measured in this study, as well as the ignition delays measured previously in the literature using RCMs and shock tubes. This model therefore represents a strong improvement compared to the previous version, which uniformly over-predicted the ignition delays. Chemical kinetic analyses of the updated mechanism are also conducted to help understand the fuel decomposition pathways and the reactions controlling the ignition. Combined, these results and analyses suggest that further investigation of several of the low-temperature fuel decomposition pathways is required. © 2014 The Combustion Institute.

Experiments and modeling of the autoignition of methylcyclohexane at high pressure

KAUST Repository

Weber, Bryan W.

2014-08-01

New experimental data are collected for methyl-cyclohexane (MCH) autoignition in a heated rapid compression machine (RCM). Three mixtures of MCH/O2/N2/Ar at equivalence ratios of φ=0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 are studied and the ignition delays are measured at compressed pressure of 50bar and for compressed temperatures in the range of 690-900K. By keeping the fuel mole fraction in the mixture constant, the order of reactivity, in terms of inverse ignition delay, is measured to be φ=0.5>φ=1.0>φ=1.5, demonstrating the dependence of the ignition delay on oxygen concentration. In addition, an existing model for the combustion of MCH is updated with new reaction rates and pathways, including substantial updates to the low-temperature chemistry. The new model shows good agreement with the overall ignition delays measured in this study, as well as the ignition delays measured previously in the literature using RCMs and shock tubes. This model therefore represents a strong improvement compared to the previous version, which uniformly over-predicted the ignition delays. Chemical kinetic analyses of the updated mechanism are also conducted to help understand the fuel decomposition pathways and the reactions controlling the ignition. Combined, these results and analyses suggest that further investigation of several of the low-temperature fuel decomposition pathways is required. © 2014 The Combustion Institute.

Auto-ignitions of a methane/air mixture at high and intermediate temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Leschevich, V. V.; Martynenko, V. V.; Penyazkov, O. G.; Sevrouk, K. L.; Shabunya, S. I.

2016-09-01

A rapid compression machine (RCM) and a shock tube (ST) have been employed to study ignition delay times of homogeneous methane/air mixtures at intermediate-to-high temperatures. Both facilities allow measurements to be made at temperatures of 900-2000 K, at pressures of 0.38-2.23 MPa, and at equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0. In ST experiments, nitrogen served as a diluent gas, whereas in RCM runs the diluent gas composition ranged from pure nitrogen to pure argon. Recording pressure, UV, and visible emissions identified the evolution of chemical reactions. Correlations of ignition delay time were generated from the data for each facility. At temperatures below 1300 K, a significant reduction of average activation energy from 53 to 15.3 kcal/mol was obtained. Moreover, the RCM data showed significant scatter that dramatically increased with decreasing temperature. An explanation for the abnormal scatter in the data was proposed based on the high-speed visualization of auto-ignition phenomena and experiments performed with oxygen-free and fuel-free mixtures. It is proposed that the main reason for such a significant reduction of average activation energy is attributable to the premature ignition of ultrafine particles in the reactive mixture.

Numerical and experimental studies of ethanol flames and autoignition theory for higher alkanes

Science.gov (United States)

Saxena, Priyank

In order to enhance the fuel efficiency of an engine and to control pollutant formation, an improved understanding of the combustion chemistry of the fuels at a fundamental level is paramount. This knowledge can be gained by developing detailed reaction mechanisms of the fuels for various combustion processes and by studying combustion analytically employing reduced-chemistry descriptions. There is a need for small detailed reaction mechanisms for alkane and alcohol fuels with reduced uncertainties in their combustion chemistry that are computationally cheaper in multidimensional CFD calculations. Detailed mechanisms are the starting points in identifying reduced-chemistry descriptions of combustion processes to study problems analytically. This research includes numerical, experimental and analytical studies. The first part of the dissertation consists of numerical and experimental studies of ethanol flames. Although ethanol has gained popularity as a possible low-pollution source of renewable energy, significant uncertainties remain in its combustion chemistry. To begin to address ethanol combustion, first a relatively small detailed reaction mechanism, commonly known as the San Diego Mech, is developed for the combustion of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, methane, methanol, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene, in air or oxygen-inert mixtures. This mechanism is tested for autoignition, premixed-flame burning velocities, and structures and extinction of diffusion flames and of partially premixed flames of many of these fuels. The reduction in uncertainties in the combustion chemistry can best be achieved by consistently updating a reaction mechanism with reaction rate data for the elementary steps based on newer studies in literature and by testing it against as many experimental conditions as available. The results of such a testing for abovementioned fuels are reported here along with the modifications of reaction-rate parameters of the most important

Lagrangian Investigation of Auto-ignition in a Hydrogen Jet Flame in a Vitiated Co-flow: Animations of Particle Trajectories in Composition Space from PDF Model Calculations

OpenAIRE

Wang, Haifeng; Pope, Stephen B.

2007-01-01

PDF model calculations have been performed of the Cabra lifted hydrogen flame in a vitiated co-flow. Particle trajectories are extracted from the Lagrangian particle method used to solve the modeled PDF equation. The particle trajectories in the mixture fraction-temperature plane reveal (at successive downstream locations): essentially inert mixing between the cold fuel jet and the hot co-flow; the auto-ignition of very lean particles; and, subsequent mixing and reaction, leading to near-equi...

Components for more blue. BLUETEC takes away undesired nitrogen oxides and creates cleaner auto-ignition; Bausteine fuer mehr Blau. BLUETEC entfernt unerwuenschte Stickoxide und macht den Selbstzuender sauberer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

The success story of the diesel engine is closely linked with the history of Mercedes-Benz. Now a new chapter is opened with BLUETEC. The modular technology package that is presented by Mercedes-Benz for the first time constitutes a milestone for cars with auto-ignition. BLUETEC enables to reduce the nitrogen oxide content considerably. The target is to build a diesel engine that is as clean as a gasoline engine. Thus DaimlerChrysler owns modern diesel drives, which are economical, powerful and at the same time the cleanest in the world. (orig.)

Calculating the vulnerability of synthetic polymers to autoignition during nuclear flash. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hickman, R.; Reitter, T.

1985-01-01

The purpose of our investigation was to determine if the rapid progression of fire to flashover conditions in a furnished room, observed in a 1953 nuclear weapons test at the Nevada Test Site (the Encore Event), might be typical behavior rather than an aberration. If flashover under such conditions is indeed likely, this phenomenon is worth pursuing in view of the increased threat to buildings and human life from possible large-scale fires. We placed special emphasis on fires that occurred in modern rooms, i.e., ones furnished with upholstery and drapery materials made from synthetic polymers. Examination of photochemical processes showed them to be an unlikely explanation, either in Encore or in the future. Our calculation of rapid radiant-heating behavior of a few materials demonstrated that fabrics and fabric-covered foams would exceed their autoignition temperature when exposed to a 25-cal/cm 2 fluence from a 1-Mt air burst weapon. Because synthetic polymers have higher heating values and release heat faster during combustion than do the cellulosics used in the Encore experiment, early flashover should not be unexpected in contemporary households. However, the far-field thermal fluence required would be higher because of the absorption of thermal energy by windows and window coverings. Because of the complexity of the problem, carefully planned, full-scale experiments will be needed to finally answer the question. 39 refs., 9 figs., 8 tabs

Low temperature oxidation, co-oxidation and auto-ignition of olefinic and aromatic blending compounds: Experimental study of interactions during the oxidation of a surrogate fuel; Oxydation, co-oxydation et auto-inflammation a basses temperatures d'alcenes et aromatiques types: etude experimentale des interactions au sein d'un carburant-modele

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanhove, G.

2004-12-15

The low-temperature (600-900 K) and high-pressure (5-25 bar) oxidation and auto-ignition of the three position isomers of hexene, of binary mixtures of 1-hexene, toluene and iso-octane, and of a surrogate fuel composed of these three compounds were studied in motor conditions using a rapid compression machine. Auto-ignition delay times were measured as long as intermediate products concentrations during the delay. The results show that the oxidation chemistry of the hexenes is very dependent on the position of the double bond inside the molecule, and that strong interactions between the oxidation mechanisms of hydrocarbons in mixtures can occur. The data obtained concerning the surrogate fuel give a good insight into the behaviour of a practical gasoline after an homogeneous charge compression. (author)

Comparative Shock-Tube Study of Autoignition and Plasma-Assisted Ignition of C2-Hydrocarbons

Science.gov (United States)

Kosarev, Ilya; Kindysheva, Svetlana; Plastinin, Eugeny; Aleksandrov, Nikolay; Starikovskiy, Andrey

2015-09-01

The dynamics of pulsed picosecond and nanosecond discharge development in liquid water, ethanol and hexane Using a shock tube with a discharge cell, ignition delay time was measured in a lean (φ = 0.5) C2H6:O2:Ar mixture and in lean (φ = 0.5) and stoichiometric C2H4:O2:Ar mixtures with a high-voltage nanosecond discharge and without it. The measured results were compared with the measurements made previously with the same setup for C2H6-, C2H5OH- and C2H2-containing mixtures. It was shown that the effect of plasma on ignition is almost the same for C2H6, C2H4 and C2H5OH. The reduction in time is smaller for C2H2, the fuel that is well ignited even without the discharge. Autoignition delay time was independent of the stoichiometric ratio for C2H6 and C2H4, whereas this time in stoichiometric C2H2- and C2H5OH-containing mixtures was noticeably shorter than that in the lean mixtures. Ignition after the discharge was not affected by a change in the stoichiometric ratio for C2H2 and C2H4, whereas the plasma-assisted ignition delay time for C2H6 and C2H5OH decreased as the equivalence ratio changed from 1 to 0.5. Ignition delay time was calculated in C2-hydrocarbon-containing mixtures under study by simulating separately discharge and ignition processes. Good agreement was obtained between new measurements and calculated ignition delay times.

Synthesis of SrCo {sub x} Ti {sub x} Fe{sub (12-2{sub x})}O{sub 19} through sol-gel auto-ignition and its characterisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thompson, Simon [Chemistry and Physics, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8NS (United Kingdom); Shirtcliffe, Neil J. [Chemistry and Physics, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8NS (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: neil.shirtcliffe@ntu.ac.uk; O' Keefe, Eoin S. [QinetiQ, Farnborough, Hampshire (United Kingdom); Appleton, Steve [QinetiQ, Farnborough, Hampshire (United Kingdom); Perry, Carole C. [Chemistry and Physics, Nottingham Trent University, Clifton Lane, Clifton, Nottingham, NG11 8NS (United Kingdom)]. E-mail: carole.perry@ntu.ac.uk

2005-04-15

Cobalt-titanium-doped strontium hexaferrites SrCo {sub x} Ti {sub x} Fe{sub (12-2{sub x})}O{sub 19} were synthesised via a sol-gel route using two different complexing agents (ethylene glycol and citric acid). Both routes led to quite pure undoped Sr ferrites, but the citric acid route formed purer doped materials. All synthesised materials consisted of particles smaller than 1 {mu}m, which is the size of a single magnetic domain, and various doping levels were achieved with the final elemental composition being within the bounds of experimental error. The materials synthesised using citric acid were compared with materials synthesised by a solid-state route using ferromagnetic resonance measurements and they were identical within experimental error. Citrate auto-ignition synthesis is more rapid and less prone to contamination than the standard solid-state method and doping levels can be easily varied between runs.

A computational study of syngas auto-ignition characteristics at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions with thermal inhomogeneities

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki

2015-07-30

A computational study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of auto-ignition in a syngas mixture at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions in the presence of thermal inhomogeneities. Highly resolved one-dimensional numerical simulations incorporating detailed chemistry and transport were performed. The temperature inhomogeneities were represented by a global sinusoidal temperature profile and a local Gaussian temperature spike (hot spot). Reaction front speed and front Damköhler number analyses were employed to characterise the propagating ignition front. In the presence of a global temperature gradient, the ignition behaviour shifted from spontaneous propagation (strong) to deflagrative (weak), as the initial mean temperature of the reactant mixture was lowered. A predictive Zel\\'dovich–Sankaran criterion to determine the transition from strong to weak ignition was validated for different parametric sets. At sufficiently low temperatures, the strong ignition regime was recovered due to faster passive scalar dissipation of the imposed thermal fluctuations relative to the reaction timescale, which was quantified by the mixing Damköhler number. In the presence of local hot spots, only deflagrative fronts were observed. However, the fraction of the reactant mixture consumed by the propagating front was found to increase as the initial mean temperature was lowered, thereby leading to more enhanced compression-heating of the end-gas. Passive scalar mixing was not found to be important for the hot spot cases considered. The parametric study confirmed that the relative magnitude of the Sankaran number translates accurately to the quantitative strength of the deflagration front in the overall ignition advancement. © 2015 Taylor & Francis

A computational study of syngas auto-ignition characteristics at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions with thermal inhomogeneities

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Pinaki; Mansfield, Andrew B.; Arias, Paul G.; Wooldridge, Margaret S.; Im, Hong G.

2015-09-01

A computational study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of auto-ignition in a syngas mixture at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions in the presence of thermal inhomogeneities. Highly resolved one-dimensional numerical simulations incorporating detailed chemistry and transport were performed. The temperature inhomogeneities were represented by a global sinusoidal temperature profile and a local Gaussian temperature spike (hot spot). Reaction front speed and front Damköhler number analyses were employed to characterise the propagating ignition front. In the presence of a global temperature gradient, the ignition behaviour shifted from spontaneous propagation (strong) to deflagrative (weak), as the initial mean temperature of the reactant mixture was lowered. A predictive Zel'dovich-Sankaran criterion to determine the transition from strong to weak ignition was validated for different parametric sets. At sufficiently low temperatures, the strong ignition regime was recovered due to faster passive scalar dissipation of the imposed thermal fluctuations relative to the reaction timescale, which was quantified by the mixing Damköhler number. In the presence of local hot spots, only deflagrative fronts were observed. However, the fraction of the reactant mixture consumed by the propagating front was found to increase as the initial mean temperature was lowered, thereby leading to more enhanced compression-heating of the end-gas. Passive scalar mixing was not found to be important for the hot spot cases considered. The parametric study confirmed that the relative magnitude of the Sankaran number translates accurately to the quantitative strength of the deflagration front in the overall ignition advancement.

Evaluation of an unsteady flamelet progress variable model for autoignition and flame development in compositionally stratified mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Mukhopadhyay, Saumyadip; Abraham, John

2012-07-01

The unsteady flamelet progress variable (UFPV) model has been proposed by Pitsch and Ihme ["An unsteady/flamelet progress variable method for LES of nonpremixed turbulent combustion," AIAA Paper No. 2005-557, 2005] for modeling the averaged/filtered chemistry source terms in Reynolds averaged simulations and large eddy simulations of reacting non-premixed combustion. In the UFPV model, a look-up table of source terms is generated as a function of mixture fraction Z, scalar dissipation rate χ, and progress variable C by solving the unsteady flamelet equations. The assumption is that the unsteady flamelet represents the evolution of the reacting mixing layer in the non-premixed flame. We assess the accuracy of the model in predicting autoignition and flame development in compositionally stratified n-heptane/air mixtures using direct numerical simulations (DNS). The focus in this work is primarily on the assessment of accuracy of the probability density functions (PDFs) employed for obtaining averaged source terms. The performance of commonly employed presumed functions, such as the dirac-delta distribution function, the β distribution function, and statistically most likely distribution (SMLD) approach in approximating the shapes of the PDFs of the reactive and the conserved scalars is evaluated. For unimodal distributions, it is observed that functions that need two-moment information, e.g., the β distribution function and the SMLD approach with two-moment closure, are able to reasonably approximate the actual PDF. As the distribution becomes multimodal, higher moment information is required. Differences are observed between the ignition trends obtained from DNS and those predicted by the look-up table, especially for smaller gradients where the flamelet assumption becomes less applicable. The formulation assumes that the shape of the χ(Z) profile can be modeled by an error function which remains unchanged in the presence of heat release. We show that this

Combined impact of branching and unsaturation on the autoignition of binary blends in a motored engine

KAUST Repository

Kang, Dongil

2014-11-20

The impact of a branched and unsaturated compound (diisobutylene) mixed with simple hydrocarbons such as n-heptane and isooctane in binary blends on the autoignition behavior were investigated in a modified cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine at an equivlanece ratio of 0.5 and intake temperature of 120 °C. From this test condition, a homogeneous charge of fuel and intake air can be achieved. The test fuels were prepared by addition of 5-20 vol % diisobutylene into n-heptane and isooctane. The engine compression ratio (CR) was gradually increased from the lowest point to the point where significant high temperature heat release (HTHR) was observed, and this point is also referred to as the critical compression ratio (CCR). Heat release analysis showed that each n-heptane blend had a noticeable low temperature heat release (LTHR), which was not observed in the isooctane blends. The gradual addition of diisobutylene into each primary reference fuel contributed to retarded high temperature heat release in these binary blends, increasing the in-cylinder temperature and decreasing formation of CO. The 15 and 20 vol % blends of diisobutylene in isooctane were not able to reach high temperature heat release in the CFR engine system under these test conditions. The fundamental ignition behavior such as CCR and calculated % LTHR show the impact of the presence of the C-C double bond on ignition reactivity. Species concentration profiles obtained in condensed products from the engine exhaust were measured via gas chromatrography-mass spectrometry and -flame ionization detector. The major intermediate species for each blend were captured at a compression ratio selected just before the high temperature heat release was observed. Most intermediate species were derived from n-heptane and isooctane, while diisobutylene rarely participated in forming any major species, with the exception of the formation of 4,4-dimethyl-2-pentanone. Addition of diisobutylene exhibited opposite

Combined impact of branching and unsaturation on the autoignition of binary blends in a motored engine

KAUST Repository

Kang, Dongil; Kirby, Stephen R.; Agudelo, John Ramiro; Lapuerta, Magí n; Al-Qurashi, Khalid; Boehman, André Louis

2014-01-01

The impact of a branched and unsaturated compound (diisobutylene) mixed with simple hydrocarbons such as n-heptane and isooctane in binary blends on the autoignition behavior were investigated in a modified cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine at an equivlanece ratio of 0.5 and intake temperature of 120 °C. From this test condition, a homogeneous charge of fuel and intake air can be achieved. The test fuels were prepared by addition of 5-20 vol % diisobutylene into n-heptane and isooctane. The engine compression ratio (CR) was gradually increased from the lowest point to the point where significant high temperature heat release (HTHR) was observed, and this point is also referred to as the critical compression ratio (CCR). Heat release analysis showed that each n-heptane blend had a noticeable low temperature heat release (LTHR), which was not observed in the isooctane blends. The gradual addition of diisobutylene into each primary reference fuel contributed to retarded high temperature heat release in these binary blends, increasing the in-cylinder temperature and decreasing formation of CO. The 15 and 20 vol % blends of diisobutylene in isooctane were not able to reach high temperature heat release in the CFR engine system under these test conditions. The fundamental ignition behavior such as CCR and calculated % LTHR show the impact of the presence of the C-C double bond on ignition reactivity. Species concentration profiles obtained in condensed products from the engine exhaust were measured via gas chromatrography-mass spectrometry and -flame ionization detector. The major intermediate species for each blend were captured at a compression ratio selected just before the high temperature heat release was observed. Most intermediate species were derived from n-heptane and isooctane, while diisobutylene rarely participated in forming any major species, with the exception of the formation of 4,4-dimethyl-2-pentanone. Addition of diisobutylene exhibited opposite

Comparison of combustion characteristics of n-butanol/ethanol–gasoline blends in a HCCI engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Bang-Quan; Liu, Mao-Bin; Zhao, Hua

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The blends with alcohol autoignite early in the conditions highly diluted by exhaust. • n-Butanol is more reactive than ethanol in the blend with the same alcohol content. • Autoignition timing delays with retarding IVO timing for all alcohol–gasoline blends. • Advanced autoignition for the blends with alcohol leads to lower thermal efficiency. - Abstract: As a sustainable biofuel, n-butanol can be used in conventional spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI) engines in order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuel. Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a novel combustion to improve the thermal efficiency of conventional SI engines at part loads. To understand the effect of alcohol structure on HCCI combustion under stoichiometric conditions highly diluted by exhaust gases, the combustion characteristics of n-butanol, ethanol and their blends with gasoline were investigated on a single cylinder port fuel injection gasoline engine with fixed intake/exhaust valve lifts at the same operating conditions in this study. The results show that autoignition timing for alcohol–gasoline blends is dependent on alcohol types and its concentration in the blend, engine speed and intake valve opening (IVO)/exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing. In the operating conditions with the residual gases more than 38% by mass in the mixture, alcohol–gasoline blends autoignite more easily than gasoline. Autoignition timing for n-butanol–gasoline blend is earlier than that for ethanol–gasoline blend with the same alcohol volume fraction at 1500 rpm in most cases while the autoignition timings for the blends with alcohol are relatively close at 2000 rpm at the same IVO/EVC timing. Combustion stability is improved with advanced EVC timing at a fixed IVO timing, which is benefit for the improvement in the thermal efficiency in the case of alcohol–gasoline blends. In addition, n-butanol–gasoline blends autoignite earlier than their ethanol�

The use of CO 2 as an additive for ignition delay and pollutant control in CH 4 /air autoignition

KAUST Repository

Tingas, Efstathios Al.

2017-10-05

The effect of CO2 dilution on the adiabatic and isochoric autoignition of CH4/air mixtures is analyzed with Computational Singular Perturbation (CSP) algorithmic tools, with a particular emphasis on the determination of the features of the chemical dynamics that control ignition delay and emission formation. Increasing CO2 dilution causes longer ignition delays, lower final temperatures and decreased formation of NO and CO. These effects of CO2 dilution are shown to be entirely thermal, contrary to what happens with dilution with H2O, which also has chemical activity and can reduce ignition delay. For the same initial mole fraction of the diluent, the decrease in final temperature and in NO concentration is larger in the CO2 case whereas the decrease in CO is larger in the H2O case. The thermal effect of CO2 is entirely analogous with those of dilution with the chemically inert Ar, only stronger for the same percentage of initial dilution, because of the larger specific heat of CO2. The reactions that have the largest contribution to the characteristic explosive time scale of the system during ignition delay (H2O2(+M)→OH+OH(+M), CH3O2+CH2O→CH3O2H+HCO, CH4+CH3O2→CH3+CH3O2H, H+O2→O+OH, etc.) are not substantially affected by CO2 dilution, neither are the species that are pointed by CSP (CH3O2, H2O2, CH2O, etc.) as having the largest impact on the this timescale. The same holds for the modes that control CO and NO formation. The results point to the possibility of cold exhaust gas recirculation being used in order to produce mixtures with longer ignition delays and therefore substantial resistance to uncontrolled ignition.

Numerical simulation and validation of SI-CAI hybrid combustion in a CAI/HCCI gasoline engine

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xinyan; Xie, Hui; Xie, Liyan; Zhang, Lianfang; Li, Le; Chen, Tao; Zhao, Hua

2013-02-01

SI-CAI hybrid combustion, also known as spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI), is a promising concept to extend the operating range of CAI (Controlled Auto-Ignition) and achieve the smooth transition between spark ignition (SI) and CAI in the gasoline engine. In this study, a SI-CAI hybrid combustion model (HCM) has been constructed on the basis of the 3-Zones Extended Coherent Flame Model (ECFM3Z). An ignition model is included to initiate the ECFM3Z calculation and induce the flame propagation. In order to precisely depict the subsequent auto-ignition process of the unburned fuel and air mixture independently after the initiation of flame propagation, the tabulated chemistry concept is adopted to describe the auto-ignition chemistry. The methodology for extracting tabulated parameters from the chemical kinetics calculations is developed so that both cool flame reactions and main auto-ignition combustion can be well captured under a wider range of thermodynamic conditions. The SI-CAI hybrid combustion model (HCM) is then applied in the three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (3-D CFD) engine simulation. The simulation results are compared with the experimental data obtained from a single cylinder VVA engine. The detailed analysis of the simulations demonstrates that the SI-CAI hybrid combustion process is characterised with the early flame propagation and subsequent multi-site auto-ignition around the main flame front, which is consistent with the optical results reported by other researchers. Besides, the systematic study of the in-cylinder condition reveals the influence mechanism of the early flame propagation on the subsequent auto-ignition.

Coupled nonequilibrium flow, energy and radiation transport for hypersonic planetary entry

Science.gov (United States)

Frederick, Donald Jerome

An ever increasing demand for energy coupled with a need to mitigate climate change necessitates technology (and lifestyle) changes globally. An aspect of the needed change is a decrease in the amount of anthropogenically generated CO2 emitted to the atmosphere. The decrease needed cannot be expected to be achieved through only one source of change or technology, but rather a portfolio of solutions are needed. One possible technology is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), which is likely to play some role due to its combination of mature and promising emerging technologies, such as the burning of hydrogen in gas turbines created by pre-combustion CCS separation processes. Thus research on effective methods of burning turbulent hydrogen jet flames (mimicking gas turbine environments) are needed, both in terms of experimental investigation and model development. The challenge in burning (and modeling the burning of) hydrogen lies in its wide range of flammable conditions, its high diffusivity (often requiring a diluent such as nitrogen to produce a lifted turbulent jet flame), and its behavior under a wide range of pressures. In this work, numerical models are used to simulate the environment of a gas turbine combustion chamber. Concurrent experimental investigations are separately conducted using a vitiated coflow burner (which mimics the gas turbine environment) to guide the numerical work in this dissertation. A variety of models are used to simulate, and occasionally guide, the experiment. On the fundamental side, mixing and chemistry interactions motivated by a H2/N2 jet flame in a vitiated coflow are investigated using a 1-D numerical model for laminar flows and the Linear Eddy Model for turbulent flows. A radial profile of the jet in coflow can be modeled as fuel and oxidizer separated by an initial mixing width. The effects of species diffusion model, pressure, coflow composition, and turbulent mixing on the predicted autoignition delay times and mixture

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Ethanol/Diethyl Ether Mixtures in a CI Engine

KAUST Repository

Sivasankaralingam, Vedharaj; Raman, Vallinayagam; Jaasim, Mohammed; Alfazazi, Adamu; Lu, Tianfeng; Im, Hong G.; Sarathy, Mani; Dibble, Robert W.

2016-01-01

), were tested in a CI engine. While DE75 and DE50 auto-ignited at an inlet air pressure of 1.5 bar, DE25 failed to auto-ignite even at boosted pressure of 2 bar. The peak in-cylinder pressure for diesel and DE75 were comparable, while DE50 showed reduced

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Ethanol/Diethyl Ether Mixtures in a CI Engine

KAUST Repository

Sivasankaralingam, Vedharaj

2016-10-17

The auto-ignition characteristics of diethyl ether (DEE)/ethanol mixtures are investigated in compression ignition (CI) engines both numerically and experimentally. While DEE has a higher derived cetane number (DCN) of 139, ethanol exhibits poor ignition characteristics with a DCN of 8. DEE was used as an ignition promoter for the operation of ethanol in a CI engine. Mixtures of DEE and ethanol (DE), i.e., DE75 (75% DEE + 25% ethanol), DE50 (50% DEE + 50% ethanol) and DE25 (25% DEE + 75% ethanol), were tested in a CI engine. While DE75 and DE50 auto-ignited at an inlet air pressure of 1.5 bar, DE25 failed to auto-ignite even at boosted pressure of 2 bar. The peak in-cylinder pressure for diesel and DE75 were comparable, while DE50 showed reduced peak in-cylinder pressure with delayed start of combustion (SOC). Numerical simulations were conducted to study the engine combustion characteristics of DE mixture. A comprehensive detailed chemical kinetic model was created to represent the combustion of DE mixtures. The detailed mechanism was then reduced using standard direct relation graph (DRG-X) method and coupled with 3D CFD code, CONVERGE, to simulate the experimental data. The simulation results showed that the effects of physical properties on DE50 combustion are negligible. Simulations of DE50 mixture revealed that the combustion is nearly homogenous, while diesel (n-heptane used as a surrogate) and DE75 showed similar combustion behavior with flame liftoff and diffusion controlled combustion. Diesel exhibited auto-ignition at an equivalence ratio of 2, while DE75 and DE50 showed auto-ignition in the equivalence ratio range of 1-1.5 and 0-1, respectively. The experiments and numerical simulations demonstrate how the high reactivity of DEE supports the auto-ignition of ethanol, while ethanol acts as a radical scavenger.

Experimental and Modeling Investigation of the Effect of H2S Addition to Methane on the Ignition and Oxidation at High Pressures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gersen, Sander; van Essen, Martijn; Darmeveil, Harry; Hashemi, Hamid; Rasmussen, Christian Tihic; Christensen, Jakob Munkholdt; Glarborg, Peter; Levinsky, Howard

The autoignition and oxidation behavior of CH4/H2S mixtures has been studied experimentally in a rapid compression machine (RCM) and a high-pressure flow reactor. The RCM measurements show that the addition of 1% H2S to methane reduces the autoignition delay time by a factor of 2 at pressures

Laser-assisted homogeneous charge ignition in a constant volume combustion chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar; Weinrotter, Martin; Kofler, Henrich; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar; Wintner, Ernst

2009-06-01

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a very promising future combustion concept for internal combustion engines. There are several technical difficulties associated with this concept, and precisely controlling the start of auto-ignition is the most prominent of them. In this paper, a novel concept to control the start of auto-ignition is presented. The concept is based on the fact that most HCCI engines are operated with high exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates in order to slow-down the fast combustion processes. Recirculated exhaust gas contains combustion products including moisture, which has a relative peak of the absorption coefficient around 3 μm. These water molecules absorb the incident erbium laser radiations ( λ=2.79 μm) and get heated up to expedite ignition. In the present experimental work, auto-ignition conditions are locally attained in an experimental constant volume combustion chamber under simulated EGR conditions. Taking advantage of this feature, the time when the mixture is thought to "auto-ignite" could be adjusted/controlled by the laser pulse width optimisation, followed by its resonant absorption by water molecules present in recirculated exhaust gas.

Computational characterization of ignition regimes in a syngas/air mixture with temperature fluctuations

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki

2016-07-27

Auto-ignition characteristics of compositionally homogeneous reactant mixtures in the presence of thermal non-uniformities and turbulent velocity fluctuations were computationally investigated. The main objectives were to quantify the observed ignition characteristics and numerically validate the theory of the turbulent ignition regime diagram recently proposed by Im et al. 2015 [29] that provides a framework to predict ignition behavior . a priori based on the thermo-chemical properties of the reactant mixture and initial flow and scalar field conditions. Ignition regimes were classified into three categories: . weak (where deflagration is the dominant mode of fuel consumption), . reaction-dominant strong, and . mixing-dominant strong (where volumetric ignition is the dominant mode of fuel consumption). Two-dimensional (2D) direct numerical simulations (DNS) of auto-ignition in a lean syngas/air mixture with uniform mixture composition at high-pressure, low-temperature conditions were performed in a fixed volume. The initial conditions considered two-dimensional isotropic velocity spectrums, temperature fluctuations and localized thermal hot spots. A number of parametric test cases, by varying the characteristic turbulent Damköhler and Reynolds numbers, were investigated. The evolution of the auto-ignition phenomena, pressure rise, and heat release rate were analyzed. In addition, combustion mode analysis based on front propagation speed and computational singular perturbation (CSP) was applied to characterize the auto-ignition phenomena. All results supported that the observed ignition behaviors were consistent with the expected ignition regimes predicted by the theory of the regime diagram. This work provides new high-fidelity data on syngas ignition characteristics over a broad range of conditions and demonstrates that the regime diagram serves as a predictive guidance in the understanding of various physical and chemical mechanisms controlling auto-ignition

Turbulence-combustion interaction in direct injection diesel engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bencherif Mohamed

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The experimental measures of chemical species and turbulence intensity during the closed part of the engine combustion cycle are today unattainable exactly. This paper deals with numerical investigations of an experimental direct injection Diesel engine and a commercial turbocharged heavy duty direct injection one. Simulations are carried out with the kiva3v2 code using the RNG (k-ε model. A reduced mechanism for n-heptane was adopted for predicting auto-ignition and combustion processes. From the calibrated code based on experimental in-cylinder pressures, the study focuses on the turbulence parameters and combustion species evolution in the attempt to improve understanding of turbulence-chemistry interaction during the engine cycle. The turbulent kinetic energy and its dissipation rate are taken as representative parameters of turbulence. The results indicate that chemistry reactions of fuel oxidation during the auto-ignition delay improve the turbulence levels. The peak position of turbulent kinetic energy coincides systematically with the auto-ignition timing. This position seems to be governed by the viscous effects generated by the high pressure level reached at the auto-ignition timing. The hot regime flame decreases rapidly the turbulence intensity successively by the viscous effects during the fast premixed combustion and heat transfer during other periods. It is showed that instable species such as CO are due to deficiency of local mixture preparation during the strong decrease of turbulence energy. Also, an attempt to build an innovative relationship between self-ignition and maximum turbulence level is proposed. This work justifies the suggestion to determine otherwise the self-ignition timing.

Experimental and Modeling Investigation of the Effectof H2S Addition to Methane on the Ignition and Oxidation at High Pressures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gersen, Sander; van Essen, Martijn; Darmeveil, Harry

2017-01-01

The autoignition and oxidation behavior of CH4/H2S mixtures has been studied experimentally in a rapid compression machine (RCM) and a high-pressure flow reactor. The RCM measurements show that the addition of 1% H2S to methane reduces the autoignition delay time by a factor of 2 at pressures....... A comparison of the flow reactordata to modeling predictions shows satisfactory agreement under stoichiometric conditions, while at very reducing conditions, the model underestimates the consumption of both H2S and CH4. Similar to the RCM experiments, the presence of H2S is predicted to promote oxidation...

Fuel spray and combustion characteristics of butanol blends in a constant volume combustion chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Yu; Li, Jun; Jin, Chao

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A sudden drop is observed in spray penetration for B10S10D80 fuel at 800 and 900 K. • With increasing of temperature, auto-ignition timings of fuels become unperceivable. • Low n-butanol addition has little effect on autoignition timings from 800 to 1200 K. • n-Butanol additive can reduce soot emissions at the near-wall regions. • Larger soot reduction is seen at higher ambient temperatures for n-butanol addition. - Abstract: The processes of spray penetrations, flame propagation and soot formation and oxidation fueling n-butanol/biodiesel/diesel blends were experimentally investigated in a constant volume combustion chamber with an optical access. B0S20D80 (0% n-butanol, 20% soybean biodiesel, and 80% diesel in volume) was prepared as the base fuel. n-Butanol was added into the base fuel by volumetric percent of 5% and 10%, denoted as B5S15D80 (5% n-butanol/15% soybean biodiesel/80% diesel) and B10S10D80 (10% n-butanol/10% soybean biodiesel/80% diesel). The ambient temperatures at the time of fuel injection were set to 800 K, 900 K, 1000 K, and 1200 K. Results indicate that the penetration length reduces with the increase of n-butanol volumes in blending fuels and ambient temperatures. The spray penetration presents a sudden drop as fueling B10S10D80 at 800 K and 900 K, which might be caused by micro-explosion. A larger premixed combustion process is observed at low ambient temperatures, while the heat release rate of high ambient temperatures presents mixing controlled diffusion combustion. With a lower ambient temperature, the auto-ignition delay becomes longer with increasing of n-butanol volume in blends. However, with increasing of ambient temperatures, the auto-ignition timing between three fuels becomes unperceivable. Generally, low n-butanol addition has a limited or no effect on the auto-ignition timing in the current conditions. Compared with the base fuel of B0S20D80, n-butanol additive with 5% or 10% in volume can reduce soot

The effect of carbon-chain oxygenation in the carbon-carbon dissociation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Santos, Lisandra Paulino; Baptista, Leonardo

2018-06-01

Currently, there is a trend of moving away from the use of fossil fuels to the use of biofuels. This modification changes the molecular structure of gasoline and diesel constituents, which should impact pollutant emissions and engine efficiency. An important property of automotive fuels is the resistance to autoignition. The goal of the present work is to evaluate thermochemical and kinetic parameters that govern the carbon-carbon bond dissociation and relate these parameters, in conjunction with molecular properties, to autoignition resistance. Three model reactions were investigated in the present work: dissociation of ethane, ethanol, and ethanal. All studies were conducted at the multiconfigurational level of theory, and the rate coefficients were evaluated from 300 to 2000 K. The comparison of dissociation energies and Arrhenius expressions indicates that autoignition resistance is related to the kinetic control of dissociation reactions and it is possible to relate the higher octane number of ethanol based fuels to the kinetics parameters of carbon-carbon bond fission. Graphical abstract Effect of the functional group in the Arrhenius parameters of the C-C dissociation. Arrhenius curves calculated at NEVPT2(6,6)/6-311G(2df,2pd).

Analysis of Knock Phenomenon Induced in a Constant Volume Chamber by Local Gas Temperature Measurement and Visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Moriyoshi, Yasuo; Kobayashi, Shigemi; Enomoto, Yoshiteru

Knock phenomenon in SI engines is regarded as an auto-ignition of unburned end-gas, and it has been widely examined by using rapid compression machines (RCM), shock-tubes or test engines. Recent researches point out the importance of the low temperature chemical reaction and the negative temperature coefficient (NTC). To investigate the effects, analyses of instantaneous local gas temperature, flow visualization and gaseous pressure were conducted in this study. As measurements using real engines are too difficult to analyze, the authors aimed to make measurements using a constant volume vessel under knock conditions where propagating flame exists during the induction time of auto-ignition. Adopting the two-wire thermocouple method enabled us to measure the instantaneous local gas temperature until the moment when the flame front passes by. High-speed images inside the unburned region were also recorded simultaneously using an endoscope. As a result, it was found that when knock occurs, the auto-ignition initiation time seems slightly early compared to the results without knock. This causes a higher volume ratio of unburned mixture and existence of many hot spots and stochastically leads to an initiation of knock.

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent, chemically reacting flows

Science.gov (United States)

Doom, Jeffrey Joseph

This dissertation: (i) develops a novel numerical method for DNS/LES of compressible, turbulent reacting flows, (ii) performs several validation simulations, (iii) studies auto-ignition of a hydrogen vortex ring in air and (iv) studies a hydrogen/air turbulent diffusion flame. The numerical method is spatially non-dissipative, implicit and applicable over a range of Mach numbers. The compressible Navier-Stokes equations are rescaled so that the zero Mach number equations are discretely recovered in the limit of zero Mach number. The dependent variables are co--located in space, and thermodynamic variables are staggered from velocity in time. The algorithm discretely conserves kinetic energy in the incompressible, inviscid, non--reacting limit. The chemical source terms are implicit in time to allow for stiff chemical mechanisms. The algorithm is readily applicable to complex chemical mechanisms. Good results are obtained for validation simulations. The algorithm is used to study auto-ignition in laminar vortex rings. A nine species, nineteen reaction mechanism for H2/air combustion proposed by Mueller et al. [37] is used. Diluted H 2 at ambient temperature (300 K) is injected into hot air. The simulations study the effect of fuel/air ratio, oxidizer temperature, Lewis number and stroke ratio (ratio of piston stroke length to diameter). Results show that auto--ignition occurs in fuel lean, high temperature regions with low scalar dissipation at a 'most reactive' mixture fraction, zeta MR (Mastorakos et al. [32]). Subsequent evolution of the flame is not predicted by zetaMR; a most reactive temperature TMR is defined and shown to predict both the initial auto-ignition as well as subsequent evolution. For stroke ratios less than the formation number, ignition in general occurs behind the vortex ring and propagates into the core. At higher oxidizer temperatures, ignition is almost instantaneous and occurs along the entire interface between fuel and oxidizer. For stroke

Fundamental Interactions in Gasoline Compression Ignition Engines with Fuel Stratification

Science.gov (United States)

Wolk, Benjamin Matthew

Transportation accounted for 28% of the total U.S. energy demand in 2011, with 93% of U.S. transportation energy coming from petroleum. The large impact of the transportation sector on global climate change necessitates more-efficient, cleaner-burning internal combustion engine operating strategies. One such strategy that has received substantial research attention in the last decade is Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI). Although the efficiency and emissions benefits of HCCI are well established, practical limits on the operating range of HCCI engines have inhibited their application in consumer vehicles. One such limit is at high load, where the pressure rise rate in the combustion chamber becomes excessively large. Fuel stratification is a potential strategy for reducing the maximum pressure rise rate in HCCI engines. The aim is to introduce reactivity gradients through fuel stratification to promote sequential auto-ignition rather than a bulk-ignition, as in the homogeneous case. A gasoline-fueled compression ignition engine with fuel stratification is termed a Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI) engine. Although a reasonable amount of experimental research has been performed for fuel stratification in GCI engines, a clear understanding of how the fundamental in-cylinder processes of fuel spray evaporation, mixing, and heat release contribute to the observed phenomena is lacking. Of particular interest is gasoline's pressure sensitive low-temperature chemistry and how it impacts the sequential auto-ignition of the stratified charge. In order to computationally study GCI with fuel stratification using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and chemical kinetics, two reduced mechanisms have been developed. The reduced mechanisms were developed from a large, detailed mechanism with about 1400 species for a 4-component gasoline surrogate. The two versions of the reduced mechanism developed in this work are: (1) a 96-species version and (2

Autoignition characteristics of oxygenated gasolines

KAUST Repository

Lee, Changyoul

2017-08-14

Gasoline anti-knock quality, defined by the research and motor octane numbers (RON and MON), is important for increasing spark ignition (SI) engine efficiency. Gasoline knock resistance can be increased using a number of blending components. For over two decades, ethanol has become a popular anti-knock blending agent with gasoline fuels due to its production from bio-derived resources. This work explores the oxidation behavior of two oxygenated certification gasoline fuels and the variation of fuel reactivity with molecular composition. Ignition delay times of Haltermann (RON = 91) and Coryton (RON = 97.5) gasolines have been measured in a high-pressure shock tube and in a rapid compression machine at three pressures of 10, 20 and 40 bar, at equivalence ratios of φ = 0.45, 0.9 and 1.8, and in the temperature range of 650–1250 K. The results indicate that the effects of fuel octane number and fuel composition on ignition characteristics are strongest in the intermediate temperature (negative temperature coefficient) region. To simulate the reactivity of these gasolines, three kinds of surrogates, consisting of three, four and eight components, are proposed and compared with the gasoline ignition delay times. It is shown that more complex surrogate mixtures are needed to emulate the reactivity of gasoline with higher octane sensitivity (S = RON–MON). Detailed kinetic analyses are performed to illustrate the dependence of gasoline ignition delay times on fuel composition and, in particular, on ethanol content.

Autoignition characteristics of oxygenated gasolines

KAUST Repository

Lee, Changyoul; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Badra, Jihad; Kalghatgi, Gautam; Sarathy, Mani; Curran, Henry; Farooq, Aamir

2017-01-01

Gasoline anti-knock quality, defined by the research and motor octane numbers (RON and MON), is important for increasing spark ignition (SI) engine efficiency. Gasoline knock resistance can be increased using a number of blending components

Degradation of carbonyl hydroperoxides in the atmosphere and in combustion

KAUST Repository

Xing, Lili; Bao, Junwei Lucas; Wang, Zhandong; Zhang, Feng; Truhlar, Donald G.

2017-01-01

Oxygenates with carbonyl and hydroperoxy functional groups are important intermediates that are generated during the autooxidation of organic compounds in the atmosphere and during the autoignition of transport fuels. In the troposphere

Effect of laser induced plasma ignition timing and location on Diesel spray combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, José V.; García-Oliver, José M.; García, Antonio; Pinotti, Mattia

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Laser plasma ignition is applied to a direct injection Diesel spray, compared with auto-ignition. • Critical local fuel/air ratio for LIP provoked ignition is obtained. • The LIP system is able to stabilize Diesel combustion compared to auto-ignition cases. • Varying LIP position along spray axis directly affects Ignition-delay. • Premixed combustion is reduced both by varying position and delay of the LIP ignition system. - Abstract: An experimental study about the influence of the local conditions at the ignition location on combustion development of a direct injection spray is carried out in an optical engine. A laser induced plasma ignition system has been used to force the spray ignition, allowing comparison of combustion’s evolution and stability with the case of conventional autoignition on the Diesel fuel in terms of ignition delay, rate of heat release, spray penetration and soot location evolution. The local equivalence ratio variation along the spray axis during the injection process was determined with a 1D spray model, previously calibrated and validated. Upper equivalence ratios limits for the ignition event of a direct injected Diesel spray, both in terms of ignition success possibilities and stability of the phenomena, could been determined thanks to application of the laser plasma ignition system. In all laser plasma induced ignition cases, heat release was found to be higher than for the autoignition reference cases, and it was found to be linked to a decrease of ignition delay, with the premixed peak in the rate of heat release curve progressively disappearing as the ignition delay time gets shorter. Ignition delay has been analyzed as a function of the laser position, too. It was found that ignition delay increases for plasma positions closer to the nozzle, indicating that the amount of energy introduced by the laser induced plasma is not the only parameter affecting combustion initiation, but local equivalence ratio

Preliminary assessment of combustion modes for internal combustion wave rotors

Science.gov (United States)

Nalim, M. Razi

1995-01-01

Combustion within the channels of a wave rotor is examined as a means of obtaining pressure gain during heat addition in a gas turbine engine. Several modes of combustion are considered and the factors that determine the applicability of three modes are evaluated in detail; premixed autoignition/detonation, premixed deflagration, and non-premixed compression ignition. The last two will require strong turbulence for completion of combustion in a reasonable time in the wave rotor. The compression/autoignition modes will require inlet temperatures in excess of 1500 R for reliable ignition with most hydrocarbon fuels; otherwise, a supplementary ignition method must be provided. Examples of combustion mode selection are presented for two core engine applications that had been previously designed with equivalent 4-port wave rotor topping cycles using external combustion.

Ignition delay measurements of light naphtha: A fully blended low octane fuel

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour; Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Badra, Jihad; Djebbi, Khalil; Beshir, Mohamed; Ji, Weiqi; Sarathy, Mani; Farooq, Aamir

2016-01-01

. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fundamental autoignition study on the reactivity of a low-octane fully blended fuel and the use of a suitably formulated multi-component surrogate to model its behavior.

Combustion Research Facility | A Department of Energy Office of Science

Science.gov (United States)

Collaborative Research Facility Back to Sandia National Laboratory Homepage Combustion Research Search the CRF Combustion Chemistry Flame Chemistry Research.Combustion_Chemistry.Flame_Chemistry Theory and Modeling Theory and Modeling Combustion Kinetics High Pressure Chemistry Chemistry of Autoignition

Progress Toward Analytic Predictions of Supersonic Hydrocarbon-Air Combustion: Computation of Ignition Times and Supersonic Mixing Layers

Science.gov (United States)

Sexton, Scott Michael

Combustion in scramjet engines is faced with the limitation of brief residence time in the combustion chamber, requiring fuel and preheated air streams to mix and ignite in a matter of milliseconds. Accurate predictions of autoignition times are needed to design reliable supersonic combustion chambers. Most efforts in estimating non-premixed autoignition times have been devoted to hydrogen-air mixtures. The present work addresses hydrocarbon-air combustion, which is of interest for future scramjet engines. Computation of ignition in supersonic flows requires adequate characterization of ignition chemistry and description of the flow, both of which are derived in this work. In particular, we have shown that activation energy asymptotics combined with a previously derived reduced chemical kinetic mechanism provides analytic predictions of autoignition times in homogeneous systems. Results are compared with data from shock tube experiments, and previous expressions which employ a fuel depletion criterion. Ignition in scramjet engines has a strong dependence on temperature, which is found by perturbing the chemically frozen mixing layer solution. The frozen solution is obtained here, accounting for effects of viscous dissipation between the fuel and air streams. We investigate variations of thermodynamic and transport properties, and compare these to simplified mixing layers which neglect these variations. Numerically integrating the mixing layer problem reveals a nonmonotonic temperature profile, with a peak occurring inside the shear layer for sufficiently high Mach numbers. These results will be essential in computation of ignition distances in supersonic combustion chambers.

Development and validation of an n-dodecane skeletal mechanism for spray combustion applications

KAUST Repository

Luo, Zhaoyu; Som, Sibendu K.; Sarathy, Mani; Plomer, Max; Pitz, William J.; Longman, Douglas E.; Lu, Tianfeng

2014-01-01

relation graph with expert knowledge (DRGX) and sensitivity analysis was employed for the present skeletal reduction. The skeletal mechanism was first extensively validated in 0-D and 1-D combustion systems, including auto-ignition, jet stirred reactor (JSR

Computational characterization of ignition regimes in a syngas/air mixture with temperature fluctuations

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki; Valorani, Mauro; Arias, Paul G.; Im, Hong G.; Wooldridge, Margaret S.; Ciottoli, Pietro P.; Galassi, Riccardo M.

2016-01-01

) was applied to characterize the auto-ignition phenomena. All results supported that the observed ignition behaviors were consistent with the expected ignition regimes predicted by the theory of the regime diagram. This work provides new high-fidelity data

Experimental Study of Ignition by Hot Spot in Internal Combustion Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Serruys, Max

1938-01-01

In order to carry out the contemplated study, it was first necessary to provide hot spots in the combustion chamber, which could be measured and whose temperature could be changed. It seemed difficult to realize both conditions working solely on the temperature of the cooling water in a way so as to produce hot spots on the cylinder wall capable of provoking autoignition. Moreover, in the majority of practical cases, autoignition is produced by the spark plug, one of the least cooled parts in the engine. The first procedure therefore did not resemble that which most generally occurs in actual engine operation. All of these considerations caused us to reproduce similar hot spots at the spark plugs. The hot spots produced were of two kinds and designated with the name of thermo-electric spark plug and of metallic hot spot.

Impact of branched structures on cycloalkane ignition in a motored engine: Detailed product and conformational analyses

KAUST Repository

Kang, Dongil; Lilik, Gregory K.; Dillstrom, Vernon Tyler; Agudelo, John Ramiro; Lapuerta, Magí n; Al-Qurashi, Khalid; Boehman, André Louis

2015-01-01

, equivalence ratio of 0.5 and engine speed of 600. rpm. The engine compression ratio (CR) was gradually increased in a stepwise manner until autoignition occurred. It was found that ECH exhibited a significantly higher oxidation reactivity compared to its two

Chemical Kinetic Insights into the Octane Number and Octane Sensitivity of Gasoline Surrogate Mixtures

KAUST Repository

Singh, Eshan; Badra, Jihad; Mehl, Marco; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

the fundamental autoignition behavior of the fuel (e.g., its chemistry and how reactivity changes with temperature and pressure) and engine properties such as its knocking behavior in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine. The study encompasses a total of 79

Chemistry Impacts in Gasoline HCCI

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szybist, James P [ORNL; Bunting, Bruce G [ORNL

2006-09-01

The use of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion in internal combustion engines is of interest because it has the potential to produce low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions while providing diesel-like efficiency. In HCCI combustion, a premixed charge of fuel and air auto-ignites at multiple points in the cylinder near top dead center (TDC), resulting in rapid combustion with very little flame propagation. In order to prevent excessive knocking during HCCI combustion, it must take place in a dilute environment, resulting from either operating fuel lean or providing high levels of either internal or external exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Operating the engine in a dilute environment can substantially reduce the pumping losses, thus providing the main efficiency advantage compared to spark-ignition (SI) engines. Low NOx and PM emissions have been reported by virtually all researchers for operation under HCCI conditions. The precise emissions can vary depending on how well mixed the intake charge is, the fuel used, and the phasing of the HCCI combustion event; but it is common for there to be no measurable PM emissions and NOx emissions <10 ppm. Much of the early HCCI work was done on 2-stroke engines, and in these studies the CO and hydrocarbon emissions were reported to decrease [1]. However, in modern 4-stroke engines, the CO and hydrocarbon emissions from HCCI usually represent a marked increase compared with conventional SI combustion. This literature review does not report on HCCI emissions because the trends mentioned above are well established in the literature. The main focus of this literature review is the auto-ignition performance of gasoline-type fuels. It follows that this discussion relies heavily on the extensive information available about gasoline auto-ignition from studying knock in SI engines. Section 2 discusses hydrocarbon auto-ignition, the octane number scale, the chemistry behind it, its

Optimal piston motion for maximum net output work of Daniel cam engines with low heat rejection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badescu, Viorel

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The piston motion of low heat rejection compression ignition engines is optimized. • A realistic model taking into account the cooling system is developed. • The optimized cam is smaller for cylinders without thermal insulation. • The optimized cam size depends on ignition moment and cooling process intensity. - Abstract: Compression ignition engines based on classical tapper-crank systems cannot provide optimal piston motion. Cam engines are more appropriate for this purpose. In this paper the piston motion of a Daniel cam engine is optimized. Piston acceleration is taken as a control. The objective is to maximize the net output work during the compression and power strokes. A major research effort has been allocated in the last two decades for the development of low heat rejection engines. A thermally insulated cylinder is considered and a realistic model taking into account the cooling system is developed. The sinusoidal approximation of piston motion in the classical tapper-crank system overestimates the engine efficiency. The exact description of the piston motion in tapper-crank system is used here as a reference. The radiation process has negligible effects during the optimization. The approach with no constraint on piston acceleration is a reasonable approximation. The net output work is much larger (by 12–13%) for the optimized system than for the classical tapper-crank system, for similar thickness of cylinder walls and thermal insulation. Low heat rejection measures are not of significant importance for optimized cam engines. The optimized cam is smaller for a cylinder without thermal insulation than for an insulated cylinder (by up to 8%, depending on the local polar radius). The auto-ignition moment is not a parameter of significant importance for optimized cam engines. However, for given cylinder wall and insulation materials there is an optimum auto-ignition moment which maximizes the net output work. The optimum auto-ignition

DNS with detailed and tabulated chemistry of engine relevant igniting systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekdemir, C.; Somers, L.M.T.; Goey, de L.P.H.

2014-01-01

Developments in modern engine technology are moving towards a regime with fuel injection uncoupled from combustion. Auto-ignition is an essential characteristic in these systems. The accurate prediction of this chemical process is of paramount importance. Tabulation techniques can provide a detailed

Free-piston engine

Science.gov (United States)

Van Blarigan, Peter

2001-01-01

A combustion system which can utilize high compression ratios, short burn durations, and homogeneous fuel/air mixtures in conjunction with low equivalence ratios. In particular, a free-piston, two-stroke autoignition internal combustion engine including an electrical generator having a linear alternator with a double-ended free piston that oscillates inside a closed cylinder is provided. Fuel and air are introduced in a two-stroke cycle fashion on each end, where the cylinder charge is compressed to the point of autoignition without spark plugs. The piston is driven in an oscillating motion as combustion occurs successively on each end. This leads to rapid combustion at almost constant volume for any fuel/air equivalence ratio mixture at very high compression ratios. The engine is characterized by high thermal efficiency and low NO.sub.x emissions. The engine is particularly suited for generating electrical current in a hybrid automobile.

Effects of substitution on counterflow ignition and extinction of C3 and C4 alcohols

KAUST Repository

Alfazazi, Adamu

2016-06-17

Dwindling reserves and inherent uncertainty in the price of conventional fuels necessitates a search for alternative fuels. Alcohols represent a potential source of energy for the future. The structural features of an alcohol fuel have a direct impact on combustion properties. In particular, substitution in alcohols can alter the global combustion reactivity. In this study, experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the critical conditions of extinction and autoignition of n-propanol, 1-butanol, iso-propanol and iso-butanol in non-premixed diffusion flames. Experiments were carried out in the counterflow configuration, while simulations were conducted using a skeletal chemical kinetic model for the C3 and C4 alcohols. The fuel stream consists of the pre-vaporized fuel diluted with nitrogen, while the oxidizer stream is air. The experimental results show that autoignition temperatures of the tested alcohols increase in the following order: iso-propanol > iso-butanol > 1-butanol ≈ n-propanol. The simulated results for the branched alcohols agree with the experiments, while the autoignition temperature of 1-butanol is slightly higher than that of n-propanol. For extinction, the experiments show that the extinction limits of the tested fuels increase in the following order: n-propanol ≈ 1-butanol > iso-butanol > iso-propanol. The model suggests that the extinction limits of 1-butanol is slightly higher than n-propanol with extinction strain rate of iso-butanol and iso-propanol maintaining the experimentally observed trend. The transport weighted enthalpy (TWE) and radical index (Ri) concepts were utilized to rationalize the observed reactivity trends for these fuels.

Effects of substitution on counterflow ignition and extinction of C3 and C4 alcohols

KAUST Repository

Alfazazi, Adamu; Niemann, Ulrich; Selim, Hatem; Cattolica, Robert J.; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

Dwindling reserves and inherent uncertainty in the price of conventional fuels necessitates a search for alternative fuels. Alcohols represent a potential source of energy for the future. The structural features of an alcohol fuel have a direct impact on combustion properties. In particular, substitution in alcohols can alter the global combustion reactivity. In this study, experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the critical conditions of extinction and autoignition of n-propanol, 1-butanol, iso-propanol and iso-butanol in non-premixed diffusion flames. Experiments were carried out in the counterflow configuration, while simulations were conducted using a skeletal chemical kinetic model for the C3 and C4 alcohols. The fuel stream consists of the pre-vaporized fuel diluted with nitrogen, while the oxidizer stream is air. The experimental results show that autoignition temperatures of the tested alcohols increase in the following order: iso-propanol > iso-butanol > 1-butanol ≈ n-propanol. The simulated results for the branched alcohols agree with the experiments, while the autoignition temperature of 1-butanol is slightly higher than that of n-propanol. For extinction, the experiments show that the extinction limits of the tested fuels increase in the following order: n-propanol ≈ 1-butanol > iso-butanol > iso-propanol. The model suggests that the extinction limits of 1-butanol is slightly higher than n-propanol with extinction strain rate of iso-butanol and iso-propanol maintaining the experimentally observed trend. The transport weighted enthalpy (TWE) and radical index (Ri) concepts were utilized to rationalize the observed reactivity trends for these fuels.

Use of a single-zone thermodynamic model with detailed chemistry to study a natural gas fueled homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Junnian; Caton, Jerald A.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Auto-ignition characteristics of a natural gas fueled HCCI engine. ► Engine speed had the greatest effect on the auto-ignition process. ► Increases of C 2 H 6 or C 3 H 8 improved the auto-ignition process. ► Engine performance was not sensitive to small changes in C 2 H 6 or C 3 H 8 . ► Nitric oxides concentrations decreased as engine speed or EGR level was increased. - Abstract: A single zone thermodynamic model with detailed chemical kinetics was used to simulate a natural gas fueled homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. The model employed Chemkin and used chemical kinetics for natural gas with 53 species and 325 reactions. This simulation was used to complete analyses for a modified 0.4 L single cylinder engine. The engine possessed a compression ratio of 21.5:1, and had a bore and stroke of 86 and 75 mm, respectively. Several sets of parametric studies were completed to investigate the minimal initial temperature, engine performance, and nitric oxide emissions of HCCI engine operation. The results show significant changes in combustion characteristics with varying engine operating conditions. Effects of varying equivalence ratios (0.3–1.0), engine speeds (1000–4000 RPM), EGR (0–40%), and fuel compositions were determined and analyzed in detail. In particular, every 0.1 increase in equivalence ratio or 500 rpm increase in engine speed requires about a 5 K higher initial temperature for complete combustion, and leads to around 0.7 bar increase in IMEP.

Fuel effects on knock, heat releases and CARS temperatures in a spark ignition engine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kalghatgi, G.T.; Golombok, M.; Snowdon, P.

1995-01-01

Net heat release, knock characteristics and temperature were derived from in-cylinder pressure and end-gas CARS measurements for different fuels in a single-cylinder engine. The maximum net heat release rate resulting from the final phase of autoignition is closely associated with knock intensity.

2-Methylfuran: A bio-derived octane booster for spark-ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani; Shankar, Vijai; Tripathi, Rupali; Pitsch, Heinz; Sarathy, Mani

2018-01-01

The efficiency of spark-ignition engines is limited by the phenomenon of knock, which is caused by auto-ignition of the fuel-air mixture ahead of the spark-initiated flame front. The resistance of a fuel to knock is quantified by its octane index

Gasoline–diesel dual fuel : effect of injection timing and fuel balance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Leermakers, C.A.J.; van den Berge, B.; Luijten, C.C.M.; Somers, L.M.T.; Goey, de L.P.H.; Albrecht, B.A.

2011-01-01

Recently, some studies have shown high efficiencies using controlled auto-ignition by blending gasoline and diesel to a desired reactivity. This concept has been shown to give high efficiency and, because of the largely premixed charge, low emission levels. The origin of this high efficiency,

Two dimensional gas temperature measurements of fuel sprays in a high pressure cell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yu, M.

2012-01-01

Premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) is a promising low-emission combustion concept. By partially mixing the fuel, air and exhaust gas before auto-ignition, the soot and NOx emissions are lower than for conventional diesel combustion. However, the fundamental aspects of the mixing process of

Analyzing of in-cylinder flow structures and cyclic variations of partially premixed combustion in a light duty engine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanov, S.; Johansson, B,; Izadi Najafabadi, M.; Wang, H.

2016-01-01

Partially Premixed Combustion (PPC) strategy offers the potential for simultaneously reduction of NOx and soot emissions with high efficiency. This low temperature combustion strategy involves a proper mixing of fuel and air prior to auto-ignition. During ignition delay (ID) the exact amount of

Flamelet Generated Manifold Strategies in Modeling of an Igniting Diesel Spray

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekdemir, C.; Somers, L.M.T.; Goey, de L.P.H.

2009-01-01

A study is presented on the modeling of fuel spray combustion in diesel engines. The objective is to model igniting diesel sprays with the detailed chemistry tabulation method FGM (Flamelet GeneratedManifold). The emphasis is on the accurate prediction of auto-ignition as well as the steady

Physicochemical effects of varying fuel composition on knock characteristics of natural gas mixtures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gersen, Sander; van Essen, Martijn; van Dijk, Gerco; Levinsky, Howard

2014-01-01

The physicochemical origins of how changes in fuel composition affect autoignition of the end gas, leading to engine knock, are analyzed for a natural gas engine. Experiments in a lean-burn, high-speed medium-BMEP gas engine are performed using a reference natural gas with systematically varied

On the impact of the ideal gas assumption to high-pressure combustion phenomena in engines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Evlampiev, A.V.; Somers, L.M.T.; Baert, R.S.G.; Goey, de L.P.H.

2008-01-01

The effect of the ideal gas law assumption on auto-ignition and NOx-formation in a rapid compression machine is studied. For both processes the simulations are compared to a reference simulation using a Redlich-Kwong equation-of-state based on the critical properties of all constituents.

Thermal studies on the weathering status of Lakhra coal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumbher, M.; Vasandani, A.G.M.; Shah, S.W.

2002-01-01

Thermal studies about the weathering status of Lakhra coal were conducted using thermogravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) in N/sub 2/ and air atmospheres. These studies were centered on the extent of the release of volatile matters and the determination of calorific values. The decline in these parameters, i.e. volatile matters and calorific values, cause a decline in the caking properties of coal and promote auto-ignition. The TG behavior of weathered samples in N/sub 2/ indicates a clear decline in percent moisture and volatile matters and abrupt burning of the fixed carbon. The TG curves further indicate quick decomposition of samples at various temperatures and auto-ignition with respect to time. The DTA behavior of the weathered samples in air, shows a significant difference in peak configuration, such as suppression of main endothermic peaks and shifting of shoulder peaks towards lower temperature. The N/sub 2/ atmosphere gives illusive and ill-defined events with respect to time. (author)

Fuels and Combustion

KAUST Repository

Johansson, Bengt

2016-08-17

This chapter discusses the combustion processes and the link to the fuel properties that are suitable for them. It describes the basic three concepts, including spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI), and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). The fuel used in a CI engine is vastly different from that in an SI engine. In an SI engine, the fuel should sustain high pressure and temperature without autoignition. Apart from the dominating SI and CI engines, it is also possible to operate with a type of combustion: autoignition. With HCCI, the fuel and air are fully premixed before combustion as in the SI engine, but combustion is started by the increased pressure and temperature during the compression stroke. Apart from the three combustion processes, there are also a few combined or intermediate concepts, such as Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition (SACI). Those concepts are discussed in terms of the requirements of fuel properties.

Fuels and Combustion

KAUST Repository

Johansson, Bengt

2016-01-01

This chapter discusses the combustion processes and the link to the fuel properties that are suitable for them. It describes the basic three concepts, including spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI), and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). The fuel used in a CI engine is vastly different from that in an SI engine. In an SI engine, the fuel should sustain high pressure and temperature without autoignition. Apart from the dominating SI and CI engines, it is also possible to operate with a type of combustion: autoignition. With HCCI, the fuel and air are fully premixed before combustion as in the SI engine, but combustion is started by the increased pressure and temperature during the compression stroke. Apart from the three combustion processes, there are also a few combined or intermediate concepts, such as Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition (SACI). Those concepts are discussed in terms of the requirements of fuel properties.

Characterizing Gaseous Fuels for Their Knock Resistance based on the Chemical and Physical Properties of the Fuel

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Levinsky, Howard; Gersen, Sander; van Essen, Martijn; van Dijk, Gerco

2016-01-01

A method is described to characterize the effects of changes in the composition of gaseous fuels on engine knock by computing the autoignition process during the compression and burn periods of the engine cycle. To account for the effects of fuel composition on the in-cylinder pressure and

Evaluation of heat transfer correlations for HCCI engine modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soyhan, H.S.; Yasar, H.; Walmsley, H.; Head, B.; Kalghatgi, G.T.; Sorusbay, C.

2009-01-01

Combustion in HCCI engines is a controlled auto-ignition of well-mixed fuel, air and residual gas. The thermal conditions of the combustion chamber are governed by chemical kinetics strongly coupled with heat transfer from the hot gas to the walls. The heat losses have a critical effect on HCCI

Ignition properties of n-butane and iso-butane in a rapid compression machine

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gersen, S.; Mokhov, A. V.; Darmeveil, J. H.; Levinsky, H. B.

Autoignition delay times of n-butane and iso-butane have been measured in a Rapid Compression Machine in the temperature range 660-1010 K, at pressures varying from 14 to 36 bar and at equivalence ratios phi = 1.0 and phi = 0.5. Both butane isomers exhibit a negative-temperature-coefficient (NTC)

Bulletin of Materials Science | Indian Academy of Sciences

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Nanocrystalline NdBa2ZrO5.5 has been successfully synthesized through a single step auto-ignition combustion route for the first time. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the combustion product is phase pure and has an ordered cubic perovskite structure. The phase transitions and ...

Combustion visualization and experimental study on spark induced compression ignition (SICI) in gasoline HCCI engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Zhi; He Xu; Wang Jianxin; Shuai Shijin; Xu Fan; Yang Dongbo

2010-01-01

Spark induced compression ignition (SICI) is a relatively new combustion control technology and a promising combustion mode in gasoline engines with high efficiency. SICI can be divided into two categories, SACI and SI-CI. This paper investigated the SICI combustion process using combustion visualization and engine experiment respectively. Ignition process of SICI was captured by high speed photography in an optical engine with different compression ratios. The results show that SICI is a combustion mode combined with partly flame propagation and main auto-ignition. The spark ignites the local mixture near spark electrodes and the flame propagation occurs before the homogeneous mixture is auto-ignited. The heat release from central burned zone due to the flame propagation increases the in-cylinder pressure and temperature, resulting in the unburned mixture auto-ignition. The SICI combustion process can be divided into three stages of the spark induced stage, the flame propagation stage and the compression ignition stage. The SICI combustion mode is different from the spark ignition (SI) knocking in terms of the combustion and emission characteristics. Furthermore, three typical combustion modes including HCCI, SICI, SI, were compared on a gasoline direct injection engine with higher compression ratio and switchable cam-profiles. The results show that SICI has an obvious combustion characteristic with two-stage heat release and lower pressure rise rate. The SICI combustion mode can be controlled by spark timings and EGR rates and utilized as an effective method for high load extension on the gasoline HCCI engine. The maximum IMEP of 0.82 MPa can be achieved with relatively low NO x emission and high thermal efficiency. The SICI combustion mode can be applied in medium-high load region for high efficiency gasoline engines.

Combustion visualization and experimental study on spark induced compression ignition (SICI) in gasoline HCCI engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang Zhi, E-mail: wangzhi@tsinghua.edu.c [State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); He Xu; Wang Jianxin; Shuai Shijin; Xu Fan; Yang Dongbo [State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-05-15

Spark induced compression ignition (SICI) is a relatively new combustion control technology and a promising combustion mode in gasoline engines with high efficiency. SICI can be divided into two categories, SACI and SI-CI. This paper investigated the SICI combustion process using combustion visualization and engine experiment respectively. Ignition process of SICI was captured by high speed photography in an optical engine with different compression ratios. The results show that SICI is a combustion mode combined with partly flame propagation and main auto-ignition. The spark ignites the local mixture near spark electrodes and the flame propagation occurs before the homogeneous mixture is auto-ignited. The heat release from central burned zone due to the flame propagation increases the in-cylinder pressure and temperature, resulting in the unburned mixture auto-ignition. The SICI combustion process can be divided into three stages of the spark induced stage, the flame propagation stage and the compression ignition stage. The SICI combustion mode is different from the spark ignition (SI) knocking in terms of the combustion and emission characteristics. Furthermore, three typical combustion modes including HCCI, SICI, SI, were compared on a gasoline direct injection engine with higher compression ratio and switchable cam-profiles. The results show that SICI has an obvious combustion characteristic with two-stage heat release and lower pressure rise rate. The SICI combustion mode can be controlled by spark timings and EGR rates and utilized as an effective method for high load extension on the gasoline HCCI engine. The maximum IMEP of 0.82 MPa can be achieved with relatively low NO{sub x} emission and high thermal efficiency. The SICI combustion mode can be applied in medium-high load region for high efficiency gasoline engines.

Performance and emissions of a heavy-duty diesel/LPG dual fuel engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaberg, Paul [Sasol Technology, Cape Town (South Africa)

2013-06-01

This paper describes an investigation into the combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions of a heavy-duty truck engine which has been equipped with an aftermarket conversion kit to enable operation as a diesel/LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) dual fuel engine. During operation diesel fuel is displaced by LPG which is vaporised and metered into the inlet manifold by means of solenoid injectors. It was found that, as the LPG fuelling rate is increased, the cylinder pressure rise rates and peak cylinder pressures increase, as do the carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emissions. At higher loads it was found that the LPG autoignites independently of the diesel fuel, resulting in very high rates of cylinder pressure rise. Particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions remain largely unchanged, and carbon dioxide emissions are reduced due to the lower carbon content of the LPG fuel. Different LPG compositions were also investigated and it was found that the LPG properties that have the most significant effect on combustion and emissions were the autoignition and volatility characteristics. (orig.)

Frequency domain analysis of knock images

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Yunliang; He, Xin; Wang, Zhi; Wang, Jianxin

2014-12-01

High speed imaging-based knock analysis has mainly focused on time domain information, e.g. the spark triggered flame speed, the time when end gas auto-ignition occurs and the end gas flame speed after auto-ignition. This study presents a frequency domain analysis on the knock images recorded using a high speed camera with direct photography in a rapid compression machine (RCM). To clearly visualize the pressure wave oscillation in the combustion chamber, the images were high-pass-filtered to extract the luminosity oscillation. The luminosity spectrum was then obtained by applying fast Fourier transform (FFT) to three basic colour components (red, green and blue) of the high-pass-filtered images. Compared to the pressure spectrum, the luminosity spectra better identify the resonant modes of pressure wave oscillation. More importantly, the resonant mode shapes can be clearly visualized by reconstructing the images based on the amplitudes of luminosity spectra at the corresponding resonant frequencies, which agree well with the analytical solutions for mode shapes of gas vibration in a cylindrical cavity.

Numerical Investigation Into Effect of Fuel Injection Timing on CAI/HCCI Combustion in a Four-Stroke GDI Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Li; Zhao, Hua; Jiang, Xi; Kalian, Navin

2006-02-01

The Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) combustion, also known as Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), was achieved by trapping residuals with early exhaust valve closure in conjunction with direct injection. Multi-cycle 3D engine simulations have been carried out for parametric study on four different injection timings in order to better understand the effects of injection timings on in-cylinder mixing and CAI combustion. The full engine cycle simulation including complete gas exchange and combustion processes was carried out over several cycles in order to obtain the stable cycle for analysis. The combustion models used in the present study are the Shell auto-ignition model and the characteristic-time combustion model, which were modified to take the high level of EGR into consideration. A liquid sheet breakup spray model was used for the droplet breakup processes. The analyses show that the injection timing plays an important role in affecting the in-cylinder air/fuel mixing and mixture temperature, which in turn affects the CAI combustion and engine performance.

A numerical study of HCCI combustion of PRF mixtures compared with PCCI experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Wijngaarden, B.

2008-09-15

For automotive applications engines that produce less soot and NOx are desired. For that reason the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) principle is investigated all over the world, including the technical universities of Berlin (TUB) and Eindhoven. HCCI combines a homogeneous charge, as in an Otto engine with the autoignition principle of a Diesel engine. Auto-ignition and almost instantaneous combustion of a homogeneous charge leads to almost zero soot emissions, lower temperatures and thereby much lower NOx emissions. Auto-ignition timing however, depends on the fuel and its chemistry, which is very sensitive to the applied conditions, being pressure, temperature, equivalence ratio ({phi}), dilution with EGR and engine speed. To study this systematically a 0D model with PRF fuels is used (Primary Reference Fuels are n-heptane, iso-octane and mixtures). A 0D model is chosen because it excludes complex fluid dynamics and thereby allows the use of detailed combustion mechanisms, describing the (PRF) chemistry. Furthermore the model has a multi zone possibility to evaluate in-homogeneities of the charge. PRF fuels are used because n-heptane (CN=55) auto-ignites like a diesel and iso-octane (ON=100) approaches gasoline. For the PRF chemistry three combustion mechanisms were selected, of which two were validated showing a great difference in predicted ignition delay and sensitivity to changes. Furthermore the model was validated with a PCCI (Premixed Charge Compression Ignition) experiment. Extensive comparisons with PCCI experiments from the TUB showed that when the moment of injection was used to launch the chemistry in the model, only the Soyhan mechanism predicted the ignition close to the experimental ignition moment. Furthermore a 7 zone model was able to approach the experimental CO and NOX emissions. Finally none of the mechanisms was able to predict a pressure profile similar to the experiments. More zones and or a better mechanism could improve

Flame Dynamics and Chemistry in LRE Combustion Instability

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-22

negative temperature coefficient phenomenon and engine knock. In this work, the coupling of cool flame chemistry and convective– diffusive transport...note, practical engine conditions are highly turbulent, and the autoignition phenomenon depends on both chemistry and turbulent mixing. For example...negative temperature coefficient (NTC) phenomenon and engine knock. In this work, the coupling of cool flame chemistry and convective–diffusive

Autoignition and Combustion of Diesel and JP-8

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Seshadri, Kalyanasundaram

2007-01-01

...: JP-8, commercial jet fuel (with additive package), or commercial jet fuel (without additives)." The objective of the proposed research is to understand those key aspects of combustion of JP-8 that are required to facilitate this conversion...

Comparison of reactivity in a flow reactor and a single cylinder engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Natelson, Robert H.; Johnson, Rodney O.; Kurman, Matthew S.; Cernansky, Nicholas P.; Miller, David L. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-2875 (United States)

2010-10-15

The relative reactivity of 2:1:1 and 1:1:1 mixtures of n-decane:n-butylcyclohexane:n-butylbenzene and an average sample of JP-8 were evaluated in a single cylinder engine and compared to results obtained in a pressurized flow reactor. At compression ratios of 14:1, 15:1, and 16:1, inlet temperature of 500 K, inlet pressure of 0.1 MPa, equivalence ratio of 0.23, and engine speed of 800 RPM, the autoignition delay times were, from shortest to longest, the 2:1:1, followed by the 1:1:1, and then the JP-8. This order corresponded with recent results in a pressurized flow reactor, where the preignition oxidation chemistry was monitored at temperatures of 600-800 K, 0.8 MPa pressure, and an equivalence ratio of 0.30, and where the preignition reactivity from highest to lowest was the 2:1:1, followed by the 1:1:1, and the JP-8. This shows that the relative reactivity at low temperatures in the flow reactor tracks the autoignition tendencies in the engine for these particular fuels. (author) the computed experimental error. (author)

Modes of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion of hydrogen/air mixtures in a closed chamber

KAUST Repository

Shi, Xian

2017-01-05

Modes of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion of hydrogen/air mixtures in a closed chamber are numerically investigated using an 1-D unsteady, shock-capturing, compressible and reacting flow solver. Different combinations of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion modes are observed, i.e., 1) deflagration without end-gas combustion, 2) deflagration to end-gas autoignition, 3) deflagration to end-gas detonation, 4) developing or developed detonation, occurring in the sequence of increasing initial temperatures. Effects of ignition location and chamber size are evaluated: the asymmetric ignition is found to promote the reactivity of unburnt mixture compared to ignitions at center/wall, due to additional heating from asymmetric pressure waves. End-gas combustion occurs earlier in smaller chambers, where end-gas temperature rise due to compression heating from the deflagration is faster. According to the ξ−ε regime diagram based on Zeldovich theory, modes of reaction front propagation are primarily determined by reactivity gradients introduced by initial ignition, while modes of end-gas combustion are influenced by the total amount of unburnt mixture at the time when autoignition occurs. A transient reactivity gradient method is provided and able to capture the occurrence of detonation.

Modes of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion of hydrogen/air mixtures in a closed chamber

KAUST Repository

Shi, Xian; Ryu, Je Ir; Chen, Jyh-Yuan; Dibble, Robert W.

2017-01-01

Modes of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion of hydrogen/air mixtures in a closed chamber are numerically investigated using an 1-D unsteady, shock-capturing, compressible and reacting flow solver. Different combinations of reaction front propagation and end-gas combustion modes are observed, i.e., 1) deflagration without end-gas combustion, 2) deflagration to end-gas autoignition, 3) deflagration to end-gas detonation, 4) developing or developed detonation, occurring in the sequence of increasing initial temperatures. Effects of ignition location and chamber size are evaluated: the asymmetric ignition is found to promote the reactivity of unburnt mixture compared to ignitions at center/wall, due to additional heating from asymmetric pressure waves. End-gas combustion occurs earlier in smaller chambers, where end-gas temperature rise due to compression heating from the deflagration is faster. According to the ξ−ε regime diagram based on Zeldovich theory, modes of reaction front propagation are primarily determined by reactivity gradients introduced by initial ignition, while modes of end-gas combustion are influenced by the total amount of unburnt mixture at the time when autoignition occurs. A transient reactivity gradient method is provided and able to capture the occurrence of detonation.

Shock wave and flame front induced detonation in a rapid compression machine

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y.; Qi, Y.; Xiang, S.; Mével, R.; Wang, Z.

2018-05-01

The present study focuses on one mode of detonation initiation observed in a rapid compression machine (RCM). This mode is referred to as shock wave and flame front-induced detonation (SWFID). Experimental high-speed imaging and two-dimensional numerical simulations with skeletal chemistry are combined to unravel the dominant steps of detonation initiation under SWFID conditions. It is shown that the interaction between the shock wave generated by the end-gas auto-ignition and the spherical flame creates a region of high pressure and temperature which enables the acceleration of the flame front and the detonation onset. The experimental observation lacks adequate spatial and temporal resolution despite good reproducibility of the detonation onset. Based on the numerical results, phenomenological interpretation of the event within the framework of shock wave refraction indicates that the formation of a free-precursor shock wave at the transition between regular and irregular refraction may be responsible for detonation onset. The present results along with previous findings on shock wave reflection-induced detonation in the RCM indicate that super-knock occurs after the interaction of the shock wave generated by end-gas auto-ignition with the RCM walls, preignition flame, or another shock wave.

Impact of thermodynamic properties and heat loss on ignition of transportation fuels in rapid compression machines

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz

2018-01-30

Rapid compression machines (RCM) are extensively used to study autoignition of a wide variety of fuels at engine relevant conditions. Fuels ranging from pure species to full boiling range gasoline and diesel can be studied in an RCM to develop a better understanding of autoignition kinetics in low to intermediate temperature ranges. In an RCM, autoignition is achieved by compressing a fuel/oxidizer mixture to higher pressure and temperature, thereby initiating chemical reactions promoting ignition. During these experiments, the pressure is continuously monitored and is used to deduce significant events such as the end of compression and the onset of ignition. The pressure profile is also used to assess the temperature evolution of the gas mixture with time using the adiabatic core hypothesis and the heat capacity ratio of the gas mixture. In such RCM studies, real transportation fuels containing many components are often represented by simpler surrogate fuels. While simpler surrogates such as primary reference fuels (PRFs) and ternary primary reference fuel (TPRFs) can match research and motor octane number of transportation fuels, they may not accurately replicate thermodynamic properties (including heat capacity ratio). This non-conformity could exhibit significant discrepancies in the end of compression temperature, thereby affecting ignition delay (τign) measurements. Another aspect of RCMs that can affect τign measurement is post compression heat loss, which depends on various RCM parameters including geometry, extent of insulation, pre-heating temperature etc. To, better understand the effects of these non-chemical kinetic parameters on τign, thermodynamic properties of a number of FACE G gasoline surrogates were calculated and simulated in a multi-zone RCM model. The problem was further investigated using a variance based analysis and individual sensitivities were calculated. This study highlights the effects on τign due to thermodynamic properties of

Impact of branched structures on cycloalkane ignition in a motored engine: Detailed product and conformational analyses

KAUST Repository

Kang, Dongil

2015-04-01

The ignition process of ethylcyclohexane (ECH) and its two isomers, 1,3-dimethylcyclohexane (13DMCH) and 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane (12DMCH) was investigated in a modified CFR engine. The experiment was conducted with intake air temperature of 155. °C, equivalence ratio of 0.5 and engine speed of 600. rpm. The engine compression ratio (CR) was gradually increased in a stepwise manner until autoignition occurred. It was found that ECH exhibited a significantly higher oxidation reactivity compared to its two isomers. The autoignition criterion was based on CO emissions and the apparent heat release rates. Ethylcyclohexane (ECH) indicated noticeable two stage ignition behavior, while less significant heat release occurred for the two isomers at comparable conditions. The mole fractions of unreacted fuel and stable intermediate species over a wide range of compression ratios were analyzed by GC-MS and GC-FID. Most of the species indicated constant rates of formation and the trends of relative yield to unreacted fuel are well in agreement with the oxidation reactivity in the low temperature regime. The major intermediate species are revealed as a group of conjugate olefins, which possess the same molecular structure as the original fuel compound except for the presence of a double carbon bond. Conjugate olefins were mostly formed through (1,4) H-shift isomerization during the low temperature oxidation of alkylcyclohexanes. Conformation analysis explains the reactivity differences in the three isomers as well as the fractions of intermediate species. The hydrogen availability located in alkyl substituents plays an important role in determining oxidation reactivity, requiring less activation energy for abstraction through the (1,5) H-shift isomerization. This reactivity difference contributes to building up the major intermediate species observed during oxidation of each test fuel. 12DMCH, whose ignition reactivity is the lowest, less favors β-scission of C-C backbone of

Impact of thermodynamic properties and heat loss on ignition of transportation fuels in rapid compression machines

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz; Hantouche, Mireille; Khurshid, Muneeb; Mohamed, Samah; Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir; Roberts, William L.; Knio, Omar; Sarathy, Mani

2018-01-01

Rapid compression machines (RCM) are extensively used to study autoignition of a wide variety of fuels at engine relevant conditions. Fuels ranging from pure species to full boiling range gasoline and diesel can be studied in an RCM to develop a better understanding of autoignition kinetics in low to intermediate temperature ranges. In an RCM, autoignition is achieved by compressing a fuel/oxidizer mixture to higher pressure and temperature, thereby initiating chemical reactions promoting ignition. During these experiments, the pressure is continuously monitored and is used to deduce significant events such as the end of compression and the onset of ignition. The pressure profile is also used to assess the temperature evolution of the gas mixture with time using the adiabatic core hypothesis and the heat capacity ratio of the gas mixture. In such RCM studies, real transportation fuels containing many components are often represented by simpler surrogate fuels. While simpler surrogates such as primary reference fuels (PRFs) and ternary primary reference fuel (TPRFs) can match research and motor octane number of transportation fuels, they may not accurately replicate thermodynamic properties (including heat capacity ratio). This non-conformity could exhibit significant discrepancies in the end of compression temperature, thereby affecting ignition delay (τign) measurements. Another aspect of RCMs that can affect τign measurement is post compression heat loss, which depends on various RCM parameters including geometry, extent of insulation, pre-heating temperature etc. To, better understand the effects of these non-chemical kinetic parameters on τign, thermodynamic properties of a number of FACE G gasoline surrogates were calculated and simulated in a multi-zone RCM model. The problem was further investigated using a variance based analysis and individual sensitivities were calculated. This study highlights the effects on τign due to thermodynamic properties of

Turbulent Jet Flames Into a Vitiated Coflow. PhD Thesis awarded Spring 2003

Science.gov (United States)

Holdeman, James D. (Technical Monitor); Cabra, Ricardo

2004-01-01

coflow or jet velocity. An explanation for this phenomenon is that entrainment of ambient air at the high lift-off heights prevents autoignition. Analysis of the results suggests that flame stabilization occurs through a combination of flame propagation, autoignition, and localized extinction processes. Proposed is an expanded view of distributed reaction combustion based on analysis of the distributions of probe volume conditions at the stabilization region of the lifted hydrogen and methane flames. Turbulent eddies the size of the flame thickness mix fuel and hot coflow across the flame front, thereby enhancing the reaction zone with autoignition of reactants at elevated temperatures; this is the reverse effect of turbulent flames in ambient air, where intense turbulence in cool mixtures result in localized extinction. Each of the three processes (i.e., flame propagation, autoignition and localized extinction) contributes to flame stabilization in varying degrees, depending on flow conditions.

Ignition-promoting effect of NO2 on methane, ethane and methane/ethane mixtures in a rapid compression machine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gersen, S.; Mokhov, A.V.; Darmeveil, J.H.

2011-01-01

Autoignition delay times of stoichiometric methane, ethane and methane/ethane mixtures doped with 100 and 270ppm of NO2 have been measured in a RCM in the temperature range 900–1050K and pressures from 25 to 50bar. The measurements show that addition of NO2 to CH4/O2/N2/Ar and CH4/C2H6/O2/N2/Ar...

Combustion of High Molecular Weight Hydrocarbon Fuels and JP-8 at Moderate Pressures

Science.gov (United States)

2016-07-26

1. Introduction Fundamental knowledge of mechanisms of autoignition of condensed hydrocarbon fuels at elevated pressures is essential for accurate...particular JP-8) and surrogates of jet-fuels in laminar non-uniform flows at elevated pressures upto 2.5 MPa. Experimental and kinetic modeling studies...AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS (ES) U.S. Army Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 Combustion, Jet Fuels, JP-8, Elevated

Achievement report for fiscal 1999 on research and development of environment compatible next generation supersonic propulsion system; 1999 nendo kankyo tekigogata jisedai choonsoku suishin system no kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-09-01

This paper describes the achievements in fiscal 1999 in development of an environment compatible next generation supersonic propulsion system. In order to reduce NOx emission, AI combustion control was discussed to have fabricated the backfire and autoignition detection device. The SiC photodiode was selected for flame detection, and a heat and pressure resistant fiberoptic probe was fabricated to detect flames in a high-temperature high-pressure combustor casing. These devices were combined to fabricate the backfire and autoignition detecting device, and the verification test was performed. For the purpose of application to an innovative heat resistant combustor liner, a silicon carbide material reinforced with silicon carbide fibers was selected. For continuous ceramic fiber as a reinforcing material, the Si-Zr-C-O system was selected, and the chemical gas-phase impregnation process effective to enhance the fiber/matrix interface characteristics as the matrix forming method was used together with the inexpensive precursor polymer impregnating and sintering process. Investigations were performed on the advanced control functions to reduce fuel consumption as the development of CO2 emission suppressing technology, and on the trends in discrete control. In addition, the optimal engine control logic and the specifications for discrete system constituting devices to be evaluated as the prototype in the future were established. (NEDO)

Explosion testing for the container venting system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cashdollar, K.L.; Green, G.M.; Thomas, R.A.; Demiter, J.A.

1993-01-01

As part of the study of the hazards of inspecting nuclear waste stored at the Hanford Site, the US Department of Energy and Westinghouse Hanford Company have developed a container venting system to sample the gases that may be present in various metal drums and other containers. In support of this work, the US Bureau of Mines has studied the probability of ignition while drilling into drums and other containers that may contain flammable gas mixtures. The Westinghouse Hanford Company drilling procedure was simulated by tests conducted in the Bureau's 8-liter chamber, using the same type of pneumatic drill that will be used at the Hanford Site. There were no ignitions of near-stoichiometric hydrogen-air or methane-air mixtures during the drilling tests. The temperatures of the drill bits and lids were measured by an infrared video camera during the drilling tests. These measured temperatures are significantly lower than the ∼500 degree C autoignition temperature of uniformly heated hydrogen-air or the ∼600 degree C autoignition temperature of uniformly heated methane-air. The temperatures are substantially lower than the 750 degree C ignition temperature of hydrogen-air and 1,220 degree C temperature of methane-air when heated by a 1-m-diameter wire

Pulsed, supersonic fuel jets-A review of their characteristics and potential for fuel injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milton, B.E.; Pianthong, K.

2005-01-01

High pressure fuel injection has provided considerable benefits for diesel engines, substantially reducing smoke levels while increasing efficiency. Current maximum pressures provide jets that are at less than the sonic velocity of the compressed air in the cylinders at injection. It has been postulated that a further increase into the supersonic range may benefit the combustion process due to increased aerodynamic atomization and the presence of jet bow shock waves that provide higher temperatures around the fuel. Pulsed, supersonic injection may also be beneficial for scramjet engines. The current program is examining pulsed, supersonic jets from a fundamental viewpoint both experimentally and numerically. Shock wave structures have been viewed for jets ranging from 600 to 2400 m/s, velocity attenuation and penetration distance measured, different nozzle designs examined and autoignition experiments carried out. Inside the nozzle, numerical simulation using the Autodyne code has been used to support an analytic approach while in the spray, the FLUENT code has been used. While benefits have not yet been defined, it appears that some earlier claims regarding autoignition at atmospheric conditions were optimistic but that increased evaporation and mixing are probable. The higher jet velocities are likely to mean that wall interactions are increased and hence matching such injectors to engine size and airflow patterns will be important

HCCI engine control and optimization

OpenAIRE

Killingsworth, Nicholas J.

2007-01-01

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines have the benefit of high efficiency with low emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates. These benefits are due to the autoignition process of the dilute mixture of fuel and air during compression. However, because there is no direct ignition trigger, control of ignition is inherently more difficult than in standard internal combustion engines. This difficulty necessitates that a feedback controller be used to keep the engine at a desi...

<研究論文>DME燃料による予混合圧縮自己着火機関の特性

OpenAIRE

嶽間沢, 秀孝

2009-01-01

It converted so that a small engine could be operated by Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion with dimethyl ether (DME). It is difficult to control auto-ignition timing in HCCI combustion. The sound performances and the exhaust temperature of compression ignition combustion engine fueled with DME and diesel fuel were investigated. As a result， it succeeded in continuous smokeless operation of an efficient internal combustion engine by DME homogeneous charge system.

External heating of electrical cables and auto-ignition investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Courty, L., E-mail: leo.courty@univ-orleans.fr [Univ. Orleans, PRISME EA 4229, 63 Avenue de Lattre de Tassigny, 18020 Bourges (France); Garo, J.P. [Institut P’, UPR 3346 CNRS, ENSMA, Univ. Poitiers, 1 Av. Clément Ader, Téléport 2, BP 40109, 86961 Futuroscope Chasseneuil (France)

2017-01-05

Highlights: • Electrical cables pyrolysis and flammability have been studied. • Two different experimental setups were used to study cables mass loss and flammability. • A 1-D thermal model for cables mass loss and temperature is proposed. • Spontaneous and piloted ignitions have been investigated. - Abstract: Electric cables are now extensively used for both residential and industrial applications. During more than twenty years, multi-scale approaches have been developed to study fire behavior of such cables that represents a serious challenge. Cables are rather complicated materials because they consist of an insulated part and jacket of polymeric materials. These polymeric materials can have various chemical structures, thicknesses and additives and generally have a char-forming tendency when exposed to heat source. In this work, two test methods are used for the characterization of cable pyrolysis and flammability. The first one permits the investigation of cable pyrolysis. A description of the cable mass loss is obtained, coupling an Arrhenius expression with a 1D thermal model of cables heating. Numerical results are successfully compared with experimental data obtained for two types of cable commonly used in French nuclear power plants. The second one is devoted to ignition investigations (spontaneous or piloted) of these cables. All these basic observations, measurements and modelling efforts are of major interest for a more comprehensive fire resistance evaluation of electric cables.

Predictive modeling and reducing cyclic variability in autoignition engines

Science.gov (United States)

Hellstrom, Erik; Stefanopoulou, Anna; Jiang, Li; Larimore, Jacob

2016-08-30

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle engine to reduce cycle-to-cycle combustion variation. A predictive model is applied to predict cycle-to-cycle combustion behavior of an engine based on observed engine performance variables. Conditions are identified, based on the predicted cycle-to-cycle combustion behavior, that indicate high cycle-to-cycle combustion variation. Corrective measures are then applied to prevent the predicted high cycle-to-cycle combustion variation.

External heating of electrical cables and auto-ignition investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courty, L.; Garo, J.P.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Electrical cables pyrolysis and flammability have been studied. • Two different experimental setups were used to study cables mass loss and flammability. • A 1-D thermal model for cables mass loss and temperature is proposed. • Spontaneous and piloted ignitions have been investigated. - Abstract: Electric cables are now extensively used for both residential and industrial applications. During more than twenty years, multi-scale approaches have been developed to study fire behavior of such cables that represents a serious challenge. Cables are rather complicated materials because they consist of an insulated part and jacket of polymeric materials. These polymeric materials can have various chemical structures, thicknesses and additives and generally have a char-forming tendency when exposed to heat source. In this work, two test methods are used for the characterization of cable pyrolysis and flammability. The first one permits the investigation of cable pyrolysis. A description of the cable mass loss is obtained, coupling an Arrhenius expression with a 1D thermal model of cables heating. Numerical results are successfully compared with experimental data obtained for two types of cable commonly used in French nuclear power plants. The second one is devoted to ignition investigations (spontaneous or piloted) of these cables. All these basic observations, measurements and modelling efforts are of major interest for a more comprehensive fire resistance evaluation of electric cables.

Universal autoignition models for designer fuels in HCCI combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandersickel, A.; Boulouchos, K.; Wright, Y.M. [LAV - Aerothermochemistry and Combustion Systems Laboratory - Institute of Energy Technology, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)], email: vandersickel@lav.mavt.ethz.ch

2010-07-01

In the energy sector, stringent regulations have been implemented on combustion emissions in order to address health and environmental concerns and help improve air quality. A novel combustion mode, homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), can improve the emissions performance of an engine in terms of NOx and soot release over that of diesel while maintaining the same efficiencies. However, problems of ignition timing control arise with HCCI. The aim of this paper is to determine how fuel properties impact the HCCI ignition process and operating range. This study was carried out as part of a collaboration among several universities and automotive companies and 10 fuels were investigated experimentally and numerically using Arrhenius' model and a lumped reaction model. The two ignition models were successfully adapted to describe the behavior of the studied fuels; atomizer engine experiments validated their results. Further work will be conducted to optimize the reaction mechanism for the remaining process fuels.

External heating of electrical cables and auto-ignition investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Courty, L; Garo, J P

2017-01-05

Electric cables are now extensively used for both residential and industrial applications. During more than twenty years, multi-scale approaches have been developed to study fire behavior of such cables that represents a serious challenge. Cables are rather complicated materials because they consist of an insulated part and jacket of polymeric materials. These polymeric materials can have various chemical structures, thicknesses and additives and generally have a char-forming tendency when exposed to heat source. In this work, two test methods are used for the characterization of cable pyrolysis and flammability. The first one permits the investigation of cable pyrolysis. A description of the cable mass loss is obtained, coupling an Arrhenius expression with a 1D thermal model of cables heating. Numerical results are successfully compared with experimental data obtained for two types of cable commonly used in French nuclear power plants. The second one is devoted to ignition investigations (spontaneous or piloted) of these cables. All these basic observations, measurements and modelling efforts are of major interest for a more comprehensive fire resistance evaluation of electric cables. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling of diesel spray flame under engine-like conditions using an accelerated eulerian stochastic fields method: A convergence study of the number of stochastic fields

OpenAIRE

Pang, Kar Mun; Jangi, Mehdi; Bai, X.-S.; Schramm, Jesper; Walther, Jens Honore

2016-01-01

The use of transported Probability Density Function(PDF) methods allows a single model to compute the autoignition, premixed mode and diffusion flame of diesel combustion under engine-like conditions [1,2]. The Lagrangian particle based transported PDF models have been validated across a wide range of conditions [2,3]. Alternatively, the transported PDF model can also be formulated in the Eulerian framework[4]. The Eulerian PDF is commonly known as the Eulerian Stochastic Fields (ESF) model. ...

Oxidation of Alkane Rich Gasoline Fuels and their Surrogates in a Motored Engine

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai S B

2015-03-30

The validation of surrogates formulated using a computational framework by Ahmed et al.[1]for two purely paraffinic gasoline fuels labelled FACE A and FACE C was undertaken in this study. The ability of these surrogate mixtures to be used in modelling LTC engines was accessed by comparison of their low temperature oxidation chemistry with that of the respective parent fuel as well as a PRF based on RON. This was done by testing the surrogate mixtures in a modified Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine running in Controlled Autoignition Mode (CAI) mode. The engine was run at a constant speed of 600 rpm at an equivalence ratio of 0.5 with the intake temperature at 150 °C and a pressure of 98 kPa. The low temperature reactivity of the fuels were studied by varying the compression ratio of the engine from the point were very only small low temperature heat release was observed to a point beyond which auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture occurred. The apparent heat release rates of different fuels was calculated from the pressure histories using first law analysis and the CA 50 times of the low temperature heat release (LTHR) were compared. The surrogates reproduced the cool flame behavior of the parent fuels better than the PRF across all compression ratios.

Oxidation of Alkane Rich Gasoline Fuels and their Surrogates in a Motored Engine

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai S B; Al-Qurashi, Khalid; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Atef, Nour; Chung, Suk-Ho; Roberts, William L.; Sarathy, Mani

2015-01-01

The validation of surrogates formulated using a computational framework by Ahmed et al.[1]for two purely paraffinic gasoline fuels labelled FACE A and FACE C was undertaken in this study. The ability of these surrogate mixtures to be used in modelling LTC engines was accessed by comparison of their low temperature oxidation chemistry with that of the respective parent fuel as well as a PRF based on RON. This was done by testing the surrogate mixtures in a modified Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine running in Controlled Autoignition Mode (CAI) mode. The engine was run at a constant speed of 600 rpm at an equivalence ratio of 0.5 with the intake temperature at 150 °C and a pressure of 98 kPa. The low temperature reactivity of the fuels were studied by varying the compression ratio of the engine from the point were very only small low temperature heat release was observed to a point beyond which auto-ignition of the fuel/air mixture occurred. The apparent heat release rates of different fuels was calculated from the pressure histories using first law analysis and the CA 50 times of the low temperature heat release (LTHR) were compared. The surrogates reproduced the cool flame behavior of the parent fuels better than the PRF across all compression ratios.

An experimental study of fuel injection strategies in CAI gasoline engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunicz, J.; Kordos, P. [Department of Combustion Engines and Transport, Lublin University of Technology, Nadbystrzycka 36, 20-618 Lublin (Poland)

2011-01-15

Combustion of gasoline in a direct injection controlled auto-ignition (CAI) single-cylinder research engine was studied. CAI operation was achieved with the use of the negative valve overlap (NVO) technique and internal exhaust gas re-circulation (EGR). Experiments were performed at single injection and split injection, where some amount of fuel was injected close to top dead centre (TDC) during NVO interval, and the second injection was applied with variable timing. Additionally, combustion at variable fuel-rail pressure was examined. Investigation showed that at fuel injection into recompressed exhaust fuel reforming took place. This process was identified via an analysis of the exhaust-fuel mixture composition after NVO interval. It was found that at single fuel injection in NVO phase, its advance determined the heat release rate and auto-ignition timing, and had a strong influence on NO{sub X} emission. However, a delay of single injection to intake stroke resulted in deterioration of cycle-to-cycle variability. Application of split injection showed benefits of this strategy versus single injection. Examinations of different fuel mass split ratios and variable second injection timing resulted in further optimisation of mixture formation. At equal share of the fuel mass injected in the first injection during NVO and in the second injection at the beginning of compression, the lowest emission level and cyclic variability improvement were observed. (author)

Reaction kinetics of hydrogen atom abstraction from isopentanol by the H atom and HO2˙ radical.

Science.gov (United States)

Parab, Prajakta Rajaram; Heufer, K Alexander; Fernandes, Ravi Xavier

2018-04-25

Isopentanol is a potential next-generation biofuel for future applications to Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine concepts. To provide insights into the combustion behavior of isopentanol, especially to its auto-ignition behavior which is linked both to efficiency and pollutant formation in real combustion systems, detailed quantum chemical studies for crucial reactions are desired. H-Abstraction reaction rates from fuel molecules are key initiation steps for chain branching required for auto-ignition. In this study, rate constants are determined for the hydrogen atom abstraction reactions from isopentanol by the H atom and HO2˙ radical by implementing the CBS-QB3 composite method. For the treatment of the internal rotors, a Pitzer-Gwinn-like approximation is applied. On comparing the computed reaction energies, the highest exothermicity (ΔE = -46 kJ mol-1) is depicted for Hα abstraction by the H atom whereas the lowest endothermicity (ΔE = 29 kJ mol-1) is shown for the abstraction of Hα by the HO2˙ radical. The formation of hydrogen bonding is found to affect the kinetics of the H atom abstraction reactions by the HO2˙ radical. Further above 750 K, the calculated high pressure limit rate constants indicate that the total contribution from delta carbon sites (Cδ) is predominant for hydrogen atom abstraction by the H atom and HO2˙ radical.

Separate direct injection of diesel and ethanol: A numerical analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Burnete Nicolae V.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate the theoretical possibility of using a pilot diesel injection for the auto-ignition of a main ethanol injection in a compression ignition engine. To this effect a predictive simulation model has been built based on experimental results for a diesel cycle (pilot and main injection at 1500 and 2500 min–1, respectively. For every engine speed, in addition to the diesel reference cycle, two more simulations were done: one with the same amount of fuel injected into the cylinder and one with the same amount of energy, which required an increase in the quantity of ethanol proportional to the ratio of its lower heating value and that of diesel. The simulations showed that in all cases the pilot diesel led to the auto-ignition of ethanol. The analysis of the in-cylinder traces at 1500 min–1 showed that combustion efficiency is improved, the peak temperature value decrease with approximately 240 K and, as a result, the NO emissions are 3.5-4 times lower. The CO and CO2 values depend on the amount of fuel injected into the cylinder. At 2500 min–1 there are similar trends but with the following observations: the ignition delay increases, while the pressure and temperature are lower.

Photographic investigation into the mechanism of combustion in irregular detonation waves

Science.gov (United States)

Kiyanda, C. B.; Higgins, A. J.

2013-03-01

Irregular detonations are supersonic combustion waves in which the inherent multi-dimensional structure is highly variable. In such waves, it is questionable whether auto-ignition induced by shock compression is the only combustion mechanism present. Through the use of high-speed schlieren and self-emitted light photography, the velocity of the different components of detonation waves in a {{ CH}}_4+2{ O}_2 mixture is analyzed. The observed burn-out of unreacted pockets is hypothesized to be due to turbulent combustion.

Ignition delay measurements of light naphtha: A fully blended low octane fuel

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2016-06-15

Light naphtha is a fully blended, low-octane (RON. = 64.5, MON. = 63.5), highly paraffinic (>. 90% paraffinic content) fuel, and is one of the first distillates obtained during the crude oil refining process. Light naphtha is an attractive low-cost fuel candidate for advanced low-temperature compression ignition engines where autoignition is the primary control mechanism. We measured ignition delay times for light naphtha in a shock tube and a rapid compression machine (RCM) over a broad range of temperatures (640-1250. K), pressures (20 and 40. bar) and equivalence ratios (0.5, 1 and 2). Ignition delay times were modeled using a two-component primary reference fuel (PRF) surrogate and a multi-component surrogate. Both surrogates adequately captured the measured ignition delay times of light naphtha under shock tube conditions. However, for low-temperature RCM conditions, simulations with the multi-component surrogate showed better agreement with experimental data. These simulated surrogate trends were confirmed by measuring the ignition delay times of the PRF and multi-component surrogates in the RCM at . P = 20. bar, . ϕ = 2. Detailed kinetic analyses were undertaken to ascertain the dependence of the surrogates\\' reactivity on their chemical composition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first fundamental autoignition study on the reactivity of a low-octane fully blended fuel and the use of a suitably formulated multi-component surrogate to model its behavior.

Experimental validation of a kinetic multi-component mechanism in a wide HCCI engine operating range for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene: Influence of EGR parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machrafi, Hatim

2008-01-01

The parameters that are present in exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) are believed to provide an important contribution to control the auto-ignition process of the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) in an engine. For the investigation of the behaviour of the auto-ignition process, a kinetic multi-component mechanism has been developed in former work, containing 62 reactions and 49 species for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene. This paper presents an experimental validation of this mechanism, comparing the calculated pressure, heat release, ignition delays and CO 2 emissions with experimental data performed on a HCCI engine. The validation is performed in a broad range of EGR parameters by varying the dilution by N 2 and CO 2 from 0 to 46 vol.%, changing the EGR temperature from 30 to 120 deg. C, altering the addition of CO and NO from 0 to 170 ppmv and varying the addition of CH 2 O from 0 to 1400 ppmv. These validations were performed respecting the HCCI conditions for the inlet temperature and the equivalence ratio. The results showed that the mechanism is validated experimentally in dilution ranges going up to 21-30 vol.%, depending on the species of dilution and over the whole range of the EGR temperature. The mechanism is validated over the whole range of CO and CH 2 O addition. As for the addition of NO, the mechanism is validated quantitatively up to 50 ppmv and qualitatively up to 170 ppmv

The knock study of methanol fuel based on multi-dimensional simulation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, Xudong; Liu, Daming; Wang, Yang

2017-01-01

Methanol is an alternative fuel, and considered to be one of the most favorable fuels for engines. In this study, knocking combustion in a developed ORCEM (optical rapid compression and expansion machine) is studied based on the multi-dimensional simulation analysis. The LES (large-eddy simulation) models coupled with methanol chemical reaction kinetics (contains 21-species and 84-elementary reactions) is adopted to study knocking combustion. The results showed that the end-gas auto-ignition first occurred in the position near the chamber wall because of the higher temperature and pressure. The H_2O_2 species could be a good flame front indicator. OH radicals played the major role, and the HCO radicals almost could be ignored during knocking combustion. The HCO radicals generated little, so its concentration during knocking combustion almost may be ignored. The mean reaction intensity results of CH_2O, OH, H_2O_2, and CO were higher than others during knocking combustion. Finally, this paper put forward some new suggestions on the weakness in the knocking combustion researches of methanol fuel. - Highlights: • Knocking combustion of methanol was studied in a developed ORCEM. • The LES coupled with detailed chemical kinetics was adopted to simulation study. • The end-gas auto-ignition first occurred in the place near the chamber wall. • OH radical was the predominant species during knocking combustion. • The H_2O_2 species could be a good flame front indicator.

Development of an instantaneous local fuel-concentration measurement probe: an engine application

Science.gov (United States)

Guibert, P.; Boutar, Z.; Lemoyne, L.

2003-11-01

This work presents a new tool which can deliver instantaneous local measurements of fuel concentration in an engine cylinder with a high temporal resolution, particularly during compression strokes. Fuel concentration is represented by means of equivalence fuel-air ratio, i.e. the real engine mass ratio of fuel to air divided by the same ratio in ideal stoichiometry conditions. Controlling the mixture configuration for any strategy in a spark ignition engine and for auto-ignition combustion has a dominant effect on the subsequent processes of ignition, flame propagation and auto-ignition combustion progression, pollutant formation under lean or even stoichiometric operating conditions. It is extremely difficult, under a transient operation, to control the equivalence air/fuel ratio precisely at a required value and at the right time. This requires the development of a highly accurate equivalence air/fuel ratio control system and a tool to measure using crank angle (CA) resolution. Although non-intrusive laser techniques have considerable advantages, they are most of the time inappropriate due to their optical inaccessibility or the complex experimental set-up involved. Therefore, as a response to the demand for a relatively simple fuel-concentration measurement system a probe is presented that replaces a spark plug and allows the engine to run completely normally. The probe is based on hot-wire like apparatus, but involves catalytic oxidation at the wire surface. The development, characteristics and calibration of the probe are presented followed by applications to in-cylinder engine measurements.

Flammability characteristics of combustible gases and vapors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zabetakis, M. G. [Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

1964-05-01

This is a summary of the available limit of flammability, autoignition and burning-rate data for more than 200 combustible gases and vapors in air and other oxidants, as well as of empirical rules and graphs that can be used to predict similar data for thousands of other combustibles under a variety of environmental conditions. Spec$c data are presented on the paraffinic, unsaturated, aromatic, and alicyclic hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, and sulfur compounds, and an assortment of fuels, fuel blends, hydraulic fluids, engine oils, and miscellaneous combustible gases and vapors.

Army Research Office and Air Force Office of Scientific Research Contractors’ Meeting in Chemical Propulsion Held in Boulder, Colorado on June 11-13, 2007

Science.gov (United States)

2007-06-01

Hanson, "Methyl Concentration Time Histories during iso -Octane and n-Heptane Oxidation," Proceedings of the Combustion Institute 31, 321-328, 2007. T...1000 -700 -400 -100 200 500 800 Temperature(K): 300 700 1100 1500 1900 2300 27000 . A l/ 0.1 0.60.0 OWN 00,o2 a3 0 0 . . . o’.4 0 0.1 02 o0. 0.4 x(m...reproduce extinction and autoignition characteristics of JP-8. A surrogate made up of n-decane (60 %) and iso -octane (40 %) by liquid volume best

Biferroic LuCrO{sub 3}: Structural characterization, magnetic and dielectric properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durán, A., E-mail: dural@cnyn.unam.mx [Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología, Km. 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Apartado Postal 14, C.P. 22800 Ensenada, BC (Mexico); Meza F, C.; Morán, E.; Alario-Franco, M.A. [Departamento de Química Inorgánica y Laboratorio Complutense de Altas Presiones, Facultad de Química, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, EU, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Ostos, C., E-mail: ceostoso@gmail.com [Instituto de Química, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Calle 70 No. 52-21, Medellín (Colombia)

2014-02-14

Multiferroic LuCrO{sub 3} perovskite-type structure (Pbnm) obtained via auto-ignition synthesis was characterized by a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) techniques, and through magnetization and permittivity measurements. Results showed that amorphous combustion powders were fully transformed to orthorhombic LuCrO{sub 3} structure at 1200 K after the first LuCrO{sub 4} crystallization at 700 K. The magnetic response displays thermal irreversibility between zero-field-cooling and field-cooling condition which is due to spin canted AF switching at 116 K. Accordingly, a hysteresis loop in the M(H) data confirms weak ferromagnetism in LuCrO{sub 3}. On the other hand, the permittivity measurement shows a broad peak transition typical of relaxor-type ferroelectrics transition at ∼450 K. Electrical conductivity increases as temperature increases showing an anomaly around the diffuse phase transition. The diffuse phase transition and the formation of the charge carriers are discussed in terms of a local distortion around the Lu Site. - Highlights: • Multiferroic LuCrO{sub 3} was successfully obtained via auto-ignition synthesis. • Amorphous powder is transformed first to LuCrO{sub 4} (700 K) and next to LuCrO{sub 3} (1100 K). • The CrO{sub 6} octahedra are tilted away and rotates from the ideal octahedral shape. • LuCrO{sub 3} exhibits a canted AFM transition (116 K) and a relaxor ferroelectric behavior. • Tilting and rotation of CrO{sub 6} octahedra influenced transport properties on LuCrO{sub 3}.

Biferroic LuCrO3: Structural characterization, magnetic and dielectric properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durán, A.; Meza F, C.; Morán, E.; Alario-Franco, M.A.; Ostos, C.

2014-01-01

Multiferroic LuCrO 3 perovskite-type structure (Pbnm) obtained via auto-ignition synthesis was characterized by a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric (TG) techniques, and through magnetization and permittivity measurements. Results showed that amorphous combustion powders were fully transformed to orthorhombic LuCrO 3 structure at 1200 K after the first LuCrO 4 crystallization at 700 K. The magnetic response displays thermal irreversibility between zero-field-cooling and field-cooling condition which is due to spin canted AF switching at 116 K. Accordingly, a hysteresis loop in the M(H) data confirms weak ferromagnetism in LuCrO 3 . On the other hand, the permittivity measurement shows a broad peak transition typical of relaxor-type ferroelectrics transition at ∼450 K. Electrical conductivity increases as temperature increases showing an anomaly around the diffuse phase transition. The diffuse phase transition and the formation of the charge carriers are discussed in terms of a local distortion around the Lu Site. - Highlights: • Multiferroic LuCrO 3 was successfully obtained via auto-ignition synthesis. • Amorphous powder is transformed first to LuCrO 4 (700 K) and next to LuCrO 3 (1100 K). • The CrO 6 octahedra are tilted away and rotates from the ideal octahedral shape. • LuCrO 3 exhibits a canted AFM transition (116 K) and a relaxor ferroelectric behavior. • Tilting and rotation of CrO 6 octahedra influenced transport properties on LuCrO 3

Experimental validation of a kinetic multi-component mechanism in a wide HCCI engine operating range for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene: Influence of EGR parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Machrafi, Hatim [LGPPTS, Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Paris/ Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6), 11, rue de Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05 (France)

2008-11-15

The parameters that are present in exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) are believed to provide an important contribution to control the auto-ignition process of the homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) in an engine. For the investigation of the behaviour of the auto-ignition process, a kinetic multi-component mechanism has been developed in former work, containing 62 reactions and 49 species for mixtures of n-heptane, iso-octane and toluene. This paper presents an experimental validation of this mechanism, comparing the calculated pressure, heat release, ignition delays and CO{sub 2} emissions with experimental data performed on a HCCI engine. The validation is performed in a broad range of EGR parameters by varying the dilution by N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2} from 0 to 46 vol.%, changing the EGR temperature from 30 to 120 C, altering the addition of CO and NO from 0 to 170 ppmv and varying the addition of CH{sub 2}O from 0 to 1400 ppmv. These validations were performed respecting the HCCI conditions for the inlet temperature and the equivalence ratio. The results showed that the mechanism is validated experimentally in dilution ranges going up to 21-30 vol.%, depending on the species of dilution and over the whole range of the EGR temperature. The mechanism is validated over the whole range of CO and CH{sub 2}O addition. As for the addition of NO, the mechanism is validated quantitatively up to 50 ppmv and qualitatively up to 170 ppmv. (author)

Fire suppression as a thermal implosion

Science.gov (United States)

Novozhilov, Vasily

2017-01-01

The present paper discusses the possibility of the thermal implosion scenario. This process would be a reverse of the well known thermal explosion (autoignition) phenomenon. The mechanism for thermal implosion scenario is proposed which involves quick suppression of the turbulent diffusion flame. Classical concept of the thermal explosion is discussed first. Then a possible scenario for the reverse process (thermal implosion) is discussed and illustrated by a relevant mathematical model. Based on the arguments presented in the paper, thermal implosion may be observed as an unstable equilibrium point on the generalized Semenov diagram for turbulent flame, however this hypothesis requires ultimate experimental confirmation.

Development and validation of a generic reduced chemical kinetic mechanism for CFD spray combustion modelling of biodiesel fuels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Xinwei; Ng, Hoon Kiat; Ho, Jee Hou

2015-01-01

In this reported work, a generic reduced biodiesel chemical kinetic mechanism, with components of methyl decanoate (C11H22O2, MD), methyl-9-decenoate (C11H20O2, MD9D) and n-heptane (C7H16) was built to represent the methyl esters of coconut, palm, rapeseed and soybean. The reduced biodiesel...... and detailed mechanism predictions, for each zero-dimensional (0D) auto-ignition and extinction process using CHEMKIN-PRO. Maximum percentage errors of less than 40.0% were recorded when the predicted ignition delay (ID) periods for coconut, palm, rapeseed and soybean methyl esters were compared to those...

A case of deep burns, while diving The Lusitania.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Curran, John N

2010-07-01

We present the first documented case of severe burns, sustained by a diver as a result of auto-ignition of air-activated heat packs at high partial pressure of oxygen and high ambient pressure. Our patient was diving the shipwreck of The Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland. This is a significant wreck, lying 90 metres down on the seabed. Torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915, its loss prompted American involvement in WW1. Several unlikely events combined in this case to bring about serious and life threatening injuries. Herein we discuss the case and explore some of the physical and chemical processes that lead to these injuries.

Auto-Ignition and Combustion of Diesel Fuel in a Constant-Volume Bomb

Science.gov (United States)

Selden, Robert F

1938-01-01

Report presents the results of a study of variations in ignition lag and combustion associated with changes in air temperature and density for a diesel fuel in a constant-volume bomb. The test results have been discussed in terms of engine performance wherever comparisons could be drawn. The most important conclusions drawn from this investigation are: the ignition lag was essentially independent of the injected fuel quantity. Extrapolation of the curves for the fuel used shows that the lag could not be greatly decreased by exceeding the compression-ignition engines. In order to obtain the best combustion and thermal efficiency, it was desirable to use the longest ignition lag consistent with a permissible rate of pressure rise.

Predicting auto-ignition characteristics of RCCI combustion using a multi-zone model

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Egüz, U.; Maes, N.C.J.; Leermakers, C.A.J.; Somers, L.M.T.; Goey, de L.P.H.

2013-01-01

The objective of new combustion concepts is to meet emission standards by improving fuel air mixing prior to ignition. Since there is no overlap between injection and ignition, combustion is governed mainly by chemical kinetics and it is challenging to control the phasing of ignition. Reactivity

Hybrid Automotive Engine Using Ethanol-Burning Miller Cycle

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, Leonard

2004-01-01

A proposed hybrid (internal-combustion/ electric) automotive engine system would include as its internal-combustion subsystem, a modified Miller-cycle engine with regenerative air preheating and with autoignition like that of a Diesel engine. The fuel would be ethanol and would be burned lean to ensure complete combustion. Although the proposed engine would have a relatively low power-to-weight ratio compared to most present engines, this would not be the problem encountered if this engine were used in a non-hybrid system since hybrid systems require significantly lower power and thus smaller engines than purely internal-combustion-engine-driven vehicles. The disadvantage would be offset by the advantages of high fuel efficiency, low emission of nitrogen oxides and particulate pollutants, and the fact that ethanol is a renewable fuel. The original Miller-cycle engine, named after its inventor, was patented in the 1940s and is the basis of engines used in some modern automobiles, but is not widely known. In somewhat oversimplified terms, the main difference between a Miller-cycle engine and a common (Otto-cycle) automobile engine is that the Miller-cycle engine has a longer expansion stroke while retaining the shorter compression stroke. This is accomplished by leaving the intake valve open for part of the compression stroke, whereas in the Otto cycle engine, the intake valve is kept closed during the entire compression stroke. This greater expansion ratio makes it possible to extract more energy from the combustion process without expending more energy for compression. The net result is greater efficiency. In the proposed engine, the regenerative preheating would be effected by running the intake air through a heat exchanger connected to the engine block. The regenerative preheating would offer two advantages: It would ensure reliable autoignition during operation at low ambient temperature and would help to cool the engine, thereby reducing the remainder of the

The effect of ethanol–diesel–biodiesel blends on combustion, performance and emissions of a direct injection diesel engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labeckas, Gvidonas; Slavinskas, Stasys; Mažeika, Marius

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Ethanol–diesel–biodiesel blends were tested at the same air–fuel ratios and three ranges of speed. • The fuel oxygen mass content reflects changes in the autoignition delay more predictably than the cetane number does. • Using of composite blend E15B suggests the brake thermal efficiency the same as the normal diesel fuel. • Adding of ethanol to diesel fuel reduces the NO x emission for richer air–fuel mixtures at all engine speeds. • The ethanol effect on CO, HC emissions and smoke opacity depends on the air–fuel ratio and engine speed. - Abstract: The article presents the test results of a four-stroke, four-cylinder, naturally aspirated, DI 60 kW diesel engine operating on diesel fuel (DF) and its 5 vol% (E5), 10 vol% (E10), and 15 vol% (E15) blends with anhydrous (99.8%) ethanol (E). An additional ethanol–diesel–biodiesel blend E15B was prepared by adding the 15 vol% of ethanol and 5 vol% of biodiesel (B) to diesel fuel (80 vol%). The purpose of the research was to examine the influence of the ethanol and RME addition to diesel fuel on start of injection, autoignition delay, combustion and maximum heat release rate, engine performance efficiency and emissions of the exhaust when operating over a wide range of loads and speeds. The test results were analysed and compared with a base diesel engine running at the same air–fuel ratios of λ = 5.5, 3.0 and 1.5 corresponding to light, medium and high loads. The same air–fuel ratios predict that the energy content delivered per each engine cycle will be almost the same for various ethanol–diesel–biodiesel blends that eliminate some side effects and improve analyses of the test results. A new approach revealed an important role of the fuel bound oxygen, which reflects changes of the autoignition delay more predictably than the cetane number does. The influence of the fuel oxygen on maximum heat release rate, maximum combustion pressure, NO x , CO emissions and smoke opacity

Degradation of carbonyl hydroperoxides in the atmosphere and in combustion

KAUST Repository

Xing, Lili

2017-10-12

Oxygenates with carbonyl and hydroperoxy functional groups are important intermediates that are generated during the autooxidation of organic compounds in the atmosphere and during the autoignition of transport fuels. In the troposphere, the degradation of carbonyl hydroperoxides leads to low-vapor-pressure polyfunctional species that be taken into in cloud and fog droplets or to the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). In combustion, the fate of carbonyl hydroperoxides is important for the performance of advanced combustion engines, especially for autoignition. A key fate of the carbonyl hydroperoxides is reac-tion with OH radicals, for which kinetics data are experimentally unavailable. Here, we study 4-hydroperoxy-2-pentanone (CH3C(=O)CH2CH(OOH)CH3) as a model compound to clarify the kinetics of OH reactions with carbonyl hydroperoxides, in par-ticular H-atom abstraction and OH addition reactions. With a combination of electronic structure calculations, we determine previ-ously missing thermochemical data, and with multipath variational transition state theory (MP-VTST), a multidimensional tunnel-ing (MT) approximation, multiple-structure anharmonicity, and torsional potential anharmonicity we obtained much more accurate rate constants than the ones that can computed by conventional single-structure harmonic transition state theory (TST) and than the empirically estimated rate constants that are currently used in atmospheric and combustion modeling. The roles of various factors in determining the rates are elucidated. The pressure-dependent rate constants for the addition reaction are computed using system-specific quantum RRK theory. The calculated temperature range is 298-2400 K, and the pressure range is 0.01–100 atm. The accu-rate thermodynamic and kinetics data determined in this work are indispensable in the global modeling of SOAs in atmospheric science and in the detailed understanding and prediction of ignition properties of hydrocarbons

Fuel Flexible, Low Emission Catalytic Combustor for Opportunity Fuel Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eteman, Shahrokh

2013-06-30

Limited fuel resources, increasing energy demand and stringent emission regulations are drivers to evaluate process off-gases or process waste streams as fuels for power generation. Often these process waste streams have low energy content and/or highly reactive components. Operability of low energy content fuels in gas turbines leads to issues such as unstable and incomplete combustion. On the other hand, fuels containing higher-order hydrocarbons lead to flashback and auto-ignition issues. Due to above reasons, these fuels cannot be used directly without modifications or efficiency penalties in gas turbine engines. To enable the use of these wide variety of fuels in gas turbine engines a rich catalytic lean burn (RCL®) combustion system was developed and tested in a subscale high pressure (10 atm.) rig. The RCL® injector provided stability and extended turndown to low Btu fuels due to catalytic pre-reaction. Previous work has shown promise with fuels such as blast furnace gas (BFG) with LHV of 85 Btu/ft3 successfully combusted. This program extends on this work by further modifying the combustor to achieve greater catalytic stability enhancement. Fuels containing low energy content such as weak natural gas with a Lower Heating Value (LHV) of 6.5 MJ/m3 (180 Btu/ft3 to natural gas fuels containing higher hydrocarbon (e.g ethane) with LHV of 37.6 MJ/m3 (1010 Btu/ft3) were demonstrated with improved combustion stability; an extended turndown (defined as the difference between catalytic and non-catalytic lean blow out) of greater than 250oF was achieved with CO and NOx emissions lower than 5 ppm corrected to 15% O2. In addition, for highly reactive fuels the catalytic region preferentially pre-reacted the higher order hydrocarbons with no events of flashback or auto-ignition allowing a stable and safe operation with low NOx and CO emissions.

Laser induced plasma methodology for ignition control in direct injection sprays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, José V.; García-Oliver, José M.; García, Antonio; Pinotti, Mattia

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Laser Induced Plasma Ignition system is designed and applied to a Diesel Spray. • A method for quantification of the system effectiveness and reliability is proposed. • The ignition system is optimized in atmospheric and engine-like conditions. • Higher system effectiveness is reached with higher ambient density. • The system is able to stabilize Diesel combustion compared to auto-ignition cases. - Abstract: New combustion modes for internal combustion engines represent one of the main fields of investigation for emissions control in transportation Industry. However, the implementation of lean fuel mixture condition and low temperature combustion in real engines is limited by different unsolved practical issues. To achieve an appropriate combustion phasing and cycle-to-cycle control of the process, the laser plasma ignition system arises as a valid alternative to the traditional electrical spark ignition system. This paper proposes a methodology to set-up and optimize a laser induced plasma ignition system that allows ensuring reliability through the quantification of the system effectiveness in the plasma generation and positional stability, in order to reach optimal ignition performance. For this purpose, experimental tests have been carried out in an optical test rig. At first the system has been optimized in an atmospheric environment, based on the statistical analysis of the plasma records taken with a high speed camera to evaluate the induction effectiveness and consequently regulate and control the system settings. The same optimization method has then been applied under engine-like conditions, analyzing the effect of thermodynamic ambient conditions on the plasma induction success and repeatability, which have shown to depend mainly on ambient density. Once optimized for selected engine conditions, the laser plasma induction system has been used to ignite a direct injection Diesel spray, and to compare the evolution of combustion

Construction and validation of detailed kinetic models for the combustion of gasoline surrogates; Construction et validation de modeles cinetiques detailles pour la combustion de melanges modeles des essences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Touchard, S.

2005-10-15

The irreversible reduction of oil resources, the CO{sub 2} emission control and the application of increasingly strict standards of pollutants emission lead the worldwide researchers to work to reduce the pollutants formation and to improve the engine yields, especially by using homogenous charge combustion of lean mixtures. The numerical simulation of fuel blends oxidation is an essential tool to study the influence of fuel formulation and motor conditions on auto-ignition and on pollutants emissions. The automatic generation helps to obtain detailed kinetic models, especially at low temperature, where the number of reactions quickly exceeds thousand. The main purpose of this study is the generation and the validation of detailed kinetic models for the oxidation of gasoline blends using the EXGAS software. This work has implied an improvement of computation rules for thermodynamic and kinetic data, those were validated by numerical simulation using CHEMKIN II softwares. A large part of this work has concerned the understanding of the low temperature oxidation chemistry of the C5 and larger alkenes. Low and high temperature mechanisms were proposed and validated for 1 pentene, 1-hexene, the binary mixtures containing 1 hexene/iso octane, 1 hexene/toluene, iso octane/toluene and the ternary mixture of 1 hexene/toluene/iso octane. Simulations were also done for propene, 1-butene and iso-octane with former models including the modifications proposed in this PhD work. If the generated models allowed us to simulate with a good agreement the auto-ignition delays of the studied molecules and blends, some uncertainties still remains for some reaction paths leading to the formation of cyclic products in the case of alkenes oxidation at low temperature. It would be also interesting to carry on this work for combustion models of gasoline blends at low temperature. (author)

Fueling an D.I. agricultural diesel engine with waste oil biodiesel: Effects over injection, combustion and engine characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radu, Rosca; Petru, Carlescu; Edward, Rakosi; Gheorghe, Manolache

2009-01-01

The paper presents the results of a research concerning the use of a biodiesel type fuel in D.I. Diesel engine; the fuel injection system and the engine were tested. The results indicated that the injection characteristics are affected when a blend containing 50% methyl ester and 50% petrodiesel is used as fuel (injection duration, pressure wave propagation time, average injection rate, peak injection pressure). As a result, the engine characteristics are also affected, the use of the biodiesel blend leading to lower output power and torque; the lower autoignition delay and pressure wave propagation time led to changes of the cylinder pressure and heat release traces and to lower peak combustion pressures.

Evaluation of solution combustion method in the synthesis of Fe-ZrSiO4 based coral pigment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moosavi, A.; Aghaei, A.

2008-01-01

Auto-ignited gel combustion process has been used for producing a red hematite-zircon based pigment. The combustible mixtures contained the metal nitrates and citric acid as oxidizers and fuel, respectively. Sodium silicate (water glass) was used as silica source for producing zircon phase. X-Ray Diffractometry, Electron Microscopy and Simultaneous Thermal Analysis were used for characterization of reactions happened in the resulted dried gel during its heat-treatment. L*a*b* color parameters were measured by the CIE (Commission International de I'Eclairage) colorimetric method. This research has showed that solution combustion was unable 10 produce coral pigment as the end product of combustion without the need for any further heat treatment process

Experimental investigations on controlled auto-ignition combustion in a four-stroke gasoline engine

OpenAIRE

Oakley, Aaron John

2001-01-01

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University. The effects of air and exhaust gas dilution on the CAI combustion of a range of fuels including three gasoline compositions, four primary reference fuels, and two alcohols are experimentally investigated using a single cylinder research engine. Two of the three gasolines tested are manufactured from standard gasoline during engine operation by a novel fuel system, designed to improve the per...

Los Alamos National Security, LLC Request for Information on how industry may partner with the Laboratory on KIVA software.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mcdonald, Kathleen Herrera [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-02-29

KIVA is a family of Fortran-based computational fluid dynamics software developed by LANL. The software predicts complex fuel and air flows as well as ignition, combustion, and pollutant-formation processes in engines. The KIVA models have been used to understand combustion chemistry processes, such as auto-ignition of fuels, and to optimize diesel engines for high efficiency and low emissions. Fuel economy is heavily dependent upon engine efficiency, which in turn depends to a large degree on how fuel is burned within the cylinders of the engine. Higher in-cylinder pressures and temperatures lead to increased fuel economy, but they also create more difficulty in controlling the combustion process. Poorly controlled and incomplete combustion can cause higher levels of emissions and lower engine efficiencies.

Hydrogen formation and control under postulated LMFBR accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, G.R.; Wierman, R.W.

1976-09-01

The objective of this study is to experimentally investigate the potential for autoignition and combustion of hydrogen-sodium mixtures which may be produced in LMFBR accidents. The purpose and ultimate usefulness of this work is to provide data that will establish the validity and acceptability of mechanisms inherent to the LMFBR that could either prevent or delay the accumulation of hydrogen gas to less than 4 percent (V) in the Reactor Containment Building (RCB) under accident conditions. The results to date indicate that sodium and sodium-hydrogen mixtures such as may be expected during LMFBR postulated accidents will ignite upon entering an air atmosphere and that the hydrogen present will be essentially all consumed until such time that the oxygen concentration is depleted

Combustion in a High-Speed Compression-Ignition Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Rothrock, A M

1933-01-01

An investigation conducted to determine the factors which control the combustion in a high-speed compression-ignition engine is presented. Indicator cards were taken with the Farnboro indicator and analyzed according to the tangent method devised by Schweitzer. The analysis show that in a quiescent combustion chamber increasing the time lag of auto-ignition increases the maximum rate of combustion. Increasing the maximum rate of combustion increases the tendency for detonation to occur. The results show that by increasing the air temperature during injection the start of combustion can be forced to take place during injection and so prevent detonation from occurring. It is shown that the rate of fuel injection does not in itself control the rate of combustion.

Effects of Direct Fuel Injection Strategies on Cycle-by-Cycle Variability in a Gasoline Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine: Sample Entropy Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacek Hunicz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this study we summarize and analyze experimental observations of cyclic variability in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI combustion in a single-cylinder gasoline engine. The engine was configured with negative valve overlap (NVO to trap residual gases from prior cycles and thus enable auto-ignition in successive cycles. Correlations were developed between different fuel injection strategies and cycle average combustion and work output profiles. Hypothesized physical mechanisms based on these correlations were then compared with trends in cycle-by-cycle predictability as revealed by sample entropy. The results of these comparisons help to clarify how fuel injection strategy can interact with prior cycle effects to affect combustion stability and so contribute to design control methods for HCCI engines.

Rapid detonation initiation by sparks in a short duct: a numerical study

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Z. M.; Dou, H. S.; Khoo, B. C.

2010-06-01

Rapid onset of detonation can efficiently increase the working frequency of a pulse detonation engine (PDE). In the present study, computations of detonation initiation in a duct are conducted to investigate the mechanisms of detonation initiation. The governing equations are the Euler equations and the chemical kinetic model consists of 19 elementary reactions and nine species. Different techniques of initiation have been studied for the purpose of accelerating detonation onset with a relatively weak ignition energy. It is found that detonation ignition induced by means of multiple sparks is applicable to auto-ignition for a PDE. The interaction among shock waves, flame fronts and the strip of pre-compressed fresh (unburned) mixture plays an important role in rapid onset of detonation.

Low-Temperature Combustion of High Octane Fuels in a Gasoline Compression Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khanh Duc Cung

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Gasoline compression ignition (GCI has been shown as one of the advanced combustion concepts that could potentially provide a pathway to achieve cleaner and more efficient combustion engines. Fuel and air in GCI are not fully premixed compared to homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI, which is a completely kinetic-controlled combustion system. Therefore, the combustion phasing can be controlled by the time of injection, usually postinjection in a multiple-injection scheme, to mitigate combustion noise. Gasoline usually has longer ignition delay than diesel. The autoignition quality of gasoline can be indicated by research octane number (RON. Fuels with high octane tend to have more resistance to autoignition, hence more time for fuel-air mixing. In this study, three fuels, namely, aromatic, alkylate, and E30, with similar RON value of 98 but different hydrocarbon compositions were tested in a multicylinder engine under GCI combustion mode. Considerations of exhaust gas recirculating (EGR, start of injection, and boost were investigated to study the sensitivity of dilution, local stratification, and reactivity of the charge, respectively, for each fuel. Combustion phasing (location of 50% of fuel mass burned was kept constant during the experiments. This provides similar thermodynamic conditions to study the effect of fuels on emissions. Emission characteristics at different levels of EGR and lambda were revealed for all fuels with E30 having the lowest filter smoke number and was also most sensitive to the change in dilution. Reasonably low combustion noise (<90 dB and stable combustion (coefficient of variance of indicated mean effective pressure <3% were maintained during the experiments. The second part of this article contains visualization of the combustion process obtained from endoscope imaging for each fuel at selected conditions. Soot radiation signal from GCI combustion were strong during late injection and also more intense

The Effect of Ethanol Addition to Gasoline on Low- and Intermediate-Temperature Heat Release under Boosted Conditions in Kinetically Controlled Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Vuilleumier, David Malcolm

The detailed study of chemical kinetics in engines has become required to further advance engine efficiency while simultaneously lowering engine emissions. This push for higher efficiency engines is not caused by a lack of oil, but by efforts to reduce anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, that cause global warming. To operate in more efficient manners while reducing traditional pollutant emissions, modern internal combustion piston engines are forced to operate in regimes in which combustion is no longer fully transport limited, and instead is at least partially governed by chemical kinetics of combusting mixtures. Kinetically-controlled combustion allows the operation of piston engines at high compression ratios, with partially-premixed dilute charges; these operating conditions simultaneously provide high thermodynamic efficiency and low pollutant formation. The investigations presented in this dissertation study the effect of ethanol addition on the low-temperature chemistry of gasoline type fuels in engines. These investigations are carried out both in a simplified, fundamental engine experiment, named Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, as well as in more applied engine systems, named Gasoline Compression Ignition engines and Partial Fuel Stratification engines. These experimental investigations, and the accompanying modeling work, show that ethanol is an effective scavenger of radicals at low temperatures, and this inhibits the low temperature pathways of gasoline oxidation. Further, the investigations measure the sensitivity of gasoline auto-ignition to system pressure at conditions that are relevant to modern engines. It is shown that at pressures above 40 bar and temperatures below 850 Kelvin, gasoline begins to exhibit Low-Temperature Heat Release. However, the addition of 20% ethanol raises the pressure requirement to 60 bar, while the temperature requirement remains unchanged. These findings have major implications for a range of modern engines

Synthesis, vacuum sintering and dielectric characterization of zirconia (t-ZrO2) nanopowder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazhani, R.; Padma Kumar, H.; Varghese, Angeo; Moses Ezhil Raj, A.; Solomon, Sam; Thomas, J.K.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A single step auto-igniting combustion synthesis was employed for the preparation of nanocrystalline ZrO 2 . → Detailed structural analysis was carried out using XRD and FT-IR techniques. → Micro strain analysis of the asprepared nanocrystalline ZrO 2 was carried out. → A sintered density of above 98% of the theoretical value was obtained using vacuum sintering techniques. → The dielectric properties of vacuum sintered ZrO 2 were measured for a frequency range from 10 KHz to 10 MHz. - Abstract: Phase pure zirconium oxide powders have been synthesized using the single step auto-ignition combustion method, the particles were nanometer sized (20 nm) and the size distribution was very narrow (3.4 nm). Systematic structural characterization revealed the t-ZrO 2 and indexed for its tetragonal structure (a = 3.5975 A and c = 5.1649 A). Calculated microstrain in most of the plane indicated the presence of compressive stress (65-288 MPa) along various planes of the particles. Observed space group (P4 2 /nmc) revealed the presence of cations in the 8e positions (0.75, 0.25, 0.75) and the anions in the 16 h positions (0.25, 0.25, 0.4534). The metal-oxide (Zr-O) band observed at the low wavenumber region further confirmed the phase purity of the as-prepared ZrO 2 nanopowders. Peaks at the binding energy positions 2.042 and 0.525 keV in the energy dispersive X-ray spectrum revealed oxygen deficient zirconia. The particle size estimated by TEM was in good agreement with the results obtained through X-ray line broadening (20.81 nm) measurements. The nanopowders were sintered to above 98% of the theoretical density by using vacuum sintering technique at a relatively low temperature of 1300 deg. C. Stable tetragonal ZrO 2 experimentally yield the permittivity value of about 28 at 10 MHz.

Third O2 addition reactions promote the low-temperature auto-ignition of n-alkanes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

kinetic mechanism is considered. The advanced combustion phasing is initiated by the formation and destruction of additional radical chain-branching intermediates produced in the third O2 addition process, e.g. keto-dihydroperoxides and/or keto

Auto-ignition of methane-air mixtures flowing along an array of thin catalytic plates

Science.gov (United States)

Treviño, C.

2010-12-01

In this paper, the heterogeneous ignition of a methane-air mixture flowing along an infinite array of catalytic parallel plates has been studied by inclusion of gas expansion effects and the finite heat conduction on the plates. The system of equations considers the full compressible Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the energy equations of the plates. The gas expansion effects which arise from temperature changes have been considered. The heterogeneous kinetics considers the adsorption and desorption reactions for both reactants. The limits of large and small longitudinal thermal conductance of the plate material are analyzed and the critical conditions for ignition are obtained in closed form. The governing equations are solved numerically using finite differences. The results show that ignition is more easily produced as the longitudinal wall thermal conductance increases, and the effects of the gas expansion on the catalytic ignition process are rather small due to the large value of the activation energy of the desorption reaction of adsorbed oxygen atoms.

Carbon-free H2 production from ammonia triggered at room temperature with an acidic RuO2/γ-Al2O3 catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaoka, Katsutoshi; Eboshi, Takaaki; Takeishi, Yuma; Tasaki, Ryo; Honda, Kyoko; Imamura, Kazuya; Sato, Katsutoshi

2017-04-01

Ammonia has been suggested as a carbon-free hydrogen source, but a convenient method for producing hydrogen from ammonia with rapid initiation has not been developed. Ideally, this method would require no external energy input. We demonstrate hydrogen production by exposing ammonia and O 2 at room temperature to an acidic RuO 2 /γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Because adsorption of ammonia onto the catalyst is exothermic, the catalyst bed is rapidly heated to the catalytic ammonia autoignition temperature, and subsequent oxidative decomposition of ammonia produces hydrogen. A differential calorimeter combined with a volumetric gas adsorption analyzer revealed a large quantity of heat evolved both with chemisorption of ammonia onto RuO 2 and acidic sites on the γ-Al 2 O 3 and with physisorption of multiple ammonia molecules.

Reactivity of hydrocarbons in response to injection of a CO2/O2 mixture under depleted reservoir conditions: experimental and numerical modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacini-Petitjean, Claire

2015-01-01

The geological storage of CO 2 (CO 2 Capture-Storage - CCS) and the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) by CO 2 injection into petroleum reservoirs could limit CO 2 atmospheric accumulation. However, CO 2 can be associated with oxygen. To predict the hydrocarbon evolution under these conditions involves the study of oxidation mechanisms. Oxidation experiment and kinetic detailed modeling were carried out with pure compounds. The comparison between experimental and modeling results led to the construction of a hydrocarbon oxidation kinetic model and emphasized the parameters leading to auto ignition. The good agreement between our experiments and modeling are promising for the development of a tool predicting the critical temperature leading to auto-ignition and the evolution of hydrocarbon composition, to estimate the stability of a petroleum system in CO 2 injection context. (author) [fr

Operating experience of a portable thermophotovoltaic power supply

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Frederick E.; Doyle, Edward F.; Shukla, Kailash

1999-03-01

Two configurations of man-portable thermophotovoltaic (TPV) power supplies based on Thermo Power's supported continuous fiber emitter have been designed, built, and are being tested. The systems use narrow-band, fibrous, ytterbia emitters radiating to bandgap matched silicon photovoltaic arrays with dielectric stack filters for optical energy recovery and recuperators for thermal energy recovery. The systems have been designed for operation with propane and with combustion air preheat temperatures of up to 1250 K. To operate at air preheat temperatures above the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel, a unique fuel delivery system was devised which results in the micromixing and rapid combustion of the fuel and air right in the emitter fibers. This allows the ytterbia emitter fibers to run much hotter (˜2000 K) than any of the surrounding structure.

A case of deep burns, while diving The Lusitania.

Science.gov (United States)

Curran, John N; McGuigan, Kevin G; O'Broin, Eoin

2010-07-01

We present the first documented case of severe burns, sustained by a diver as a result of auto-ignition of air-activated heat packs at high partial pressure of oxygen and high ambient pressure. Our patient was diving the shipwreck of The Lusitania off the south coast of Ireland. This is a significant wreck, lying 90 metres down on the seabed. Torpedoed by a German U-boat in 1915, its loss prompted American involvement in WW1. Several unlikely events combined in this case to bring about serious and life threatening injuries. Herein we discuss the case and explore some of the physical and chemical processes that lead to these injuries. Copyright 2009 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internal combustion engine using premixed combustion of stratified charges

Science.gov (United States)

Marriott, Craig D [Rochester Hills, MI; Reitz, Rolf D [Madison, WI

2003-12-30

During a combustion cycle, a first stoichiometrically lean fuel charge is injected well prior to top dead center, preferably during the intake stroke. This first fuel charge is substantially mixed with the combustion chamber air during subsequent motion of the piston towards top dead center. A subsequent fuel charge is then injected prior to top dead center to create a stratified, locally richer mixture (but still leaner than stoichiometric) within the combustion chamber. The locally rich region within the combustion chamber has sufficient fuel density to autoignite, and its self-ignition serves to activate ignition for the lean mixture existing within the remainder of the combustion chamber. Because the mixture within the combustion chamber is overall premixed and relatively lean, NO.sub.x and soot production are significantly diminished.

A Photographic Study of Combustion and Knock in a Spark-Ignition Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Rothrock, A M; Spencer, R C

1938-01-01

Report presents the results of a photographic study of the combustion in a spark-ignition engine using both Schlieren and flame photographs taken at high rates of speed. Although shock waves are present after knock occurs, there was no evidence of any type of sonic or supersonic compression waves existing in the combustion gases prior to the occurrence of knock. Artificially induced shock waves in the engine did not in themselves cause knock. The photographs also indicate that, although auto-ignition ahead of the flame front may occur in conjunction with knock, it is not necessary for the occurrence of knock. There is also evidence that the reaction is not completed in the flame front but continues for some time after the flame front has passed through the charge.

Efficient numerical simulation of the deflagration-to-detonation transition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ettner, Florian Anton

2013-01-01

In order to improve safety analyses of nuclear power plants, it is necessary to investigate if hydrogen-air mixtures (created in severe accidents) burn in a deflagrative manner or whether a deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) occurs. In this work a CFD solver has been developed for the simulation of a complete combustion process including DDT. The density-based solver incorporates a deflagration model and an auto-ignition model which are coupled via a progress variable. The application to both homogeneous and inhomogeneous mixtures shows very good agreement with experiments. Depending on the boundary conditions the presence of a hydrogen concentration gradient can either increase or decrease the probability of DDT when compared to a homogeneous mixture. Under certain circumstances extremely high pressure loads occur even in areas of low hydrogen content. This should be taken into consideration in future safety analyses.

Reduced Toxicity Fuel Satellite Propulsion System Including Fuel Cell Reformer with Alcohols Such as Methanol

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Steven J. (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A reduced toxicity fuel satellite propulsion system including a reduced toxicity propellant supply for consumption in an axial class thruster and an ACS class thruster. The system includes suitable valves and conduits for supplying the reduced toxicity propellant to the ACS decomposing element of an ACS thruster. The ACS decomposing element is operative to decompose the reduced toxicity propellant into hot propulsive gases. In addition the system includes suitable valves and conduits for supplying the reduced toxicity propellant to an axial decomposing element of the axial thruster. The axial decomposing element is operative to decompose the reduced toxicity propellant into hot gases. The system further includes suitable valves and conduits for supplying a second propellant to a combustion chamber of the axial thruster, whereby the hot gases and the second propellant auto-ignite and begin the combustion process for producing thrust.

Modelling of diesel spray flame under engine-like conditions using an accelerated eulerian stochastic fields method: A convergence study of the number of stochastic fields

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pang, Kar Mun; Jangi, Mehdi; Bai, X.-S.

generated similar results. The principal motivation for ESF compared to Lagrangian particle based PDF is the relative ease of implementation of the former into Eulerian computational fluid dynamics(CFD) codes [5]. Several works have attempted to implement the ESF model for the simulations of diesel spray......The use of transported Probability Density Function(PDF) methods allows a single model to compute the autoignition, premixed mode and diffusion flame of diesel combustion under engine-like conditions [1,2]. The Lagrangian particle based transported PDF models have been validated across a wide range...... combustion under engine-like conditions.The current work aims to further evaluate the performance of the ESF model in this application, with an emphasis on examining the convergence of the number of stochastic fields, nsf. Five test conditions, covering both the conventional diesel combustion and low...

Development and Validation of Chemical Kinetic Mechanism Reduction Scheme for Large-Scale Mechanisms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poon, Hiew Mun; Ng, Hoon Kiat; Gan, Suyin

2014-01-01

This work is an extension to a previously reported work on chemical kinetic mechanism reduction scheme for large-scale mechanisms. Here, Perfectly Stirred Reactor (PSR) was added as a criterion of data source for mechanism reduction instead of using only auto-ignition condition. As a result......) simulations were performed to study the spray combustion phenomena within a constant volume bomb. Both non-reacting and reacting conditions were applied in this study. Liquid and vapor penetration lengths were replicated for non-reacting diesel spray. For reacting diesel spray, both ignition delay and lift......-off length were simulated. The simulation results were then compared to the experimental data of Sandia National Laboratories and No. 2 Diesel Fuel (D2) was designated as the reference fuel. Both liquid and vapor penetrations for non-reacting condition were well-matched, while ignition delay was advanced...

A Regime Diagram for Autoignition of Homogeneous Reactant Mixtures with Turbulent Velocity and Temperature Fluctuations

KAUST Repository

Im, Hong G.

2015-04-02

A theoretical scaling analysis is conducted to propose a diagram to predict weak and strong ignition regimes for a compositionally homogeneous reactant mixture with turbulent velocity and temperature fluctuations. The diagram provides guidance on expected ignition behavior based on the thermo-chemical properties of the mixture and the flow/scalar field conditions. The analysis is an extension of the original Zeldovich’s analysis by combining the turbulent flow and scalar characteristics in terms of the characteristic Damköhler and Reynolds numbers of the system, thereby providing unified and comprehensive understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms controlling ignition characteristics. Estimated parameters for existing experimental measurements in a rapid compression facility show that the regime diagram predicts the observed ignition characteristics with good fidelity.

A Regime Diagram for Autoignition of Homogeneous Reactant Mixtures with Turbulent Velocity and Temperature Fluctuations

KAUST Repository

Im, Hong G.; Pal, Pinaki; Wooldridge, Margaret S.; Mansfield, Andrew B.

2015-01-01

A theoretical scaling analysis is conducted to propose a diagram to predict weak and strong ignition regimes for a compositionally homogeneous reactant mixture with turbulent velocity and temperature fluctuations. The diagram provides guidance on expected ignition behavior based on the thermo-chemical properties of the mixture and the flow/scalar field conditions. The analysis is an extension of the original Zeldovich’s analysis by combining the turbulent flow and scalar characteristics in terms of the characteristic Damköhler and Reynolds numbers of the system, thereby providing unified and comprehensive understanding of the physical and chemical mechanisms controlling ignition characteristics. Estimated parameters for existing experimental measurements in a rapid compression facility show that the regime diagram predicts the observed ignition characteristics with good fidelity.

Low and High Temperature Combustion Chemistry of Butanol Isomers in Premixed Flames and Autoignition Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarathy, S M; Pitz, W J; Westbrook, C K; Mehl, M; Yasunaga, K; Curran, H J; Tsujimura, T; Osswald, P; Kohse-Hoinghaus, K

2010-12-12

Butanol is a fuel that has been proposed as a bio-derived alternative to conventional petroleum derived fuels. The structural isomer in traditional 'bio-butanol' fuel is n-butanol, but newer conversion technologies produce iso-butanol as a fuel. In order to better understand the combustion chemistry of bio-butanol, this study presents a comprehensive chemical kinetic model for all the four isomers of butanol (e.g., 1-, 2-, iso- and tert-butanol). The proposed model includes detailed high temperature and low temperature reaction pathways. In this study, the primary experimental validation target for the model is premixed flat low-pressure flame species profiles obtained using molecular beam mass spectrometry (MBMS). The model is also validated against previously published data for premixed flame velocity and n-butanol rapid compression machine and shock tube ignition delay. The agreement with these data sets is reasonably good. The dominant reaction pathways at the various pressures and temperatures studied are elucidated. At low temperature conditions, we found that the reaction of alphahydroxybutyl with O{sub 2} was important in controlling the reactivity of the system, and for correctly predicting C{sub 4} aldehyde profiles in low pressure premixed flames. Enol-keto isomerization reactions assisted by HO{sub 2} were also found to be important in converting enols to aldehydes and ketones in the low pressure premixed flames. In the paper, we describe how the structural features of the four different butanol isomers lead to differences in the combustion properties of each isomer.

Chemical Kinetic Insights into the Octane Number and Octane Sensitivity of Gasoline Surrogate Mixtures

KAUST Repository

Singh, Eshan

2017-02-01

Gasoline octane number is a significant empirical parameter for the optimization and development of internal combustion engines capable of resisting knock. Although extensive databases and blending rules to estimate the octane numbers of mixtures have been developed and the effects of molecular structure on autoignition properties are somewhat understood, a comprehensive theoretical chemistry-based foundation for blending effects of fuels on engine operations is still to be developed. In this study, we present models that correlate the research octane number (RON) and motor octane number (MON) with simulated homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times of stoichiometric fuel/air mixtures. These correlations attempt to bridge the gap between the fundamental autoignition behavior of the fuel (e.g., its chemistry and how reactivity changes with temperature and pressure) and engine properties such as its knocking behavior in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine. The study encompasses a total of 79 hydrocarbon gasoline surrogate mixtures including 11 primary reference fuels (PRF), 43 toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), and 19 multicomponent (MC) surrogate mixtures. In addition to TPRF mixture components of iso-octane/n-heptane/toluene, MC mixtures, including n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene, 1-hexene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, were blended and tested to mimic real gasoline sensitivity. ASTM testing protocols D-2699 and D-2700 were used to measure the RON and MON of the MC mixtures in a CFR engine, while the PRF and TPRF mixtures’ octane ratings were obtained from the literature. The mixtures cover a RON range of 0–100, with the majority being in the 70–100 range. A parametric simulation study across a temperature range of 650–950 K and pressure range of 15–50 bar was carried out in a constant-volume homogeneous batch reactor to calculate chemical kinetic ignition delay times. Regression tools were utilized to find the conditions at which RON and MON

Numerical Investigation of Merged and Non-merged Flame of a Twin Cavity Annular Trapped Vortex Combustor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pravendra Kumar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available : The present work is focused to characterize numerically the merged and non-merged flame emanating from the cavities in downstream of twin cavity Annular Trapped Vortex Combustor (ATVC.The isotherm corresponding to the auto-ignition temperature is used to locate the merging point of the flame in the mainstream region along the combustor length. In present study, the cavity flame is said to be merged only if this isotherm corresponding to self-ignition temperature of methane is located within 20 percentage of the combustor length from aft wall of cavities. It is interesting to note that on increasing the power loading parameter (PLP in mainstream for a constant power loading parameter ratio (outer to inner cavity, the merging point gets shifted towards the cavity aft-wall. This leads to the reduction of combustor length and subsequent reduction in overall weight of the gas turbine engine.

Experimental study of hydrogen formation and recombination under postulated LMFBR accident conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wierman, R.W.; Hilliard, R.K.

1976-01-01

The report describes an experimental study of hydrogen jets burning in air, hydrogen formation by sodium in humid air atmospheres, and the effects of nitrogen, water vapor sodium vapor/aerosol, jet velocity, and jet temperature on ignition of hydrogen jets. The results show that hydrogen jets above 1450 0 F (788 0 C) issuing into an air atmosphere need no ignition source for ignition, a hydrogen jet temperature higher than 500 0 F (260 0 C) and containing more than six grams of sodium per cubic meter of jet gas will auto-ignite in an air atmosphere, the burning efficiency of a hydrogen jet decreases rapidly to zero when the oxygen concentration outside the flame region approaches 10 percent, and hydrogen does not form from a sodium-nitrogen jet issuing into a humid air atmosphere until the ratio O 2 /(H 2 O + O 2 ) is less than 0.5

Study of composition change and agglomeration of flue gas cleaning residue from a fluidized bed waste incinerator.

Science.gov (United States)

Lievens, P; Verbinnen, B; Bollaert, P; Alderweireldt, N; Mertens, G; Elsen, J; Vandecasteele, C

2011-10-01

Blocking of the collection hoppers of the baghouse filters in a fluidized bed incinerator for co-incineration of high calorific industrial solid waste and sludge was observed. The composition of the flue gas cleaning residue (FGCR), both from a blocked hopper and from a normal hopper, was investigated by (differential) thermogravimetric analysis, quantitative X-ray powder diffraction and wet chemical analysis. The lower elemental carbon concentration and the higher calcium carbonate concentration of the agglomerated sample was the result of oxidation of carbon and subsequent reaction of CO2 with CaO. The evolved heat causes a temperature increase, with the decomposition of CaOHCl as a consequence. The formation of calcite and calcium chloride and the evolution of heat caused agglomeration of the FGCR. Activated lignite coke was replaced by another adsorption agent with less carbon, so the auto-ignition temperature increased; since then no further block formation has occurred.

Shock tubes and waves; Proceedings of the Sixteenth International Symposium, Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule, Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany, July 26-31, 1987

Science.gov (United States)

Groenig, Hans

Topics discussed in this volume include shock wave structure, propagation, and interaction; shocks in condensed matter, dusty gases, and multiphase media; chemical processes and related combustion and detonation phenomena; shock wave reflection, diffraction, and focusing; computational fluid dynamic code development and shock wave application; blast and detonation waves; advanced shock tube technology and measuring technique; and shock wave applications. Papers are presented on dust explosions, the dynamics of shock waves in certain dense gases, studies of condensation kinetics behind incident shock waves, the autoignition mechanism of n-butane behind a reflected shock wave, and a numerical simulation of the focusing process of reflected shock waves. Attention is also given to the equilibrium shock tube flow of real gases, blast waves generated by planar detonations, modern diagnostic methods for high-speed flows, and interaction between induced waves and electric discharge in a very high repetition rate excimer laser.

Prediction of flame formation in highly preheated air combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Jang Sik; Choi, Gyung Min; Kim, Duck Jool; Katsuki, Masashi

2008-01-01

Fundamental information about the ignition position and shape of a flame in highly preheated air combustion was obtained, and the suitability of the suggested reduced kinetic mechanism that reflects the characteristics of the highly preheated air combustion was demonstrated. Flame lift height and flame length with variations of premixed air temperature and oxygen concentration were measured by CH chemiluminescence intensity, and were computed with a reduced kinetic mechanism. Flame attached near a fuel nozzle started to lift when preheated air temperature became close to auto-ignition temperature and/or oxygen concentration reduced. The flame lift height increased but the flame length decreased with decreasing preheated air temperature and flame length reversed after a minimum value. Calculated results showed good agreement with those of experiment within tolerable error. Flame shape shifted from diffusion flame shape to partial premixed flame shape with increasing lift height and this tendency was also observed in the computation results

Prediction of flame formation in highly preheated air combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Jang Sik; Choi, Gyung Min; Kim, Duck Jool [Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of); Katsuki, Masashi [Osaka University, Osaka (Japan)

2008-11-15

Fundamental information about the ignition position and shape of a flame in highly preheated air combustion was obtained, and the suitability of the suggested reduced kinetic mechanism that reflects the characteristics of the highly preheated air combustion was demonstrated. Flame lift height and flame length with variations of premixed air temperature and oxygen concentration were measured by CH chemiluminescence intensity, and were computed with a reduced kinetic mechanism. Flame attached near a fuel nozzle started to lift when preheated air temperature became close to auto-ignition temperature and/or oxygen concentration reduced. The flame lift height increased but the flame length decreased with decreasing preheated air temperature and flame length reversed after a minimum value. Calculated results showed good agreement with those of experiment within tolerable error. Flame shape shifted from diffusion flame shape to partial premixed flame shape with increasing lift height and this tendency was also observed in the computation results

Bulk synthesis of nanocrystalline urania powders by citrate gel-combustion method

Science.gov (United States)

Sanjay Kumar, D.; Ananthasivan, K.; Venkata Krishnan, R.; Amirthapandian, S.; Dasgupta, Arup

2016-01-01

Bulk quantities (60 g) of nanocrystalline (nc) free flowing urania powders with crystallite size ranging from 38 to 252 nm have been synthesized for the first time by the citrate gel combustion method. A systematic study of the influence of the fuel (citric acid) to oxidant (nitrate) ratio (R) on the characteristics of the urania powders has been carried out for the first time. Mixture with an "R" value of 0.25 exhibited a vigorous auto-ignition reaction. This reaction was investigated with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and in-situ thermogravimetry coupled with differential thermal analysis and mass spectrometry (TG-DTA-MS). The bulk density, specific surface area, X-ray crystallite size, residual carbon and size distribution of particles of this powder were unique. Microscopic and microstructural investigation of selected samples revealed the presence of nanocrystals with irregular exfoliated morphology; their Electron Energy Loss Spectra testified the covalency of the U-O bond.

3rd International Workshop on Turbulent Spray Combustion

CERN Document Server

Gutheil, Eva

2014-01-01

This book reflects the results of the 2nd and 3rd International Workshops on Turbulent Spray Combustion. The focus is on progress in experiments and numerical simulations for two-phase flows, with emphasis on spray combustion. Knowledge of the dominant phenomena and their interactions allows development of predictive models and their use in combustor and gas turbine design. Experts and young researchers present the state-of-the-art results, report on the latest developments and exchange ideas in the areas of experiments, modelling and simulation of reactive multiphase flows. The first chapter reflects on flame structure, auto-ignition and atomization with reference to well-characterized burners, to be implemented by modellers with relative ease. The second chapter presents an overview of first simulation results on target test cases, developed at the occasion of the 1st International Workshop on Turbulent Spray Combustion. In the third chapter, evaporation rate modelling aspects are covered, while the fourth ...

Assessing the damage importance rank in acoustic diagnostics of technical conditions of the internal combustion engine with multi-valued logical decision trees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deptuła Adam

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents possible applications of acoustic diagnostics in inspecting the technical condition of an internal combustion engine with autoignition on the example of the Fiat drive unit with the common rail system. As a result of measuring the sound pressure level for specific faults and comparing the noise generated by the motor running smoothly, the detailed maps of changes in the acoustic spectrum may be generated. These results may be helpful in future diagnostics of internal combustion engines. In the paper, we present the results from the scientific works in the area of research, design and operation of internal combustion engines, conducted at the Department of Automotive Engineering, in cooperation with the Laboratory of Hydraulic Drives & Vibroacoustics of Machines at the Wroclaw University of Technology. The broader study has so far allowed us to develop an authoritative method of identifying the type of engine damage using gametree structures. The present works assess the possibility of using multi-valued logic trees.

The Measurement and Prediction of Combustible Properties of Dimethylacetamide (DMAc)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ha, Dong-Myeong [Semyung University, Jecheon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-10-15

The usage of the correct combustion characteristic of the treated substance for the safety of the process is critical. For the safe handling of dimethylacetamide (DMAc) being used in various ways in the chemical industry, the flash point and the autoignition temperature (AIT) of DMAc was experimented. And, the lower explosion limit of DMAc was calculated by using the lower flash point obtained in the experiment. The flash points of DMAc by using the Setaflash and Pensky-Martens closed-cup testers measured 61 .deg. C and 65 .deg. C, respectively. The flash points of DMAc by using the Tag and Cleveland automatic open cup testers are measured 68 .deg. C and 71 .deg. C. The AIT of DMAc by ASTM 659E tester was measured as 347 .deg. C. The lower explosion limit by the measured flash point 61 .deg. C was calculated as 1.52 vol%. It was possible to predict lower explosion limit by using the experimental flash point or flash point in the literature.

Charge-Dipole Acceleration of Polar Gas Molecules towards Charged Nanoparticles: Involvement in Powerful Charge-Induced Catalysis of Heterophase Chemical Reactions and Ball Lightning Phenomenon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleg Meshcheryakov

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In humid air, the substantial charge-dipole attraction and electrostatic acceleration of surrounding water vapour molecules towards charged combustible nanoparticles cause intense electrostatic hydration and preferential oxidation of these nanoparticles by electrostatically accelerated polar water vapour molecules rather than nonaccelerated nonpolar oxygen gas molecules. Intense electrostatic hydration of charged combustible nanoparticles converts the nanoparticle's oxide-based shells into the hydroxide-based electrolyte shells, transforming these nanoparticles into reductant/air core-shell nanobatteries, periodically short-circuited by intraparticle field and thermionic emission. Partially synchronized electron emission breakdowns within trillions of nanoparticles-nanobatteries turn a cloud of charged nanoparticles-nanobatteries into a powerful radiofrequency aerosol generator. Electrostatic oxidative hydration and charge-catalyzed oxidation of charged combustible nanoparticles also contribute to a self-oscillating thermocycling process of evolution and periodic autoignition of inflammable gases near to the nanoparticle's surface. The described effects might be of interest for the improvement of certain nanotechnological heterophase processes and to better understand ball lightning phenomenon.

A Study on Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Gasoline Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Kaneko, Makoto; Morikawa, Koji; Itoh, Jin; Saishu, Youhei

A new engine concept consisting of HCCI combustion for low and midrange loads and spark ignition combustion for high loads was introduced. The timing of the intake valve closing was adjusted to alter the negative valve overlap and effective compression ratio to provide suitable HCCI conditions. The effect of mixture formation on auto-ignition was also investigated using a direct injection engine. As a result, HCCI combustion was achieved with a relatively low compression ratio when the intake air was heated by internal EGR. The resulting combustion was at a high thermal efficiency, comparable to that of modern diesel engines, and produced almost no NOx emissions or smoke. The mixture stratification increased the local A/F concentration, resulting in higher reactivity. A wide range of combustible A/F ratios was used to control the compression ignition timing. Photographs showed that the flame filled the entire chamber during combustion, reducing both emissions and fuel consumption.

Combustion and exhaust emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine using liquefied petroleum gas-Diesel blended fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qi, D.H.; Bian, Y.ZH.; Ma, ZH.Y.; Zhang, CH.H.; Liu, SH.Q.

2007-01-01

Towards the effort of reducing pollutant emissions, especially smoke and nitrogen oxides, from direct injection (DI) Diesel engines, engineers have proposed various solutions, one of which is the use of a gaseous fuel as a partial supplement for liquid Diesel fuel. The use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as an alternative fuel is a promising solution. The potential benefits of using LPG in Diesel engines are both economical and environmental. The high auto-ignition temperature of LPG is a serious advantage since the compression ratio of conventional Diesel engines can be maintained. The present contribution describes an experimental investigation conducted on a single cylinder DI Diesel engine, which has been properly modified to operate under LPG-Diesel blended fuel conditions, using LPG-Diesel blended fuels with various blended rates (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%). Comparative results are given for various engine speeds and loads for conventional Diesel and blended fuels, revealing the effect of blended fuel combustion on engine performance and exhaust emissions

A RANS knock model to predict the statistical occurrence of engine knock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Adamo, Alessandro; Breda, Sebastiano; Fontanesi, Stefano; Irimescu, Adrian; Merola, Simona Silvia; Tornatore, Cinzia

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Development of a new RANS model for SI engine knock probability. • Turbulence-derived transport equations for variances of mixture fraction and enthalpy. • Gasoline autoignition delay times calculated from detailed chemical kinetics. • Knock probability validated against experiments on optically accessible GDI unit. • PDF-based knock model accounting for the random nature of SI engine knock in RANS simulations. - Abstract: In the recent past engine knock emerged as one of the main limiting aspects for the achievement of higher efficiency targets in modern spark-ignition (SI) engines. To attain these requirements, engine operating points must be moved as close as possible to the onset of abnormal combustions, although the turbulent nature of flow field and SI combustion leads to possibly ample fluctuations between consecutive engine cycles. This forces engine designers to distance the target condition from its theoretical optimum in order to prevent abnormal combustion, which can potentially damage engine components because of few individual heavy-knocking cycles. A statistically based RANS knock model is presented in this study, whose aim is the prediction not only of the ensemble average knock occurrence, poorly meaningful in such a stochastic event, but also of a knock probability. The model is based on look-up tables of autoignition times from detailed chemistry, coupled with transport equations for the variance of mixture fraction and enthalpy. The transported perturbations around the ensemble average value are based on variable gradients and on a local turbulent time scale. A multi-variate cell-based Gaussian-PDF model is proposed for the unburnt mixture, resulting in a statistical distribution for the in-cell reaction rate. An average knock precursor and its variance are independently calculated and transported; this results in the prediction of an earliest knock probability preceding the ensemble average knock onset, as confirmed by

Combustion phenomenon, performance and emissions of a diesel engine with aviation turbine JP-8 fuel and rapeseed biodiesel blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Labeckas, Gvidonas; Slavinskas, Stasys

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The 5 vol% RME added to JP-8 fuel improved lubricity 1.7 times according corrected wear scar diameter, μm. • The reverse trends revealed in the autoignition delay when operating with identical fuel blends J10 and B10. • The brake thermal efficiency increased by 1.0–3.6% when running on bio-fuels J5–J30 at speed of 2200 rpm. • The NO_x emissions increased by 5.2% when operating on bio-jet fuel J30 at full load and speed of 2200 rpm. • CO, HC emissions and smoke decreased with biofuel J20 and higher blends at both speeds of 1400 and 2200 rpm. - Abstract: The article presents the test results of an engine operating with diesel fuel (B5), turbine type JP-8 fuel and its 5 vol%, 10 vol%, 20 vol%, and 30 vol% blends with rapeseed oil methyl ester (RME). Additional fuel blend B10 was prepared by pouring 10 vol% of RME to diesel fuel to extend interpretation of the test results. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using jet-biodiesel fuel blends J5, J10, J20, J30, and B10 on the start of injection, ignition delay, combustion history, heat release, engine performance, and exhaust emissions. The engine performance parameters were examined at light 15% (1400 rpm) and 10% (2200 rpm), medium 50%, and high 100% loads and the two speeds: 1400 rpm at which maximum torque occurs and a rated speed of 2200 rpm. The autoignition delay and maximum heat release rate decreased, maximum cylinder pressure, and pressure gradients increased, whereas brake specific fuel consumption changed little and brake thermal efficiency was 1.0–3.6% higher when running with fuel blends J5 to J30 at rated speed compared with the data measured with neat jet fuel. The NO_x emissions increased slightly, but the CO, THC emissions, and smoke opacity boosted up significantly when using jet fuel blend J10 with a smooth reduction of unburned hydrocarbons for jet-biodiesel fuel blends with higher CN ratings. Operation at a full (100%) load with fuel blend J10

Impact of fuel molecular structure on auto-ignition behavior – Design rules for future high performance gasolines

KAUST Repository

Boot, Michael D.; Tian, Miao; Hensen, Emiel J M; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

established. Starting from biomass or natural gas, however, it is less clear what dots on the horizon to aim for. The goal of this paper is to offer insight into the chemistry behind octane boosters and to subsequently distill from this knowledge, taking

Impact of fuel molecular structure on auto-ignition behavior – Design rules for future high performance gasolines

KAUST Repository

Boot, Michael D.

2016-12-29

At a first glance, ethanol, toluene and methyl tert-butyl ether look nothing alike with respect to their molecular structures. Nevertheless, all share a similarly high octane number. A comprehensive review of the inner workings of such octane boosters has been long overdue, particularly at a time when feedstocks for transport fuels other than crude oil, such as natural gas and biomass, are enjoying a rapidly growing market share. As high octane fuels sell at a considerable premium over gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, new entrants into the refining business should take note and gear their processes towards knock resistant compounds if they are to maximize their respective bottom lines. Starting from crude oil, the route towards this goal is well established. Starting from biomass or natural gas, however, it is less clear what dots on the horizon to aim for. The goal of this paper is to offer insight into the chemistry behind octane boosters and to subsequently distill from this knowledge, taking into account recent advances in engine technology, multiple generic design rules that guarantee good anti-knock performance. Careful analysis of the literature suggests that highly unsaturated (cyclic) compounds are the preferred octane boosters for modern spark-ignition engines. Additional side chains of any variety will dilute this strong performance. Multi-branched paraffins come in distant second place, owing to their negligible sensitivity. Depending on the type and location of functional oxygen groups, oxygenates can have a beneficial, neutral or detrimental impact on anti-knock quality.

Effect of Cetane Improver on Autoignition Characteristics of Low Cetane Sasol IPK Using Ignition Quality Tester (IQT)

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-13

and deliver it into the chamber through an inward opening single-hole pintle-type injector nozzle . The needle is spring-loaded with a screw and a...direction. The first thermocouple measures the charge temperature close by the injector nozzle , the second thermocouple is 7 cm downstream from the... diesel engines. The ignition quality of a fuel is rated by its cetane number (CN) measured in a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine according to

Combustion synthesis of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} with citric acid and the effect of post-heat treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Y.S. [Korea Advanced Istitute of Science and Technology, Taejeon (Korea); Son, J.T. [Dong-A Electric Equipment Co. LTD., Seoul (Korea); Kim, H.G. [Korea Advanced Istitute of Science and Technology, Taejeon (Korea); Jung, H.T. [Dongshin University, Chonnam (Korea)

2001-04-01

Combustion process with citrate was used to produce the LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} powder. Precursors are pre-ignited in open air followed by post-heating in the range from 600 deg. C to 800 deg. C for 4 h. With varying the molar ration (R) of ethylene glycol (EG) to citric acid (CA) from 0 to 4, the effect of EG content on powder characteristics is evaluated. Vacuum drying promote the auto-ignition at room temperature. With small addition of EG metal ion was selectively segregated with organic substances and undesired lithium evaporation occurred during post-heating. LiMn {sub 2}O{sub 4} phase which is produced by combustion reaction was decomposed back to Mn {sub 3}O{sub 4} because the reaction temperature was higher than 950 deg. C. With increasing EG content, the homogeneity of LiMn {sub 2}O{sub 4} powder increased and specific surface area increased. And lithium evaporation during vacuum drying and/or ignition also increased. (author). 18 refs., 1 tab., 11 figs.

Thermal decomposition of selected chlorinated hydrocarbons during gas combustion in fluidized bed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olek Malgorzata

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The process of thermal decomposition of dichloromethane (DCM and chlorobenzene (MCB during the combustion in an inert, bubbling fluidized bed, supported by LPG as auxiliary fuel, have been studied. The concentration profiles of C6H5CI, CH2Cl2, CO2, CO, NOx, COCl2, CHCl3, CH3Cl, C2H2, C6H6, CH4 in the flue gases were specified versus mean bed temperature. Results The role of preheating of gaseous mixture in fluidized bed prior to its ignition inside bubbles was identified as important factor for increase the degree of conversion of DCM and MCB in low bed temperature, in comparison to similar process in the tubular reactor. Conclusions Taking into account possible combustion mechanisms, it was identified that autoignition in bubbles rather than flame propagation between bubbles is needed to achieve complete destruction of DCM and MCB. These condition occurs above 900°C causing the degree of conversion of chlorine compounds of 92-100%.

A criterion based on computational singular perturbation for the identification of quasi steady state species: A reduced mechanism for methane oxidation with NO chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Tianfeng; Law, Chung K. [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 (United States)

2008-09-15

A criterion based on computational singular perturbation (CSP) is proposed to effectively distinguish the quasi steady state (QSS) species from the fast species induced by reactions in partial equilibrium. Together with the method of directed relation graph (DRG), it was applied to the reduction of GRI-Mech 3.0 for methane oxidation, leading to the development of a 19-species reduced mechanism with 15 lumped steps, with the concentrations of the QSS species solved analytically for maximum computational efficiency. Compared to the 12-step and 16-species augmented reduced mechanism (ARM) previously developed by Sung, Law and Chen, three species, namely O, CH{sub 3}OH, and CH{sub 2}CO, are now excluded from the QSS species list. The reduced mechanism was validated with a variety of phenomena including perfectly stirred reactors, auto-ignition, and premixed and non-premixed flames, with the worst-case error being less than 10% over a wide range of parameters. This mechanism was then supplemented with the reactions involving NO formation, followed by validations in both homogeneous and diffusive systems. (author)

Advanced Light-Duty SI Engine Fuels Research: Multiple Optical Diagnostics of Well-mixed and Stratified Operation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sjoberg, Carl Magnus Goran [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Vuilleumier, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2018-02-01

Ever tighter fuel economy standards and concerns about energy security motivate efforts to improve engine efficiency and to develop alternative fuels. This project contributes to the science base needed by industry to develop highly efficient direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engines that also beneficially exploit the different properties of alternative fuels. Here, the emphasis is on lean operation, which can provide higher efficiencies than traditional non-dilute stoichiometric operation. Since lean operation can lead to issues with ignition stability, slow flame propagation and low combustion efficiency, the focus is on techniques that can overcome these challenges. Specifically, fuel stratification is used to ensure ignition and completeness of combustion but this technique has soot and NOx emissions challenges. For ultra-lean well-mixed operation, turbulent deflagration can be combined with controlled end-gas autoignition to render mixed-mode combustion for sufficiently fast heat release. However, such mixed-mode combustion requires very stable inflammation, motivating studies on the effects of near-spark flow and turbulence, and the use of small amounts of fuel stratification near the spark plug.

Dynamic control of a homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

Science.gov (United States)

Duffy, Kevin P [Metamora, IL; Mehresh, Parag [Peoria, IL; Schuh, David [Peoria, IL; Kieser, Andrew J [Morton, IL; Hergart, Carl-Anders [Peoria, IL; Hardy, William L [Peoria, IL; Rodman, Anthony [Chillicothe, IL; Liechty, Michael P [Chillicothe, IL

2008-06-03

A homogenous charge compression ignition engine is operated by compressing a charge mixture of air, exhaust and fuel in a combustion chamber to an autoignition condition of the fuel. The engine may facilitate a transition from a first combination of speed and load to a second combination of speed and load by changing the charge mixture and compression ratio. This may be accomplished in a consecutive engine cycle by adjusting both a fuel injector control signal and a variable valve control signal away from a nominal variable valve control signal. Thereafter in one or more subsequent engine cycles, more sluggish adjustments are made to at least one of a geometric compression ratio control signal and an exhaust gas recirculation control signal to allow the variable valve control signal to be readjusted back toward its nominal variable valve control signal setting. By readjusting the variable valve control signal back toward its nominal setting, the engine will be ready for another transition to a new combination of engine speed and load.

Signature of ferro–paraelectric transition in biferroic LuCrO{sub 3} from electron paramagnetic resonance and non-resonant microwave absorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alvarez, G., E-mail: memodin@yahoo.com [Escuela Superior de Física y Matemáticas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, U.P.A.L.M, Edificio 9, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional S/N, San Pedro Zacatenco, México DF 07738 (Mexico); Montiel, H. [Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria, A.P. 70-186, México DF 04510 (Mexico); Durán, A. [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km. 107, Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Apartado Postal 14, C.P. 22800 Ensenada, B.C. México (Mexico); Conde-Gallardo, A. [Departamento de Física, CINVESTAV-IPN, A.P. 14-740, México DF 07360 (Mexico); Zamorano, R. [Escuela Superior de Física y Matemáticas del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, U.P.A.L.M, Edificio 9, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional S/N, San Pedro Zacatenco, México DF 07738 (Mexico)

2014-12-15

An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study in the polycrystalline biferroic LuCrO{sub 3} is carried out at X-band (8.8–9.8 GHz) in the 295–510 K temperature range. For all the temperatures, the EPR spectra show a single broad line attributable to Cr{sup 3+} (S = 3/2) ions. The onset of a ferro–paraelectric transition has been determined from the temperature dependence of the parameters deduced from EPR spectra: the peak-to-peak linewidth (ΔH{sub pp}), the g-factor and the integral intensity (I{sub EPR}). Magnetically modulated microwave absorption spectroscopy (MAMMAS) and low-field microwave absorption (LFMA) are used to give further information on this material, where these techniques give also evidence of the ferro–paraelectric transition; indicating a behavior in agreement with a diffuse phase transition. - Highlights: • LuCrO{sub 3} powders are obtained via auto-ignition synthesis. • EPR is employed to study the onset of the ferro–paraelectric transition. • MAMMAS and LFMA techniques are used to give further information on this material.

Knock Prediction Using a Simple Model for Ignition Delay

KAUST Repository

Kalghatgi, Gautam

2016-04-05

An earlier paper has shown the ability to predict the phasing of knock onset in a gasoline PFI engine using a simple ignition delay equation for an appropriate surrogate fuel made up of toluene and PRF (TPRF). The applicability of this approach is confirmed in this paper in a different engine using five different fuels of differing RON, sensitivity, and composition - including ethanol blends. An Arrhenius type equation with a pressure correction for ignition delay can be found from interpolation of previously published data for any gasoline if its RON and sensitivity are known. Then, if the pressure and temperature in the unburned gas can be estimated or measured, the Livengood-Wu integral can be estimated as a function of crank angle to predict the occurrence of knock. Experiments in a single cylinder DISI engine over a wide operating range confirm that this simple approach can predict knock very accurately. The data presented should enable engineers to study knock or other auto-ignition phenomena e.g. in premixed compression ignition (PCI) engines without explicit chemical kinetic calculations. © Copyright 2016 SAE International.

Signature of ferro–paraelectric transition in biferroic LuCrO3 from electron paramagnetic resonance and non-resonant microwave absorption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, G.; Montiel, H.; Durán, A.; Conde-Gallardo, A.; Zamorano, R.

2014-01-01

An electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) study in the polycrystalline biferroic LuCrO 3 is carried out at X-band (8.8–9.8 GHz) in the 295–510 K temperature range. For all the temperatures, the EPR spectra show a single broad line attributable to Cr 3+ (S = 3/2) ions. The onset of a ferro–paraelectric transition has been determined from the temperature dependence of the parameters deduced from EPR spectra: the peak-to-peak linewidth (ΔH pp ), the g-factor and the integral intensity (I EPR ). Magnetically modulated microwave absorption spectroscopy (MAMMAS) and low-field microwave absorption (LFMA) are used to give further information on this material, where these techniques give also evidence of the ferro–paraelectric transition; indicating a behavior in agreement with a diffuse phase transition. - Highlights: • LuCrO 3 powders are obtained via auto-ignition synthesis. • EPR is employed to study the onset of the ferro–paraelectric transition. • MAMMAS and LFMA techniques are used to give further information on this material

Fast Hydrogen-Air Flames for Turbulence Driven Deflagration to Detonation Transition

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Jessica; Ahmed, Kareem

2016-11-01

Flame acceleration to Detonation produces several combustion modes as the Deflagration-to-Detonation Transition (DDT) is initiated, including fast deflagration, auto-ignition, and quasi-detonation. Shock flame interactions and turbulence levels in the reactant mixture drive rapid flame expansion, formation of a leading shockwave and post-shock conditions. An experimental study to characterize the developing shock and flame front behavior of propagating premixed hydrogen-air flames in a square channel is presented. To produce each flame regime, turbulence levels and flame propagation velocity are controlled using perforated plates in several configurations within the experimental facility. High speed optical diagnostics including Schlieren and Particle Image Velocimetry are used to capture the flow field. In-flow pressure measurements acquired post-shock, detail the dynamic changes that occur in the compressed gas directly ahead of the propagating flame. Emphasis on characterizing the turbulent post-shock environment of the various flame regimes helps identify the optimum conditions to initiate the DDT process. The study aims to further the understanding of complex physical mechanisms that drive transient flame conditions for detonation initiation. American Chemical Society.

DNS Study of the Ignition of n-Heptane Fuel Spray under HCCI Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yunliang; Rutland, Christopher J.

2004-11-01

Direct numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the mixing and auto-ignition processes of n-heptane fuel spray in a turbulent field using a skeletal chemistry mechanism with 44 species and 112 reactions. For the solution of the carrier gas fluid, we use the Eulerian method, while for the fuel spray, the Lagrangian method is used. We use an eighth-order finite difference scheme to calculate spacial derivatives and a fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme for the time integration. The initial gas temperature is 926 K and the initial gas pressure is 30 atmospheres. The initial global equivalence ratio based on the fuel concentration is around 0.4. The initial droplet diameter is 60 macrons and the droplet temperature is 300 K. Evolutions of averaged temperature, species mass fraction, heat release and reaction rate are presented. Contours of temperature and species mass fractions are presented. The objective is to understand the mechanism of ignition under Homogeneous Charged Compression Ignition (HCCI) conditions, aiming at providing some useful information of HCCI combustion, which is one of the critical issues to be resolved.

Numerical Study of Natural Gas/Diesel Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition Combustion with Large Eddy Simulation and Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir-Hasan Kakaee

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In the current study, a comparative study is performed using Large Eddy Simulation (LES and Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS turbulence models on a natural gas/diesel Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI engine. The numerical results are validated against the available research work in the literature. The RNG (Re-Normalization Group k − ε and dynamic structure models are employed to model turbulent flow for RANS and LES simulations, respectively. Parameters like the premixed natural gas mass fraction, the second start of injection timing (SOI2 of diesel and the engine speed are studied to compare performance of RANS and LES models on combustion and pollutant emissions prediction. The results obtained showed that the LES and RANS model give almost similar predictions of cylinder pressure and heat release rate at lower natural gas mass fractions and late SOI2 timings. However, the LES showed improved capability to predict the natural gas auto-ignition and pollutant emissions prediction compared to RANS model especially at higher natural gas mass fractions.

Supersonic liquid jets: Their generation and shock wave characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Pianthong, K.; Zakrzewski, S.; Behnia, M.; Milton, B. E.

The generation of high-speed liquid (water and diesel fuel) jets in the supersonic range using a vertical single-stage powder gun is described. The effect of projectile velocity and mass on the jet velocity is investigated experimentally. Jet exit velocities for a set of nozzle inner profiles (e.g. straight cone with different cone angles, exponential, hyperbolic etc.) are compared. The optimum condition to achieve the maximum jet velocity and hence better atomization and mixing is then determined. The visual images of supersonic diesel fuel jets (velocity about 2000 m/s) were obtained by the shadowgraph method. This provides better understanding of each stage of the generation of the jets and makes the study of their characteristics and the potential for auto-ignition possible. In the experiments, a pressure relief section has been used to minimize the compressed air wave ahead of the projectile. To clarify the processes inside the section, additional experiments have been performed with the use of the shadowgraph method, showing the projectile travelling inside and leaving the pressure relief section at a velocity of about 1100 m/s.

The combustion behavior of diesel/CNG mixtures in a constant volume combustion chamber

Science.gov (United States)

Firmansyah; Aziz, A. R. A.; Heikal, M. R.

2015-12-01

The stringent emissions and needs to increase fuel efficiency makes controlled auto-ignition (CAI) based combustion an attractive alternative for the new combustion system. However, the combustion control is the main obstacles in its development. Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) that employs two fuels with significantly different in reactivity proven to be able to control the combustion. The RCCI concept applied in a constant volume chamber fuelled with direct injected diesel and compressed natural gas (CNG) was tested. The mixture composition is varied from 0 - 100% diesel/CNG at lambda 1 with main data collection are pressure profile and combustion images. The results show that diesel-CNG mixture significantly shows better combustion compared to diesel only. It is found that CNG is delaying the diesel combustion and at the same time assisting in diesel distribution inside the chamber. This combination creates a multipoint ignition of diesel throughout the chamber that generate very fast heat release rate and higher maximum pressure. Furthermore, lighter yellow color of the flame indicates lower soot production in compared with diesel combustion.

Vehicle driving cycle performance of the spark-less di-ji hydrogen engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boretti, Alberto A. [School of Science and Engineering, University of Ballarat, PO Box663, Ballarat, VIC 3353 (Australia)

2010-05-15

The paper describes coupled CFD combustion simulations and CAE engine performance computations to describe the operation over the full range of load and speed of an always lean burn, Direct Injection Jet Ignition (DI-JI) hydrogen engine. Jet ignition pre-chambers and direct injection are enablers of high efficiencies and load control by quantity of fuel injected. Towards the end of the compression stroke, a small quantity of hydrogen is injected within the spark-less pre-chamber of the DI-JI engine, where it mixes with the air entering from the main chamber and auto-ignites because of the high temperature of the hot glow plug. Then, jets of partially combusted hot gases enter the main chamber igniting there in the bulk, over multiple ignition points, lean stratified mixtures of air and fuel. Engine maps of brake specific fuel consumption vs. speed and brake mean effective pressure are computed first. CAE vehicle simulations are finally performed evaluating the fuel consumption over emission cycles of a vehicle equipped with this engine. (author)

Auto-Ignition of Iso-Stoichiometric Blends of Gasoline-Ethanol-Methanol (GEM) in SI, HCCI and CI Combustion Modes

KAUST Repository

Waqas, Muhammad

2017-03-28

Gasoline-ethanol-methanol (GEM) blends, with constant stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio (iso-stoichiometric blending rule) and equivalent to binary gasoline-ethanol blends (E2, E5, E10 and E15 in % vol.), were defined to investigate the effect of methanol and combined mixtures of ethanol and methanol when blended with three FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) Gasolines, I, J and A corresponding to RON 70.2, 73.8 and 83.9, respectively, and their corresponding Primary Reference Fuels (PRFs). A Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine was used under Spark Ignition and Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignited modes. An ignition quality tester was utilized in the Compression Ignition mode. One of the promising properties of GEM blends, which are derived using the iso-stoichiometric blending rule, is that they maintain a constant octane number, which has led to the introduction of methanol as a drop-in fuel to supplement bio-derived ethanol. A constant RON/HCCI fuel number/derived Research octane number property was observed in all three combustion modes for high RON fuels, but for low RON fuels, the iso-stoichiometric blending rule for constant octane number did not appear to be valid. The chemical composition and octane number of the base fuel also influenced the behavior of the GEM blends under different conditions.

A computational study of syngas auto-ignition characteristics at high-pressure and low-temperature conditions with thermal inhomogeneities

KAUST Repository

Pal, Pinaki; Mansfield, Andrew B.; Arias, Paul G.; Wooldridge, Margaret S.; Im, Hong G.

2015-01-01

number analyses were employed to characterise the propagating ignition front. In the presence of a global temperature gradient, the ignition behaviour shifted from spontaneous propagation (strong) to deflagrative (weak), as the initial mean temperature

Auto-Ignition of Iso-Stoichiometric Blends of Gasoline-Ethanol-Methanol (GEM) in SI, HCCI and CI Combustion Modes

KAUST Repository

Waqas, Muhammad; Naser, Nimal; Sarathy, Mani; Feijs, Jeroen; Morganti, Kai; Nyrenstedt, Gustav; Johansson, Bengt

2017-01-01

Gasoline-ethanol-methanol (GEM) blends, with constant stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio (iso-stoichiometric blending rule) and equivalent to binary gasoline-ethanol blends (E2, E5, E10 and E15 in % vol.), were defined to investigate the effect of methanol and combined mixtures of ethanol and methanol when blended with three FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) Gasolines, I, J and A corresponding to RON 70.2, 73.8 and 83.9, respectively, and their corresponding Primary Reference Fuels (PRFs). A Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine was used under Spark Ignition and Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignited modes. An ignition quality tester was utilized in the Compression Ignition mode. One of the promising properties of GEM blends, which are derived using the iso-stoichiometric blending rule, is that they maintain a constant octane number, which has led to the introduction of methanol as a drop-in fuel to supplement bio-derived ethanol. A constant RON/HCCI fuel number/derived Research octane number property was observed in all three combustion modes for high RON fuels, but for low RON fuels, the iso-stoichiometric blending rule for constant octane number did not appear to be valid. The chemical composition and octane number of the base fuel also influenced the behavior of the GEM blends under different conditions.

Sector Tests of a Low-NO(sub x), Lean, Direct- Injection, Multipoint Integrated Module Combustor Concept Conducted

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, Robert R.; Wey, Chang-Lie; Laing, Peter; Mansour, Adel

2002-01-01

The low-emissions combustor development described is directed toward advanced high pressure aircraft gas-turbine applications. The emphasis of this research is to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) at high-power conditions and to maintain carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons at their current low levels at low power conditions. Low-NOx combustors can be classified into rich-burn and lean-burn concepts. Lean-burn combustors can be further classified into lean-premixed-prevaporized (LPP) and lean direct injection (LDI) concepts. In both concepts, all the combustor air, except for liner cooling flow, enters through the combustor dome so that the combustion occurs at the lowest possible flame temperature. The LPP concept has been shown to have the lowest NOx emissions, but for advanced high-pressure-ratio engines, the possibility of autoignition or flashback precludes its use. LDI differs from LPP in that the fuel is injected directly into the flame zone, and thus, it does not have the potential for autoignition or flashback and should have greater stability. However, since it is not premixed and prevaporized, good atomization is necessary and the fuel must be mixed quickly and uniformly so that flame temperatures are low and NOx formation levels are comparable to those of LPP. The LDI concept described is a multipoint fuel injection/multiburning zone concept. Each of the multiple fuel injectors has an air swirler associated with it to provide quick mixing and a small recirculation zone for burning. The multipoint fuel injection provides quick, uniform mixing and the small multiburning zones provide for reduced burning residence time, resulting in low NOx formation. An integrated-module approach was used for the construction where chemically etched laminates, diffusion bonded together, combine the fuel injectors, air swirlers, and fuel manifold into a single element. The multipoint concept combustor was demonstrated in a 15 sector test. The configuration tested had 36

Transient flow characteristics of a high speed rotary valve

Science.gov (United States)

Browning, Patrick H.

Pressing economic and environmental concerns related to the performance of fossil fuel burning internal combustion engines have revitalized research in more efficient, cleaner burning combustion methods such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). Although many variations of such engines now exist, several limiting factors have restrained the full potential of HCCI. A new method patented by West Virginia University (WVU) called Compression Ignition by Air Injection (CIBAI) may help broaden the range of effective HCCI operation. The CIBAI process is ideally facilitated by operating two synchronized piston-cylinders mounted head-to-head with one of the cylinders filled with a homogeneous mixture of air and fuel and the other cylinder filled with air. A specialized valve called the cylinder connecting valve (CCV) separates the two cylinders, opens just before reaching top dead center (TDC), and allows the injection air into the charge to achieve autoignition. The CCV remains open during the entire power stroke such that upon ignition the rapid pressure rise in the charge cylinder forces mass flow back through the CCV into the air-only cylinder. The limited mass transfer between the cylinders through the CCV limits the theoretical auto ignition timing capabilities and thermal efficiency of the CIBAI cycle. Research has been performed to: (1) Experimentally measure the transient behavior of a potential CCV design during valve opening between two chambers maintained at constant pressure and again at constant volume; (2) Develop a modified theoretical CCV mass flow model based upon the measured cold flow valve performance that is capable of predicting the operating conditions required for successful mixture autoignition; (3) Make recommendations for future CCV designs to maximize CIBAI combustion range. Results indicate that the modified-ball CCV design offers suitable transient flow qualities required for application to the CIBAI concept. Mass injection events

Development and application of laser techniques for studying fuel dynamics and NO formation in engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Oeivind

2000-11-01

was detected using two-photon induced fluorescence. The two signals were imaged on different portions of the same CCD camera. Water is used in a number of combustion applications, but it would be a great advantage if this technique could be developed for application in fuel sprays. It could then be used as an alternative to the fluorescent-exciplex technique commonly used for two-phase detection in such applications. The exciplex technique requires an oxygen-free atmosphere and can thus not be used in real combustion environments. Fuel dynamics have also been studied in DME sprays, both in a combustion vessel and in an optical diesel truck engine. The studies were made using laser-Rayleigh imaging and provided interesting information about the general development and autoignition of these sprays. Among other things it was found that autoignition occurred differently in the two environments. In the vessel, the sprays ignited around the periphery where fuel/air mixtures were close to stoichiometric. In the engine, however ignition occurred volumetrically throughout the cross section of the spray vortex. There is reason to believe that mixtures were fuel-rich in this region. The explanation for the different behaviours is assumed to be found in the temperature and density conditions of the atmospheres into which the sprays were injected. The results show that sprays can behave quite differently in different environments. A thorough study of the effects of temperature, density, and EGR on autoignition in sprays is highly desirable, since current models do not seem to give a general description of the phenomenon. Both the measurements in the DISI engine and the NO measurements in the SI engine show that laser spectroscopic techniques can be used for improving and developing computer-based design tools. In the case of the DISI engine, the data were used to validate results from CFD codes used for engine design. The NO data provided a database for development of a model for

Development and application of laser techniques for studying fuel dynamics and NO formation in engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Oeivind

2000-11-01

was detected using two-photon induced fluorescence. The two signals were imaged on different portions of the same CCD camera. Water is used in a number of combustion applications, but it would be a great advantage if this technique could be developed for application in fuel sprays. It could then be used as an alternative to the fluorescent-exciplex technique commonly used for two-phase detection in such applications. The exciplex technique requires an oxygen-free atmosphere and can thus not be used in real combustion environments. Fuel dynamics have also been studied in DME sprays, both in a combustion vessel and in an optical diesel truck engine. The studies were made using laser-Rayleigh imaging and provided interesting information about the general development and autoignition of these sprays. Among other things it was found that autoignition occurred differently in the two environments. In the vessel, the sprays ignited around the periphery where fuel/air mixtures were close to stoichiometric. In the engine, however ignition occurred volumetrically throughout the cross section of the spray vortex. There is reason to believe that mixtures were fuel-rich in this region. The explanation for the different behaviours is assumed to be found in the temperature and density conditions of the atmospheres into which the sprays were injected. The results show that sprays can behave quite differently in different environments. A thorough study of the effects of temperature, density, and EGR on autoignition in sprays is highly desirable, since current models do not seem to give a general description of the phenomenon. Both the measurements in the DISI engine and the NO measurements in the SI engine show that laser spectroscopic techniques can be used for improving and developing computer-based design tools. In the case of the DISI engine, the data were used to validate results from CFD codes used for engine design. The NO data provided a database for development of a model for

Exploring the negative temperature coefficient behavior of acetaldehyde based on detailed intermediate measurements in a jet-stirred reactor

KAUST Repository

Tao, Tao; Sun, Wenyu; Hansen, Nils; Jasper, Ahren W.; Moshammer, Kai; Chen, Bingjie; Wang, Zhandong; Huang, Can; Dagaut, Philippe; Yang, Bin

2018-01-01

Acetaldehyde is an observed emission species and a key intermediate produced during the combustion and low-temperature oxidation of fossil and bio-derived fuels. Investigations into the low-temperature oxidation chemistry of acetaldehyde are essential to develop a better core mechanism and to better understand auto-ignition and cool flame phenomena. Here, the oxidation of acetaldehyde was studied at low-temperatures (528–946 K) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) with the corrected residence time of 2.7 s at 700 Torr. This work describes a detailed set of experimental results that capture the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior in the low-temperature oxidation of acetaldehyde. The mole fractions of 28 species were measured as functions of the temperature by employing a vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometer. To explain the observed NTC behavior, an updated mechanism was proposed, which well reproduces the concentration profiles of many observed peroxide intermediates. The kinetic analysis based on the updated mechanism reveals that the NTC behavior of acetaldehyde oxidation is caused by the competition between the O-addition to and the decomposition of the CHCO radical.

A study on hydrogen burn due to the operation of containment spray system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, S.Y.; Kim, D.H.; Jin, Y.; Park, C.K.

1995-01-01

The bounding calculation for inflammable gas combustion due to the steam condensation by the operation of the containment spray system was performed. Sensitivity study was performed for two initiating events, station blackout and loss of coolant accident. The parameters for sensitivity study are the condition of cavity, wet or dry, and the timing of operation of the containment spray system. It is shown, based on MAAP4 analyses, that: for dry cavity, auto-ignition burn and hydrogen laden jet burn due to the high temperature in the reactor cavity consumes large amount of burnable gas in the containment and reduces the peak pressure at the global burn by flammability criteria; for wet cavity, large amount of hydrogen and carbon monoxide are generated after dryout of the reactor cavity, but burn is prohibited due to the low gas temperature in the high concentration of the steam. The late operation of the containment spray system condenses the steam rapidly, which results in the global burn at high concentration of burnable gas in the containment. The containment peak pressure from this burn is determined to be high enough to threaten the containment integrity significantly. (author). 3 refs., 3 tabs

Terascale High-Fidelity Simulations of Turbulent Combustion with Detailed Chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong G. Im; Arnaud Trouve; Christopher J. Rutland; Jacqueline H. Chen

2009-02-02

The TSTC project is a multi-university collaborative effort to develop a high-fidelity turbulent reacting flow simulation capability utilizing terascale, massively parallel computer technology. The main paradigm of our approach is direct numerical simulation (DNS) featuring highest temporal and spatial accuracy, allowing quantitative observations of the fine-scale physics found in turbulent reacting flows as well as providing a useful tool for development of sub-models needed in device-level simulations. The code named S3D, developed and shared with Chen and coworkers at Sandia National Laboratories, has been enhanced with new numerical algorithms and physical models to provide predictive capabilities for spray dynamics, combustion, and pollutant formation processes in turbulent combustion. Major accomplishments include improved characteristic boundary conditions, fundamental studies of auto-ignition in turbulent stratified reactant mixtures, flame-wall interaction, and turbulent flame extinction by water spray. The overarching scientific issue in our recent investigations is to characterize criticality phenomena (ignition/extinction) in turbulent combustion, thereby developing unified criteria to identify ignition and extinction conditions. The computational development under TSTC has enabled the recent large-scale 3D turbulent combustion simulations conducted at Sandia National Laboratories.

Exploring the negative temperature coefficient behavior of acetaldehyde based on detailed intermediate measurements in a jet-stirred reactor

KAUST Repository

Tao, Tao

2018-03-20

Acetaldehyde is an observed emission species and a key intermediate produced during the combustion and low-temperature oxidation of fossil and bio-derived fuels. Investigations into the low-temperature oxidation chemistry of acetaldehyde are essential to develop a better core mechanism and to better understand auto-ignition and cool flame phenomena. Here, the oxidation of acetaldehyde was studied at low-temperatures (528–946 K) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) with the corrected residence time of 2.7 s at 700 Torr. This work describes a detailed set of experimental results that capture the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior in the low-temperature oxidation of acetaldehyde. The mole fractions of 28 species were measured as functions of the temperature by employing a vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometer. To explain the observed NTC behavior, an updated mechanism was proposed, which well reproduces the concentration profiles of many observed peroxide intermediates. The kinetic analysis based on the updated mechanism reveals that the NTC behavior of acetaldehyde oxidation is caused by the competition between the O-addition to and the decomposition of the CHCO radical.

New insights into the low-temperature oxidation of 2-methylhexane

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong

2016-09-24

In this work, we studied the low-temperature oxidation of a stoichiometric 2-methylhexane/O2/Ar mixture in a jet-stirred reactor coupled with synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization molecular-beam mass spectrometry. The initial gas mixture was composed of 2% 2-methyhexane, 22% O2 and 76% Ar and the pressure of the reactor was kept at 780Torr. Low-temperature oxidation intermediates with two to five oxygen atoms were observed. The detection of C7H14O5 and C7H12O4 species suggests that a third O2 addition process occurs in 2-methylhexane low-temperature oxidation. A detailed kinetic model was developed that describes the third O2 addition and subsequent reactions leading to C7H14O5 (keto-dihydroperoxide and dihydroperoxy cyclic ether) and C7H12O4 (diketo-hydroperoxide and keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ether) species. The kinetics of the third O2 addition reactions are discussed and model calculations were performed that reveal that third O2 addition reactions promote 2-methylhexane auto-ignition at low temperatures. © 2016 The Combustion Institute.

Measuring hydroperoxide chain-branching agents during n-pentane low-temperature oxidation

KAUST Repository

Rodriguez, Anne

2016-06-23

The reactions of chain-branching agents, such as HO and hydroperoxides, have a decisive role in the occurrence of autoignition. The formation of these agents has been investigated in an atmospheric-pressure jet-stirred reactor during the low-temperature oxidation of n-pentane (initial fuel mole fraction of 0.01, residence time of 2s) using three different diagnostics: time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with tunable synchrotron photoionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometry combined with laser photoionization, and cw-cavity ring-down spectroscopy. These three diagnostics enable a combined analysis of HO, C-C, and C alkylhydroperoxides, C-C alkenylhydroperoxides, and C alkylhydroperoxides including a carbonyl function (ketohydroperoxides). Results using both types of mass spectrometry are compared for the stoichiometric mixture. Formation data are presented at equivalence ratios from 0.5 to 2 for these peroxides and of two oxygenated products, ketene and pentanediones, which are not usually analyzed during jet-stirred reactor oxidation. The formation of alkenylhydroperoxides during alkane oxidation is followed for the first time. A recently developed model of n-pentane oxidation aids discussion of the kinetics of these products and of proposed pathways for C-C alkenylhydroperoxides and the pentanediones.

Terascale High-Fidelity Simulations of Turbulent Combustion with Detailed Chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Im, Hong G [University of Michigan; Trouve, Arnaud [University of Maryland; Rutland, Christopher J [University of Wisconsin; Chen, Jacqueline H [Sandia National Laboratories

2012-08-13

The TSTC project is a multi-university collaborative effort to develop a high-fidelity turbulent reacting flow simulation capability utilizing terascale, massively parallel computer technology. The main paradigm of our approach is direct numerical simulation (DNS) featuring highest temporal and spatial accuracy, allowing quantitative observations of the fine-scale physics found in turbulent reacting flows as well as providing a useful tool for development of sub-models needed in device-level simulations. The code named S3D, developed and shared with Chen and coworkers at Sandia National Laboratories, has been enhanced with new numerical algorithms and physical models to provide predictive capabilities for spray dynamics, combustion, and pollutant formation processes in turbulent combustion. Major accomplishments include improved characteristic boundary conditions, fundamental studies of auto-ignition in turbulent stratified reactant mixtures, flame-wall interaction, and turbulent flame extinction by water spray. The overarching scientific issue in our recent investigations is to characterize criticality phenomena (ignition/extinction) in turbulent combustion, thereby developing unified criteria to identify ignition and extinction conditions. The computational development under TSTC has enabled the recent large-scale 3D turbulent combustion simulations conducted at Sandia National Laboratories.

Thermodynamic analysis of fuels in gas phase: ethanol, gasoline and ethanol - gasoline predicted by DFT method.

Science.gov (United States)

Neto, A F G; Lopes, F S; Carvalho, E V; Huda, M N; Neto, A M J C; Machado, N T

2015-10-01

This paper presents a theoretical study using density functional theory to calculate thermodynamics properties of major molecules compounds at gas phase of fuels like gasoline, ethanol, and gasoline-ethanol mixture in thermal equilibrium on temperature range up to 1500 K. We simulated a composition of gasoline mixture with ethanol for a thorough study of thermal energy, enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, entropy, heat capacity at constant pressure with respect to temperature in order to study the influence caused by ethanol as an additive to gasoline. We used semi-empirical computational methods as well in order to know the efficiency of other methods to simulate fuels through this methodology. In addition, the ethanol influence through the changes in percentage fractions of chemical energy released in combustion reaction and the variations on thermal properties for autoignition temperatures of fuels was analyzed. We verified how ethanol reduces the chemical energy released by gasoline combustion and how at low temperatures the gas phase fuels in thermal equilibrium have similar thermodynamic behavior. Theoretical results were compared with experimental data, when available, and showed agreement. Graphical Abstract Thermodynamic analysis of fuels in gas phase.

Transient flow combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Tacina, R. R.

1984-01-01

Non-steady combustion problems can result from engine sources such as accelerations, decelerations, nozzle adjustments, augmentor ignition, and air perturbations into and out of the compressor. Also non-steady combustion can be generated internally from combustion instability or self-induced oscillations. A premixed-prevaporized combustor would be particularly sensitive to flow transients because of its susceptability to flashback-autoignition and blowout. An experimental program, the Transient Flow Combustion Study is in progress to study the effects of air and fuel flow transients on a premixed-prevaporized combustor. Preliminary tests performed at an inlet air temperature of 600 K, a reference velocity of 30 m/s, and a pressure of 700 kPa. The airflow was reduced to 1/3 of its original value in a 40 ms ramp before flashback occurred. Ramping the airflow up has shown that blowout is more sensitive than flashback to flow transients. Blowout occurred with a 25 percent increase in airflow (at a constant fuel-air ratio) in a 20 ms ramp. Combustion resonance was found at some conditions and may be important in determining the effects of flow transients.

Direct numerical simulation of ignition front propagation in a constant volume with temperature inhomogeneities. I. Fundamental analysis and diagnostics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Jacqueline H.; Hawkes, Evatt R.; Sankaran, Ramanan [Reacting Flow Research Department, Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 969 MS 9051, Livermore, CA 94551-0969 (United States); Mason, Scott D. [Lockheed Martin Corporation, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 (United States); Im, Hong G. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 (United States)

2006-04-15

The influence of thermal stratification on autoignition at constant volume and high pressure is studied by direct numerical simulation (DNS) with detailed hydrogen/air chemistry with a view to providing better understanding and modeling of combustion processes in homogeneous charge compression-ignition engines. Numerical diagnostics are developed to analyze the mode of combustion and the dependence of overall ignition progress on initial mixture conditions. The roles of dissipation of heat and mass are divided conceptually into transport within ignition fronts and passive scalar dissipation, which modifies the statistics of the preignition temperature field. Transport within ignition fronts is analyzed by monitoring the propagation speed of ignition fronts using the displacement speed of a scalar that tracks the location of maximum heat release rate. The prevalence of deflagrative versus spontaneous ignition front propagation is found to depend on the local temperature gradient, and may be identified by the ratio of the instantaneous front speed to the laminar deflagration speed. The significance of passive scalar mixing is examined using a mixing timescale based on enthalpy fluctuations. Finally, the predictions of the multizone modeling strategy are compared with the DNS, and the results are explained using the diagnostics developed. (author)

New engine method for biodiesel cetane number testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pešić Radivoje B.

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Substitution of fossil fuels with fuels that come from part renewable sources has been a subject of many studies and researches in the past decade. Considering the higher cost and limits of production resources, a special attention is focused on raising the energy efficiency of biofuel usage, mainly through optimization of the combustion process. Consequently, in biofuel applications, there is a need for determination of auto-ignition quality expressed by cetane number as a dominant characteristic that influences combustion parameters. The fact that the method for cetane number determination is comparative in nature has led us to try to develop substitute engine method for cetane number determination, by the use of the available laboratory equipment and serial, mono-cylinder engine with direct injection, DMB LDA 450. Description of the method, results of optimization of engine’s working parameters for conduction of the test and method’s Accuracy estimation are given in the paper. The paper also presents the results of domestic biodiesel fuels cetane number testing with the application of described engine method, developed at the Laboratory for internal combustion engines and fuels and lubricants of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering from Kragujevac, Serbia.

Evaluation of Anti-Knock Quality of Dicyclopentadiene-Gasoline Blends

KAUST Repository

Al-Khodaier, Mohannad

2017-03-28

Increasing the anti-knock quality of gasoline fuels can enable higher efficiency in spark ignition engines. In this study, the blending anti-knock quality of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), a by-product of ethylene production from naphtha cracking, with various gasoline fuels is explored. The blends were tested in an ignition quality tester (IQT) and a modified cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine operating under homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and knock limited spark advance (KLSA) conditions. Due to current fuel regulations, ethanol is widely used as a gasoline blending component in many markets. In addition, ethanol is widely used as a fuel and literature verifying its performance. Moreover, because ethanol exhibits synergistic effects, the test results of DCPD-gasoline blends were compared to those of ethanol-gasoline blends. The experiments conducted in this work enabled the screening of DCPD auto-ignition characteristics across a range of combustion modes. The synergistic blending nature of DCPD was apparent and appeared to be greater than that of ethanol. The data presented suggests that DCPD has the potential to be a high octane blending component in gasoline; one which can substitute alkylates, isomerates, reformates, and oxygenates.

Evaluation of Anti-Knock Quality of Dicyclopentadiene-Gasoline Blends

KAUST Repository

Al-Khodaier, Mohannad; Bhavani Shankar, Vijai Shankar; Waqas, Muhammad; Naser, Nimal; Sarathy, Mani; Johansson, Bengt

2017-01-01

Increasing the anti-knock quality of gasoline fuels can enable higher efficiency in spark ignition engines. In this study, the blending anti-knock quality of dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), a by-product of ethylene production from naphtha cracking, with various gasoline fuels is explored. The blends were tested in an ignition quality tester (IQT) and a modified cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine operating under homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and knock limited spark advance (KLSA) conditions. Due to current fuel regulations, ethanol is widely used as a gasoline blending component in many markets. In addition, ethanol is widely used as a fuel and literature verifying its performance. Moreover, because ethanol exhibits synergistic effects, the test results of DCPD-gasoline blends were compared to those of ethanol-gasoline blends. The experiments conducted in this work enabled the screening of DCPD auto-ignition characteristics across a range of combustion modes. The synergistic blending nature of DCPD was apparent and appeared to be greater than that of ethanol. The data presented suggests that DCPD has the potential to be a high octane blending component in gasoline; one which can substitute alkylates, isomerates, reformates, and oxygenates.

Experimental cross-correlation nitrogen Q-branch CARS thermometry in a spark ignition engine

Science.gov (United States)

Lockett, R. D.; Ball, D.; Robertson, G. N.

2013-07-01

A purely experimental technique was employed to derive temperatures from nitrogen Q-branch Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) spectra, obtained in a high pressure, high temperature environment (spark ignition Otto engine). This was in order to obviate any errors arising from deficiencies in the spectral scaling laws which are commonly used to represent nitrogen Q-branch CARS spectra at high pressure. The spectra obtained in the engine were compared with spectra obtained in a calibrated high pressure, high temperature cell, using direct cross-correlation in place of the minimisation of sums of squares of residuals. The technique is demonstrated through the measurement of air temperature as a function of crankshaft angle inside the cylinder of a motored single-cylinder Ricardo E6 research engine, followed by the measurement of fuel-air mixture temperatures obtained during the compression stroke in a knocking Ricardo E6 engine. A standard CARS programme (SANDIA's CARSFIT) was employed to calibrate the altered non-resonant background contribution to the CARS spectra that was caused by the alteration to the mole fraction of nitrogen in the unburned fuel-air mixture. The compression temperature profiles were extrapolated in order to predict the auto-ignition temperatures.

Towards a lumped reaction model for future designer fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandersickel, A.; Wright, Y.M.; Boulouchos, K. [ETH Zurich, Aerothermochemistry and Combustion Systems Laboratory, Zurich (Switzerland). Inst. of Energy Technology

2009-07-01

The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is one of the most promising engine processes to simultaneously reduce nitrogen oxide and soot emissions. However, its applicability is hindered by its relatively limited operating range. Designer fuels offer unique possibilities for tailoring evaporation and auto-ignition properties, offering a means to control and expand the HCCI operation range. The identification of HCCI relevant fuel properties as well as the definition of a new fuel index able to describe a fuels suitability for HCCI was required in order to develop such designer fuels. This paper discussed a numerical and experimental investigation of a large set of technical fuels covering a wide range of properties. The paper discussed mechanism development approaches, optimization of the lumped mechanism, and and results. Zheng's 7-step reaction mechanism was successfully coupled with a genetic optimization algorithm and fitted to n-heptane ignition delay data. It was concluded that the presented coupled approach could improve the predictive quality of the model and demonstrate that the Zheng model was sufficiently elaborate to emulate the influence of temperature, pressure, exhaust gas recirculation and lambda on ignition. 8 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs.

Numerical investigation of CAI Combustion in the Opposed- Piston Engine with Direct and Indirect Water Injection

Science.gov (United States)

Pyszczek, R.; Mazuro, P.; Teodorczyk, A.

2016-09-01

This paper is focused on the CAI combustion control in a turbocharged 2-stroke Opposed-Piston (OP) engine. The barrel type OP engine arrangement is of particular interest for the authors because of its robust design, high mechanical efficiency and relatively easy incorporation of a Variable Compression Ratio (VCR). The other advantage of such design is that combustion chamber is formed between two moving pistons - there is no additional cylinder head to be cooled which directly results in an increased thermal efficiency. Furthermore, engine operation in a Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI) mode at high compression ratios (CR) raises a possibility of reaching even higher efficiencies and very low emissions. In order to control CAI combustion such measures as VCR and water injection were considered for indirect ignition timing control. Numerical simulations of the scavenging and combustion processes were performed with the 3D CFD multipurpose AVL Fire solver. Numerous cases were calculated with different engine compression ratios and different amounts of directly and indirectly injected water. The influence of the VCR and water injection on the ignition timing and engine performance was determined and their application in the real engine was discussed.

Towards a lumped reaction model for future designer fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandersickel, A.; Wright, Y.M.; Boulouchos, K.

2009-01-01

The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is one of the most promising engine processes to simultaneously reduce nitrogen oxide and soot emissions. However, its applicability is hindered by its relatively limited operating range. Designer fuels offer unique possibilities for tailoring evaporation and auto-ignition properties, offering a means to control and expand the HCCI operation range. The identification of HCCI relevant fuel properties as well as the definition of a new fuel index able to describe a fuels suitability for HCCI was required in order to develop such designer fuels. This paper discussed a numerical and experimental investigation of a large set of technical fuels covering a wide range of properties. The paper discussed mechanism development approaches, optimization of the lumped mechanism, and and results. Zheng's 7-step reaction mechanism was successfully coupled with a genetic optimization algorithm and fitted to n-heptane ignition delay data. It was concluded that the presented coupled approach could improve the predictive quality of the model and demonstrate that the Zheng model was sufficiently elaborate to emulate the influence of temperature, pressure, exhaust gas recirculation and lambda on ignition. 8 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs.

Final Report - Low Temperature Combustion Chemistry And Fuel Component Interactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wooldridge, Margaret [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2017-02-24

Recent research into combustion chemistry has shown that reactions at “low temperatures” (700 – 1100 K) have a dramatic influence on ignition and combustion of fuels in virtually every practical combustion system. A powerful class of laboratory-scale experimental facilities that can focus on fuel chemistry in this temperature range is the rapid compression facility (RCF), which has proven to be a versatile tool to examine the details of fuel chemistry in this important regime. An RCF was used in this project to advance our understanding of low temperature chemistry of important fuel compounds. We show how factors including fuel molecular structure, the presence of unsaturated C=C bonds, and the presence of alkyl ester groups influence fuel auto-ignition and produce variable amounts of negative temperature coefficient behavior of fuel ignition. We report new discoveries of synergistic ignition interactions between alkane and alcohol fuels, with both experimental and kinetic modeling studies of these complex interactions. The results of this project quantify the effects of molecular structure on combustion chemistry including carbon bond saturation, through low temperature experimental studies of esters, alkanes, alkenes, and alcohols.

The interaction between Otto fuel II and aqueous hydroxylammonium perchlorate (HAP). Pt. 3: depletion of components within the reacting liquids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bellerby, John M.; Blackman, Christopher S. [Department of Environmental and Ordnance Systems, Cranfield University, Defence College of Management and Technology, Shrivenham, Swindon SN6 8LA (United Kingdom)

2007-06-15

Gas chromatography (GC) with a Flame Ionisation Detector (FID) has been used to determine changes in the concentrations of the components of Otto Fuel II (OF) in contact with an 82% aqueous solution of hydroxylammonium perchlorate (HAP) in sealed vials at 31.7 C during the period leading up to auto-ignition of the two liquids. The concentration of hydroxylamine in HAP was monitored over the same period using a titration method. It was found that 2-nitrodiphenylamine (2NDPA), the stabiliser in the OF, is completely consumed after about 65-70 h and that the concentration of hydroxylamine begins to fall at this point. 1,2-Propanediol dinitrate (propylene glycol dinitrate, PGDN), the energetic component in the OF, is not depleted significantly until after about 90 h. The evolution of nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O) between 65 and 90 h is attributed to the reaction of the hydroxylammonium ion with nitrous acids produced by PGDN decomposition at the liquid-liquid interface. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) is evolved after 90 h and is attributed to PGDN decomposition. HAP and PGDN are each thought to contribute to N{sub 2}O evolution after 90 h. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Methodology for the investigation of ignition near hot surfaces in a high-pressure shock tube

Science.gov (United States)

Niegemann, P.; Fikri, M.; Wlokas, I.; Röder, M.; Schulz, C.

2018-05-01

Autoignition of fuel/air mixtures is a determining process in internal combustion engines. Ignition can start either homogeneously in the gas phase after compression or in the vicinity of hot surfaces. While ignition properties of commercial fuels are conventionally described by a single quantity (octane number), it is known that some fuels have a varying propensity to the two processes. We present a new experimental concept that generates well-controlled temperature inhomogeneities in the shock-heated gases of a high-pressure shock tube. A shock-heated reactive mixture is brought into contact with a heated silicon nitride ceramic glow plug. The glow-plug temperature can be set up to 1200 K, higher than the post-reflected-shock gas temperatures (650-1050 K). High-repetition-rate chemiluminescence imaging is used to localize the onset of ignition in the vicinity of the hot surface. In experiments with ethanol, the results show that in most cases under shock-heated conditions, the ignition begins inhomogeneously in the vicinity of the glow plug and is favored because of the high wall temperature. Additionally, the interaction of geometry, external heating, and gas-dynamic effects was investigated by numerical simulations of the shock wave in a non-reactive flow.

Numerical Studies on Controlling Gaseous Fuel Combustion by Managing the Combustion Process of Diesel Pilot Dose in a Dual-Fuel Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mikulski Maciej

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Protection of the environment and counteracting global warming require finding alternative sources of energy. One of the methods of generating energy from environmentally friendly sources is increasing the share of gaseous fuels in the total energy balance. The use of these fuels in compression-ignition (CI engines is difficult due to their relatively high autoignition temperature. One solution for using these fuels in CI engines is operating in a dualfuel mode, where the air and gas mixture is ignited with a liquid fuel dose. In this method, a series of relatively complex chemical processes occur in the engine's combustion chamber, related to the combustion of individual fuel fractions that interact with one another. Analysis of combustion of specific fuels in this type of fuel injection to the engine is difficult due to the fact that combustion of both fuel fractions takes place simultaneously. Simulation experiments can be used to analyse the impact of diesel fuel combustion on gaseous fuel combustion. In this paper, we discuss the results of simulation tests of combustion, based on the proprietary multiphase model of a dual-fuel engine. The results obtained from the simulation allow for analysis of the combustion process of individual fuels separately, which expands the knowledge obtained from experimental tests on the engine.

Do sealless pumps belong in hydrocarbon processing services?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, Shawn L. [Sundyne Corporation, Arvada, CO (Brazil)

2004-07-01

Sealless pump technology seems unimaginable in the hot, dirty and high-pressure world of hydrocarbon processing. Furthermore the high flow rates typical of the industry seem incompatible with sealless pumps. Seals and their environmental controls used in conventional technologies are not immune from these factors making sealless worth another look. In October 2000 the Sealless Centrifugal Pump Specification API 685 was published. This specification lends sealless pumps credibility and emphasizes the proper application of the technology. In many process units seal leaks can be extremely dangerous and costly. The heavy hydrocarbons can auto-ignite and light hydrocarbons will tend to find a source of ignition. The ever-increasing requirements for clean fuels are driving many of the current refinery upgrades. Best Also available control technology requirements and additional focus on Environmental Health and Safety increase the attractiveness of sealless technology to mitigate the hazards associated with seal leaks. Sealless has a place in hydrocarbon processing to eliminate seals, provide mechanical simplification, and ensure personnel/environmental protection. The proper application involves evaluating canned motor/magnetic drive technology, API 685 Guidelines, and vapor pressure versus pump circuit pressure analysis. There are four (4) specific processes where sealless pumps should be targeted: Alkylation, Sulfur Recovery/Hydrotreating, Naphtha Reforming Production, and Neutralization. (author)

Generation of skeletal mechanism by means of projected entropy participation indices

Science.gov (United States)

Paolucci, Samuel; Valorani, Mauro; Ciottoli, Pietro Paolo; Galassi, Riccardo Malpica

2017-11-01

When the dynamics of reactive systems develop very-slow and very-fast time scales separated by a range of active time scales, with gaps in the fast/active and slow/active time scales, then it is possible to achieve multi-scale adaptive model reduction along-with the integration of the ODEs using the G-Scheme. The scheme assumes that the dynamics is decomposed into active, slow, fast, and invariant subspaces. We derive expressions that establish a direct link between time scales and entropy production by using estimates provided by the G-Scheme. To calculate the contribution to entropy production, we resort to a standard model of a constant pressure, adiabatic, batch reactor, where the mixture temperature of the reactants is initially set above the auto-ignition temperature. Numerical experiments show that the contribution to entropy production of the fast subspace is of the same magnitude as the error threshold chosen for the identification of the decomposition of the tangent space, and the contribution of the slow subspace is generally much smaller than that of the active subspace. The information on entropy production associated with reactions within each subspace is used to define an entropy participation index that is subsequently utilized for model reduction.

Combustion and exhaust emission characteristics of a dual fuel compression ignition engine operated with pilot Diesel fuel and natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papagiannakis, R.G.; Hountalas, D.T.

2004-01-01

Towards the effort of reducing pollutant emissions, especially soot and nitrogen oxides, from direct injection Diesel engines, engineers have proposed various solutions, one of which is the use of a gaseous fuel as a partial supplement for liquid Diesel fuel. These engines are known as dual fuel combustion engines, i.e. they use conventional Diesel fuel and a gaseous fuel as well. This technology is currently reintroduced, associated with efforts to overcome various difficulties of HCCI engines, using various fuels. The use of natural gas as an alternative fuel is a promising solution. The potential benefits of using natural gas in Diesel engines are both economical and environmental. The high autoignition temperature of natural gas is a serious advantage since the compression ratio of conventional Diesel engines can be maintained. The present contribution describes an experimental investigation conducted on a single cylinder DI Diesel engine, which has been properly modified to operate under dual fuel conditions. The primary amount of fuel is the gaseous one, which is ignited by a pilot Diesel liquid injection. Comparative results are given for various engine speeds and loads for conventional Diesel and dual fuel operation, revealing the effect of dual fuel combustion on engine performance and exhaust emissions

Study on the conditions of methanol use as a secondary refrigerant; Etude sur les conditions d'utilisation du methanol comme refrigerant secondaire

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-11-01

This study examined the advantages and safe use of a water and methanol solution for use in a piped cooling network in skating rinks. A methanol/water solution offers simple repair solutions for leaks under ice, because unlike brine, it does not leave spots or soften the ice. The solution is less corrosive than brine and offers efficient heat transfer in heat exchangers. The standards and regulations that apply to the methanol/water solution were outlined. The following preventive measures are recommended to minimize risk associated with methanol in skating rinks: solutions should be diluted to 25 per cent methanol to avoid storing and handling of more concentrated products; methanol vapour detectors should be installed in service rooms where spills may occur; respiratory and protective eye protection should be available in service rooms; and, protection should be provided against freezing when the product is circulated outside of the arena. This study also examined the negative effects on health, including toxicity. Risks related to the environment, flammability and the physicochemical compatibility of methanol with materials were examined. The properties of the methanol/water solution were listed with reference to flash point, autoignition temperature, and the lower and upper flammable or explosive limits. tabs., figs. appendices.

Control of the low-load region in partially premixed combustion

Science.gov (United States)

Ingesson, Gabriel; Yin, Lianhao; Johansson, Rolf; Tunestal, Per

2016-09-01

Partially premixed combustion (PPC) is a low temperature, direct-injection combustion concept that has shown to give promising emission levels and efficiencies over a wide operating range. In this concept, high EGR ratios, high octane-number fuels and early injection timings are used to slow down the auto-ignition reactions and to enhance the fuel and are mixing before the start of combustion. A drawback with this concept is the combustion stability in the low-load region where a high octane-number fuel might cause misfire and low combustion efficiency. This paper investigates the problem of low-load PPC controller design for increased engine efficiency. First, low-load PPC data, obtained from a multi-cylinder heavy- duty engine is presented. The data shows that combustion efficiency could be increased by using a pilot injection and that there is a non-linearity in the relation between injection and combustion timing. Furthermore, intake conditions should be set in order to avoid operating points with unfavourable global equivalence ratio and in-cylinder temperature combinations. Model predictive control simulations were used together with a calibrated engine model to find a gas-system controller that fulfilled this task. The findings are then summarized in a suggested engine controller design. Finally, an experimental performance evaluation of the suggested controller is presented.

Knock probability estimation through an in-cylinder temperature model with exogenous noise

Science.gov (United States)

Bares, P.; Selmanaj, D.; Guardiola, C.; Onder, C.

2018-01-01

This paper presents a new knock model which combines a deterministic knock model based on the in-cylinder temperature and an exogenous noise disturbing this temperature. The autoignition of the end-gas is modelled by an Arrhenius-like function and the knock probability is estimated by propagating a virtual error probability distribution. Results show that the random nature of knock can be explained by uncertainties at the in-cylinder temperature estimation. The model only has one parameter for calibration and thus can be easily adapted online. In order to reduce the measurement uncertainties associated with the air mass flow sensor, the trapped mass is derived from the in-cylinder pressure resonance, which improves the knock probability estimation and reduces the number of sensors needed for the model. A four stroke SI engine was used for model validation. By varying the intake temperature, the engine speed, the injected fuel mass, and the spark advance, specific tests were conducted, which furnished data with various knock intensities and probabilities. The new model is able to predict the knock probability within a sufficient range at various operating conditions. The trapped mass obtained by the acoustical model was compared in steady conditions by using a fuel balance and a lambda sensor and differences below 1 % were found.

Modification Design of Petrol Engine for Alternative Fueling using Compressed Natural Gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eliezer Uchechukwu Okeke

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This paper is on the modification design of petrol engine for alternative fuelling using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG. It provides an analytical background in the modification design process. A petrol engine Honda CR-V 2.0 auto which has a compression ratio of 9.8 was selected as case study. In order for this petrol engine to run on CNG, its compression had to be increased. An optimal compression ratio of 11.97 was computed using the standard temperature-specific volume relationship for an isentropic compression process. This computation of compression ratio is based on an inlet air temperature of 30oC (representative of tropical ambient condition and pre-combustion temperature of 540oC (corresponding to the auto-ignition temperature of CNG. Using this value of compression ratio, a dimensional modification Quantity =1.803mm was obtained using simple geometric relationships. This value of 1.803mm is needed to increase the length of the connecting rod, the compression height of the piston or reducing the sealing plate’s thickness. After the modification process, a CNG engine of air standard efficiency 62.7% (this represents a 4.67% increase over the petrol engine, capable of a maximum power of 83.6kW at 6500rpm, was obtained.

Effects of cetane number on HCCI combustion efficiency and emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosseini, V.; Neill, W.S.; Guo, H.; Chippior, W.L. [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Fairbridge, C. [Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada); Mitchell, K. [Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2009-07-01

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a form of internal combustion in which well-mixed fuel and oxidizer are compressed to the point of auto-ignition. This exothermic reaction releases chemical energy into a sensible form that can be transformed in an engine into work and heat. The effects of cetane number on HCCI combustion efficiency and emissions were examined in this presentation. The presentation discussed the experimental setup, fuels, experimental procedures, and results. The setup included an enhanced fuel injector/vaporizer consisting of an OEM gasoline port fuel injector, air blast for improved atomization, and heated section to improved vaporization. A minimally processed and low cetane number fuel derived from oil sands was used as the base fuel in the study. Two sets of experiments were devised and described to evaluate each test fuel. One set used controlled input conditions exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)-air-fuel ratio (AFR) while the other set employed controlled engine outputs (such as speed and load). Results were presented for hydroprocessing; cetane improver addition; blending with supercetane renewable diesel; and a comparison of fuels with similar cetane numbers. It was concluded that increasing the fuel cetane number shifted the AFR-EGR operating window for HCCI combustion towards higher AFT (leaner mixtures) and reduced the cyclic variations. tabs., figs.

Large eddy simulation of combustion characteristics in a kerosene fueled rocket-based combined-cycle engine combustor

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zhi-wei; He, Guo-qiang; Qin, Fei; Cao, Dong-gang; Wei, Xiang-geng; Shi, Lei

2016-10-01

This study reports combustion characteristics of a rocket-based combined-cycle engine combustor operating at ramjet mode numerically. Compressible large eddy simulation with liquid kerosene sprayed and vaporized is used to study the intrinsic unsteadiness of combustion in such a propulsion system. Results for the pressure oscillation amplitude and frequency in the combustor as well as the wall pressure distribution along the flow-path, are validated using experimental data, and they show acceptable agreement. Coupled with reduced chemical kinetics of kerosene, results are compared with the simultaneously obtained Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes results, and show significant differences. A flow field analysis is also carried out for further study of the turbulent flame structures. Mixture fraction is used to determine the most probable flame location in the combustor at stoichiometric condition. Spatial distributions of the Takeno flame index, scalar dissipation rate, and heat release rate reveal that different combustion modes, such as premixed and non-premixed modes, coexisted at different sections of the combustor. The RBCC combustor is divided into different regions characterized by their non-uniform features. Flame stabilization mechanism, i.e., flame propagation or fuel auto-ignition, and their relative importance, is also determined at different regions in the combustor.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Combustion and Knock in a Dual Fuel Gas/Diesel Compression Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Gharehghani

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Conventional compression ignition engines can easily be converted to a dual fuel mode of operation using natural gas as main fuel and diesel oil injection as pilot to initiate the combustion. At the same time, it is possible to increase the output power by increasing the diesel oil percentage. A detailed performance and combustion characteristic analysis of a heavy duty diesel engine has been studied in dual fuel mode of operation where natural gas is used as the main fuel and diesel oil as pilot. The influence of intake pressure and temperature on knock occurrence and the effects of initial swirl ratio on heat release rate, temperature-pressure and emission levels have been investigated in this study. It is shown that an increase in the initial swirl ratio lengthens the delay period for auto-ignition and extends the combustion period while it reduces NOx. There is an optimum value of the initial swirl ratio for a certain mixture intake temperature and pressure conditions that can achieve high thermal efficiency and low NOx emissions while decreases the tendency to knock. Simultaneous increase of intake pressure and initial swirl ratio could be the solution to power loss and knock in dual fuel engine.

Fuels for homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines. Automotive fuels survey. Part 6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Walwijk, M.

2001-01-01

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a third mode of operation for internal combustion engines, beside spark ignition and conventional compression ignition. This report concentrates on the requirements that HCCI operation puts on fuels for these engines. For readers with limited time available, this summary describes the main findings. Policy makers that need some more background information may turn directly to chapter 7, 'Fuels for HCCI engines'. The rest of this report can be considered as a reference guide for more detailed information. The driving force to investigate HCCI engines is the potential of low emissions and simultaneously high energy efficiency. HCCI is gaining attention the last few years. However, HCCI engines are still in the research phase. After many experiments with prototype engines, people have now started working on computer simulations of the combustion process, to obtain a fundamental understanding of HCCI combustion and to steer future engine developments. In HCCI engines, an air/fuel mixture is prepared before it enters the combustion chamber. The homogeneous mixture is in the combustion chamber compressed to auto-ignition. Unlike in conventional engines, combustion starts at many different locations simultaneously and the speed of combustion is very high, so there is no flame front. Lean air/fuel mixtures (excess air) are used to control combustion speed. Because of the excess air, combustion temperature is relatively low, resulting in low NOx emissions. When the fuel is vaporised to a truly homogeneous mixture, complete combustion results in low particulate emissions. The most important advantages of HCCI engines are: - Emissions of NOx and particulates are very low. - Energy efficiency is high. It is comparable to diesel engines. - Many different fuels (one at a time) can be used in the HCCI concept. There are also some hurdles to overcome: - Controlling combustion is difficult, it complicates engine design

Experimental investigation of gasoline compression ignition combustion in a light-duty diesel engine

Science.gov (United States)

Loeper, C. Paul

Due to increased ignition delay and volatility, low temperature combustion (LTC) research utilizing gasoline fuel has experienced recent interest [1-3]. These characteristics improve air-fuel mixing prior to ignition allowing for reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot (or particulate matter, PM). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Engine Research Center (Ra et al. [4, 5]) have validated these attributes and established baseline operating parameters for a gasoline compression ignition (GCI) concept in a light-duty diesel engine over a large load range (3-16 bar net IMEP). In addition to validating these computational results, subsequent experiments at the Engine Research Center utilizing a single cylinder research engine based on a GM 1.9-liter diesel engine have progressed fundamental understanding of gasoline autoignition processes, and established the capability of critical controlling input parameters to better control GCI operation. The focus of this thesis can be divided into three segments: 1) establishment of operating requirements in the low-load operating limit, including operation sensitivities with respect to inlet temperature, and the capabilities of injection strategy to minimize NOx emissions while maintaining good cycle-to-cycle combustion stability; 2) development of novel three-injection strategies to extend the high load limit; and 3) having developed fundamental understanding of gasoline autoignition kinetics, and how changes in physical processes (e.g. engine speed effects, inlet pressure variation, and air-fuel mixture processes) affects operation, develop operating strategies to maintain robust engine operation. Collectively, experimental results have demonstrated the ability of GCI strategies to operate over a large load-speed range (3 bar to 17.8 bar net IMEP and 1300-2500 RPM, respectively) with low emissions (NOx and PM less than 1 g/kg-FI and 0.2 g/kg-FI, respectively), and low

A high-pressure plug flow reactor for combustion chemistry investigations

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhewen; Cochet, Julien; Leplat, Nicolas; Yang, Yi; Brear, Michael J.

2017-10-01

A plug flow reactor (PFR) is built for investigating the oxidation chemistry of fuels at up to 50 bar and 1000 K. These conditions include those corresponding to the low temperature combustion (i.e. the autoignition) that commonly occurs in internal combustion engines. Turbulent flow that approximates ideal, plug flow conditions is established in a quartz tube reactor. The reacting mixture is highly diluted by excess air to reduce the reaction rates for kinetic investigations. A novel mixer design is used to achieve fast mixing of the preheated air and fuel vapour at the reactor entrance, reducing the issue of reaction initialization in kinetic modelling. A water-cooled probe moves along the reactor extracting gases for further analysis. Measurement of the sampled gas temperature uses an extended form of a three-thermocouple method that corrects for radiative heat losses from the thermocouples to the enclosed PFR environment. Investigation of the PFR’s operation is first conducted using non-reacting flows, and then with isooctane oxidation at 900 K and 10 bar. Mixing of the non-reacting temperature and species fields is shown to be rapid. The measured fuel consumption and CO formation are then closely reproduced by kinetic modelling using an extensively validated iso-octane mechanism from the literature and the corrected gas temperature. Together, these results demonstrate the PFR’s utility for chemical kinetic investigations.

Review of modern low emissions combustion technologies for aero gas turbine engines

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yize; Sun, Xiaoxiao; Sethi, Vishal; Nalianda, Devaiah; Li, Yi-Guang; Wang, Lu

2017-10-01

Pollutant emissions from aircraft in the vicinity of airports and at altitude are of great public concern due to their impact on environment and human health. The legislations aimed at limiting aircraft emissions have become more stringent over the past few decades. This has resulted in an urgent need to develop low emissions combustors in order to meet legislative requirements and reduce the impact of civil aviation on the environment. This article provides a comprehensive review of low emissions combustion technologies for modern aero gas turbines. The review considers current high Technologies Readiness Level (TRL) technologies including Rich-Burn Quick-quench Lean-burn (RQL), Double Annular Combustor (DAC), Twin Annular Premixing Swirler combustors (TAPS), Lean Direct Injection (LDI). It further reviews some of the advanced technologies at lower TRL. These include NASA multi-point LDI, Lean Premixed Prevaporised (LPP), Axially Staged Combustors (ASC) and Variable Geometry Combustors (VGC). The focus of the review is placed on working principles, a review of the key technologies (includes the key technology features, methods of realising the technology, associated technology advantages and design challenges, progress in development), technology application and emissions mitigation potential. The article concludes the technology review by providing a technology evaluation matrix based on a number of combustion performance criteria including altitude relight auto-ignition flashback, combustion stability, combustion efficiency, pressure loss, size and weight, liner life and exit temperature distribution.

A high-pressure plug flow reactor for combustion chemistry investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Zhewen; Cochet, Julien; Leplat, Nicolas; Yang, Yi; Brear, Michael J

2017-01-01

A plug flow reactor (PFR) is built for investigating the oxidation chemistry of fuels at up to 50 bar and 1000 K. These conditions include those corresponding to the low temperature combustion (i.e. the autoignition) that commonly occurs in internal combustion engines. Turbulent flow that approximates ideal, plug flow conditions is established in a quartz tube reactor. The reacting mixture is highly diluted by excess air to reduce the reaction rates for kinetic investigations. A novel mixer design is used to achieve fast mixing of the preheated air and fuel vapour at the reactor entrance, reducing the issue of reaction initialization in kinetic modelling. A water-cooled probe moves along the reactor extracting gases for further analysis. Measurement of the sampled gas temperature uses an extended form of a three-thermocouple method that corrects for radiative heat losses from the thermocouples to the enclosed PFR environment. Investigation of the PFR’s operation is first conducted using non-reacting flows, and then with isooctane oxidation at 900 K and 10 bar. Mixing of the non-reacting temperature and species fields is shown to be rapid. The measured fuel consumption and CO formation are then closely reproduced by kinetic modelling using an extensively validated iso-octane mechanism from the literature and the corrected gas temperature. Together, these results demonstrate the PFR’s utility for chemical kinetic investigations. (paper)

A compact skeletal mechanism for n -dodecane with optimized semi-global low-temperature chemistry for diesel engine simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yao, Tong; Pei, Yuanjiang; Zhong, Bei-Jing; Som, Sibendu; Lu, Tianfeng; Luo, Kai Hong

2017-03-01

A skeletal mechanism with 54 species and 269 reactions was developed to predict pyrolysis and oxidation of n-dodecane as a diesel fuel surrogate involving both high-temperature (high-T) and low-temperature (low-T) conditions. The skeletal mechanism was developed from a semi-detailed mechanism developed at the University of Southern California (USC). Species and reactions for high-T pyrolysis and oxidation of C5-C12 were reduced by using reaction flow analysis (RFA), isomer lumping, and then merged into a skeletal C0-C4 core to form a high-T sub-mechanism. Species and lumped semi-global reactions for low-T chemistry were then added to the high-T sub-mechanism and a 54-species skeletal mechanism is obtained. The rate parameters of the low-T reactions were tuned against a detailed mechanism by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), as well as the Spray A flame experimental data, to improve the prediction of ignition delay at low-T conditions, while the high-T chemistry remained unchanged. The skeletal mechanism was validated for auto-ignition, perfectly stirred reactors (PSR), flow reactors and laminar premixed flames over a wide range of flame conditions. The skeletal mechanism was then employed to simulate three-dimensional turbulent spray flames at compression ignition engine conditions and validated against experimental data from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN).

Numerical investigation of injector geometry effects on fuel stratification in a GCI engine

KAUST Repository

Atef, Nour; Badra, Jihad; Jaasim, Mohammed; Im, Hong G.; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

Injectors play an important role in direct injection (DI) gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines by affecting the in-cylinder mixture formation and stratification, which in turn impacts combustion and emissions. In this work, the effects of two different injector geometries, a 7-hole solid-cone injector and an outwardly opening hollow-cone injector, on fuel mixture stratification in a GCI engine were investigated by computational simulations. Three fuels with similar autoignition kinetics, but with different physical properties, were studied to isolate the effect of the combustion chemistry on combustion phasing. In addition, start of injection (SOI) sweeps relevant to low-load engine operating conditions were performed. The results show that physical properties of the fuel do not have significant influence when using a hollow-cone injector. Richer mixtures were observed at all the studied SOI (−40 to −14 CAD aTDC) cases, which can be attributed to the nature of the hollow cone spray. At later SOIs (−18 and −14 CAD aTDC), the richer mixtures are accompanied by lower mean in-cylinder temperature due to the charge cooling effect, which surpasses the equivalence ratio effect. The effect of fuel physical properties on combustion phasing was evident in multi-hole injection cases, which can be attributed to the differences in mixture stratification and equivalence ratio distribution at the time of ignition.

Numerical investigation of injector geometry effects on fuel stratification in a GCI engine

KAUST Repository

Atef, Nour

2017-11-24

Injectors play an important role in direct injection (DI) gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines by affecting the in-cylinder mixture formation and stratification, which in turn impacts combustion and emissions. In this work, the effects of two different injector geometries, a 7-hole solid-cone injector and an outwardly opening hollow-cone injector, on fuel mixture stratification in a GCI engine were investigated by computational simulations. Three fuels with similar autoignition kinetics, but with different physical properties, were studied to isolate the effect of the combustion chemistry on combustion phasing. In addition, start of injection (SOI) sweeps relevant to low-load engine operating conditions were performed. The results show that physical properties of the fuel do not have significant influence when using a hollow-cone injector. Richer mixtures were observed at all the studied SOI (−40 to −14 CAD aTDC) cases, which can be attributed to the nature of the hollow cone spray. At later SOIs (−18 and −14 CAD aTDC), the richer mixtures are accompanied by lower mean in-cylinder temperature due to the charge cooling effect, which surpasses the equivalence ratio effect. The effect of fuel physical properties on combustion phasing was evident in multi-hole injection cases, which can be attributed to the differences in mixture stratification and equivalence ratio distribution at the time of ignition.

The development of an on-site container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glass, R.E.; McAllaster, M.E.; Jones, P.L.; McKinney, A.L.

1992-01-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has developed a package for the on-site transport of chemical munitions for the US Army. This package was designed to prevent the release of lethal quantities of chemical agents during transportation of munitions to the demilitarization facilities on-site. The packaging prevents auto-ignition of the munitions by limiting the thermal and structural assault on the munitions during an accident. This package, with some modifications to account for contents, may be suitable for the on-site transport of mixed wastes at United States Department of Energy facilities. This paper discusses the design and verification testing of the package. The safety criteria for the package were modeled after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) hypothetical accident sequence and modified to take credit for operational controls. The modified accident sequence consisted of drop, puncture, and thermal events. The post-accident leak rate was established to prevent harm to an exposed worker. The packaging has a mass of 8600 kg and can accommodate up to 3600 kg of contents. The interior of the package is 188 cm in diameter and 232 cm long. Two sample ports can be used to sample the interior of the package prior to opening the closure and an o-ring test port can be used to determine the leak rates prior to and after transport

Mixture preparation by cool flames for diesel-reforming technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, L.; Lucka, K.; Köhne, H.

The separation of the evaporation from the high-temperature reaction zone is crucial for the reforming process. Unfavorable mixtures of liquid fuels, water and air lead to degradation by local hot spots in the sensitive catalysts and formation of unwanted by-products in the reformer. Furthermore, the evaporator has to work with dynamic changes in the heat transfer, residence times and educt compositions. By using exothermal pre-reactions in the form of cool flames it is possible to realize a complete and residue-free evaporation of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures. The conditions whether cool flames can be stabilised or not is related to the heat release of the pre-reactions in comparison to the heat losses of the system. Examinations were conducted in a flow reactor at atmospheric pressure and changing residence times to investigate the conditions under which stable cool flame operation is possible and auto-ignition or quenching occurs. An energy balance of the evaporator should deliver the values of heat release by cool flames in comparison to the heat losses of the system. The cool flame evaporation is applied in the design of several diesel-reforming processes (thermal and catalytic partial oxidation, autothermal reforming) with different demands in the heat management and operation range (air ratio λ, steam-to-carbon ratio, SCR). The results are discussed at the end of this paper.

Nanocrystals of a new complex perovskite dielectric Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nair, V.M. [Department of Physics, University College, Trivandrum 695034, Kerala (India); Jose, R., E-mail: rjose@ump.edu.my [Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Kuantan (Malaysia); Anil Kumar, G.M. [Noritake Co Ltd, 300 Higashiyama, Miyoshi, Aichi 470-0293 (Japan); Yusoff, Mashitah M. [Faculty of Industrial Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Kuantan (Malaysia); Wariar, P.R.S. [Department of Physics, University College, Trivandrum 695034, Kerala (India)

2012-01-25

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new material, Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6}, has been synthesized as nanocrystals for the first time. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A combustion process, characterized by a one-pot procedure, was adopted to synthesize Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6} as nanocrystals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Crystal structure and dielectric properties of the Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6} have been studied and compared with similar materials. - Abstract: Nanocrystals of a new complex perovskites ceramic oxide, barium thulium antimony oxide - Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6}, were synthesized using a single step auto-ignition combustion process. The combustion product was single phase and composed of aggregates of nanocrystals of sizes in the range 20-50 nm. Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6} crystallized in cubic perovskite structure with lattice parameter, a = 8.4101 Angstrom-Sign . The polycrystalline fluffy combustion product was sintered to high density ({approx}97%) at {approx}1450 Degree-Sign C for 4 h. Resistivity of the sintered specimen was {approx}5 M{Omega}/cm. The Ba{sub 2}TmSbO{sub 6} has dielectric constant ({epsilon} Prime ) and dielectric loss (tan {delta}) of 17 and {approx}10{sup -4} at 5 MHz; the new material would probably be developed as a low-loss dielectric material.

High-speed combustion diagnostics in a rapid compression machine by broadband supercontinuum absorption spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Werblinski, Thomas; Fendt, Peter; Zigan, Lars; Will, Stefan

2017-05-20

The first results under fired internal combustion engine conditions based on a supercontinuum absorption spectrometer are presented and discussed. Temperature, pressure, and water mole fraction are inferred simultaneously from broadband H 2 O absorbance spectra ranging from 1340 nm to 1440 nm. The auto-ignition combustion process is monitored for two premixed n-heptane/air mixtures with 10 kHz in a rapid compression machine. Pressure and temperature levels during combustion exceed 65 bar and 1900 K, respectively. To allow for combustion measurements, the robustness of the spectrometer against beam steering has been improved compared to its previous version. Additionally, the detectable wavelength range has been extended further into the infrared region to allow for the acquisition of distinct high-temperature water transitions located in the P-branch above 1410 nm. Based on a theoretical study, line-of-sight (LOS) effects introduced by temperature stratification on the broadband fitting algorithm in the complete range from 1340 nm to 1440 nm are discussed. In this context, the recorded spectra during combustion were evaluated only within a narrower spectral region exhibiting almost no interference from low-temperature molecules (here, P-branch from 1410 nm to 1440 nm). It is shown that this strategy mitigates almost all of the LOS effects introduced by cold molecules and the evaluation of the spectrum in the entirely recorded wavelength range at engine combustion conditions.

Influence of several factors on ignition lag in a compression-ignition engine

Science.gov (United States)

Gerrish, Harold C; Voss, Fred

1932-01-01

This investigation was made to determine the influence of fuel quality, injection advance angle, injection valve-opening pressure, inlet-air pressure, compression ratio, and engine speed on the time lag of auto-ignition of a Diesel fuel oil in a single-cylinder compression-ignition engine as obtained from an analysis of indicator diagrams. Three cam-operated fuel-injection pumps, two pumps cams, and an automatic injection valve with two different nozzles were used. Ignition lag was considered to be the interval between the start of injection of the fuel as determined with a Stroborama and the start of effective combustion as determined from the indicator diagram, the latter being the point where 4.0 x 10(exp-6) pound of fuel had been effectively burned. For this particular engine and fuel it was found that: (1) for a constant start and the same rate of fuel injection up the point of cut-off, a variation in fuel quantity from 1.2 x 10(exp-4) to 4.1 x 10(exp-4) pound per cycle has no appreciable effect on the ignition lag; (2) injection advance angle increases or decreases the lag according to whether density, temperature, or turbulence has the controlling influence; (3) increase in valve-opening pressure slightly increases the lag; and (4) increase of inlet-air pressure, compression ratio, and engine speed reduces the lag.

Evaporation and Ignition Characteristics of Water Emulsified Diesel under Conventional and Low Temperature Combustion Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhaowen Wang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The combination of emulsified diesel and low temperature combustion (LTC technology has great potential in reducing engine emissions. A visualization study on the spray and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel was conducted experimentally in a constant volume chamber under conventional and LTC conditions. The effects of ambient temperature on the evaporation, ignition and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel were studied under cold, evaporating and combustion conditions. Experimental results showed that the ambient temperature had little effect on the spray structures, in terms of the liquid core length, the spray shape and the spray area. However, higher ambient temperature slightly reduced the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD of the spray droplets. The auto-ignition delay time increased significantly with the decrease of the ambient temperature. The ignition process always occurred at the entrainment region near the front periphery of the liquid core. This entrainment region was evolved from the early injected fuel droplets which were heated and mixed by the continuous entrainment until the local temperature and equivalence ratio reached the ignition condition. The maximum value of integrated natural flame luminosity (INFL reduced by 60% when the ambient temperature dropped from 1000 to 800 K, indicating a significant decrease of the soot emissions could be achieved by LTC combustion mode than the conventional diesel engines.

Investigation on the Effects of Internal EGR by Variable Exhaust Valve Actuation with Post Injection on Auto-ignited Combustion and Emission Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Insu Cho

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Variable valve mechanisms are usually applied to a gasoline combustion engine to improve its power performance by controlling the amount of intake air according to the operating load. These mechanisms offer one possibility of resolving the conflict of objectives between a further reduction of raw emissions and an improvement in fuel efficiency. In recent years, variable valve control systems have become extremely important in the diesel combustion engine. Importantly, it has been shown that there are several potential benefits of applying variable valve timing (VVT to a compression ignition engine. Valve train variability could offer one option to achieve the reduction goals of engine-out emissions and fuel consumption. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on part load combustion and emission performance of internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR by variable exhaust valve lift actuation using a cam-in-cam system, which is an electronically variable valve device with a variable inside cam retarded to about 30 degrees. Numerical simulation based on GT-POWER has been performed to predict the NOx reduction strategy at the part load operating point of 1200 rpm in a four-valve diesel engine. A GT-POWER model of a common-rail direct injection engine with internal EGR was built and verified with experimental data. As a result, large potential for reducing NOx emissions through the use of exhaust valve control has been identified. Namely, it is possible to utilize heat efficiently as recompression of retarded post injection with downscaled specification of the exhaust valve rather than the intake valve, even if the CIC V1 condition with a reduction of the exhaust valve has a higher internal EGR rate of about 2% compared to that of the CIC V2 condition.

Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics for Compression Ignition Vehicles: An Experimental Investigation of Solar Alkaline Water Electrolysis for Improving Diesel Combustion and a Solar Charging System for Reducing Auxiliary Engine Loads

Science.gov (United States)

Negroni, Garry Inocentes

Vehicle-integrated photovoltaic electricity can be applied towards aspiration of hydrogen-oxygen-steam gas produced through alkaline electrolysis and reductions in auxiliary alternator load for reducing hydrocarbon emissions in low nitrogen oxide indirect-injection compression-ignition engines. Aspiration of 0.516 ± 0.007 liters-per-minute of gas produced through alkaline electrolysis of potassium-hydroxide 2wt.% improves full-load performance; however, part-load performance decreases due to auto-ignition of aspirated gas prior to top-dead center. Alternator load reductions offer improved part-load and full-load performance with practical limitations resulting from accessory electrical loads. In an additive approach, solar electrolysis can electrochemically convert solar photovoltaic electricity into a gas comprised of stoichiometric hydrogen and oxygen gas. Aspiration of this hydrogen-oxygen gas enhances combustion properties decreasing emissions and increased combustion efficiency in light-duty diesel vehicles. The 316L stainless steel (SS) electrolyser plates are arranged with two anodes and three cathodes space with four bipolar plates delineating four stacks in parallel with five cells per stack. The electrolyser was tested using potassium hydroxide 2 wt.% and hydronium 3wt.% at measured voltage and current inputs. The flow rate output from the reservoir cell was measured in parallel with the V and I inputs producing a regression model correlating current input to flow rate. KOH 2 wt.% produced 0.005 LPM/W, while H9O44 3 wt.% produced less at 0.00126 LPM/W. In a subtractive approach, solar energy can be used to charge a larger energy storage device, as is with plug-in electric vehicles, in order to alleviate the engine of the mechanical load placed upon it by the vehicles electrical accessories through the alternator. Solar electrolysis can improve part-load emissions and full-load performance. The average solar-to-battery efficiency based on the OEM rated

Effect of metal-ion-to-fuel ratio on the phase formation of bioceramic phosphates synthesized by self-propagating combustion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swamiappan Sasikumar and Rajagopalan Vijayaraghavan

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Synthetic calcium hydroxyapatite (HAP, Ca10 (PO46 (OH2 is a well-known bioceramic material used in orthopedic and dental applications because of its excellent biocompatibility and bone-bonding ability due to its structural and compositional similarity to human bone. Here we report, for the first time, the synthesis of HAP by combustion employing tartaric acid as a fuel. Calcium nitrate is used as the source of calcium and diammonium hydrogen phosphate serves as the source of phosphate ions. Reaction processing parameters such as the pH, fuel-oxidant ratio and autoignition temperature are controlled and monitored. The products were characterized by powder x-ray diffraction, which revealed the formation of a hexagonal hydroxyapatite phase. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR spectra showed that the substitution of a carbonate ion occurs at the phosphate site. The morphology of the particles was imaged by scanning electron microscopy, which also revealed that the particles are of submicron size. Thermal analysis showed that the phase formation takes place at the time of combustion. Surface area and porosity analysis showed that the surface area is high and that the pores are of nanometer size. The mean grain size of the HAP powder, determined by the Debye–Scherrer formula, is in the range 20–30 nm. Chemical analyses to determine the Ca : P atomic ratio in synthesized ceramics were performed, and it was found to be 1 : 1.66.

Achievement report for fiscal 2000 on research and development of environment compatible next generation supersonic propulsion system; 2000 nendo kankyo tekigogata jisedai choonsoku suishin system no kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

This paper describes the achievements in fiscal 2000 in development of an environment compatible next generation supersonic propulsion system. In order to reduce NOx emission, the AI combustion control technology was used to newly fabricate a pre-mixing and pre-evaporating tube model, whereas the backfire and autoignition detection device which has been fabricated on a trial basis was given a verification test in a high temperature and pressure site, whose condition is close to that in the actual combustor. A spectroscopic analyzer was used to sense flame light emission, and the operation was verified by using a model combustor. The basic discussion was given on a combustion control logic, whereas NOx reduction control was verified by using simulations. An Si-Zr-C-/Sic based CMC to be applied to an innovative heat resistant combustor liner was tested to have extracted items to be improved. In the CO2 emission suppression technology, logic design was made on a discrete control system, an engine performance optimization logic was developed, and its functions were verified. Detailed design was completed on a smart sensor to be tested in the HTCE engine operation. As the discussions on the engine system, verifications were given on the calculation of performance cycles during flight, estimation on NOx emission, the basic construction of the fan applied with metallic base composite materials, and the reasonability in the target of weight reduction. (NEDO)

Ventilation air methane destruction - the new challenge to the underground coal mining industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, Michael; Seddon, Duncan

2012-01-01

With the advent of 'Carbon Taxes' the carbon footprint of coal has become an economic as well as an environmental issue and the emission of methane in mine out- bye air as ventilation air methane (VAM) is a pending liability. As well as being economic and environmental concerns, VAM and VAM management have safety, social licence and operational factors that must also be addressed. The need to mitigate (oxidise) methane to produce carbon dioxide and water vapour (VAM destruction) and thus lower the Greenhouse footprint is coming to be seen as a necessary mining activity. However, there are several key issues to be addressed with present technology using high temperature (1000°C) thermal oxidisers. Emerging technology may involve a catalytic approach. This technology aims to lower the oxidation temperature and produce a more efficient combustion process. Several systems (based on both precious metals and transition metals) have been shown to operate below 400°C. An ultimate solution would be oxidation at ambient temperature, which is clearly demonstrated by the enzyme methane mono-oxygenase (MMO) which oxidises methane to methanol. However, the rate of oxidation at ambient temperature is too low and the structure of the bio-reactors required would be very large. The challenge is to marry the natural oxidation with modern catalytic approaches and achieve high rates of methane oxidation, in compact equipment, well below the methane auto-ignition temperature.

Study of the mechanisms for flame stabilization in gas turbine model combustors using kHz laser diagnostics

Science.gov (United States)

Boxx, Isaac; Carter, Campbell D.; Stöhr, Michael; Meier, Wolfgang

2013-05-01

An image-processing routine was developed to autonomously identify and statistically characterize flame-kernel events, wherein OH (from a planar laser-induced fluorescence, PLIF, measurement) appears in the probe region away from the contiguous OH layer. This routine was applied to datasets from two gas turbine model combustors that consist of thousands of joint OH-velocity images from kHz framerate OH-PLIF and particle image velocimetry (PIV). Phase sorting of the kernel centroids with respect to the dominant fluid-dynamic structure of the combustors (a helical precessing vortex core, PVC) indicates through-plane transport of reacting fluid best explains their sudden appearance in the PLIF images. The concentration of flame-kernel events around the periphery of the mean location of the PVC indicates they are likely the result of wrinkling and/or breakup of the primary flame sheet associated with the passage of the PVC as it circumscribes the burner centerline. The prevailing through-plane velocity of the swirling flow-field transports these fragments into the imaging plane of the OH-PLIF system. The lack of flame-kernel events near the center of the PVC (in which there is lower strain and longer fluid-dynamic residence times) indicates that auto-ignition is not a likely explanation for these flame kernels in a majority of cases. The lack of flame-kernel centroid variation in one flame in which there is no PVC further supports this explanation.

Bulk synthesis of nanocrystalline urania powders by citrate gel-combustion method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanjay Kumar, D.; Ananthasivan, K.; Venkata Krishnan, R.; Amirthapandian, S.; Dasgupta, Arup

2016-01-01

Bulk quantities (60 g) of nanocrystalline (nc) free flowing urania powders with crystallite size ranging from 38 to 252 nm have been synthesized for the first time by the citrate gel combustion method. A systematic study of the influence of the fuel (citric acid) to oxidant (nitrate) ratio (R) on the characteristics of the urania powders has been carried out for the first time. Mixture with an “R” value of 0.25 exhibited a vigorous auto-ignition reaction. This reaction was investigated with Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and in-situ thermogravimetry coupled with differential thermal analysis and mass spectrometry (TG-DTA-MS). The bulk density, specific surface area, X-ray crystallite size, residual carbon and size distribution of particles of this powder were unique. Microscopic and microstructural investigation of selected samples revealed the presence of nanocrystals with irregular exfoliated morphology; their Electron Energy Loss Spectra testified the covalency of the U–O bond. - Highlights: • Bulk quantities of nanocrystalline urania were prepared for the first time using citrate gel combustion method. • Volume combustion was observed in mixtures with fuel to nitrate ratio (R) 0.25. • The value of R was found to significantly influence the characteristics of the final product. • Typical exfoliated microstructure and nanopores were observed. • Established correlation between particle size distribution and bulk density, X-ray crystallite size and lattice strain. • Relationship between fuel to nitrate (R) mole ratio and physical characteristics of powders were also established.

[Protecting Safety During Dust Fires and Dust Explosions - The Example of the Formosa Fun Coast Water Park Accident].

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Ming-Hong; Wu, Jia-Wun; Li, Ya-Cing; Tang, Jia-Suei; Hsieh, Chun-Chien

2016-02-01

This paper will explore the fire and explosion characteristics of cornstarch powder as well as strategies for protecting the safety of people who are involved a dust fire or dust explosion. We discuss the 5 elements of dust explosions and conduct tests to analyze the fire and explosion characteristics of differently colored powders (yellow, golden yellow, pink, purple, orange and green). The results show that, while all of the tested powders were difficult to ignite, low moisture content was associated with significantly greater risks of ignition and flame spread. We found the auto-ignition temperature (AIT) of air-borne cornstarch powder to be between 385°C and 405°C, with yellow-colored cornstarch powder showing the highest AIT and pink-colored cornstarch powder showing the lowest AIT. The volume resistivity of all powder samples was approximately 108 Ω.m, indicating that they were nonconductive. Lighters and cigarettes are effective ignition sources, as their lit temperatures are higher than the AIT of cornstarch powder. In order to better protect the safety of individuals at venues where cornstarch powder is released, explosion control measures such as explosion containment facilities, vents, and explosion suppression and isolation devices should be installed. Furthermore, employees that work at these venues should be better trained in explosion prevention and control measures. We hope this article is a reminder to the public to recognize the fire and explosion characteristics of flammable powders as well as the preventive and control measures for dust explosions.

Stoichiometric calculations of combustion of Lakhra lignite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, I.; Ali, M.M.

2002-01-01

Lakhra coal field is largest productive coal field of Pakistan. About 1.5 millions tonne of this coal is, annually, mined and transported daily to various parts of the country in 500 trucks each of 10 tonnes of coal. The major consumers of this coal are brick kilns located in Sindh and Punjab. It is available at Rs. 500/- per tonne at mine head. A number of attempts were made for the production of power (electricity) by foreign companies. Feasibility studies were undertaken but no one set up power plant. It may be due to inferior quality of coal as it is lignitic in nature with high ash and sulfur contents. This coal is also, very sensitive to spontaneous combustion. Spontaneous combustion is the auto-ignition of coal at ambient conditions. Hence there are storage problems. In spite of these drawbacks, a 3(50) Mega Watt (3 units of each 50 mega watt power generation capacity) power plant, based on atmospheric fluidized bed combustion of coal technology (AFBC), was setup in early nineties. The performance of this plant remained poor. The main reasons might be poor quality of coal and limestone. Limestone is used with high sulfur Lakhra lignite, in fluidized bed combustor, to arrest sulfur of the coal, fixing sulfur as calcium sulfate to minimize hazardous emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO/sub 2/). Spontaneous combustion of Lakhra lignite is responsible for each fire of coal and conveyor belt etc. (author)

Theoretical study of the effects of pilot fuel quantity and its injection timing on the performance and emissions of a dual fuel diesel engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papagiannakis, R.G.; Hountalas, D.T.; Rakopoulos, C.D.

2007-01-01

Various solutions have been proposed for improving the combustion process of conventional diesel engines and reducing the exhaust emissions without making serious modifications on the engine, one of which is the use of natural gas as a supplement for the conventional diesel fuel, the so called dual fuel natural gas diesel engines. The most common type of these is referred to as the pilot ignited natural gas diesel engine (PINGDE). Here, the primary fuel is natural gas that controls the engine power output, while the pilot diesel fuel injected near the end of the compression stroke auto-ignites and creates ignition sources for the surrounding gaseous fuel mixture to be burned. Previous research studies have shown that the main disadvantage of this dual fuel combustion is its negative impact on engine efficiency compared to the normal diesel operation, while carbon monoxide emissions are also increased. The pilot diesel fuel quantity and injection advance influence significantly the combustion mechanism. Then, in order to examine the effect of these two parameters on the performance and emissions, a comprehensive two-zone phenomenological model is employed and applied on a high-speed, pilot ignited, natural gas diesel engine located at the authors' laboratory. According to the results, the simultaneously increase of the pilot fuel quantity accompanied with an increase of its injection timing results to an improvement of the engine efficiency (increase) and of the emitted CO emissions (decrease) while it has a negative effect (increase) of NO emissions

GM's HCCI. In-vehicle experience with a future combustion system; GM's HCCI. Erfahrungen mit einem zukuenftigen Verbrennungssystem im Fahrzeugeinsatz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pritze, Stefan; Koenigstein, Achim [Adam Opel GmbH, Ruesselsheim (Germany); Rayl, Allen; Chang, Chen-Fang; Najt, Paul; Grebe, Uwe D. [General Motors LLC, Warren/Ponitac, MI (United States)

2010-07-01

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) stands at General Motors (GM) for the auto-ignition of a homogeneous air-fuel mixture in a gasoline engine. HCCI enables unthrottle operation under part load conditions with the high potential for fuel consumption reduction at lowest NO{sub x} emission levels even with lean mixtures. It is capable to use worldwide available fuel qualities with conventional exhaust aftertreatment. Important requirements for the application in a vehicle are the realization of a large usable steady state map covering lowest engine loads including idle operation and an outstanding transient combustion performance in terms of robustness and responsiveness. The prerequisites to achieve this were set based on a spray-guided gasoline direct injection with a strategy to control the residuals by trapping and recompressing them in the combustion chamber and sensing of individual cylinder pressure. The main characteristics of the combustion system will be discussed. The application in a vehicle sets new targets in terms of engine controller requirements and the complexity of the control algorithms. Considering only indirect control of combustion being very sensitive against extraneous impacts, it becomes extremely challenging to realize robust transitions among the various operation modes. The results achieved with the integration of the presented HCCI combustion system in prototype vehicles of the midsize segment support the chosen development path. Further improvements can be expected considering the latest achievements of the combustion system development. (orig.)

Study of ignition in a high compression ratio SI (spark ignition) methanol engine using LES (large eddy simulation) with detailed chemical kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, Xudong; Wang, Yang

2013-01-01

Methanol has been recently used as an alternative to conventional fuels for internal combustion engines in order to satisfy some environmental and economical concerns. In this paper, the ignition in a high compression ratio SI (spark ignition) methanol engine was studied by using LES (large eddy simulation) with detailed chemical kinetics. A 21-species, 84-reaction methanol mechanism was adopted to simulate the auto-ignition process of the methanol/air mixture. The MIT (minimum ignition temperature) and MIE (minimum ignition energy) are two important properties for designing safety standards and understanding the ignition process of combustible mixtures. The effects of the flame kernel size, flame kernel temperature and equivalence ratio were also examined on MIT, MIE and IDP (ignition delay period). The methanol mechanism was validated by experimental test. The simulated results showed that the flame kernel size, temperature and energy dramatically affected the values of the MIT, MIE and IDP for a methanol/air mixture, the value of the ignition delay period was not only related to the flame kernel energy, but also to the flame kernel temperature. - Highlights: • We used LES (large eddy simulation) coupled with detailed chemical kinetics to simulate methanol ignition. • The flame kernel size and temperature affected the minimum ignition temperature. • The flame kernel temperature and energy affected the ignition delay period. • The equivalence ratio of methanol–air mixture affected the ignition delay period

Reactions homogenes en phase gazeuse dans les lits fluidises

Science.gov (United States)

Laviolette, Jean-Philippe

This thesis presents a study on homogeneous gas-phase reactions in fluidized beds. The main objective is to develop new tools to model and characterize homogeneous gas-phase reactions in this type of reactor. In the first part of this work, the non-premixed combustion of C 1 to C4 n-alkanes with air was investigated inside a bubbling fluidized bed of inert sand particles at intermediate temperatures: 923 K ≤ TB ≤ 1123 K. For ethane, propane and n-butane, combustion occurred mainly in the freeboard region at bed temperatures below T1 = 923 K. On the other hand, complete conversion occurred within 0.2 m of the injector at: T2 = 1073 K. For methane, the measured values of T1 and T2 were significantly higher at 1023 K and above 1123 K, respectively. The fluidized bed combustion was accurately modeled with first-order global kinetics and two one-phase PFR models in series: one PFR to model the region close to the injector and another to represent the main fluidized bed body. The measured global reaction rates for C2 to C4 n-alkanes were characterized by a uniform Arrhenius expression, while the global reaction rate for methane was significantly slower. Reactions in the injector region either led to significant conversion in that zone or an autoignition delay inside the main fluidized bed body. The conversion in the injector region increased with rising fluidized bed temperature and decreased with increasing jet velocity. To account for the promoting and inhibiting effects, an analogy was made with the concept of induction time: the PFR length (bi) of the injector region was correlated to the fluidized bed temperature and jet velocity using an Arrhenius expression. In the second part of this work, propane combustion experiments were conducted in the freeboard of a fluidized bed of sand particles at temperatures between 818 K and 923 K and at superficial gas velocity twice the minimum fluidization velocity. The freeboard region was characterized by simultaneous

Autoignition characterization of primary reference fuels and n-heptane/n-butanol mixtures in a constant volume combustion device and homogeneous charge compression ignition engine

KAUST Repository

Baumgardner, Marc E.; Sarathy, Mani; Má rchese, Anthony J.

2013-01-01

-octane, n-heptane, and n-butanol were tested in the FIT - 28 test runs with 25 ignition measurements for each test run, totaling 350 individual tests in all. These experimental results supported previous findings that fuel blends with high alcohol content

Numerical analysis of knock during HCCI in a high compression ratio methanol engine based on LES with detailed chemical kinetics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen, Xudong; Wang, Yang

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Knock during HCCI in a high compression ratio methanol engine was modeled. • A detailed methanol mechanism was used to simulate the knocking combustion. • Compared with the SI engines, the HCCI knocking combustion burnt faster. • The reaction rate of HCO had two obvious peaks, one was positive, and another was negative. • Compared with the SI engines, the values of the reaction rates of CH 2 O, H 2 O 2 , and HO 2 were higher, and it had negative peaks. - Abstract: In this study, knock during HCCI (homogeneous charge compression ignition) was studied based on LES (large eddy simulation) with methanol chemical kinetics (84-reaction, 21-species) in a high compression ratio methanol engine. The non-knocking and knocking combustion of SI (spark ignition) and HCCI engines were compared. The results showed that the auto-ignition spots were initially occurred near the combustion chamber wall. The knocking combustion burnt faster during HCCI than SI methanol engine. The HCO reaction rate was different from SI engine, it had two obvious peaks, one was positive peak, and another was negative peak. Compared with the SI methanol engine, in addition to the concentration of HCO, the concentrations of the other intermediate products and species such as CO, OH, CH 2 O, H 2 O 2 , HO 2 were increased significantly; the reaction rates of CH 2 O, H 2 O 2 , and HO 2 had negative peaks, and whose values were several times higher than SI methanol engine

Multidimensional modeling of the effect of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) on exergy terms in an HCCI engine fueled with a mixture of natural gas and diesel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jafarmadar, Samad; Nemati, Peyman; Khodaie, Rana

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The exergy efficiency decreases by 41.3%. • The irreversibility increases by 46.80%. • The cumulative heat loss exergy decreases by 68.10%. • The cumulative work exergy decreases by 63.4%. • The exhaust losses exergy increases by 28.79%. - Abstract: One of the most important issues in HCCI engines is auto-ignition timing control. EGR introduction into intake charge can be a method to control combustion phasing and its duration. In the current study, a FORTRAN-based code which includes 10 species (O_2, N_2, H_2O, CO_2, CO, H_2, OH, O, N, NO) associated with combustion products was employed to study the exergy analysis in a dual fuel (natural gas + diesel) HCCI engine at four EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) mass fractions (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) while the diesel fuel amount was held constant. In order to achieve this task, a 3-D CFD code was employed to model the energy balance during a closed cycle of running engine simulation. Moreover, an efficient Extend Coherent Flame Model-Three Zone model (ECFM-3Z) method was employed to analyze the combustion process. With crank positions at different EGR mass fractions, the exergy terms were identified and calculated separately. It was found that as EGR mass fraction increased from 0% to 30% (in 10% increment steps), exergy efficiency decreased from 48.9% to 28.7%. Furthermore, with the change in EGR mass fraction, the cumulative heat loss exergy decreased from 10.1% to 5.64% of mixture fuels chemical exergy.

Simulating HCCI Blending Octane Number of Primary Reference Fuel with Ethanol

KAUST Repository

Singh, Eshan

2017-03-28

The blending of ethanol with primary reference fuel (PRF) mixtures comprising n-heptane and iso-octane is known to exhibit a non-linear octane response; however, the underlying chemistry and intermolecular interactions are poorly understood. Well-designed experiments and numerical simulations are required to understand these blending effects and the chemical kinetic phenomenon responsible for them. To this end, HCCI engine experiments were previously performed at four different conditions of intake temperature and engine speed for various PRF/ethanol mixtures. Transfer functions were developed in the HCCI engine to relate PRF mixture composition to autoignition tendency at various compression ratios. The HCCI blending octane number (BON) was determined for mixtures of 2-20 vol % ethanol with PRF70. In the present work, the experimental conditions were considered to perform zero-dimensional HCCI engine simulations with detailed chemical kinetics for ethanol/PRF blends. The simulations used the actual engine geometry and estimated intake valve closure conditions to replicate the experimentally measured start of combustion (SOC) for various PRF mixtures. The simulated HCCI heat release profiles were shown to reproduce the experimentally observed trends, specifically on the effectiveness of ethanol as a low temperature chemistry inhibitor at various concentrations. Detailed analysis of simulated heat release profiles and the evolution of important radical intermediates (e.g., OH and HO) were used to show the effect of ethanol blending on controlling reactivity. A strong coupling between the low temperature oxidation reactions of ethanol and those of n-heptane and iso-octane is shown to be responsible for the observed blending effects of ethanol/PRF mixtures.

Simulating HCCI Blending Octane Number of Primary Reference Fuel with Ethanol

KAUST Repository

Singh, Eshan; Waqas, Muhammad; Johansson, Bengt; Sarathy, Mani

2017-01-01

The blending of ethanol with primary reference fuel (PRF) mixtures comprising n-heptane and iso-octane is known to exhibit a non-linear octane response; however, the underlying chemistry and intermolecular interactions are poorly understood. Well-designed experiments and numerical simulations are required to understand these blending effects and the chemical kinetic phenomenon responsible for them. To this end, HCCI engine experiments were previously performed at four different conditions of intake temperature and engine speed for various PRF/ethanol mixtures. Transfer functions were developed in the HCCI engine to relate PRF mixture composition to autoignition tendency at various compression ratios. The HCCI blending octane number (BON) was determined for mixtures of 2-20 vol % ethanol with PRF70. In the present work, the experimental conditions were considered to perform zero-dimensional HCCI engine simulations with detailed chemical kinetics for ethanol/PRF blends. The simulations used the actual engine geometry and estimated intake valve closure conditions to replicate the experimentally measured start of combustion (SOC) for various PRF mixtures. The simulated HCCI heat release profiles were shown to reproduce the experimentally observed trends, specifically on the effectiveness of ethanol as a low temperature chemistry inhibitor at various concentrations. Detailed analysis of simulated heat release profiles and the evolution of important radical intermediates (e.g., OH and HO) were used to show the effect of ethanol blending on controlling reactivity. A strong coupling between the low temperature oxidation reactions of ethanol and those of n-heptane and iso-octane is shown to be responsible for the observed blending effects of ethanol/PRF mixtures.

A laser-based study of kerosine evaporation and -mixing for lean prevaporized combustion at elevated pressure; Lasermesstechnische Untersuchung der Kerosinverdampfung und -mischung fuer die magere Vormischverbrennung unter erhoehtem Druck

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandt, M.

1999-05-01

The evaporation and mixing of a kerosine spray in the turbulent airstream of a prevaporizer is investigated at conditions prevailing in the combustion chamber of gas turbines. An experiment is described that allows to study an evaporating fuel spray downstream a prefilming airblast atomizer with Phase-Doppler anemometry, laser-induced fluorescence and an infrared light absorption technique. At an air pressure of 9 bars, an air temperature of 750 K, a mean air velocity of 120 m/s and a fuel flow rate of 1 g/s the kerosine spray evaporates completely without autoignition. At this operating condition the parameters air pressure, air temperature and air turbulence are varied. The influence of these parametric variations on the dropsize distribution, the evaporation rate and the concentration profiles of liquid and evaporated fuel is presented and discussed. (orig.) [German] Die Verdampfung und Vermischung eines Kerosinsprays in der turbulenten Luftstroemung eines Vorverdampfers wird unter Bedingungen untersucht, die in Brennkammern fuer Gasturbinen vorherrschen. Ein Experiment wird vorgestellt, welches es erlaubt, ein verdampfendes Kraftstoffspray stromab eines ebenen Luftstromzerstaeubers mit Filmleger mittels der Phasen-Doppler-Anemometrie, Laser-induzierter Fluoreszenz und einer Infrarotabsorptionsmesstechnik zu untersuchen. Bei einem Luftdruck von 9 bar, einer Vorwaermetemperatur der Luft von 750 K, einer mittleren Luftgeschwindigkeit von 120 m/s und einem Kraftstoffmassenstrom von 1 g/s verdampft das Kerosinspray vollstaendig, ohne die Selbstzuendungszeit zu erreichen. Bei dieser Betriebsbedingung werden die Parameter Luftdruck, Lufttemperatur und Turbulenzgrad variiert. Der Einfluss dieser Parameter auf das Tropfengroessenspektrum, den Verdampfungsgrad und die Konzentrationsprofile des fluessigen sowie des verdampften Kraftstoffs wird dargestellt und diskutiert. (orig.)

An analysis of limits for part load efficiency improvement with VVA devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knop, Vincent; Mattioli, Leonardo

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Variable valve actuation aims at reducing pumping losses for spark-ignition engines. • Fully unthrottled operation is never reached because of combustion degradation. • Present paper quantifies the combustion degradation origins for various strategies. • Fully unthrottled CAI combustion mode is a non-combustion-limited alternative. • Combustion limitation is, however, replaced by a heat loss limitation. - Abstract: The implementation of Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) in Spark-Ignition (SI) engines generally aims at increasing part-load efficiency by reducing pumping losses. However, any innovative valve strategy has effects on the combustion process itself, introducing new limitations and mitigating the fuel consumption benefits. The experimental analysis of such valve strategies identifies the optimum settings but does not explain the origin of benefits and the sources of unexpected drawbacks. In the present study, the experimentally-optimised operating conditions for different valve strategies were numerically compared with 3D CFD to gain knowledge about causes for efficiency benefits and consequences of valve strategy on combustion progress. We compared standard SI operation in a single-cylinder port-fuel injection gasoline engine to mixture leaning, early intake valve closure (Miller cycle), late intake valve closure (Atkinson cycle), as well as Controlled Auto-Ignition (CAI). All alternative methods reduced pumping work and improved fuel consumption. However, all alternative methods also altered combustion progress and thermodynamic state within the combustion chamber, so that the observed fuel consumption benefits never reached the expected values. An energy balance provided the additional losses induced by each strategy while in-cylinder turbulence and temperature quantification helped explain the trends in combustion speed.

Modelling and exergoeconomic-environmental analysis of combined cycle power generation system using flameless burner for steam generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan; Barzegaravval, Hasan; Ganjehkaviri, Abdolsaeid; Wahid, Mazlan Abdul; Mohd Jaafar, M.N.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Using flameless burner as a supplementary firing system after gas turbine is modeled. • Thermodynamic, economic and environmental analyses of this model are performed. • Efficiency of the plant increases about 6% and CO_2 emission decreases up to 5.63% in this design. • Available exergy for work production in both gas cycle and steam cycle increases in this model. - Abstract: To have an optimum condition for the performance of a combined cycle power generation, using supplementary firing system after gas turbine was investigated by various researchers. Since the temperature of turbine exhaust is higher than auto-ignition temperature of the fuel in optimum condition, using flameless burner is modelled in this paper. Flameless burner is installed between gas turbine cycle and Rankine cycle of a combined cycle power plant which one end is connected to the outlet of gas turbine (as primary combustion oxidizer) and the other end opened to the heat recovery steam generator. Then, the exergoeconomic-environmental analysis of the proposed model is evaluated. Results demonstrate that efficiency of the combined cycle power plant increases about 6% and CO_2 emission reduces up to 5.63% in this proposed model. It is found that the variation in the cost is less than 1% due to the fact that a cost constraint is implemented to be equal or lower than the design point cost. Moreover, exergy of flow gases increases in all points except in heat recovery steam generator. Hence, available exergy for work production in both gas cycle and steam cycle will increase in new model.

Diesel combustion and emissions formation using multiple 2-D imaging diagnostics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dec, J.E. [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)

1997-12-31

Understanding how emissions are formed during diesel combustion is central to developing new engines that can comply with increasingly stringent emission standards while maintaining or improving performance levels. Laser-based planar imaging diagnostics are uniquely capable of providing the temporally and spatially resolved information required for this understanding. Using an optically accessible research engine, a variety of two-dimensional (2-D) imaging diagnostics have been applied to investigators of direct-injection (DI) diesel combustion and emissions formation. These optical measurements have included the following laser-sheet imaging data: Mie scattering to determine liquid-phase fuel distributions, Rayleigh scattering for quantitative vapor-phase-fuel/air mixture images, laser induced incandescence (LII) for relative soot concentrations, simultaneous LII and Rayleigh scattering for relative soot particle-size distributions, planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) to obtain early PAH (polyaromatic hydrocarbon) distributions, PLIF images of the OH radical that show the diffusion flame structure, and PLIF images of the NO radical showing the onset of NO{sub x} production. In addition, natural-emission chemiluminescence images were obtained to investigate autoignition. The experimental setup is described, and the image data showing the most relevant results are presented. Then the conceptual model of diesel combustion is summarized in a series of idealized schematics depicting the temporal and spatial evolution of a reacting diesel fuel jet during the time period investigated. Finally, recent PLIF images of the NO distribution are presented and shown to support the timing and location of NO formation hypothesized from the conceptual model.

Conditional Moment Closure Modelling of a Lifted H2/N2 Turbulent Jet Flame Using the Presumed Mapping Function Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad El Sayed

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A lifted hydrogen/nitrogen turbulent jet flame issuing into a vitiated coflow is investigated using the conditional moment closure (CMC supplemented by the presumed mapping function (PMF approach for the modelling of conditional mixing and velocity statistics. Using a prescribed reference field, the PMF approach yields a presumed probability density function (PDF for the mixture fraction, which is then used in closing the conditional scalar dissipation rate (CSDR and conditional velocity in a fully consistent manner. These closures are applied to a lifted flame and the findings are compared to previous results obtained using β-PDF-based closures over a range of coflow temperatures (Tc. The PMF results are in line with those of the β-PDF and compare well to measurements. The transport budgets in mixture fraction and physical spaces and the radical history ahead of the stabilisation height indicate that the stabilisation mechanism is susceptible to Tc. As in the previous β-PDF calculations, autoignition around the “most reactive” mixture fraction remains the controlling mechanism for sufficiently high Tc. Departure from the β-PDF predictions is observed when Tc is decreased as PMF predicts stabilisation by means of premixed flame propagation. This conclusion is based on the observation that lean mixtures are heated by downstream burning mixtures in a preheat zone developing ahead of the stabilization height. The spurious sources, which stem from inconsistent CSDR modelling, are further investigated. The findings reveal that their effect is small but nonnegligible, most notably within the flame zone.

Electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes and CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Guo; Sheng, Leimei, E-mail: slmss@shu.edu.cn; Yu, Liming; An, Kang; Ren, Wei; Zhao, Xinluo, E-mail: xlzhao@shu.edu.cn

2015-03-15

Highlights: • LPA-SWCNTs have been abundantly fabricated by a facile, time-saving, economical and non-hazardous method using DC arc discharge technique in low-pressure air. • The electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of LPA-SWCNTs, CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocrystals and LPA-SWCNT/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocomposites were investigated and the LPA-SWCNT/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocomposites exhibited excellent microwave absorption properties. • The Debye theory and impedance matching were used to analyze the electromagnetic parameters and microwave absorption properties. - Abstract: Single-walled carbon nanotubes were facilely and abundantly synthesized by low-pressure air arc discharge method (LPA-SWCNTs), and CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocrystals were synthesized by a nitrate citric acid sol–gel auto-ignition method. The electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of LPA-SWCNTs, CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocrystals and their nanocomposites were investigated. The LPA-SWCNT/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocomposites showed excellent microwave absorption properties. The minimum efficient reflection loss is −30.7 dB at 12.9 GHz for 10 wt% of LPA-SWCNTs in the nanocomposites, and an effective absorption bandwidth with a reflection loss below −10 dB is 7.2 GHz. The Debye equation and impedance matching were introduced to explain the microwave absorption properties. Compared with the single-component materials, the LPA-SWCNT/CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanocomposites are an excellent candidate for microwave absorbers.

Combustion Mode Design with High Efficiency and Low Emissions Controlled by Mixtures Stratification and Fuel Reactivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hu eWang

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a review on the combustion mode design with high efficiency and low emissions controlled by fuel reactivity and mixture stratification that have been conducted in the authors’ group, including the charge reactivity controlled homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI combustion, stratification controlled premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI combustion, and dual-fuel combustion concepts controlled by both fuel reactivity and mixture stratification. The review starts with the charge reactivity controlled HCCI combustion, and the works on HCCI fuelled with both high cetane number fuels, such as DME and n-heptane, and high octane number fuels, such as methanol, natural gas, gasoline and mixtures of gasoline/alcohols, are reviewed and discussed. Since single fuel cannot meet the reactivity requirements under different loads to control the combustion process, the studies related to concentration stratification and dual-fuel charge reactivity controlled HCCI combustion are then presented, which have been shown to have the potential to achieve effective combustion control. The efforts of using both mixture and thermal stratifications to achieve the auto-ignition and combustion control are also discussed. Thereafter, both charge reactivity and mixture stratification are then applied to control the combustion process. The potential and capability of thermal-atmosphere controlled compound combustion mode and dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI/highly premixed charge combustion (HPCC mode to achieve clean and high efficiency combustion are then presented and discussed. Based on these results and discussions, combustion mode design with high efficiency and low emissions controlled by fuel reactivity and mixtures stratification in the whole operating range is proposed.

Chemiluminescence analysis of the effect of butanol-diesel fuel blends on the spray-combustion process in an experimental common rail diesel engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merola Simona Silvia S.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Combustion process was studied from the injection until the late combustion phase in an high swirl optically accessible combustion bowl connected to a single cylinder 2-stroke high pressure common rail compression ignition engine. Commercial diesel and blends of diesel and n-butanol (20%: BU20 and 40%: BU40 were used for the experiments. A pilot plus main injection strategy was investigated fixing the injection pressure and fuel mass injected per stroke. Two main injection timings and different pilot-main dwell times were explored achieving for any strategy a mixing controlled combustion. Advancing the main injection start, an increase in net engine working cycle (>40% together with a strong smoke number decrease (>80% and NOx concentration increase (@50% were measured for all pilot injection timings. Compared to diesel fuel, butanol induced a decrease in soot emission and an increase in net engine working area when butanol ratio increased in the blend. A noticeable increase in NOx was detected at the exhaust for BU40 with a slight effect of the dwell-time. Spectroscopic investigations confirmed the delayed auto-ignition (~60 ms of the pilot injection for BU40 compared to diesel. The spectral features for the different fuels were comparable at the start of combustion process, but they evolved in different ways. Broadband signal caused by soot emission, was lower for BU40 than diesel. Different balance of the bands at 309 and 282 nm, due to different OH transitions, were detected between the two fuels. The ratio of these intensities was used to follow flame temperature evolution.

Estimating fuel octane numbers from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal

2017-11-05

Fuel octane numbers are directly related to the autoignition properties of fuel/air mixtures in spark ignition (SI) engines. This work presents a methodology to estimate the research and the motor octane numbers (RON and MON) from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay time (IDT) data calculated at various pressures and temperatures. The hypothesis under investigation is that at specific conditions of pressure and temperature (i.e., RON-like and MON-like conditions), fuels with IDT identical to that of a primary reference fuel (PRF) have the same octane rating. To test this hypothesis, IDTs with a detailed gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model have been calculated at various temperatures and pressures. From this dataset, temperatures that best represent RON and MON have been correlated at a specified pressure. Correlations for pressures in the range of 10–50 bar were obtained. The proposed correlations were validated with toluene reference fuels (TRF), toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), ethanol reference fuels (ERF), PRFs and TPRFs with ethanol, and multi-component gasoline surrogate mixtures. The predicted RON and MON showed satisfactory accuracy against measurements obtained by the standard ASTM methods and blending rules, demonstrating that the present methodology can be a viable tool for a first approximation. The correlations were also validated against an extensive set of experimental IDT data obtained from literature with a high degree of accuracy in RON/MON prediction. Conditions in homogeneous reactors such as shock tubes and rapid compression machines that are relevant to modern SI engines were also identified. Uncertainty analysis of the proposed correlations with linear error propagation theory is also presented.

Antiknock quality and ignition kinetics of 2-phenylethanol, a novel lignocellulosic octane booster

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai

2016-06-28

High-octane quality fuels are important for increasing spark ignition engine efficiency, but their production comes at a substantial economic and environmental cost. The possibility of producing high anti-knock quality gasoline by blending high-octane bio-derived components with low octane naphtha streams is attractive. 2-phenyl ethanol (2-PE), is one such potential candidate that can be derived from lignin, a biomass component made of interconnected aromatic groups. We first ascertained the blending anti-knock quality of 2-PE by studying the effect of spark advancement on knock for various blends 2-PE, toluene, and ethanol with naphtha in a cooperative fuels research engine. The blending octane quality of 2-PE indicated an anti-knock behavior similar or slightly greater than that of toluene, and ethylbenzene, which could be attributed to either chemical kinetics or charge cooling effects. To isolate chemical kinetic effects, a model for 2-PE auto-ignition was developed and validated using ignition delay times measured in a high-pressure shock tube. Simulated ignition delay times of 2-PE were also compared to those of traditional high-octane gasoline blending components to show that the gas phase reactivity of 2-PE is lower than ethanol, and comparable to toluene, and ethylbenzene at RON, and MON relevant conditions. The gas-phase reactivity of 2-PE is largely controlled by its aromatic ring, while the effect of the hydroxyl group is minimal. The higher blending octane quality of 2-PE compared to toluene, and ethylbenzene can be attributed primarily to the effect of the hydroxyl group on increasing heat of vaporization. © 2016 The Combustion Institute.

Synthesis of Nanocrystalline CaWO4 as Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic Material: Processing, Structural and Physical Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Vidya, S.; Solomon, Sam; Thomas, J. K.

2013-01-01

Nanocrystalline scheelite CaWO4, a promising material for low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) applications, has been successfully synthesized through a single-step autoignition combustion route. Structural analysis of the sample was performed by powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The XRD analysis revealed that the as-prepared sample was single phase with scheelite tetragonal structure. The basic optical properties and optical constants of the CaWO4 nanopowder were studied using ultraviolet (UV)-visible absorption spectroscopy, which showed that the material was a wide-bandgap semiconductor with bandgap of 4.7 eV at room temperature. The sample showed poor transmittance in the ultraviolet region but maximum transmission in the visible/near-infrared regions. The photoluminescence spectra recorded at different temperatures showed intense emission in the green region. The particle size estimated from transmission electron microscopy was 23 nm. The feasibility of CaWO4 for LTCC applications was studied from its sintering behavior. The sample was sintered at a relatively low temperature of 810°C to high density, without using any sintering aid. The surface morphology of the sintered sample was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dielectric constant and loss factor of the sample measured at 5 MHz were found to be 10.50 and 1.56 × 10-3 at room temperature. The temperature coefficient of the dielectric constant was -88.71 ppm/°C. The experimental results obtained in this work demonstrate the potential of nano-CaWO4 as a low-temperature co-fired ceramic as well as an excellent luminescent material.

Studies on the synthesis of nanocrystalline Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and ThO{sub 2} through volume combustion and their sintering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanjay Kumar, D. [Fuel Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu (India); Ananthasivan, K., E-mail: asivan@igcar.gov.in [Fuel Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu (India); Venkata Krishnan, R. [Fuel Chemistry Division, Chemistry Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu (India); Amirthapandian, S. [Material Physics Division, Materials Science Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu (India); Dasgupta, Arup [Microscopy and Thermo-Physical Property Division, Metallurgy and Materials Group, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamil Nadu (India)

2016-10-15

Volume combustion was observed in the auto-ignition of the citrate gels containing the nitrates of yttrium/thorium for the first time in mixture with a fuel (citric acid) to oxidant (Y{sup 3+} or Th{sup 4+} nitrate) ratio close to that demanded by the stoichiometry. These nanocrystalline powders were characterized for their bulk density, specific surface area, particle size distribution, carbon residue and X-ray crystallite size and were sintered by both the conventional and the two-step method. The maximum relative sintered density of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} was 98.9% TD. The sintered density of thoria (97.8% TD) is the highest among the values reported so far, for nanocrystalline ThO{sub 2}. Characterization of the pellets and powders by using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy reaffirmed nanocrystallinity and that the sintered pellets comprised faceted sintered grains. The two-step sintering was found to restrict “runaway” sintering. - Highlights: • Scaled-up synthesis of nanocrystalline Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and ThO{sub 2} using citrate gel-combustion method. • VCR was observed at a fuel to nitrate ratio (R) of 0.125 and 0.17 in mixtures containing Th(NO{sub 3}){sub 4} and Y(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} respectively. • The calcined powders were compacted and sintered by using a novel two-step sintering method. • Sintered densities as high as 97.8% T.D. (ThO{sub 2}, T{sub H} = 0.48) and 98.9% T.D. (Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}, T{sub H} = 0.61) were obtained.

Ignition studies of two low-octane gasolines

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2017-07-24

Low-octane gasolines (RON ∼ 50–70 range) are prospective fuels for gasoline compression ignition (GCI) internal combustion engines. GCI technology utilizing low-octane fuels has the potential to significantly improve well-to-wheel efficiency and reduce the transportation sector\\'s environmental footprint by offsetting diesel fuel usage in compression ignition engines. In this study, ignition delay times of two low-octane FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasolines, FACE I and FACE J, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid compression machine over a broad range of engine-relevant conditions (650–1200 K, 20 and 40 bar and ϕ = 0.5 and 1). The two gasolines are of similar octane ratings with anti-knock index, AKI = (RON + MON)/2, of ∼ 70 and sensitivity, S = RON–MON, of ∼ 3. However, the molecular compositions of the two gasolines are notably different. Experimental ignition delay time results showed that the two gasolines exhibited similar reactivity over a wide range of test conditions. Furthermore, ignition delay times of a primary reference fuel (PRF) surrogate (n-heptane/iso-octane blend), having the same AKI as the FACE gasolines, captured the ignition behavior of these gasolines with some minor discrepancies at low temperatures (T < 700 K). Multi-component surrogates, formulated by matching the octane ratings and compositions of the two gasolines, emulated the autoignition behavior of gasolines from high to low temperatures. Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine simulations were used to show that the PRF and multi-component surrogates exhibited similar combustion phasing over a wide range of engine operating conditions.

Estimating fuel octane numbers from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay times

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal; Sarathy, Mani; Chung, Suk-Ho

2017-01-01

Fuel octane numbers are directly related to the autoignition properties of fuel/air mixtures in spark ignition (SI) engines. This work presents a methodology to estimate the research and the motor octane numbers (RON and MON) from homogeneous gas-phase ignition delay time (IDT) data calculated at various pressures and temperatures. The hypothesis under investigation is that at specific conditions of pressure and temperature (i.e., RON-like and MON-like conditions), fuels with IDT identical to that of a primary reference fuel (PRF) have the same octane rating. To test this hypothesis, IDTs with a detailed gasoline surrogate chemical kinetic model have been calculated at various temperatures and pressures. From this dataset, temperatures that best represent RON and MON have been correlated at a specified pressure. Correlations for pressures in the range of 10–50 bar were obtained. The proposed correlations were validated with toluene reference fuels (TRF), toluene primary reference fuels (TPRF), ethanol reference fuels (ERF), PRFs and TPRFs with ethanol, and multi-component gasoline surrogate mixtures. The predicted RON and MON showed satisfactory accuracy against measurements obtained by the standard ASTM methods and blending rules, demonstrating that the present methodology can be a viable tool for a first approximation. The correlations were also validated against an extensive set of experimental IDT data obtained from literature with a high degree of accuracy in RON/MON prediction. Conditions in homogeneous reactors such as shock tubes and rapid compression machines that are relevant to modern SI engines were also identified. Uncertainty analysis of the proposed correlations with linear error propagation theory is also presented.

Effect of Timing and Location of Hotspot on Super Knock during Pre-ignition

KAUST Repository

Jaasim, Mohammed

2017-03-28

Pre-ignition in SI engine is a critical issue that needs addressing as it may lead to super knock event. It is widely accepted that pre-ignition event emanates from hot spot(s) that can be anywhere inside the combustion chamber. The location and timing of hotspot is expected to influence the knock intensity from a pre-ignition event. In this study, we study the effect of location and timing of hot spot inside the combustion chamber using numerical simulations. The simulation is performed using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, CONVERGE™. We simulate 3-D engine geometry coupled with chemistry, turbulence and moving structures (valves, piston). G-equation model for flame tracking coupled with multi-zone model is utilized to capture auto-ignition (knock) and solve gas phase kinetics. A parametric study on the effect of hot spot timing and location inside the combustion chamber is performed. The hot spot timing considered are -180 CAD, -90 CAD and -30 CAD and the locations of the hot spots are in the center and two edges of the piston surfaces. Simulation results for normal combustion cycle are validated against the experimental data. The simulation results show great sensitivity to the hot spot timing, and the influence of local temperature gradient is noted to be significant. In case of early hot spot timing of -180 CAD, the pre-ignition event did not lead to super knock. Nevertheless, at late hot spot timing, super knock was realized. On the other hand, the effect of hot spot location on pre-ignition event depends on the geometry of the combustion chamber.

Influence of turbulence-chemistry interaction for n-heptane spray combustion under diesel engine conditions with emphasis on soot formation and oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Bolla, Michele; Farrace, Daniele; Wright, Yuri M.; Boulouchos, Konstantinos; Mastorakos, Epaminondas

2014-03-01

The influence of the turbulence-chemistry interaction (TCI) for n-heptane sprays under diesel engine conditions has been investigated by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The conditional moment closure approach, which has been previously validated thoroughly for such flows, and the homogeneous reactor (i.e. no turbulent combustion model) approach have been compared, in view of the recent resurgence of the latter approaches for diesel engine CFD. Experimental data available from a constant-volume combustion chamber have been used for model validation purposes for a broad range of conditions including variations in ambient oxygen (8-21% by vol.), ambient temperature (900 and 1000 K) and ambient density (14.8 and 30 kg/m3). The results from both numerical approaches have been compared to the experimental values of ignition delay (ID), flame lift-off length (LOL), and soot volume fraction distributions. TCI was found to have a weak influence on ignition delay for the conditions simulated, attributed to the low values of the scalar dissipation relative to the critical value above which auto-ignition does not occur. In contrast, the flame LOL was considerably affected, in particular at low oxygen concentrations. Quasi-steady soot formation was similar; however, pronounced differences in soot oxidation behaviour are reported. The differences were further emphasised for a case with short injection duration: in such conditions, TCI was found to play a major role concerning the soot oxidation behaviour because of the importance of soot-oxidiser structure in mixture fraction space. Neglecting TCI leads to a strong over-estimation of soot oxidation after the end of injection. The results suggest that for some engines, and for some phenomena, the neglect of turbulent fluctuations may lead to predictions of acceptable engineering accuracy, but that a proper turbulent combustion model is needed for more reliable results.

A computational methodology for formulating gasoline surrogate fuels with accurate physical and chemical kinetic properties

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Ahfaz

2015-03-01

Gasoline is the most widely used fuel for light duty automobile transportation, but its molecular complexity makes it intractable to experimentally and computationally study the fundamental combustion properties. Therefore, surrogate fuels with a simpler molecular composition that represent real fuel behavior in one or more aspects are needed to enable repeatable experimental and computational combustion investigations. This study presents a novel computational methodology for formulating surrogates for FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) gasolines A and C by combining regression modeling with physical and chemical kinetics simulations. The computational methodology integrates simulation tools executed across different software platforms. Initially, the palette of surrogate species and carbon types for the target fuels were determined from a detailed hydrocarbon analysis (DHA). A regression algorithm implemented in MATLAB was linked to REFPROP for simulation of distillation curves and calculation of physical properties of surrogate compositions. The MATLAB code generates a surrogate composition at each iteration, which is then used to automatically generate CHEMKIN input files that are submitted to homogeneous batch reactor simulations for prediction of research octane number (RON). The regression algorithm determines the optimal surrogate composition to match the fuel properties of FACE A and C gasoline, specifically hydrogen/carbon (H/C) ratio, density, distillation characteristics, carbon types, and RON. The optimal surrogate fuel compositions obtained using the present computational approach was compared to the real fuel properties, as well as with surrogate compositions available in the literature. Experiments were conducted within a Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine operating under controlled autoignition (CAI) mode to compare the formulated surrogates against the real fuels. Carbon monoxide measurements indicated that the proposed surrogates

Chemical kinetic modeling of H{sub 2} applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marinov, N.M.; Westbrook, C.K.; Cloutman, L.D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)] [and others

1995-09-01

Work being carried out at LLNL has concentrated on studies of the role of chemical kinetics in a variety of problems related to hydrogen combustion in practical combustion systems, with an emphasis on vehicle propulsion. Use of hydrogen offers significant advantages over fossil fuels, and computer modeling provides advantages when used in concert with experimental studies. Many numerical {open_quotes}experiments{close_quotes} can be carried out quickly and efficiently, reducing the cost and time of system development, and many new and speculative concepts can be screened to identify those with sufficient promise to pursue experimentally. This project uses chemical kinetic and fluid dynamic computational modeling to examine the combustion characteristics of systems burning hydrogen, either as the only fuel or mixed with natural gas. Oxidation kinetics are combined with pollutant formation kinetics, including formation of oxides of nitrogen but also including air toxics in natural gas combustion. We have refined many of the elementary kinetic reaction steps in the detailed reaction mechanism for hydrogen oxidation. To extend the model to pressures characteristic of internal combustion engines, it was necessary to apply theoretical pressure falloff formalisms for several key steps in the reaction mechanism. We have continued development of simplified reaction mechanisms for hydrogen oxidation, we have implemented those mechanisms into multidimensional computational fluid dynamics models, and we have used models of chemistry and fluid dynamics to address selected application problems. At the present time, we are using computed high pressure flame, and auto-ignition data to further refine the simplified kinetics models that are then to be used in multidimensional fluid mechanics models. Detailed kinetics studies have investigated hydrogen flames and ignition of hydrogen behind shock waves, intended to refine the detailed reactions mechanisms.

Simultaneous Laser Raman-rayleigh-lif Measurements and Numerical Modeling Results of a Lifted Turbulent H2/N2 Jet Flame in a Vitiated Coflow

Science.gov (United States)

Cabra, R.; Chen, J. Y.; Dibble, R. W.; Myhrvold, T.; Karpetis, A. N.; Barlow, R. S.

2002-01-01

An experiment and numerical investigation is presented of a lifted turbulent H2/N2 jet flame in a coflow of hot, vitiated gases. The vitiated coflow burner emulates the coupling of turbulent mixing and chemical kinetics exemplary of the reacting flow in the recirculation region of advanced combustors. It also simplifies numerical investigation of this coupled problem by removing the complexity of recirculating flow. Scalar measurements are reported for a lifted turbulent jet flame of H2/N2 (Re = 23,600, H/d = 10) in a coflow of hot combustion products from a lean H2/Air flame ((empty set) = 0.25, T = 1,045 K). The combination of Rayleigh scattering, Raman scattering, and laser-induced fluorescence is used to obtain simultaneous measurements of temperature and concentrations of the major species, OH, and NO. The data attest to the success of the experimental design in providing a uniform vitiated coflow throughout the entire test region. Two combustion models (PDF: joint scalar Probability Density Function and EDC: Eddy Dissipation Concept) are used in conjunction with various turbulence models to predict the lift-off height (H(sub PDF)/d = 7,H(sub EDC)/d = 8.5). Kalghatgi's classic phenomenological theory, which is based on scaling arguments, yields a reasonably accurate prediction (H(sub K)/d = 11.4) of the lift-off height for the present flame. The vitiated coflow admits the possibility of auto-ignition of mixed fluid, and the success of the present parabolic implementation of the PDF model in predicting a stable lifted flame is attributable to such ignition. The measurements indicate a thickened turbulent reaction zone at the flame base. Experimental results and numerical investigations support the plausibility of turbulent premixed flame propagation by small scale (on the order of the flame thickness) recirculation and mixing of hot products into reactants and subsequent rapid ignition of the mixture.

Compendium of Experimental Cetane Numbers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanowitz, Janet [Ecoengineering, Sharonville, OH (United States); Ratcliff, Matthew A. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McCormick, Robert L. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Taylor, J. D. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Murphy, M. J. [Battelle, Columbus, OH (United States)

2017-02-22

This report is an updated version of the 2014 Compendium of Experimental Cetane Number Data and presents a compilation of measured cetane numbers for pure chemical compounds. It includes all available single-compound cetane number data found in the scientific literature up until December 2016 as well as a number of previously unpublished values, most measured over the past decade at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This version of the compendium contains cetane values for 496 pure compounds, including 204 hydrocarbons and 292 oxygenates. 176 individual measurements are new to this version of the compendium, all of them collected using ASTM Method D6890, which utilizes an Ignition Quality Tester (IQT) a type of constant-volume combustion chamber. For many compounds, numerous measurements are included, often collected by different researchers using different methods. The text of this document is unchanged from the 2014 version, except for the numbers of compounds in Section 3.1, the Appendices, Table 1. Primary Cetane Number Data Sources and Table 2. Number of Measurements Included in Compendium. Cetane number is a relative ranking of a fuel's autoignition characteristics for use in compression ignition engines. It is based on the amount of time between fuel injection and ignition, also known as ignition delay. The cetane number is typically measured either in a single-cylinder engine or a constant-volume combustion chamber. Values in the previous compendium derived from octane numbers have been removed and replaced with a brief analysis of the correlation between cetane numbers and octane numbers. The discussion on the accuracy and precision of the most commonly used methods for measuring cetane number has been expanded, and the data have been annotated extensively to provide additional information that will help the reader judge the relative reliability of individual results.

Advanced Materials Development of Ionic Ceramics Using Ions Beam and its Suitable Applications as Stress Environment Sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, K. H.; Cho, D. H.; Won, J. O.; Cho, J. H.; Kim, J. Y.

2008-04-01

The perovskite oxides La 2 CuO 4 was prepared by auto-ignition method with citric acid as reductant and nitrate as oxidant at low temperatures. Single crystals of phase lanthanum copper oxide were implanted with 70-120 KeV argon and nitrogen ions at room temperature. The prepared materials have investigated the energy transition distribution and ion distribution for N 2 and Ar ion-implantation depth. Also, this ionic ceramic of ion implanted with N + and N 2 + energy 70 keV, dose 5 x 10 16 ions/cm 2 , and beam current density 8.91μm/cm 2 were studied on physio-chemical and characteristic. We have studied on the effect of ion implantation for ionic ceramics materials surface modification for the first year. The ion beam treated ionic ceramics were investigated into its chemical structure and its characteristics as observed by XRD, SEM-EDS, BET and DTA. The oxygen gas sensors based on lanthanum copper oxide were fabricated by screen-printing method an YSZ substrate using the powder prepared by the ion implanted ionic state ceramics. The sensor's response was evaluated by periodic variation of oxygen partial pressure. Recently, the oxygen gas sensors using concentration cells consisting of oxygen-ion-conductor have been currently used as the oxygen gas sensors to measure oxygen concentration of exhaust gas. And, Resistive response behavior with varying oxygen gas concentration on lanthanum copper oxide have been studied. Oxygen sensor was measured in the temperature range of 400 .deg. C ∼700 .deg. C and different concentrations of oxygen. The results show that the resistance of oxygen sensor using YSZ-La 2 CuO 4 decreases with an increase of temperature at given oxygen concentration, and it is good linearity. Also its sensor has faster response property at more than 500 .deg. C.

Numerical investigation of biogas flameless combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hosseini, Seyed Ehsan; Bagheri, Ghobad; Wahid, Mazlan Abdul

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Fuel consumption decreases from 3.24 g/s in biogas conventional combustion to 1.07 g/s in flameless mode. • The differences between reactants and products temperature intensifies irreversibility in traditional combustion. • The temperature inside the chamber is uniform in biogas flameless mode and exergy loss decreases in this technique. • Low O 2 concentration in the flameless mode confirms a complete and quick combustion process in flameless regime. - Abstract: The purpose of this investigation is to analyze combustion characteristics of biogas flameless mode based on clean technology development strategies. A three dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) study has been performed to illustrate various priorities of biogas flameless combustion compared to the conventional mode. The effects of preheated temperature and wall temperature, reaction zone and pollutant formation are observed and the impacts of combustion and turbulence models on numerical results are discussed. Although preheated conventional combustion could be effective in terms of fuel consumption reduction, NO x formation increases. It has been found that biogas is not eligible to be applied in furnace heat up due to its low calorific value (LCV) and it is necessary to utilize a high calorific value fuel to preheat the furnace. The required enthalpy for biogas auto-ignition temperature is supplied by enthalpy of preheated oxidizer. In biogas flameless combustion, the mean temperature of the furnace is lower than traditional combustion throughout the chamber. Compared to the biogas flameless combustion with uniform temperature, very high and fluctuated temperatures are recorded in conventional combustion. Since high entropy generation intensifies irreversibility, exergy loss is higher in biogas conventional combustion compared to the biogas flameless regime. Entropy generation minimization in flameless mode is attributed to the uniform temperature inside the chamber

Ethanol-fueled low temperature combustion: A pathway to clean and efficient diesel engine cycles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asad, Usman; Kumar, Raj; Zheng, Ming; Tjong, Jimi

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Concept of ethanol–diesel fueled Premixed Pilot Assisted Combustion (PPAC). • Ultra-low NOx and soot with diesel-like thermal efficiency across the load range. • Close to TDC pilot injection timing for direct combustion phasing control. • Minimum pilot quantity (15% of total energy input) for clean, stable operation. • Defined heat release profile distribution (HRPD) to optimize pilot-ethanol ratio. - Abstract: Low temperature combustion (LTC) in diesel engines offers the benefits of ultra-low NOx and smoke emissions but suffers from lowered energy efficiency due to the high reactivity and low volatility of diesel fuel. Ethanol from renewable biomass provides a viable alternate to the petroleum based transportation fuels. The high resistance to auto-ignition (low reactivity) and its high volatility make ethanol a suitable fuel for low temperature combustion (LTC) in compression-ignition engines. In this work, a Premixed Pilot Assisted Combustion (PPAC) strategy comprising of the port fuel injection of ethanol, ignited with a single diesel pilot injection near the top dead centre has been investigated on a single-cylinder high compression ratio diesel engine. The impact of the diesel pilot injection timing, ethanol to diesel quantity ratio and exhaust gas recirculation on the emissions and efficiency are studied at 10 bar IMEP. With the lessons learnt, successful ethanol–diesel PPAC has been demonstrated up to a load of 18 bar IMEP with ultra-low NOx and soot emissions across the full load range. The main challenge of PPAC is the reduced combustion efficiency especially at low loads; therefore, the authors have presented a combustion control strategy to allow high efficiency, clean combustion across the load range. This work entails to provide a detailed framework for the ethanol-fueled PPAC to be successfully implemented.

Naphtha vs. dieseline – The effect of fuel properties on combustion homogeneity in transition from CI combustion towards HCCI

KAUST Repository

Vallinayagam, R.

2018-03-20

The scope of this research study pertains to compare the combustion and emission behavior between naphtha and dieseline at different combustion modes. In this study, US dieseline (50% US diesel + 50% RON 91 gasoline) and EU dieseline (45% EU diesel + 55% RON 97 gasoline) with derived cetane number (DCN) of 36 are selected for experimentation in an optical engine. Besides naphtha and dieseline, PRF60 is also tested as a surrogate fuel for naphtha. For the reported fuel with same RON = 60, the effect of physical properties on combustion homogeneity when moving from homogenized charge compression ignition (HCCI) to compression ignition (CI) combustion is studied.The combustion phasing of naphtha at an intake air temperature of 95 °C is taken as the baseline data. The engine experimental results show that higher and lower intake air temperature is required for dieseline mixtures to have same combustion phasing as that of naphtha at HCCI and CI conditions due to the difference in the physical properties. Especially at HCCI mode, due to wider distillation range of dieseline, the evaporation of the fuel is affected so that the gas phase mixture becomes too lean to auto-ignite. However, at partially premixed combustion (PPC) conditions, all test fuels required almost same intake air temperature to match up with the combustion phasing of baseline naphtha. From the rate of heat release and combustion images, it was found that naphtha and PRF60 showed improved premixed combustion when compared dieseline mixtures. The stratification analysis shows that combustion is more stratified for dieseline whereas it is premixed for naphtha and PRF60. The level of stratification linked with soot emission showed that soot concentration is higher at stratified CI combustion whereas near zero soot emissions were noted at PPC mode.

Additional chain-branching pathways in the low-temperature oxidation of branched alkanes

KAUST Repository

Wang, Zhandong

2015-12-31

Chain-branching reactions represent a general motif in chemistry, encountered in atmospheric chemistry, combustion, polymerization, and photochemistry; the nature and amount of radicals generated by chain-branching are decisive for the reaction progress, its energy signature, and the time towards its completion. In this study, experimental evidence for two new types of chain-branching reactions is presented, based upon detection of highly oxidized multifunctional molecules (HOM) formed during the gas-phase low-temperature oxidation of a branched alkane under conditions relevant to combustion. The oxidation of 2,5-dimethylhexane (DMH) in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) was studied using synchrotron vacuum ultra-violet photoionization molecular beam mass spectrometry (SVUV-PI-MBMS). Specifically, species with four and five oxygen atoms were probed, having molecular formulas of C8H14O4 (e.g., diketo-hydroperoxide/keto-hydroperoxy cyclic ether) and C8H16O5 (e.g., keto-dihydroperoxide/dihydroperoxy cyclic ether), respectively. The formation of C8H16O5 species involves alternative isomerization of OOQOOH radicals via intramolecular H-atom migration, followed by third O2 addition, intramolecular isomerization, and OH release; C8H14O4 species are proposed to result from subsequent reactions of C8H16O5 species. The mechanistic pathways involving these species are related to those proposed as a source of low-volatility highly oxygenated species in Earth\\'s troposphere. At the higher temperatures relevant to auto-ignition, they can result in a net increase of hydroxyl radical production, so these are additional radical chain-branching pathways for ignition. The results presented herein extend the conceptual basis of reaction mechanisms used to predict the reaction behavior of ignition, and have implications on atmospheric gas-phase chemistry and the oxidative stability of organic substances. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

A modelling study into the effects of variable valve timing on the gas exchange process and performance of a 4-valve DI homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahrous, A-F.M.; Potrzebowski, A.; Wyszynski, M.L.; Xu, H.M.; Tsolakis, A.; Luszcz, P.

2009-01-01

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion mode is a relatively new combustion technology that can be achieved by using specially designed cams with reduced lift and duration. The auto-ignition in HCCI engine can be facilitated by adjusting the timing of the exhaust-valve-closing and, to some extent, the timing of the intake-valve-opening so as to capture a proportion of the hot exhaust gases in the engine cylinder during the gas exchange process. The effects of variable valve timing strategy on the gas exchange process and performance of a 4-valve direct injection HCCI engine were computationally investigated using a 1D fluid-dynamic engine cycle simulation code. A non-typical intake valve strategy was examined; whereby the intake valves were assumed to be independently actuated with the same valve-lift profile but at different timings. Using such an intake valves strategy, the obtained results showed that the operating range of the exhaust-valve-timing within which the HCCI combustion can be facilitated and maintained becomes much wider than that of the typical intake-valve-timing case. Also it was found that the engine parameters such as load and volumetric efficiency are significantly modified with the use of the non-typical intake-valve-timing. Additionally, the results demonstrated the potential of the non-typical intake-valve strategy in achieving and maintaining the HCCI combustion at much lower loads within a wide range of valve timings. Minimizing the pumping work penalty, and consequently improving the fuel economy, was shown as an advantage of using the non-typical intake-valve-timing with the timing of the early intake valve coupled with a symmetric degree of exhaust-valve-closing timing

A modelling study into the effects of variable valve timing on the gas exchange process and performance of a 4-valve DI homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahrous, A-F.M. [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Faculty of Engineering (Shebin El-Kom), Menoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom (Egypt); Potrzebowski, A.; Wyszynski, M.L.; Xu, H.M.; Tsolakis, A.; Luszcz, P. [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2009-02-15

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion mode is a relatively new combustion technology that can be achieved by using specially designed cams with reduced lift and duration. The auto-ignition in HCCI engine can be facilitated by adjusting the timing of the exhaust-valve-closing and, to some extent, the timing of the intake-valve-opening so as to capture a proportion of the hot exhaust gases in the engine cylinder during the gas exchange process. The effects of variable valve timing strategy on the gas exchange process and performance of a 4-valve direct injection HCCI engine were computationally investigated using a 1D fluid-dynamic engine cycle simulation code. A non-typical intake valve strategy was examined; whereby the intake valves were assumed to be independently actuated with the same valve-lift profile but at different timings. Using such an intake valves strategy, the obtained results showed that the operating range of the exhaust-valve-timing within which the HCCI combustion can be facilitated and maintained becomes much wider than that of the typical intake-valve-timing case. Also it was found that the engine parameters such as load and volumetric efficiency are significantly modified with the use of the non-typical intake-valve-timing. Additionally, the results demonstrated the potential of the non-typical intake-valve strategy in achieving and maintaining the HCCI combustion at much lower loads within a wide range of valve timings. Minimizing the pumping work penalty, and consequently improving the fuel economy, was shown as an advantage of using the non-typical intake-valve-timing with the timing of the early intake valve coupled with a symmetric degree of exhaust-valve-closing timing. (author)

Thermofluidic compression effects to achieve combustion in a low-compression scramjet engine

Science.gov (United States)

Moura, A. F.; Wheatley, V.; Jahn, I.

2017-12-01

The compression provided by a scramjet inlet is an important parameter in its design. It must be low enough to limit thermal and structural loads and stagnation pressure losses, but high enough to provide the conditions favourable for combustion. Inlets are typically designed to achieve sufficient compression without accounting for the fluidic, and subsequently thermal, compression provided by the fuel injection, which can enable robust combustion in a low-compression engine. This is investigated using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes numerical simulations of a simplified scramjet engine designed to have insufficient compression to auto-ignite fuel in the absence of thermofluidic compression. The engine was designed with a wide rectangular combustor and a single centrally located injector, in order to reduce three-dimensional effects of the walls on the fuel plume. By varying the injected mass flow rate of hydrogen fuel (equivalence ratios of 0.22, 0.17, and 0.13), it is demonstrated that higher equivalence ratios lead to earlier ignition and more rapid combustion, even though mean conditions in the combustor change by no more than 5% for pressure and 3% for temperature with higher equivalence ratio. By supplementing the lower equivalence ratio with helium to achieve a higher mass flow rate, it is confirmed that these benefits are primarily due to the local compression provided by the extra injected mass. Investigation of the conditions around the fuel plume indicated two connected mechanisms. The higher mass flow rate for higher equivalence ratios generated a stronger injector bow shock that compresses the free-stream gas, increasing OH radical production and promoting ignition. This was observed both in the higher equivalence ratio case and in the case with helium. This earlier ignition led to increased temperature and pressure downstream and, consequently, stronger combustion. The heat release from combustion provided thermal compression in the combustor, further

Visualization of supersonic diesel fuel jets using a shadowgraph technique

Science.gov (United States)

Pianthong, Kulachate; Behnia, Masud; Milton, Brian E.

2001-04-01

High-speed liquid jets have been widely used to cut or penetrate material. It has been recently conjectured that the characteristics of high-speed fuel jets may also be of benefit to engines requiring direct fuel injection into the combustion chamber. Important factors are combustion efficiency and emission control enhancement for better atomization. Fundamental studies of very high velocity liquid jets are therefore very important. The characteristics and behavior of supersonic liquid jets have been studied with the aid of a shadowgraph technique. The high-speed liquid jet (in the supersonic range) is generated by the use of a vertical, single stage powder gun. The performance of the launcher and its relation to the jet exit velocity, with a range of nozzle shapes, has been examined. This paper presents the visual evidence of supersonic diesel fuel jets (velocity around 2000 m/s) investigated by the shadowgraph method. An Argon jet has been used as a light source. With a rise time of 0.07 microseconds, light duration of 0.2 microseconds and the use of high speed Polaroid film, the shadowgraph method can effectively capture the hypersonic diesel fuel jet and its strong leading edge shock waves. This provides a clearer picture of each stage of the generation of hypersonic diesel fuel jets and makes the study of supersonic diesel fuel jet characteristics and the potential for auto-ignition possible. Also, in the experiment, a pressure relief section has been used to minimize the compressed air or blast wave ahead of the projectile. However, the benefit of using a pressure relief section in the design is not clearly known. To investigate this effect, additional experiments have been performed with the use of the shadowgraph method, showing the projectile leaving and traveling inside the nozzle at a velocity around 1100 m/s.

Development and validation of an n-dodecane skeletal mechanism for spray combustion applications

KAUST Repository

Luo, Zhaoyu

2014-03-04

n-Dodecane is a promising surrogate fuel for diesel engine study because its physicochemical properties are similar to those of the practical diesel fuels. In the present study, a skeletal mechanism for n-dodecane with 105 species and 420 reactions was developed for spray combustion simulations. The reduction starts from the most recent detailed mechanism for n-alkanes consisting of 2755 species and 11,173 reactions developed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An algorithm combining direct relation graph with expert knowledge (DRGX) and sensitivity analysis was employed for the present skeletal reduction. The skeletal mechanism was first extensively validated in 0-D and 1-D combustion systems, including auto-ignition, jet stirred reactor (JSR), laminar premixed flame and counter flow diffusion flame. Then it was coupled with well-established spray models and further validated in 3-D turbulent spray combustion simulations under engine-like conditions. These simulations were compared with the recent experiments with n-dodecane as a surrogate for diesel fuels. It can be seen that combustion characteristics such as ignition delay and flame lift-off length were well captured by the skeletal mechanism, particularly under conditions with high ambient temperatures. Simulations also captured the transient flame development phenomenon fairly well. The results further show that ignition delay may not be the only factor controlling the stabilisation of the present flames since a good match in ignition delay does not necessarily result in improved flame lift-off length prediction. The work of Zhaoyu Luo, Sibendu Som, Max Plomer, William J. Pitz, Douglas E. Longman and Tianfeng Lu was authored as part of their official duties as Employees of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 USC. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under US Law. S. Mani Sarathy hereby waives his right to

Crude glycerol combustion: Particulate, acrolein, and other volatile organic emissions

KAUST Repository

Steinmetz, Scott

2013-01-01

Crude glycerol is an abundant by-product of biodiesel production. As volumes of this potential waste grow, there is increasing interest in developing new value added uses. One possible use, as a boiler fuel for process heating, offers added advantages of energy integration and fossil fuel substitution. However, challenges to the use of crude glycerol as a boiler fuel include its low energy density, high viscosity, and high autoignition temperature. We have previously shown that a refractory-lined, high swirl burner can overcome challenges related to flame ignition and stability. However, critical issues related to ash behavior and the possible formation of acrolein remained. The work presented here indicates that the presence of dissolved catalysts used during the esterification and transesterification processes results in extremely large amounts of inorganic species in the crude glycerol. For the fuels examined here, the result is a submicron fly ash comprised primarily of sodium carbonates, phosphates, and sulfates. These particles report to a well-developed accumulation mode (0.3-0.7 μm diameter), indicating extensive ash vaporization and particle formation via nucleation, condensation, and coagulation. Particle mass emissions were between 2 and 4 g/m3. These results indicate that glycerol containing soluble catalyst is not suitable as a boiler fuel. Fortunately, process improvements are currently addressing this issue. Additionally, acrolein is of concern due to its toxicity, and is known to be formed from the low temperature thermal decomposition of glycerol. Currently, there is no known reliable method for measuring acrolein in sources. Acrolein and emissions of other volatile organic compounds were characterized through the use of a SUMMA canister-based sampling method followed by GC-MS analysis designed for ambient measurements. Results indicate crude glycerol combustion produces relatively small amounts of acrolein (∼15 ppbv) and other volatile organic

Numerical Investigation of a Gasoline-Like Fuel in a Heavy-Duty Compression Ignition Engine Using Global Sensitivity Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal, Pinaki; Probst, Daniel; Pei, Yuanjiang; Zhang, Yu; Traver, Michael; Cleary, David; Som, Sibendu

2017-03-28

Fuels in the gasoline auto-ignition range (Research Octane Number (RON) > 60) have been demonstrated to be effective alternatives to diesel fuel in compression ignition engines. Such fuels allow more time for mixing with oxygen before combustion starts, owing to longer ignition delay. Moreover, by controlling fuel injection timing, it can be ensured that the in-cylinder mixture is “premixed enough” before combustion occurs to prevent soot formation while remaining “sufficiently inhomogeneous” in order to avoid excessive heat release rates. Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) has the potential to offer diesel-like efficiency at a lower cost and can be achieved with fuels such as low-octane straight run gasoline which require significantly less processing in the refinery compared to today’s fuels. To aid the design and optimization of a compression ignition (CI) combustion system using such fuels, a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) was conducted to understand the relative influence of various design parameters on efficiency, emissions and heat release rate. The design parameters included injection strategies, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) fraction, temperature and pressure at intake valve closure and injector configuration. These were varied simultaneously to achieve various targets of ignition timing, combustion phasing, overall burn duration, emissions, fuel consumption, peak cylinder pressure and maximum pressure rise rate. The baseline case was a three-dimensional closed-cycle computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation with a sector mesh at medium load conditions. Eleven design parameters were considered and ranges of variation were prescribed to each of these. These input variables were perturbed in their respective ranges using the Monte Carlo (MC) method to generate a set of 256 CFD simulations and the targets were calculated from the simulation results. GSA was then applied as a screening tool to identify the input parameters having the most

Structure and stabilization of hydrogen-rich transverse.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyra, Sgouria [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Wilde, B [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Kolla, Hemanth [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Seitzman, J. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Lieuwen, T. C. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Chen, Jacqueline H. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

2014-07-01

This paper reports the results of a joint experimental and numerical study of the ow characteristics and flame stabilization of a hydrogen rich jet injected normal to a turbulent, vitiated cross ow of lean methane combustion products. Simultaneous high-speed stereoscopic PIV and OH PLIF measurements were obtained and analyzed alongside three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of inert and reacting JICF with detailed H₂/CO chemistry. Both the experiment and the simulation reveal that, contrary to most previous studies of reacting JICF stabilized in low-to-moderate temperature air cross ow, the present conditions lead to an autoigniting, burner-attached flame that initiates uniformly around the burner edge. Significant asymmetry is observed, however, between the reaction zones located on the windward and leeward sides of the jet, due to the substantially different scalar dissipation rates. The windward reaction zone is much thinner in the near field, while also exhibiting significantly higher local and global heat release than the much broader reaction zone found on the leeward side of the jet. The unsteady dynamics of the windward shear layer, which largely control the important jet/cross flow mixing processes in that region, are explored in order to elucidate the important flow stability implications arising in the reacting JICF. Vorticity spectra extracted from the windward shear layer reveal that the reacting jet is globally unstable and features two high frequency peaks, including a fundamental mode whose Strouhal number of ~0.7 agrees well with previous non-reacting JICF stability studies. The paper concludes with an analysis of the ignition, ame stabilization, and global structure of the burner-attached flame. Chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) shows that the entire windward shear layer, and a large region on the leeward side of the jet, are highly explosive prior to ignition and are dominated by non-premixed flame structures after

Mixture preparation and combustion in an optically-accessible HCCI, diesel engine; La preparation du melange et de la combustion dans un moteur Diesel, HCCI a acces optique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kashdan, J.; Bruneaux, G. [Institut Francais du Petrole, 92 - Rueil-Malmaison (France)

2006-07-01

Planar laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) imaging techniques have been applied in order to study the mixture preparation and combustion process in a single cylinder, optically-accessible homogeneous charge, compression ignition (HCCI) engine. In particular, the influence of piston bowl geometry on the in-cylinder mixture distribution and subsequent combustion process has been investigated. A new optically-accessible piston design enabled the application of LIF diagnostics directly within the combustion chamber bowl. Firstly, laser-induced exciplex fluorescence (LIEF) was exploited in order to characterise the in-cylinder fuel spray and vapour distribution. Subsequently a detailed study of the two-stage HCCI combustion process was conducted by a combination of direct chemiluminescence imaging, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) of the intermediate species formaldehyde (CH{sub 2}O) which is present during the cool flame and LIF of the OH radical which is subsequently present in the reaction and burned gas zones at higher temperature. Finally, spectrometry measurements were performed with the objective of determining the origin of the emitting species of the chemiluminescence signal. The experiments were performed on a single cylinder optical engine equipped with a direct-injection, common rail injection system and narrow angle injector. The experimental results presented reveal the significant role of the combustion chamber geometry on the mixture preparation and combustion characteristics for late HCCI injection strategies particularly in such cases where liquid impingement is unavoidable. Planar LIF 355 imaging revealed the presence of the intermediate species formaldehyde allowing the temporal and spatial detection of auto-ignition precursors prior to the signal observed by chemiluminescence in the early stages of the cool flame. Formaldehyde was then rapidly consumed at the start of main combustion which was marked not only by the increase in the main heat release

Development and Experimental Validation of Large Eddy Simulation Techniques for the Prediction of Combustion-Dynamic Process in Syngas Combustion: Characterization of Autoignition, Flashback, and Flame-Liftoff at Gas-Turbine Relevant Operating Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ihme, Matthias [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Driscoll, James [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

2015-08-31

The objective of this closely coordinated experimental and computational research effort is the development of simulation techniques for the prediction of combustion processes, relevant to the oxidation of syngas and high hydrogen content (HHC) fuels at gas-turbine relevant operating conditions. Specifically, the research goals are (i) the characterization of the sensitivity of syngas ignition processes to hydrodynamic processes and perturbations in temperature and mixture composition in rapid compression machines and ow-reactors and (ii) to conduct comprehensive experimental investigations in a swirl-stabilized gas turbine (GT) combustor under realistic high-pressure operating conditions in order (iii) to obtain fundamental understanding about mechanisms controlling unstable flame regimes in HHC-combustion.

Oxygen Compatibility of Brass-Filled PTFE Compared to Commonly Used Fluorinated Polymers for Oxygen Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Herald, Stephen D.; Frisby, Paul M.; Davis, Samuel Eddie

2009-01-01

Safe and reliable seal materials for high-pressure oxygen systems sometimes appear to be extinct species when sought out by oxygen systems designers. Materials that seal well are easy to find, but these materials are typically incompatible with oxygen, especially in cryogenic liquid form. This incompatibility can result in seals that leak, or much worse, seals that easily ignite and burn during use. Materials that are compatible with oxygen are easy to find, such as the long list of compatible metals, but these metallic materials are limiting as seal materials. A material that seals well and is oxygen compatible has been the big game in the designer's safari. Scientists at the Materials Combustion Research Facility (MCRF), part of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), are constantly searching for better materials and processes to improve the safety of oxygen systems. One focus of this effort is improving the characteristics of polymers used in the presence of an oxygen enriched environment. Very few systems can be built which contain no polymeric materials; therefore, materials which have good impact resistance, low heat of combustion, high auto-ignition temperature and that maintain good mechanical properties are essential. The scientists and engineers at the Materials Combustion Research Facility, in cooperation with seal suppliers, are currently testing a new formulation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with Brass filler. This Brass-filled PTFE is showing great promise as a seal and seat material for high pressure oxygen systems. Early research has demonstrated very encouraging results, which could rank this material as one of the best fluorinated polymers ever tested. This paper will compare the data obtained for Brass-filled PTFE with other fluorinated polymers, such as TFE-Teflon (PTFE) , Kel-F 81, Viton A, Viton A-500, Fluorel , and Algoflon . A similar metal filled fluorinated polymer, Salox-M , was tested in comparison to Brass-filled PTFE to

METHODS FOR THE SAFE STORAGE, HANDLING, AND DISPOSAL OF PYROPHORIC LIQUIDS AND SOLIDS IN THE LABORATORY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simmons, F.; Kuntamukkula, M.; Alnajjar, M.; Quigley, D.; Freshwater, D.; Bigger, S.

2010-02-02

Pyrophoric reagents represent an important class of reactants because they can participate in many different types of reactions. They are very useful in organic synthesis and in industrial applications. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) define Pyrophorics as substances that will self-ignite in air at temperatures of 130 F (54.4 C) or less. However, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) uses criteria different from the auto-ignition temperature criterion. The DOT defines a pyrophoric material as a liquid or solid that, even in small quantities and without an external ignition source, can ignite within five minutes after coming in contact with air when tested according to the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria. The Environmental Protection Agency has adopted the DOT definition. Regardless of which definition is used, oxidation of the pyrophoric reagents by oxygen or exothermic reactions with moisture in the air (resulting in the generation of a flammable gas such as hydrogen) is so rapid that ignition occurs spontaneously. Due to the inherent nature of pyrophoric substances to ignite spontaneously upon exposure to air, special precautions must be taken to ensure their safe handling and use. Pyrophoric gases (such as diborane, dichloroborane, phosphine, etc.) are typically the easiest class of pyrophoric substances to handle since the gas can be plumbed directly to the application and used remotely. Pyrophoric solids and liquids, however, require the user to physically manipulate them when transferring them from one container to another. Failure to follow proper safety precautions could result in serious injury or unintended consequences to laboratory personnel. Because of this danger, pyrophorics should be handled only by experienced personnel. Users with limited experience must be trained on how to handle pyrophoric reagents and consult with a knowledgeable staff member prior

2-Methylfuran: A bio-derived octane booster for spark-ignition engines

KAUST Repository

Sarathy, Mani

2018-04-02

The efficiency of spark-ignition engines is limited by the phenomenon of knock, which is caused by auto-ignition of the fuel-air mixture ahead of the spark-initiated flame front. The resistance of a fuel to knock is quantified by its octane index; therefore, increasing the octane index of a spark-ignition engine fuel increases the efficiency of the respective engine. However, raising the octane index of gasoline increases the refining costs, as well as the energy consumption during production. The use of alternative fuels with synergistic blending effects presents an attractive option for improving octane index. In this work, the octane enhancing potential of 2-methylfuran (2-MF), a next-generation biofuel, has been examined and compared to other high-octane components (i.e., ethanol and toluene). A primary reference fuel with an octane index of 60 (PRF60) was chosen as the base fuel since it closely represents refinery naphtha streams, which are used as gasoline blend stocks. Initial screening of the fuels was done in an ignition quality tester (IQT). The PRF60/2-MF (80/20 v/v%) blend exhibited longer ignition delay times compared to PRF60/ethanol (80/20 v/v%) blend and PRF60/toluene (80/20 v/v%) blend, even though pure 2-MF is more reactive than both ethanol and toluene. The mixtures were also tested in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine under research octane number and motor octane number like conditions. The PRF60/2-MF blend again possesses a higher octane index than other blending components. A detailed chemical kinetic analysis was performed to understand the synergetic blending effect of 2-MF, using a well-validated PRF/2-MF kinetic model. Kinetic analysis revealed superior suppression of low-temperature chemistry with the addition of 2-MF. The results from simulations were further confirmed by homogeneous charge compression ignition engine experiments, which established its superior low-temperature heat release (LTHR) suppression compared to ethanol

Ensemble Diffraction Measurements of Spray Combustion in a Novel Vitiated Coflow Turbulent Jet Flame Burner

Science.gov (United States)

Cabra, R.; Hamano, Y.; Chen, J. Y.; Dibble, R. W.; Acosta, F.; Holve, D.

2000-01-01

An experimental investigation is presented of a novel vitiated coflow spray flame burner. The vitiated coflow emulates the recirculation region of most combustors, such as gas turbines or furnaces; additionally, since the vitiated gases are coflowing, the burner allows exploration of the chemistry of recirculation without the corresponding fluid mechanics of recirculation. As such, this burner allows for chemical kinetic model development without obscurations caused by fluid mechanics. The burner consists of a central fuel jet (droplet or gaseous) surrounded by the oxygen rich combustion products of a lean premixed flame that is stabilized on a perforated, brass plate. The design presented allows for the reacting coflow to span a large range of temperatures and oxygen concentrations. Several experiments measuring the relationships between mixture stoichiometry and flame temperature are used to map out the operating ranges of the coflow burner. These include temperatures as low 300 C to stoichiometric and oxygen concentrations from 18 percent to zero. This is achieved by stabilizing hydrogen-air premixed flames on a perforated plate. Furthermore, all of the CO2 generated is from the jet combustion. Thus, a probe sample of NO(sub X) and CO2 yields uniquely an emission index, as is commonly done in gas turbine engine exhaust research. The ability to adjust the oxygen content of the coflow allows us to steadily increase the coflow temperature surrounding the jet. At some temperature, the jet ignites far downstream from the injector tube. Further increases in the coflow temperature results in autoignition occurring closer to the nozzle. Examples are given of methane jetting into a coflow that is lean, stoichiometric, and even rich. Furthermore, an air jet with a rich coflow produced a normal looking flame that is actually 'inverted' (air on the inside, surrounded by fuel). In the special case of spray injection, we demonstrate the efficacy of this novel burner with a

Thermodynamic and fluid mechanic analysis of rapid pressurization in a dead-end tube

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Ian H.

1989-01-01

Three models have been applied to very rapid compression of oxygen in a dead-ended tube. Pressures as high as 41 MPa (6000 psi) leading to peak temperatures of 1400 K are predicted. These temperatures are well in excess of the autoignition temperature (750 K) of teflon, a frequently used material for lining hoses employed in oxygen service. These findings are in accord with experiments that have resulted in ignition and combustion of the teflon, leading to the combustion of the stainless steel braiding and catastrophic failure. The system analyzed was representative of a capped off-high-pressure oxygen line, which could be part of a larger system. Pressurization of the larger system would lead to compression in the dead-end line, and possible ignition of the teflon liner. The model consists of a large plenum containing oxygen at the desired pressure (500 to 6000 psi). The plenum is connected via a fast acting valve to a stainless steel tube 2 cm inside diameter. Opening times are on the order of 15 ms. Downstream of the valve is an orifice sized to increase filling times to around 100 ms. The total length from the valve to the dead-end is 150 cm. The distance from the valve to the orifice is 95 cm. The models describe the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics of the flow, and do not include any combustion phenomena. A purely thermodynamic model assumes filling to be complete upstream of the orifice before any gas passes through the orifice. This simplification is reasonable based on experiment and computer modeling. Results show that peak temperatures as high as 4800 K can result from recompression of the gas after expanding through the orifice. An approximate transient model without an orifice was developed assuming an isentropic compression process. An analytical solution was obtained. Results indicated that fill times can be considerably shorter than valve opening times. The third model was a finite difference, 1-D transient compressible flow model. Results from

Direct numerical simulations of the ignition of a lean biodiesel/air mixture with temperature and composition inhomogeneities at high pressure and intermediate temperature

KAUST Repository

Luong, Minhbau

2014-11-01

The effects of the stratifications of temperature, T, and equivalence ratio, φ{symbol}, on the ignition characteristics of a lean homogeneous biodiesel/air mixture at high pressure and intermediate temperature are investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNSs). 2-D DNSs are performed at a constant volume with the variance of temperature and equivalence ratio (T′ and φ{symbol}′) together with a 2-D isotropic velocity spectrum superimposed on the initial scalar fields. In addition, three different T s(-) φ{symbol} correlations are investigated: (1) baseline cases with T′ only or φ{symbol}′ only, (2) uncorrelated T s(-) φ{symbol} distribution, and (3) negatively-correlated T s(-) φ{symbol} distribution. It is found that the overall combustion is more advanced and the mean heat release rate is more distributed over time with increasing T′ and/or φ{symbol}′ for the baseline and uncorrelated T s(-) φ{symbol} cases. However, the temporal advancement and distribution of the overall combustion caused by T′ or φ{symbol}′ only are nearly annihilated by the negatively-correlated T s(-) φ{symbol} fields. The chemical explosive mode and Damköhler number analyses verify that for the baseline and uncorrelated T s(-) φ{symbol} cases, the deflagration mode is predominant at the reaction fronts for large T′ and/or φ{symbol}′. On the contrary, the spontaneous ignition mode prevails for cases with small T′ or φ{symbol}′, especially for cases with negative T s(-) φ{symbol} correlations, and hence, simultaneous auto-ignition occurs throughout the entire domain, resulting in an excessive rate of heat release. It is also found that turbulence with large intensity, u′, and a short time scale can effectively smooth out initial thermal and compositional fluctuations such that the overall combustion is induced primarily by spontaneous ignition. Based on the present DNS results, the generalization of the effects of T′, φ{symbol}′, and u�

Study on the knock tendency and cyclical variations of a HCCI engine fueled with n-butanol/n-heptane blends

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Gang; Zhang, Chunhua; Zhou, Jiawang

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The HCCI combustion was achieved on an engine fueled by n-butanol/n-heptane blends. • The knock tendency and cyclical variation of the HCCI combustion were studied. • The knock tendency can be weakened by increasing the blending ratio of n-butanol. • The knock tendency and cyclical variation are sensitive to the combustion phasing. • Cyclical variation always shows an opposite trend with the knock tendency. - Abstract: The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion operation is conducted in the 2nd cylinder of a natural-aspirated four-stroke diesel engine. In the HCCI combustion mode, the n-butanol, n-heptane and their blends are injected into the intake port to form a lean homogeneous air-fuel mixture, which is consumed by the autoignition after compression. The objective of this study is to investigate the knock tendency and the cyclical variations of the HCCI engine. Experimental results show that the volume fraction of n-butanol affects the knock tendency greatly, which obviously decreases as the n-butanol volume fraction increases. The knocking combustion in the HCCI combustion is characterized by the high heat release rate (HRR). Both elevating the engine speed and raising the intake temperature contributes to an obvious increase in HRR and the knock tendency. But the HRR and knock tendency may slightly decrease when the engine speed reaches to 1400 rev/min and intake temperature reaches to 160 °C. Furthermore, the knock tendency can be weakened by increasing the excess air-fuel ratio. Cyclical variations of the HCCI engine are quantified by the coefficient of variation for the peak pressure (COV_P_m_a_x) and it exhibits an almost opposite trend to the knock tendency. The COV_P_m_a_x may considerably increase along with either increasing the blending ratio of n-butanol or increasing the excess air-fuel ratio. Moreover, it is reveled that the COV_P_m_a_x is sensitive to the relative position of peak HRR. The cyclical

Flame stabilization and mixing characteristics in a Stagnation Point Reverse Flow combustor

Science.gov (United States)

Bobba, Mohan K.

A novel combustor design, referred to as the Stagnation Point Reverse-Flow (SPRF) combustor, was recently developed that is able to operate stably at very lean fuel-air mixtures and with low NOx emissions even when the fuel and air are not premixed before entering the combustor. The primary objective of this work is to elucidate the underlying physics behind the excellent stability and emissions performance of the SPRF combustor. The approach is to experimentally characterize velocities, species mixing, heat release and flame structure in an atmospheric pressure SPRF combustor with the help of various optical diagnostic techniques: OH PLIF, chemiluminescence imaging, PIV and Spontaneous Raman Scattering. Results indicate that the combustor is primarily stabilized in a region downstream of the injector that is characterized by low average velocities and high turbulence levels; this is also the region where most of the heat release occurs. High turbulence levels in the shear layer lead to increased product entrainment levels, elevating the reaction rates and thereby enhancing the combustor stability. The effect of product entrainment on chemical timescales and the flame structure is illustrated with simple reactor models. Although reactants are found to burn in a highly preheated (1300 K) and turbulent environment due to mixing with hot product gases, the residence times are sufficiently long compared to the ignition timescales such that the reactants do not autoignite. Turbulent flame structure analysis indicates that the flame is primarily in the thin reaction zones regime throughout the combustor, and it tends to become more flamelet like with increasing distance from the injector. Fuel-air mixing measurements in case of non-premixed operation indicate that the fuel is shielded from hot products until it is fully mixed with air, providing nearly premixed performance without the safety issues associated with premixing. The reduction in NOx emissions in the SPRF

Operation of neat pine oil biofuel in a diesel engine by providing ignition assistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vallinayagam, R.; Vedharaj, S.; Yang, W.M.; Lee, P.S.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Operational feasibility of neat pine oil biofuel has been examined. • Pine oil suffers lower cetane number, which mandates for necessary ignition assistance. • Ignition support is provided by preheating the inlet air and incorporating a glow plug. • At an inlet air temperature of 60 °C, the BTE for pine oil was found to be in par with diesel. • CO and smoke emissions were reduced by 13.2% and 16.8%, respectively, for neat pine oil. - Abstract: The notion to provide ignition support for the effective operation of lower cetane fuels in a diesel engine has been ably adopted in the present study for the sole fuel operation of pine oil biofuel. Having noted that the lower cetane number and higher self-ignition temperature of pine oil biofuel would inhibit its direct use in a diesel engine, combined ignition support in the form of preheating the inlet air and installing a glow plug in the cylinder head has been provided to improve the auto-ignition of pine oil. While, an air preheater, installed in the inlet manifold of the engine, preheated the inlet air so as to provide ignition assistance partially, the incorporation of glow plug in the cylinder head imparted the further required ignition support appropriately. Subsequently, the operational feasibility of neat pine oil biofuel has been examined in a single cylinder diesel engine and the engine test results were analyzed. From the experimental investigation, though the engine performance and emissions such as CO (carbon monoxide) and smoke were noted to be better for pine oil with an inlet air temperature of 40 °C, the engine suffered the setback of knocking due to delayed SOC (start of combustion). However, with the ignition support through glow plug and preheating of inlet air, the engine knocking was prevented and the normal operation of the engine was ensured. Categorically, at an inlet air temperature of 60 °C, BTE (brake thermal efficiency) was found to be in par with diesel, while

An experimental investigation into combustion and performance characteristics of an HCCI gasoline engine fueled with n-heptane, isopropanol and n-butanol fuel blends at different inlet air temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uyumaz, Ahmet

2015-01-01

operation range can be extended using high octane number alcohols away from knocking combustion and autoignition can be controlled

A variable turbulent Prandtl and Schmidt number model study for scramjet applications

Science.gov (United States)

Keistler, Patrick

A turbulence model that allows for the calculation of the variable turbulent Prandtl (Prt) and Schmidt (Sct) numbers as part of the solution is presented. The model also accounts for the interactions between turbulence and chemistry by modeling the corresponding terms. Four equations are added to the baseline k-zeta turbulence model: two equations for enthalpy variance and its dissipation rate to calculate the turbulent diffusivity, and two equations for the concentrations variance and its dissipation rate to calculate the turbulent diffusion coefficient. The underlying turbulence model already accounts for compressibility effects. The variable Prt /Sct turbulence model is validated and tuned by simulating a wide variety of experiments. Included in the experiments are two-dimensional, axisymmetric, and three-dimensional mixing and combustion cases. The combustion cases involved either hydrogen and air, or hydrogen, ethylene, and air. Two chemical kinetic models are employed for each of these situations. For the hydrogen and air cases, a seven species/seven reaction model where the reaction rates are temperature dependent and a nine species/nineteen reaction model where the reaction rates are dependent on both pressure and temperature are used. For the cases involving ethylene, a 15 species/44 reaction reduced model that is both pressure and temperature dependent is used, along with a 22 species/18 global reaction reduced model that makes use of the quasi-steady-state approximation. In general, fair to good agreement is indicated for all simulated experiments. The turbulence/chemistry interaction terms are found to have a significant impact on flame location for the two-dimensional combustion case, with excellent experimental agreement when the terms are included. In most cases, the hydrogen chemical mechanisms behave nearly identically, but for one case, the pressure dependent model would not auto-ignite at the same conditions as the experiment and the other

Large eddy simulation of spray and combustion characteristics with realistic chemistry and high-order numerical scheme under diesel engine-like conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Lei; Luo, Kai Hong; Qin, Wenjin; Jia, Ming; Shuai, Shi Jin

2015-01-01

% with ambient density increasing from 14.8 kg/m 3 to 30.0 kg/m 3 and ambient temperatures from 850 K to 1300 K in a constant volume combustion chamber. With increasing oxygen concentration, the ignition delay time and consequently the flame LOL decrease, as the flame moves upstream as expected. On the other hand, reduction in the ambient temperature from 1000 K to 900 K retards the auto-ignition time and moves the burning location downstream under different oxygen concentrations

Emerging risk issues in underground storage of bituminous coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sipila, J.

2013-11-01

). Suggested leading indicators of the freezing risk can be based on adverse weather along the transport route, delivery of wet cold coal, and the flow rate of seepage water entering silos with cold coal.New challenges could arise from the increasing use of biomass fuels with high volatile contents that may facilitate relatively easy autoignition, high moisture content to ease freezing, and a low heating value that increases the transported and stored volumes and may thereby elevate the associated risks. (orig.)

A spectroscopy study of gasoline partially premixed compression ignition spark assisted combustion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastor, J.V.; García-Oliver, J.M.; García, A.; Micó, C.; Durrett, R.

2013-01-01

temperature and pressure inside the combustion chamber, which causes the auto-ignition of the rest of the unburned mixture. This second stage is characterized by a more pronounced rate of heat release and a faster propagation of the reactions through the combustion chamber. Moreover, the measured UV–Visible spectra show some differences in comparison with the other stages. The relative intensities in of spectra from different combustion radicals have also been related to the different combustion phases

Hydrogen or Fossil Combustion Nuclear Combined Cycle Systems for Baseload and Peak Load Electricity Production. Annex X

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-12-15

A combined cycle power plant is described that uses: (i) heat from a high temperature nuclear reactor to meet baseload electrical demands; and (ii) heat from the same high temperature reactor and burning natural gas, jet fuel or hydrogen to meet peak load electrical demands. For baseload electricity production, fresh air is compressed, then flows through a heat exchanger, where it is heated to between 700 and 900{sup o}C by using heat provided by a high temperature nuclear reactor via an intermediate heat transport loop, and finally exits through a high temperature gas turbine to produce electricity. The hot exhaust from the Brayton cycle gas turbine is then fed to a heat recovery steam generator that provides steam to a steam turbine for added electrical power production. To meet peak electricity demand, the air is first compressed and then heated with the heat from a high temperature reactor. Natural gas, jet fuel or hydrogen is then injected into the hot air in a combustion chamber, combusts and heats the air to 1300{sup o}C - the operating conditions for a standard natural gas fired combined cycle plant. The hot gas then flows through a gas turbine and a heat recovery steam generator before being sent to the exhaust stack. The higher temperatures increase the plant efficiency and power output. If hydrogen is used, it can be produced at night using energy from the nuclear reactor and stored until required. With hydrogen serving as the auxiliary fuel for peak power production, the electricity output to the electrical grid can vary from zero (i.e. when hydrogen is being produced) to the maximum peak power while the nuclear reactor operates at constant load. As nuclear heat raises air temperatures above the auto-ignition temperatures of the various fuels and powers the air compressor, the power output can be varied rapidly (compared with the capabilities of fossil fired turbines) to meet spinning reserve requirements and stabilize the electrical grid. This combined

Low Load Limit Extension for Gasoline Compression Ignition Using Negative Valve Overlap Strategy

KAUST Repository

Vallinayagam, R.

2018-04-03

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) is widely studied for the benefits of simultaneous reduction in nitrogen oxide (NO) and soot emissions without compromising the engine efficiency. Despite this advantage, the operational range for GCI is not widely expanded, as the auto-ignition of fuel at low load condition is difficult. The present study aims to extend the low load operational limit for GCI using negative valve overlap (NVO) strategy. The engine used for the current experimentation is a single cylinder diesel engine that runs at an idle speed of 800 rpm with a compression ratio of 17.3. The engine is operated at homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and partially premixed combustion (PPC) combustion modes with the corresponding start of injection (SOI) at 180 CAD (aTDC) and 30 CAD (aTDC), respectively. In the presented work, intake air temperature is used as control parameter to maintain combustion stability at idle and low load condition, while the intake air pressure is maintained at 1 bar (ambient). The engine is equipped with variable valve cam phasers that can phase both inlet and exhaust valves from the original timing. For the maximum cam phasing range (56 CAD) at a valve lift of 0.3 mm, the maximum allowable positive valve overlap was 20 CAD. In the present study, the exhaust cam is phased to 26 CAD and 6 CAD and the corresponding NVO is noted to be 10 CAD and 30 CAD, respectively. With exhaust cam phasing adjustment, the exhaust valve is closed early to retain hot residual gases inside the cylinder. As such, the in-cylinder temperature is increased and a reduction in the required intake air temperature to control combustion phasing is possible. For a constant combustion phasing of 3 CAD (aTDC), a minimum load of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) = 1 bar is attained for gasoline (RON = 91) at HCCI and PPC modes. The coefficient of variance was observed to below 5% at these idle and low load conditions. At the minimum load point, the

Automatic analysis and reduction of reaction mechanisms for complex fuel combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsson, Daniel

2001-05-01

general, detailed calculations of temperature, pressure, concentration and flame velocity show excellent agreement with measurements. Skeletal mechanisms for PRF were constructed for the SI engine case, reproducing autoignition well on removal of reactions pertaining to 15% of the species. QSSA reduction was tested on the staged combustor and the engines, using pure and weighted lifetime indices. Monitoring NO concentrations in the staged combustor and ignition timing in the engines, good reproduction is possible while approximating about 70% of the species. However, some species have to be manually retained for accuracy and numerical stability. For improved ranking, sensitivity was added to the index applied to the premixed flames, in addition to necessary molecular transport information. The maximum atomic mass fraction occupied by a certain molecular species was also constrained to limit the mass and energy deficiency caused by QSSA. For methane, the laminar flame velocities as well as concentration profiles are well predicted by the most strongly reduced mechanism with five global reaction steps. For the kerosene surrogate mechanism, QSSA involving 50% of the species was successfully attempted.

Kinetic modeling of methyl butanoate in shock tube.

Science.gov (United States)

Huynh, Lam K; Lin, Kuang C; Violi, Angela

2008-12-25

during the pyrolysis of MB as well as to investigate the autoignition of MB in a shock tube reactor at different temperatures and pressures. The computed results agree very well with experimental data present in the literature. Sensitivity and flux (rate-of-production) analyses are carried out for the CO(2) formation with the new MB mechanism, together with available reaction mechanisms, to assess the importance of various kinetic pathways for each regime. With the new mechanism, the flux analyses for the formation of C(2)H species, one of the most important species for ignition delay time, are also presented at different conditions. In addition to giving a better chemical insight of the pyrolysis/oxidation of MB, the results suggest ways to improve the mechanism's capability to predict CO(2) formation and ignition delay times in pyrolysis and oxidation conditions.

Optimizing the CSP Tower Air Brayton Cycle System to Meet the SunShot Objectives - Final Technical Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bryner, Elliott [Soutwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States); Brun, Klaus [Soutwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States); Coogan, Shane [Soutwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States); Cunningham, C. Seth [Soutwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States); Poerner, Nathan [Soutwest Research Inst., San Antonio, TX (United States)

2016-02-26

The objective of this project is to increase Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) tower air receiver and gas turbine temperature capabilities to 1,000ºC by the development of a novel gas turbine combustor, which can be integrated on a megawatt-scale gas turbine, such as the Solar Turbines Mercury 50™. No combustor technology currently available is compatible with the CSP application target inlet air temperature of 1,000°C. Autoignition and flashback at this temperature prevent the use of conventional lean pre-mix injectors that are currently employed to manage NOx emissions. Additional challenges are introduced by the variability of the high-temperature heat source provided by the field of solar collectors, the heliostat in CSP plants. For optimum energy generation from the power turbine, the turbine rotor inlet temperature (TRIT) should remain constant. As a result of changing heat load provided to the solar collector from the heliostat, the amount of energy input required from the combustion system must be adjusted to compensate. A novel multi-bank lean micro-mix injector has been designed and built to address the challenges of high-temperature combustion found in CSP applications. The multi-bank arrangement of the micro-mix injector selectively injects fuel to meet the heat addition requirements to maintain constant TRIT with changing solar load. To validate the design, operation, and performance of the multi-bank lean micro-mix injector, a novel combustion test facility has been designed and built at Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) in San Antonio, TX. This facility, located in the Turbomachinery Research Facility, provides in excess of two kilograms per second of compressed air at nearly eight bar pressure. A two-megawatt electric heater raises the inlet temperature to 800°C while a secondary gas-fired heater extends the operational temperature range of the facility to 1,000°C. A combustor test rig connected to the heater has been designed and built to

An experimental and numerical study of nitrogen oxide formation mechanisms in ammonia-hydrogen-air flames

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Praveen

The demand for sustainable alternative fuels is ever-increasing in the power generation, transportation, and energy sectors due to the inherent non-sustainable characteristics and political constraints of current energy resources. A number of alternative fuels derived from cellulosic biomass, algae, or waste are being considered, along with the conversion of electricity to non-carbon fuels such as hydrogen or ammonia (NH3). The latter is receiving attention recently because it is a non-carbon fuel that is readily produced in large quantities, stored and transported with current infrastructure, and is often a byproduct of biomass or waste conversion processes. However, pure or anhydrous ammonia combustion is severely challenging due to its high auto-ignition temperature (650 °C), low reactivity, and tendency to promote NOx formation. As such, the present study focuses on two major aspects of the ammonia combustion. The first is an applied investigation of the potential to achieve pure NH3 combustion with low levels of emissions in flames of practical interest. In this study, a swirl-stabilized flame typically used in fuel-oil home-heating systems is optimized for NH3 combustion, and measurements of NO and NH3 are collected for a wide range of operating conditions. The second major focus of this work is on fundamental investigation of NO x formation mechanisms in flames with high levels of NH3 in H2. For laminar premixed and diffusion jet flames, experimental measurements of flame speeds, exhaust-gas sampling, and in-situ NO measurements (NO PLIF) are compared with numerically predicted flames using complex chemical kinetics within CHEMKIN and reacting CFD codes i.e., UNICORN. From the preliminary testing of the NOx formation mechanisms, (1) Tian (2) Konnov and (3) GRI-Mech3.0 in laminar premixed H2/NH 3 flames, the Tian and Konnov mechanisms are found to capture the reduction in measured flame speeds with increasing NH3 in the fuel mixture, both qualitatively and

On the Experimental and Theoretical Investigations of Lean Partially Premixed Combustion, Burning Speed, Flame Instability and Plasma Formation of Alternative Fuels at High Temperatures and Pressures

Science.gov (United States)

Askari, Omid

composition and thermodynamic properties. The method was applied to compute the thermodynamic properties of hydrogen/air and methane/air plasma mixtures for a wide range of temperatures (1,000-100,000 K), pressures (10-6-100 atm) and different equivalence ratios within flammability limit. In calculating the individual thermodynamic properties of the atomic species, the Debye-Huckel cutoff criterion has been used for terminating the series expression of the electronic partition function. A new differential-based multi-shell model was developed in conjunction with Schlieren photography to measure laminar burning speed and to study the flame instabilities for different alternative fuels such as syngas and GTL. Flame instabilities such as cracking and wrinkling were observed during flame propagation and discussed in terms of the hydrodynamic and thermo-diffusive effects. Laminar burning speeds were measured using pressure rise data during flame propagation and power law correlations were developed over a wide range of temperatures, pressures and equivalence ratios. As a part of this work, the effect of EGR addition and substitution of nitrogen with helium in air on flame morphology and laminar burning speed were extensively investigated. The effect of cell formation on flame surface area of syngas fuel in terms of a newly defined parameter called cellularity factor was also evaluated. In addition to that the experimental onset of auto-ignition and theoretical ignition delay times of premixed GTL/air mixture were determined at high pressures and low temperatures over a wide range of equivalence ratios.

Structure and Dynamics of Fuel Jets Injected into a High-Temperature Subsonic Crossflow: High-Data-Rate Laser Diagnostic Investigation under Steady and Oscillatory Conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucht, Robert [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States); Anderson, William [Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN (United States)

2015-01-23

An investigation of subsonic transverse jet injection into a subsonic vitiated crossflow is discussed. The reacting jet in crossflow (RJIC) system investigated as a means of secondary injection of fuel in a staged combustion system. The measurements were performed in test rigs featuring (a) a steady, swirling crossflow and (b) a crossflow with low swirl but significant oscillation in the pressure field and in the axial velocity. The rigs are referred to as the steady state rig and the instability rig. Rapid mixing and chemical reaction in the near field of the jet injection is desirable in this application. Temporally resolved velocity measurements within the wake of the reactive jets using 2D-PIV and OH-PLIF at a repetition rate of 5 kHz were performed on the RJIC flow field in a steady state water-cooled test rig. The reactive jets were injected through an extended nozzle into the crossflow which is located in the downstream of a low swirl burner (LSB) that produced the swirled, vitiated crossflow. Both H2/N2 and natural gas (NG)/air jets were investigated. OH-PLIF measurements along the jet trajectory show that the auto-ignition starts on the leeward side within the wake region of the jet flame. The measurements show that jet flame is stabilized in the wake of the jet and wake vortices play a significant role in this process. PIV and OH–PLIF measurements were performed at five measurement planes along the cross- section of the jet. The time resolved measurements provided significant information on the evolution of complex flow structures and highly transient features like, local extinction, re-ignition, vortex-flame interaction prevalent in a turbulent reacting flow. Nanosecond-laser-based, single-laser-shot coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) measurements of temperature and H2 concentraiton were also performed. The structure and dynamics of a reacting transverse jet injected into a vitiated oscillatory crossflow presents a unique opportunity for

包覆赤磷制备工艺及其热安定性研究%Preparation technique of microcapsulated red phosphorusand its thermostability

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

刘杰; 关华; 宋东明

2017-01-01

%,and the coating materials on the surface of the red phosphorus are in good conditions.Compared with the RP,the initial temperture,the peak temperture and the end temperature of the MRP reaction increase 42.8 ℃,51.7 ℃ and 48.4 ℃ respectively,and the autoignition temperature of the MRP increases 58.8 ℃,indicating that the thermostability of the MRP is superior to that of the RP.

A Comprehensive Numerical Study on Effects of Natural Gas Composition on the Operation of an HCCI Engine Une étude numérique complète sur les effets de la composition du gaz naturel carburant sur le réglage d’un moteur HCCI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jahanian O.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI engine is a promising idea to reduce fuel consumption and engine emissions. Natural Gas (NG, usually referred as clean fuel, is an appropriate choice for HCCI engines due to its suitable capability of making homogenous mixture with air. However, varying composition of Natural Gas strongly affects the auto-ignition characteristics of in-cylinder mixture and the performance of the HCCI engine. This paper has focused on the influence of Natural Gas composition on engine operation in HCCI mode. Six different compositions of Natural Gas (including pure methane have been considered to study the engine performance via a thermo-kinetic zero-dimensional model. The simulation code covers the detailed chemical kinetics of Natural Gas combustion, which includes Zeldovich extended mechanism to evaluate NOx emission. Validations have been made using experimental data from other works to ensure the accuracy needed for comparison study. The equivalence ratio and the compression ratio are held constant but the engine speed and mixture initial temperature are changed for comparison study. Results show that the peak value of pressure/temperature of in-cylinder mixture is dependent of fuel Wobbe number. Furthermore, engine gross indicated power is linearly related to fuel Wobbe number. Gross indicated work, gross mean effective pressure, and NOx are the other parameters utilized to compare the performance of engine using different fuel compositions. Le moteur HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, ou à allumage par compression d’une charge homogène est une idée prometteuse pour réduire la consommation de carburant et les émissions polluantes. Le gaz naturel, considéré généralement comme un carburant propre, est un choix approprié pour les moteurs HCCI en raison de sa capacité à former avec l’air un mélange homogène. Cependant, la composition du gaz naturel influe fortement sur les caract

LES SOFTWARE FOR THE DESIGN OF LOW EMISSION COMBUSTION SYSTEMS FOR VISION 21 PLANTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clifford E. Smith; Steven M. Cannon; Virgil Adumitroaie; David L. Black; Karl V. Meredith

2005-01-01

In this project, an advanced computational software tool was developed for the design of low emission combustion systems required for Vision 21 clean energy plants. Vision 21 combustion systems, such as combustors for gas turbines, combustors for indirect fired cycles, furnaces and sequestrian-ready combustion systems, will require innovative low emission designs and low development costs if Vision 21 goals are to be realized. The simulation tool will greatly reduce the number of experimental tests; this is especially desirable for gas turbine combustor design since the cost of the high pressure testing is extremely costly. In addition, the software will stimulate new ideas, will provide the capability of assessing and adapting low-emission combustors to alternate fuels, and will greatly reduce the development time cycle of combustion systems. The revolutionary combustion simulation software is able to accurately simulate the highly transient nature of gaseous-fueled (e.g. natural gas, low BTU syngas, hydrogen, biogas etc.) turbulent combustion and assess innovative concepts needed for Vision 21 plants. In addition, the software is capable of analyzing liquid-fueled combustion systems since that capability was developed under a concurrent Air Force Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. The complex physics of the reacting flow field are captured using 3D Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methods, in which large scale transient motion is resolved by time-accurate numerics, while the small scale motion is modeled using advanced subgrid turbulence and chemistry closures. In this way, LES combustion simulations can model many physical aspects that, until now, were impossible to predict with 3D steady-state Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) analysis, i.e. very low NOx emissions, combustion instability (coupling of unsteady heat and acoustics), lean blowout, flashback, autoignition, etc. LES methods are becoming more and more practical by linking together tens

A comprehensive experimental and detailed chemical kinetic modelling study of 2,5-dimethylfuran pyrolysis and oxidation

Science.gov (United States)

Somers, Kieran P.; Simmie, John M.; Gillespie, Fiona; Conroy, Christine; Black, Gráinne; Metcalfe, Wayne K.; Battin-Leclerc, Frédérique; Dirrenberger, Patricia; Herbinet, Olivier; Glaude, Pierre-Alexandre; Dagaut, Philippe; Togbé, Casimir; Yasunaga, Kenji; Fernandes, Ravi X.; Lee, Changyoul; Tripathi, Rupali; Curran, Henry J.

2013-01-01

The pyrolytic and oxidative behaviour of the biofuel 2,5-dimethylfuran (25DMF) has been studied in a range of experimental facilities in order to investigate the relatively unexplored combustion chemistry of the title species and to provide combustor relevant experimental data. The pyrolysis of 25DMF has been re-investigated in a shock tube using the single-pulse method for mixtures of 3% 25DMF in argon, at temperatures from 1200–1350 K, pressures from 2–2.5 atm and residence times of approximately 2 ms. Ignition delay times for mixtures of 0.75% 25DMF in argon have been measured at atmospheric pressure, temperatures of 1350–1800 K at equivalence ratios (ϕ) of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 along with auto-ignition measurements for stoichiometric fuel in air mixtures of 25DMF at 20 and 80 bar, from 820–1210 K. This is supplemented with an oxidative speciation study of 25DMF in a jet-stirred reactor (JSR) from 770–1220 K, at 10.0 atm, residence times of 0.7 s and at ϕ = 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0. Laminar burning velocities for 25DMF-air mixtures have been measured using the heat-flux method at unburnt gas temperatures of 298 and 358 K, at atmospheric pressure from ϕ = 0.6–1.6. These laminar burning velocity measurements highlight inconsistencies in the current literature data and provide a validation target for kinetic mechanisms. A detailed chemical kinetic mechanism containing 2768 reactions and 545 species has been simultaneously developed to describe the combustion of 25DMF under the experimental conditions described above. Numerical modelling results based on the mechanism can accurately reproduce the majority of experimental data. At high temperatures, a hydrogen atom transfer reaction is found to be the dominant unimolecular decomposition pathway of 25DMF. The reactions of hydrogen atom with the fuel are also found to be important in predicting pyrolysis and ignition delay time experiments. Numerous proposals are made on the mechanism and kinetics of the previously

Premixer Design for High Hydrogen Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benjamin P. Lacy; Keith R. McManus; Balachandar Varatharajan; Biswadip Shome

2005-12-16

This 21-month project translated DLN technology to the unique properties of high hydrogen content IGCC fuels, and yielded designs in preparation for a future testing and validation phase. Fundamental flame characterization, mixing, and flame property measurement experiments were conducted to tailor computational design tools and criteria to create a framework for predicting nozzle operability (e.g., flame stabilization, emissions, resistance to flashback/flame-holding and auto-ignition). This framework was then used to establish, rank, and evaluate potential solutions to the operability challenges of IGCC combustion. The leading contenders were studied and developed with the most promising concepts evaluated via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling and using the design rules generated by the fundamental experiments, as well as using GE's combustion design tools and practices. Finally, the project scoped the necessary steps required to carry the design through mechanical and durability review, testing, and validation, towards full demonstration of this revolutionary technology. This project was carried out in three linked tasks with the following results. (1) Develop conceptual designs of premixer and down-select the promising options. This task defined the ''gap'' between existing design capabilities and the targeted range of IGCC fuel compositions and evaluated the current capability of DLN pre-mixer designs when operated at similar conditions. Two concepts (1) swirl based and (2) multiple point lean direct injection based premixers were selected via a QFD from 13 potential design concepts. (2) Carry out CFD on chosen options (1 or 2) to evaluate operability risks. This task developed the leading options down-selected in Task 1. Both a GE15 swozzle based premixer and a lean direct injection concept were examined by performing a detailed CFD study wherein the aerodynamics of the design, together with the chemical kinetics of the

Modelling studies of the oxidation and auto-ignition of alkanes, aromatics, and their mixtures at high pressure between 600 and 1500 K: reduction of detailed mechanisms: measurements of the building up of soot; Etudes par modelisation de l'oxydation et de l'autoinflammation d'alcanes et d'aromatiques purs et de melanges a haute pression entre 600 et 1500 K: reduction de mecanismes detailles: mesure de la formation des suies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saylam, A.

2005-11-15

The understanding and control of many combustion phenomena requires an interactive work between experiments and modelling. The presentation of the two coupled approaches is a prerequisite to demonstrate the complexity of the phenomena (Chapters I and II). This complexity often precludes from fully elucidating the details of the chemistry of hydrocarbon oxidations. Such a failure has been shown by an attempt to improve the mechanism of oxidation of iso-octane (Chapter III). Hundreds of species and thousands of reactions come into play during the oxidation of an hydrocarbon and they all must be included into the detailed mechanisms. The need for smaller mechanisms logically has led to devise a technique of reduction (Chapter IV). Predictive thermo-kinetic mechanisms have been built, reduced, and validated with new experimental data and data collected from previous work or published elsewhere (Chapter V). Laser diagnostic techniques have been used to measure soot particles and PAH inside a methane flame (Chapter VI). (author)

CFD Modeling of Fuel Injection and Combustion in an HDDI Engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rijk, E.

2009-07-01

In this study, the Star-CD CFD package is first used to model spray formation in a constant volume chamber and in a cycle of a heavy duty direct injection (HDDI) engine. Secondly, combustion is modeled using a standard Star-CD combustion model and a user-defined tabulated chemistry method (FGM). In modern diesel engines, fuel is injected into the combustion chamber by an injector, at a high pressure. As the fuel flows through this nozzle, phenomena like cavitation can occur influencing the injection velocity. When the liquid fuel jet exits the nozzle, it breaks up into droplets, which is called primary break-up. Due to the velocity difference between the in-cylinder air and these droplets, they break-up even further, called secondary break-up. The high temperature in the combustion chamber make the droplets evaporate until a point is reached where no liquid fuel is present anymore (liquid length). Hereafter, the evaporated fuel penetrates further (fuel penetration) and at some point in time, the spray auto-ignites. In Star-CD, different sub-models are present to simulate nozzle flow, primary and secondary break-up in a Eulerian-Lagrangian framework. The best performing sub-models are determined by comparing measured liquid length and fuel penetration with calculated values. To be able to do this objectively, a virtual Mie scattering method is developed and applied, together with a previously designed virtual Schlieren method. Using this optimal combination of sub-models, a sensitivity study is performed as previous research revealed that CFD calculations can be highly mesh and timestep dependent. When the optimal settings are known, the Star-CD spray results are validated with experimental data containing a wide range of nozzle diameters, ambient conditions, injection pressures and fuel types. Next to Star-CD, non-Lagrangian models are used to calculate liquid length and spray penetration. It appears that the accuracies of Star-CD and the non-Lagrangian model of

3d Simulation of Di Diesel Combustion and Pollutant Formation Using a Two-Component Reference Fuel Simulation 3D de la combustion et de la formation des polluants dans un moteur Diesel à injection directe en utilisant un carburant de référence à deux composants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barths H.

2006-12-01

Full Text Available By separating the fluid dynamic calculation from that of the chemistry, the unsteady flamelet model allows the use of comprehensive chemical mechanisms, which include several hundred reactions. This is necessary to describe the different processes that occur in a DI Diesel engine such as autoignition, the burnout in the partially premixed phase, the transition to diffusive burning, and formation of pollutants like NOx and soot. The highly nonlinear reaction rates need not to be simplified, and the complete structure of the combustion process is preserved. Using the Representative Interactive Flamelet (RIF model, the one-dimensional unsteady set of partial differential equations is solved online with the 3D CFD code. The flamelet solution is coupled to the flow and mixture field by several time dependent parameters (enthalpy, pressure, scalar dissipation rate. In return, the flamelet code yields the species concentrations, which are then used by the 3D CFD code to compute the temperature field and the density. The density is needed in the 3D CFD code for the solution of the turbulent flow and mixture field. Pollutant formation in a Volkswagen DI 1900 Diesel engine is investigated experimentally. The engine is fueled with Diesel and two reference fuels. One reference fuel is pure n-decane. The second is a two-component fuel consisting of 70% (liquid volume n-decane and of 30% (liquid volume alpha-methylnaphthalene (Idea-fuel. The experimental results show good agreement for the whole combustion cycle (ignition delay, maximum pressures, torque and pollutant formation between the two-component reference fuel and Diesel. The simulations are performed for both reference fuels and are compared to the experimental data. Nine different flamelet calculations are performed for each simulation to account for the variability of the scalar dissipation rate, and its effect on ignition is discussed. Pollutant formation (NOx and soot is predicted for both

Use of Ethanol/Diesel Blend and Advanced Calibration Methods to Satisfy Euro 5 Emission Standards without DPF Utilisation d’un carburant Diesel éthanolé à l’aide de méthodes de calibration avancées afin de satisfaire les normes Euro 5 sans filtre à particules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magand S.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The use of biofuels has been extensively developed in the last years to diversify energy resources and to participate to the transportation greenhouse gas emissions reduction effort. One of the most promising renewable fuels for large scale production is the ethanol which is nowadays mainly used for spark-ignited engines; nonetheless the European market share of Diesel vehicles is around 60%. These issues lead us to propose an innovative fuel formulation using ethanol for Diesel engine applications. The key issues to deal with the use of ethanol in a Diesel blend are the miscibility, the flashpoint, the lubricity and the cetane number. An intensive work has been done to optimise the formulation coupling the use of ethanol, with first and second generations of Diesel biofuels. The application on a Euro 4-compliant Diesel turbocharged engine with high pressure exhaust gas recirculation shows an outstanding decrease of particulate matter emissions thanks to this oxygenated fuel. Nevertheless unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide emissions could be an issue as well as NOx emissions if the engine control settings are not updated. Combustion analysis helps understanding the fuel effect on the resulting auto-ignition delay and the pilot injection combustion behaviour, which leads to modified engine output compared to Diesel fuel. Therefore, the optimisation of the fuel/engine matching is performed using advanced calibration methodologies combined with design of experiments at the engine test bed. First of all, global and mixed approaches are proposed and compared in warm operating conditions. Finally it permits to simultaneously drop nitrogen oxides emissions and particulate matter emissions. Global CO2 emissions reduction and noise decrease are also expected. To further investigate engine emissions potential reduction, the engine is set up on a dynamic test bed facility, allowing to reproduce cold New European Driving Cycle (NEDC. Several