knock characteristics analysis of a supercharged spark ignition

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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The power output of a spark ignition engine could be improved by boosting the ... that the presence of aromatics was responsible for the better anti-knock ..... System, a Master's Thesis in the Institutionen för ... Maintenance and Reliability, Vol.

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.

Towards constrained optimal control of spark-ignition engines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feru, E.; Luo, X.

2015-01-01

In this paper, the torque control problem for spark-ignition engines is considered. The objective is to provide good output torque tracking with minimum fuel consumption, while avoiding engine knock and misre. To this end, three control strategies are proposed: a feed-forward controller with

Spectroscoping analysis of ignition in a spark ignition engine with jet-controlled combustion; Spektroskopische Untersuchung der Entflammung an einem Ottomotor mit strahlgefuehrtem Brennverfahren

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palaveev, S. [MOT Forschungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft fuer Motorentechnik, Optik und Thermodynamik GmbH, Karlsruhe (Germany); Buri, S.; Xander, B.; Spicher, U. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.) (Germany). Inst. fuer Kolbenmaschinen

2007-07-01

The gasoline direct injection engine is one of the most promising strategies today to reduce the fuel consumption and CO{sub 2}-emissions of spark-ignition engines. The commercial launch of that combustion system was possible only through the development of new optical measurement techniques, which have been a major contribution for understanding the basics of the combustion in a stratified mode. In terms of space and time, compared to the homogeneous approach, the air-fuel-ratio for a stratified mode may vary significantly. This fluctuation affects in a critical way the process of ignition and combustion. The knowledge of the air-fuel-ratio in the spark plug area both at time of ignition and in during the combustion is therefore critical for the development of this combustion system and it components. This paper presents the spark-emission spectroscopy as a non invasive optical technique for measuring the air-fuel-ratio {lambda} in the spark gap at time of ignition. (orig.)

THE EFFECT OF COMPRESSION RATIO VARIATIONS ON THE ENGINE PERFORMANCE PARAMETRES IN SPARK IGNITION ENGINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yakup SEKMEN

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Performance of the spark ignition engines may be increased by changing the geometrical compression ratio according to the amount of charging in cylinders. The designed geometrical compression ratio can be realized as an effective compression ratio under the full load and full open throttle conditions since the effective compression ratio changes with the amount of charging into the cylinder in spark ignition engines. So, this condition of the spark ignition engines forces designers to change their geometrical compression ratio according to the amount of charging into the cylinder for improvement of performance and fuel economy. In order to improve the combustion efficiency, fuel economy, power output, exhaust emissions at partial loads, compression ratio must be increased; but, under high load and low speed conditions to prevent probable knock and hard running the compression ratio must be decreased gradually. In this paper, relation of the performance parameters to compression ratio such as power, torque, specific fuel consumption, cylindir pressure, exhaust gas temperature, combustion chamber surface area/volume ratio, thermal efficiency, spark timing etc. in spark ignition engines have been investigated and using of engines with variable compression ratio is suggested to fuel economy and more clear environment.

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

Modelling a variable valve timing spark ignition engine using different neural networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beham, M. [BMW AG, Munich (Germany); Yu, D.L. [John Moores University, Liverpool (United Kingdom). Control Systems Research Group

2004-10-01

In this paper different neural networks (NN) are compared for modelling a variable valve timing spark-ignition (VVT SI) engine. The overall system is divided for each output into five neural multi-input single output (MISO) subsystems. Three kinds of NN, multilayer Perceptron (MLP), pseudo-linear radial basis function (PLRBF), and local linear model tree (LOLIMOT) networks, are used to model each subsystem. Real data were collected when the engine was under different operating conditions and these data are used in training and validation of the developed neural models. The obtained models are finally tested in a real-time online model configuration on the test bench. The neural models run independently of the engine in parallel mode. The model outputs are compared with process output and compared among different models. These models performed well and can be used in the model-based engine control and optimization, and for hardware in the loop systems. (author)

Quasi-dimensional modeling of a fast-burn combustion dual-plug spark-ignition engine with complex combustion chamber geometries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altın, İsmail; Bilgin, Atilla

2015-01-01

This study builds on a previous parametric investigation using a thermodynamic-based quasi-dimensional (QD) cycle simulation of a spark-ignition (SI) engine with dual-spark plugs. The previous work examined the effects of plug-number and location on some performance parameters considering an engine with a simple cylindrical disc-shaped combustion chamber. In order to provide QD thermodynamic models applicable to complex combustion chamber geometries, a novel approach is considered here: flame-maps, which utilizes a computer aided design (CAD) software (SolidWorks). Flame maps are produced by the CAD software, which comprise all the possible flame radiuses with an increment of one-mm between them, according to the spark plug positions, spark timing, and piston position near the top dead center. The data are tabulated and stored as matrices. Then, these tabulated data are adapted to the previously reported cycle simulation. After testing for simple disc-shaped chamber geometries, the simulation is applied to a real production automobile (Honda-Fit) engine to perform the parametric study. - Highlights: • QD model was applied in dual plug engine with complex realistic combustion chamber. • This method successfully modeled the combustion in the dual-plug Honda-Fit engine. • The same combustion chamber is tested for various spark plug(s) locations. • The centrally located single spark-plug results in the fastest combustion

Development of Augmented Spark Impinging Igniter System for Methane Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Marshall, William M.; Osborne, Robin J.; Greene, Sandra E.

2017-01-01

The Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) program is establishing multiple no-funds-exchanged Space Act Agreement (SAA) partnerships with U.S. private sector entities. The purpose of this program is to encourage the development of robotic lunar landers that can be integrated with U.S. commercial launch capabilities to deliver payloads to the lunar surface. NASA can share technology and expertise under the SAA for the benefit of the CATALYST partners. MSFC seeking to vacuum test Augmented Spark Impinging (ASI) igniter with methane and new exciter units to support CATALYST partners and NASA programs. ASI has previously been used/tested successfully at sea-level, with both O2/CH4 and O2/H2 propellants. Conventional ignition exciter systems historically experienced corona discharge issues in vacuum. Often utilized purging or atmospheric sealing on high voltage lead to remedy. Compact systems developed since PCAD could eliminate the high-voltage lead and directly couple the exciter to the spark igniter. MSFC developed Augmented Spark Impinging (ASI) igniter. Successfully used in several sea-level test programs. Plasma-assisted design. Portion of ox flow is used to generate hot plasma. Impinging flows downstream of plasma. Additional fuel flow down torch tube sleeve for cooling near stoichiometric torch flame. Testing done at NASA GRC Altitude Combustion Stand (ACS) facility 2000-lbf class facility with altitude simulation up to around 100,000 ft. (0.2 psia [10 Torr]) via nitrogen driven ejectors. Propellant conditioning systems can provide temperature control of LOX/CH4 up to test article.

DNS of spark ignition and edge flame propagation in turbulent droplet-laden mixing layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neophytou, A.; Mastorakos, E.; Cant, R.S. [Hopkinson Laboratory, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom)

2010-06-15

A parametric study of forced ignition at the mixing layer between air and air carrying fine monosized fuel droplets is done through one-step chemistry direct numerical simulations to determine the influence of the size and volatility of the droplets, the spark location, the droplet-air mixing layer initial thickness and the turbulence intensity on the ignition success and the subsequent flame propagation. The propagation is analyzed in terms of edge flame displacement speed, which has not been studied before for turbulent edge spray flames. Spark ignition successfully resulted in a tribrachial flame if enough fuel vapour was available at the spark location, which occurred when the local droplet number density was high. Ignition was achieved even when the spark was offset from the spray, on the air side, due to the diffusion of heat from the spark, provided droplets evaporated rapidly. Large kernels were obtained by sparking close to the spray, since fuel was more readily available. At long times after the spark, for all flames studied, the probability density function of the displacement speed was wide, with a mean value in the range 0.55-0.75S{sub L}, with S{sub L} the laminar burning velocity of a stoichiometric gaseous premixed flame. This value is close to the mean displacement speed in turbulent edge flames with gaseous fuel. The displacement speed was negatively correlated with curvature. The detrimental effect of curvature was attenuated with a large initial kernel and by increasing the thickness of the mixing layer. The mixing layer was thicker when evaporation was slow and the turbulence intensity higher. However, high turbulence intensity also distorted the kernel which could lead to high values of curvature. The edge flame reaction component increased when the maximum temperature coincided with the stoichiometric contour. The results are consistent with the limited available experimental evidence and provide insights into the processes associated with

Modelling and multi-objective optimization of a variable valve-timing spark-ignition engine using polynomial neural networks and evolutionary algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atashkari, K.; Nariman-Zadeh, N.; Goelcue, M.; Khalkhali, A.; Jamali, A.

2007-01-01

The main reason for the efficiency decrease at part load conditions for four-stroke spark-ignition (SI) engines is the flow restriction at the cross-sectional area of the intake system. Traditionally, valve-timing has been designed to optimize operation at high engine-speed and wide open throttle conditions. Several investigations have demonstrated that improvements at part load conditions in engine performance can be accomplished if the valve-timing is variable. Controlling valve-timing can be used to improve the torque and power curve as well as to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. In this paper, a group method of data handling (GMDH) type neural network and evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are firstly used for modelling the effects of intake valve-timing (V t ) and engine speed (N) of a spark-ignition engine on both developed engine torque (T) and fuel consumption (Fc) using some experimentally obtained training and test data. Using such obtained polynomial neural network models, a multi-objective EA (non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm, NSGA-II) with a new diversity preserving mechanism are secondly used for Pareto based optimization of the variable valve-timing engine considering two conflicting objectives such as torque (T) and fuel consumption (Fc). The comparison results demonstrate the superiority of the GMDH type models over feedforward neural network models in terms of the statistical measures in the training data, testing data and the number of hidden neurons. Further, it is shown that some interesting and important relationships, as useful optimal design principles, involved in the performance of the variable valve-timing four-stroke spark-ignition engine can be discovered by the Pareto based multi-objective optimization of the polynomial models. Such important optimal principles would not have been obtained without the use of both the GMDH type neural network modelling and the multi-objective Pareto optimization approach

Enhancement of flame development by microwave-assisted spark ignition in constant volume combustion chamber

KAUST Repository

Wolk, Benjamin

2013-07-01

The enhancement of laminar flame development using microwave-assisted spark ignition has been investigated for methane-air mixtures at a range of initial pressures and equivalence ratios in a 1.45. l constant volume combustion chamber. Microwave enhancement was evaluated on the basis of several parameters including flame development time (FDT) (time for 0-10% of total net heat release), flame rise time (FRT) (time for 10-90% of total net heat release), total net heat release, flame kernel growth rate, flame kernel size, and ignitability limit extension. Compared to a capacitive discharge spark, microwave-assisted spark ignition extended the lean and rich ignition limits at all pressures investigated (1.08-7.22. bar). The addition of microwaves to a capacitive discharge spark reduced FDT and increased the flame kernel size for all equivalence ratios tested and resulted in increases in the spatial flame speed for sufficiently lean flames. Flame enhancement is believed to be caused by (1) a non-thermal chemical kinetic enhancement from energy deposition to free electrons in the flame front and (2) induced flame wrinkling from excitation of flame (plasma) instability. The enhancement of flame development by microwaves diminishes as the initial pressure of the mixture increases, with negligible flame enhancement observed above 3. bar. © 2013 The Combustion Institute.

Development And Testing Of Biogas-Petrol Blend As An Alternative Fuel For Spark Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Awogbemi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract This research is on the development and testing of a biogas-petrol blend to run a spark ignition engine. A2080 ratio biogaspetrol blend was developed as an alternative fuel for spark ignition engine test bed. Petrol and biogas-petrol blend were comparatively tested on the test bed to determine the effectiveness of the fuels. The results of the tests showed that biogas petrol blend generated higher torque brake power indicated power brake thermal efficiency and brake mean effective pressure but lower fuel consumption and exhaust temperature than petrol. The research concluded that a spark ignition engine powered by biogas-petrol blend was found to be economical consumed less fuel and contributes to sanitation and production of fertilizer.

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.

Internal combustion engines a detailed introduction to the thermodynamics of spark and compression ignition engines, their design and development

CERN Document Server

Benson, Rowland S

1979-01-01

Internal Combustion of Engines: A Detailed Introduction to the Thermodynamics of Spark and Compression Ignition Engines, Their Design and Development focuses on the design, development, and operations of spark and compression ignition engines. The book first describes internal combustion engines, including rotary, compression, and indirect or spark ignition engines. The publication then discusses basic thermodynamics and gas dynamics. Topics include first and second laws of thermodynamics; internal energy and enthalpy diagrams; gas mixtures and homocentric flow; and state equation. The text ta

Measurements of some parameters of thermal sparks with respect to their ability to ignite aviation fuel/air mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Haigh, S. J.; Hardwick, C. J.; Baldwin, R. E.

1991-01-01

A method used to generate thermal sparks for experimental purposes and methods by which parameters of the sparks, such as speed, size, and temperature, were measured are described. Values are given of the range of such parameters within these spark showers. Titanium sparks were used almost exclusively, since it is particles of this metal which are found to be ejected during simulation tests to carbon fiber composite (CFC) joints. Tests were then carried out in which titanium sparks and spark showers were injected into JP4/(AVTAG F40) mixtures with air. Single large sparks and dense showers of small sparks were found to be capable of causing ignition. Tests were then repeated using ethylene/air mixtures, which were found to be more easily ignited by thermal sparks than the JP4/ air mixtures.

The relative effects of fuel concentration, residual-gas fraction, gas motion, spark energy and heat losses to the electrodes on flame-kernel development in a lean-burn spark ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleiferis, P.G.; Taylor, A.M.K.P. [Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London (United Kingdom). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; Ishii, K. [Honda International Technical School, Saitama (Japan); Urata, Y. [Honda R and D Co., Ltd., Tochigi (Japan). Tochigi R and D Centre

2004-04-01

The potential of lean combustion for the reduction in exhaust emissions and fuel consumption in spark ignition engines has long been established. However, the operating range of lean-burn spark ignition engines is limited by the level of cyclic variability in the early-flame development stage that typically corresponds to the 0-5 per cent mass fraction burned duration. In the current study, the cyclic variations in early flame development were investigated in an optical stratified-charge spark ignition engine at conditions close to stoichiometry [air-to-fuel ratio (A/F) = 15] and to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F = 22). Flame images were acquired through either a pentroof window ('tumble plane' of view) or the piston crown ('swirl plane' of view) and these were processed to calculate the intra-cycle flame-kernel radius evolution. In order to quantify the relative effects of local fuel concentration, gas motion, spark-energy release and heat losses to the electrodes on the flame-kernel growth rate, a zero-dimensional flame-kernel growth model, in conjunction with a one-dimensional spark ignition model, was employed. Comparison of the calculated flame-radius evolutions with the experimental data suggested that a variation in A/F around the spark plug of {delta}(A/F) {approx} 4 or, in terms of equivalence ratio {phi}, a variation in {delta}{phi} {approx} 0.15 at most was large enough to account for 100 per cent of the observed cyclic variability in flame-kernel radius. A variation in the residual-gas fraction of about 20 per cent around the mean was found to account for up to 30 per cent of the variability in flame-kernel radius at the timing of 5 per cent mass fraction burned. The individual effect of 20 per cent variations in the 'mean' in-cylinder velocity at the spark plug at ignition timing was found to account for no more than 20 per cent of the measured cyclic variability in flame kernel radius. An individual effect of

Nonlinear control of a spark ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bidan, P [Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 31 - Toulouse (France); Boverie, S; Chaumerliac, V [Siemens AutomotiveSA, MIRGAS Laboratory, 31 - Toulouse (France)

1994-12-31

This paper describes the improvements which can be made to spark ignition engine by extensive use of automatic control. Particular emphasis is placed on fast transient phases produced by simultaneous action on the throttle and the electronic fuel injection device. The aim is to achieve better performance for the fuel/air ratio regulation system, thereby improving engine efficiency and exhaust emission during these transient phases. The authors begin by presenting an average dynamic model of the intake manifold validated on an engine test bench and goes on to develop a closed-loop system controlling average pressure in the intake manifold using the reference tracking model method. The air supply control system is combined with a predictor to compensate for delays in the injection procedure. The paper concludes with a comparison between the results obtained using simulation and those obtained experimentally from the engine. (author) 10 refs.

Experimental evaluation of a spark-ignited engine using biogas as fuel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Miguel Mantilla González

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Different CH4 and CO2 mixtures were used as fuel in this work; they were fed into a spark-ignited engine equipped with devices allowing spark advance, gas delivery and gas consumption to be measured. Engine bench-tests re-vealed changes in the main operation parameters and emissions. The results showed that increasing CO2 percen-tage in the mixture increased the spark angle, reduced maximum power and torque and reduced exhaust emissions (by 90% in some cases when DAMA resolution 1015/2005 was applied. The main components to be considered when an engine of this type operates with gas fuel were also recognised.

AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF VARIABLE VALVE TIMING ON THE PERFORMANCE IN SPARK IGNITION ENGINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali AKBAŞ

2001-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, an alternative prototype has been designed and constructed for variable valve timing systems which are used in spark ignition engines. The effects of intake valve timing and lift changing on engine performance have been investigated without changing the opening duration of the valves. A four stroke, single cylinder, spark ignition engine has been used for these experiments.

Utilization of Alcohol Fuel in Spark Ignition and Diesel Engines.

Science.gov (United States)

Berndt, Don; Stengel, Ron

These five units comprise a course intended to prepare and train students to conduct alcohol fuel utilization seminars in spark ignition and diesel engines. Introductory materials include objectives and a list of instructor requirements. The first four units cover these topics: ethanol as an alternative fuel (technical and economic advantages,…

Application of Alcohols to Dual - Fuel Feeding the Spark-Ignition and Self-Ignition Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stelmasiak Zdzisław

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper concerns analysis of possible use of alcohols for the feeding of self - ignition and spark-ignition engines operating in a dual- fuel mode, i.e. simultaneously combusting alcohol and diesel oil or alcohol and petrol. Issues associated with the requirements for application of bio-fuels were presented with taking into account National Index Targets, bio-ethanol production methods and dynamics of its production worldwide and in Poland. Te considerations are illustrated by results of the tests on spark- ignition and self- ignition engines fed with two fuels: petrol and methanol or diesel oil and methanol, respectively. Te tests were carried out on a 1100 MPI Fiat four- cylinder engine with multi-point injection and a prototype collector fitted with additional injectors in each cylinder. Te other tested engine was a SW 680 six- cylinder direct- injection diesel engine. Influence of a methanol addition on basic operational parameters of the engines and exhaust gas toxicity were analyzed. Te tests showed a favourable influence of methanol on combustion process of traditional fuels and on some operational parameters of engines. An addition of methanol resulted in a distinct rise of total efficiency of both types of engines at maintained output parameters (maximum power and torque. In the same time a radical drop in content of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in exhaust gas was observed at high shares of methanol in feeding dose of ZI (petrol engine, and 2-3 fold lower smokiness in case of ZS (diesel engine. Among unfavourable phenomena, a rather insignificant rise of CO and NOx content for ZI engine, and THC and NOx - for ZS engine, should be numbered. It requires to carry out further research on optimum control parameters of the engines. Conclusions drawn from this work may be used for implementation of bio-fuels to feeding the combustion engines.

Multi-zone thermodynamic modelling of spark-ignition engine combustion - An overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verhelst, S.; Sheppard, C.G.W.

2009-01-01

'Multi-zone thermodynamic engine model' is a generic term adopted here for the type of model also referred to as quasi-dimensional, two-zone, three-zone, etc.; based on the laws of mass and energy conservation and using a mass burning rate sub-model (as opposed to a prescribed mass burning rate) to predict the in-cylinder pressure and temperature throughout the power cycle. Such models have been used for about three decades and provide valuable tools for rapid evaluation of the influence of key engine parameters. Numerous papers have been published on the development of models of varying complexity and their application. The current work is not intended as a comprehensive review of all these works, but presents an overview of multi-zone thermodynamic models for spark-ignition engines, their pros and cons, the model equations and sub-models used to account for various processes such as turbulent wrinkling, flame development, flame geometry, heat transfer, etc. It is suggested that some past terminology adopted to distinguish combustion models (e.g. 'entrainment' versus 'flamelet') is artificial and confusing; it can also be difficult to compare the different models used. Naturally, different models use varying underlying assumptions; however, the influence of several physical processes has frequently been incorporated into one term, not always well documented or clearly described. The authors propose a unified framework that can be used to compare different sub-models on the same basis, with particular focus on turbulent combustion models.

Passenger Car Spark Ignition Data Base : Volume 3. Miscellaneous Data. Part 2.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

Test data was obtained from spark ignition production and preproduction engines at the engine and vehicle level. The engines were applicable for vehicles 2000 to 3000 pounds in weight. The data obtained provided trade-offs between fuel economy, power...

Passenger Car Spark Ignition Data Base : Volume 3. Miscellaneous Data. Part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

Test data was obtained from spark ignition production and preproduction engines at the engine and vehicle level. The engines were applicable for vehicles 2000 to 3000 pounds in weight. The data obtained provided trade-offs between fuel economy, power...

Spark igniter having precious metal ground electrode inserts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryan, N.A.

1988-01-01

This patent describes an igniter comprising a shell of a shell metal alloy which is resistant to spark erosion and corrosion, the shell having a firing end which terminates at its lower end in an annular ring, an insulator sealed within the metal shell and having a central bore and a surface extending inwardly toward the bore from the annular ring, a center electrode sealed within the bore of the insulator and having a firing end which is in spark gap relation with the annular ring of the shell and so positioned that a spark discharge between the firing end and the annular ring occurs along the inwardly extending surface of the insulator, and a plurality of oxidation and erosion resistant inserts, each of the inserts comprising a body of a metal selected from the group consisting of iridium, osmium, ruthenium, rhodium, platinum, and tungsten or an alloy or a ductile alloy of one of the foregoing metals, each of the bodies being embedded within a matching opening which extends from the exterior of the shell through the annular ring, being bonded to the shell

effect of gasket of varying thickness on spark ignition engines

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DJFLEX

In the study of Toyota, In-line, 4 cylinders, spark ignition engine using gaskets of varying thicknesses. (1.75mm, 3.5mm, 5.25mm, 7mm and 8.75mm) between the cylinder head and the engine block, the performance characteristics of the engine was investigated via the effect of engine speed on brake power, brake thermal ...

Pulse heating and ignition for off-centre ignited targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahdy, A.I.; Takabe, H.; Mima, K.

1999-01-01

An off-centre ignition model has been used to study the ignition conditions for laser targets related to the fast ignition scheme. A 2-D hydrodynamic code has been used, including alpha particle heating. The main goal of the study is the possibility of obtaining a high gain ICF target with fast ignition. In order to determine the ignition conditions, samples with various compressed core densities having different spark density-radius product (i.e. areal density) values were selected. The study was carried out in the presence of an external heating source, with a constant heating rate. A dependence of the ignition conditions on the heating rate of the external pulse is demonstrated. For a given set of ignition conditions, our simulation showed that an 11 ps pulse with 17 kJ of injected energy into the spark area was required to achieve ignition for a compressed core with a density of 200 g/cm 3 and 0.5 g/cm 2 spark areal density. It is shown that the ignition conditions are highly dependent on the heating rate of the external pulse. (author)

Ignition and fusion burn in fast ignition scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takabe, Hideaki

1998-01-01

The target physics of fast ignition is briefly reviewed by focusing on the ignition and fusion burn in the off-center ignition scheme. By the use of a two dimensional hydrodynamic code with an alpha heating process, the ignition condition is studied. It is shown that the ignition condition of the off-center ignition scheme coincides with that of the the central isochoric model. After the ignition, a nuclear burning wave is seen to burn the cold main fuel with a velocity of 2 - 3 x 10 8 cm/s. The spark energy required for the off-center ignition is 2 - 3 kJ or 10 - 15 kJ for the core density of 400 g/cm 3 or 200 g/cm 3 , respectively. It is demonstrated that a core gain of more than 2,000 is possible for a core energy of 100 kJ with a hot spark energy of 13 kJ. The requirement for the ignition region's heating time is also discussed by modeling a heating source in the 2-D code. (author)

THE EFFECT OF GASOLINE-LIKE FUEL PRODUCED FROM WASTE AUTOMOBILE TIRES ON EMISSIONS IN SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES

OpenAIRE

ÖZTOP, H. F.; VAROL, Y.; ALTUN, Ş.; FIRAT, M.

2016-01-01

In the present paper, the effect of Gasoline-Like Fuel (GLF) on emissions was investigated for direct injection spark-ignited engine. The GLF was obtained from waste automobile tires by using the pyrolysis. The tires are installed to oven without any procedure such as cutting, melding etc. Obtained GLF was then used in a four-cylinder, four-stroke, water-cooled and direct injection spark-ignited engine as blended with unleaded gasoline from 0% to 60% with an increment of 10%. Engine tests res...

Modelling of spark to ignition transition in gas mixtures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akram, M.

1996-10-01

This thesis pertains to the models for studying sparking in chemically inert gases. The processes taking place in a spark to flame transition can be segregated into physical and chemical processes, and this study is focused on physical processes. The plasma is regarded as a single-substance material. One and two-dimensional models are developed. The transfer of electrical energy into thermal energy of the gas and its redistribution in space and time along with the evolution of a plasma kernel is studied in the time domain ranging from 10 ns to 40 micros. In the case of ultra-fast sparks, the propagation of the shock and its reflection from a rigid wall is presented. The influence of electrode shape and the gap size on the flow structure development is found to be a dominating factor. It is observed that the flow structure that has developed in the early stage more or less prevails at later stages and strongly influences the shape and evolution of the hot kernel. The electrode geometry and configuration are responsible for the development of the flow structure. The strength of the vortices generated in the flow field is influenced by the power input to the gap and their location of emergence is dictated by the electrode shape and configuration. The heat transfer after 2 micros in the case of ultra-fast sparks is dominated by convection and diffusion. The strong mixing produced by hydrodynamic effects and the electrode geometry give the indication that the magnetic pinch effect might be negligible. Finally, a model for a multicomponent gas mixture is presented. The chemical kinetics mechanism for dissociation and ionization is introduced. 56 refs

Near wall combustion modeling in spark ignition engines. Part A: Flame–wall interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demesoukas, Sokratis; Caillol, Christian; Higelin, Pascal; Boiarciuc, Andrei; Floch, Alain

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A model for flame–wall interaction in addition to flame wrinkling by turbulence is proposed. • Two sparkplug positions and two lengths are used in a test engine for model validation. • Flame–wall interaction decreases the maximum values of cylinder pressure and heat release rates. • The impact of combustion chamber geometry is taken into account by the flame–wall interaction model. - Abstract: Research and design in the field of spark ignition engines seek to achieve high performance while conserving fuel economy and low pollutant emissions. For the evaluation of various engine configurations, numerical simulations are favored, since they are quick and less expensive than experiments. Various zero-dimensional combustion models are currently used. Both flame front reactions and post-flame processes contribute to the heat release rate. The first part of this study focuses on the role of the flame front on the heat release rate, by modeling the interaction of the flame front with the chamber wall. Post-flame reactions are dealt with in Part B of the study. The basic configurations of flame quenching in laminar flames are also applicable in turbulent flames, which is the case in spark ignition engines. A simplified geometric model of the combustion chamber was used to calculate the mean flame surface, the flame volume and the distribution of flame surface as a function of the distance from the wall. The flame–wall interaction took into account the geometry of the combustion chamber and of the flame, aerodynamic turbulence and the in-cylinder pressure and temperature conditions, through a phenomenological attenuation function of the wrinkling factor. A modified global wrinkling factor as a function of the mean surface distance distribution from the wall was calculated. The impact of flame–wall interaction was simulated for four configurations of the sparkplug position and length: centered and lateral position, and standard and projected

Performance simulation of a spark ignited free-piston engine generator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mikalsen, R.; Roskilly, A.P. [Sir Joseph Swan Institute for Energy Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU (United Kingdom)

2008-10-15

Free-piston engines are under investigation by a number of research groups worldwide due to potential fuel efficiency and engine emissions advantages. The free-piston engine generator, in which a linear electric generator is fixed to the mover to produce electric power, has been proposed as an alternative prime mover for hybrid-electric vehicles. This paper investigates the performance of a spark ignited free-piston engine generator and compares it to a conventional engine using a computational fluid dynamics simulation model. The particular operating characteristics of the free-piston engine were not found to give noticeable performance advantages, and it is concluded that the main potential of this technology lies in the simplicity and flexibility of the concept. (author)

Research of combustion in older generation spark-ignition engines in the condition of use leaded and unleaded petrol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bulatović Željko M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the potential problems in the exploitation of the older generation of spark-ignition engines with higher octane number of petrol (unleaded petrol BMB 95 than required (leaded petrol MB 86. Within the experimental tests on two different engines (STEYR-PUCH model 712 and GAZ 41 by applying piezoelectric pressure sensors integrated with the engine spark plugs, acceleration sensors (accelerometers and special electronic block connected with distributor, show that the cumulative first and second theoretical phase of combustion when petrol of higher octane number (BMB 95 is used lasts slightly longer than when the low-octane petrol MB 86 is used. For new petrol (BMB 95 higher optimal angles of pre-ignition have been determined by which better performances of the engine are achieved without a danger of the combustion with detonation (also called knocking.

40 CFR Table 1a to Subpart Zzzz of... - Emission Limitations for Existing, New, and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE >500 HP Located at a Major Source of HAP... Limitations for Existing, New, and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE >500 HP Located at a... emission limitations for existing, new and reconstructed 4SRB stationary RICE at 100 percent load plus or...

40 CFR Table 1b to Subpart Zzzz of... - Operating Limitations for Existing, New, and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., New, and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE >500 HP Located at a Major Source of HAP... Limitations for Existing, New, and Reconstructed Spark Ignition, 4SRB Stationary RICE >500 HP Located at a... following operating emission limitations for existing, new and reconstructed 4SRB stationary RICE >500 HP...

Effect of gasket of varying thickness on spark ignition engines | Ajayi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the study of Toyota, In-line, 4 cylinders, spark ignition engine using gaskets of varying thicknesses (1.75mm, 3.5mm, 5.25mm, 7mm and 8.75mm) between the cylinder head and the engine block, the performance characteristics of the engine was investigated via the effect of engine speed on brake power, brake thermal ...

Efficiency improvement of a spark-ignition engine at full load conditions using exhaust gas recirculation and variable geometry turbocharger – Numerical study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sjerić, Momir; Taritaš, Ivan; Tomić, Rudolf; Blažić, Mislav; Kozarac, Darko; Lulić, Zoran

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A cylinder model was calibrated according to experimental results. • A full cycle simulation model of turbocharged spark-ignition engine was made. • Engine performance with high pressure exhaust gas recirculation was studied. • Cooled exhaust gas recirculation lowers exhaust temperature and knock occurrence. • Leaner mixtures enable fuel consumption improvement of up to 11.2%. - Abstract: The numerical analysis of performance of a four cylinder highly boosted spark-ignition engine at full load is described in this paper, with the research focused on introducing high pressure exhaust gas recirculation for control of engine limiting factors such as knock, turbine inlet temperature and cyclic variability. For this analysis the cycle-simulation model which includes modeling of the entire engine flow path, early flame kernel growth, mixture stratification, turbulent combustion, in-cylinder turbulence, knock and cyclic variability was applied. The cylinder sub-models such as ignition, turbulence and combustion were validated by using the experimental results of a naturally aspirated multi cylinder spark-ignition engine. The high load operation, which served as a benchmark value, was obtained by a standard procedure used in calibration of engines, i.e. operation with fuel enrichment and without exhaust gas recirculation. By introducing exhaust gas recirculation and by optimizing other engine operating parameters, the influence of exhaust gas recirculation on engine performance is obtained. The optimum operating parameters, such as spark advance, intake pressure, air to fuel ratio, were found to meet the imposed requirements in terms of fuel consumption, knock occurrence, exhaust gas temperature and variation of indicated mean effective pressure. By comparing the results of the base point with the results that used exhaust gas recirculation the improvement in fuel consumption of 8.7%, 11.2% and 1.5% at engine speeds of 2000 rpm, 3500 rpm and 5000

The Application of High Energy Ignition and Boosting/Mixing Technology to Increase Fuel Economy in Spark Ignition Gasoline Engines by Increasing EGR Dilution Capability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keating, Edward [General Motors LLC, Pontiac, MI (United States); Gough, Charles [General Motors LLC, Pontiac, MI (United States)

2015-07-07

This report summarizes activities conducted in support of the project “The Application of High Energy Ignition and Boosting/Mixing Technology to Increase Fuel Economy in Spark Ignition Gasoline Engines by Increasing EGR Dilution Capability” under COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NUMBER DE-EE0005654, as outlined in the STATEMENT OF PROJECT OBJECTIVES (SOPO) dated May 2012.

Modelling auto ignition of hydrogen in a jet ignition pre-chamber

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boretti, Alberto A. [School of Science and Engineering, University of Ballarat, PO Box 663, Ballarat, Victoria 3353 (Australia)

2010-04-15

Spark-less jet ignition pre-chambers are enablers of high efficiencies and load control by quantity of fuel injected when coupled with direct injection of main chamber fuel, thus permitting always lean burn bulk stratified combustion. Towards the end of the compression stroke, a small quantity of hydrogen is injected within the pre-chamber, where it mixes with the air entering from the main chamber. Combustion of the air and fuel mixture then starts within the pre-chamber because of the high temperature of the hot glow plug, and 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. The paper describes the operation of the spark-less jet ignition pre-chamber coupling CFD and CAE engine simulations to allow component selection and engine performance evaluation. (author)

Comparison of aldehyde emissions simulation with FTIR measurements in the exhaust of a spark ignition engine fueled by ethanol

Science.gov (United States)

Zarante, Paola Helena Barros; Sodré, José Ricardo

2018-02-01

This work presents a numerical simulation model for aldehyde formation and exhaust emissions from ethanol-fueled spark ignition engines. The aldehyde simulation model was developed using FORTRAN software, with the input data obtained from the dedicated engine cycle simulation software AVL BOOST. The model calculates formaldehyde and acetaldehyde concentrations from post-flame partial oxidation of methane, ethane and unburned ethanol. The calculated values were compared with experimental data obtained from a mid-size sedan powered by a 1.4-l spark ignition engine, tested on a chassis dynamometer. Exhaust aldehyde concentrations were determined using a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy analyzer. In general, the results demonstrate that the concentrations of aldehydes and the source elements increased with engine speed and exhaust gas temperature. The measured acetaldehyde concentrations showed values from 3 to 6 times higher than formaldehyde in the range studied. The model could predict reasonably well the qualitative experimental trends, with the quantitative results showing a maximum discrepancy of 39% for acetaldehyde concentration and 21 ppm for exhaust formaldehyde.

Ignition of dust clouds by sparks and heated surfaces; Inflammation des nuages de poussieres par des etincelles et des surfaces chauffees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proust, C.; Boudalaa, M. [Institut National de l' Environnement Industriel et des Risques, 60 - Verneuil en Halatte (INERIS) (France)

2001-07-01

The three types of ignition sources described in this article are the sources of mechanical origin, the heated surfaces and the sparks of electrostatic origin. These 3 categories should be at the origin of 75% of the referenced dust explosions. The approach retained is mainly experimental. Hot spots are produced by the impact of a laser beam (Nd-YAG) on a target located inside the cloud. For relatively long delays of ignition (1 to 2 mn), the characteristic ignition parameter is the thermal power supplied by the target to the mixture, at least when the hot-spot size is small enough (less than 2 or 3 mm). Above this size, the ignition parameter would rather be a critical temperature of the hot spot which can be linked to the 'standard' ignition temperature of the cloud. For electrostatic sparks, measurements of current-voltage characteristics have been performed with some measurements of dimensions. Most possible types have been examined, like the discharges between conductive materials (A), between a conductive material and an insulating material (B), and between a conductive material and an insulating material lined with a conductor connected to the ground (C). It appears that the most powerful sparks (several joules) encountered in the industrial environment are those of type A and C. Measurements have shown that the efficiency of the conversion of the energy stored on the surface of the material into electrical energy inside the spark is very high. Finally, a first approach of the examination of the ignition risk has been tempted with a hot spot created during a lapse of time compatible with a mechanical impact. This leads to an ignition criterion in the form of energy. This energy remains at least two scales of size greater than the minimum spark ignition energy. This difference should come from the absorption of heat by solid materials. (J.S.)

Method for operating a spark-ignition, direct-injection internal combustion engine

Science.gov (United States)

Narayanaswamy, Kushal; Koch, Calvin K.; Najt, Paul M.; Szekely, Jr., Gerald A.; Toner, Joel G.

2015-06-02

A spark-ignition, direct-injection internal combustion engine is coupled to an exhaust aftertreatment system including a three-way catalytic converter upstream of an NH3-SCR catalyst. A method for operating the engine includes operating the engine in a fuel cutoff mode and coincidentally executing a second fuel injection control scheme upon detecting an engine load that permits operation in the fuel cutoff mode.

Over compression influence to the performances of the spark ignition engines

Science.gov (United States)

Rakosi, E.; Talif, S. G.; Manolache, G.

2016-08-01

This paper presents the theoretical and experimental results of some procedures used in improving the performances of the automobile spark ignition engines. The study uses direct injection and high over-compression applied to a standard engine. To this purpose, the paper contains both the constructive solutions and the results obtained from the test bed concerning the engine power indices, fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.

A Laser Spark Plug Ignition System for a Stationary Lean-Burn Natural Gas Reciprocating Engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McIntyre, D. L. [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)

2007-05-01

To meet the ignition system needs of large bore, high pressure, lean burn, natural gas engines a side pumped, passively Q-switched, Nd:YAG laser was developed and tested. The laser was designed to produce the optical intensities needed to initiate ignition in a lean burn, high compression engine. The laser and associated optics were designed with a passive Q-switch to eliminate the need for high voltage signaling and associated equipment. The laser was diode pumped to eliminate the need for high voltage flash lamps which have poor pumping efficiency. The independent and dependent parameters of the laser were identified and explored in specific combinations that produced consistent robust sparks in laboratory air. Prior research has shown that increasing gas pressure lowers the breakdown threshold for laser initiated ignition. The laser has an overall geometry of 57x57x152 mm with an output beam diameter of approximately 3 mm. The experimentation used a wide range of optical and electrical input parameters that when combined produced ignition in laboratory air. The results show a strong dependence of the output parameters on the output coupler reflectivity, Q-switch initial transmission, and gain media dopant concentration. As these three parameters were lowered the output performance of the laser increased leading to larger more brilliant sparks. The results show peak power levels of up to 3MW and peak focal intensities of up to 560 GW/cm². Engine testing was performed on a Ricardo Proteus single cylinder research engine. The goal of the engine testing was to show that the test laser performs identically to the commercially available flashlamp pumped actively Q-switched laser used in previous laser ignition testing. The engine testing consisted of a comparison of the in-cylinder, and emissions behavior of the engine using each of the lasers as an ignition system. All engine parameters were kept as constant as possilbe while the equivalence ratio (fueling

Skip cycle system for spark ignition engines: An experimental investigation of a new type working strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutlar, Osman Akin; Arslan, Hikmet; Calik, Alper T.

2007-01-01

A new type working strategy for spark ignition engine, named skip cycle, is examined. The main idea is to reduce the effective stroke volume of an engine by cutting off fuel injection and spark ignition in some of the classical four stroke cycles. When the cycle is skipped, additionally, a rotary valve is used in the intake to reduce pumping losses in part load conditions. The effect of this strategy is similar to that of variable displacement engines. Alternative power stroke fractions in one cycle and applicability in single cylinder engines are specific advantageous properties of the proposed system. A thermodynamic model, besides experimental results, is used to explain the skip cycle strategy in more detail. This theoretical investigation shows considerable potential to increase the efficiency at part load conditions. Experimental results obtained with this novel strategy show that the throttle valve of the engine opens wider and the minimum spark advance for maximum brake torque decreases in comparison to those of the classical operation system. The brake specific fuel consumption decreases at very low speed and load, while it increases at higher speed and load due to the increased fuel loss within the skipped cycles. In this working mode, the engine operates at lower idle speed without any stability problem; and moreover with less fuel consumption

Effect of swirl on the performance and combustion of a biogas fuelled spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porpatham, E.; Ramesh, A.; Nagalingam, B.

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Tests were conducted on a biogas fuelled SI engine with normal and masked valve. • Improvement in brake power and brake thermal efficiency with masked valve. • Lean misfire limit is extended with enhanced swirl from 0.68 to 0.65. • Enhanced swirl decreases HC level from1530 ppm to 1340 ppm and increases NO emission from 2250 ppm to 3440 ppm. • The reduction in ignition delay and higher heat release rate with enhanced swirl. - Abstract: The influence of swirl on the performance, emissions and combustion in a constant speed Spark Ignition (SI) engine was studied experimentally. A single cylinder diesel engine was modified to operate as a biogas operated spark ignition engine. The engine was operated at 1500 rpm at throttle opening of 25% and 100% at various equivalence ratios. The tests covered a range of equivalence ratios from rich to lean operating limits and also at an optimum compression ratio of 13:1 with normal and masked intake valve to enhance swirl. The spark timing was set to MBT (Minimum advance for Best Torque). It was found that masked valve configuration enhanced the power output and brake thermal efficiency at full throttle. The lean limit of combustion also got extended. Heat release rates indicated enhanced combustion rates with masked valve, which are mainly responsible for the improvement in thermal efficiency. NO level increased with masked valve as compared to normal configuration. The spark timings were to be retarded by about 6 °CA and 4 °CA when compared to normal configuration at 25% and 100% throttle respectively

Prediction of small spark ignited engine performance using producer gas as fuel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Homdoung

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Producer gas from biomass gasification is expected to contribute to greater energy mix in the future. Therefore, effect of producer gas on engine performance is of great interest. Evaluation of engine performances can be hard and costly. Ideally, they may be predicted mathematically. This work was to apply mathematical models in evaluating performance of a small producer gas engine. The engine was a spark ignition, single cylinder unit with a CR of 14:1. Simulation was carried out on full load and varying engine speeds. From simulated results, it was found that the simple mathematical model can predict the performance of the gas engine and gave good agreement with experimental results. The differences were within ±7%.

Engine Torque Control of Spark Ignition Engine using Fuzzy Gain Scheduling

OpenAIRE

Aris Triwiyatno

2012-01-01

In the spark ignition engine system, driver convenience is very dependent on satisfying engine torque appropriate with the throttle position given by the driver. Unfortunately, sometimes the fulfillment of engine torque is not in line with fuel saving efforts. This requires the development of high performance and robust power train controllers. One way to potentially meet these performance requirements is to introduce a method of controlling engine torque using fuzzy gain scheduling. By using...

78 FR 50412 - California State Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; Amendments to Spark Ignition Marine...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-19

... Engine Pollution Control Standards; Amendments to Spark Ignition Marine Engine and Boat Regulations... emission standards; enhanced evaporative emission controls for high performance sterndrive/inboard engines... requirement relating to the control of emissions from new nonroad engines which are used in construction...

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

Highlights: ► PPC combustion combined with spark assistance and gasoline fuel on a CI engine. ► Chemiluminescence of different chemical species describes the progress of combustion reaction. ► Spectra of a novel combustion mode under SACI conditions is described. ► UV–Visible spectrometry, high speed imaging and pressure diagnostic were employed for analysis. - Abstract: Nowadays many research efforts are focused on the study and development of new combustion modes, mainly based on the use of locally lean air–fuel mixtures. This characteristic, combined with exhaust gas recirculation, provides low combustion temperatures that reduces pollutant formation and increases efficiency. However these combustion concepts have some drawbacks, related to combustion phasing control, which must be overcome. In this way, the use of a spark plug has shown to be a good solution to improve phasing control in combination with lean low temperature combustion. Its performance is well reported on bibliography, however phenomena involving the combustion process are not completely described. The aim of the present work is to develop a detailed description of the spark assisted compression ignition mode by means of application of UV–Visible spectrometry, in order to improve insight on the combustion process. Tests have been performed in an optical engine by means of broadband radiation imaging and emission spectrometry. The engine hardware is typical of a compression ignition passenger car application. Gasoline was used as the fuel due to its low reactivity. Combining broadband luminosity images with pressure-derived heat-release rate and UV–Visible spectra, it was possible to identify different stages of the combustion reaction. After the spark discharge, a first flame kernel appears and starts growing as a premixed flame front, characterized by a low and constant heat-release rate in combination with the presence of remarkable OH radical radiation. Heat release increases

Large-Eddy Simulations of Motored Flow and Combustion in a Homogeneous-Charge Spark-Ignition Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Shekhawat, Yajuvendra Singh

Cycle-to-cycle variations (CCV) of flow and combustion in internal combustion engines (ICE) limit their fuel efficiency and emissions potential. Large-eddy simulation (LES) is the most practical simulation tool to understand the nature of these CCV. In this research, multi-cycle LES of a two-valve, four-stroke, spark-ignition optical engine has been performed for motored and fired operations. The LES mesh quality is assessed using a length scale resolution parameter and a energy resolution parameter. For the motored operation, two 50-consecutive-cycle LES with different turbulence models (Smagorinsky model and dynamic structure model) are compared with the experiment. The pressure comparison shows that the LES is able to capture the wave-dynamics in the intake and exhaust ports. The LES velocity fields are compared with particle-image velocimetry (PIV) measurements at three cutting planes. Based on the structure and magnitude indices, the dynamic structure model is somewhat better than the Smagorinsky model as far as the ensemble-averaged velocity fields are concerned. The CCV in the velocity fields is assessed by proper-orthogonal decomposition (POD). The POD analysis shows that LES is able to capture the level of CCV seen in the experiment. For the fired operation, two 60-cycle LES with different combustion models (thickened frame model and coherent frame model) are compared with experiment. The in-cylinder pressure and the apparent heat release rate comparison shows higher CCV for LES compared to the experiment, with the thickened frame model showing higher CCV than the coherent frame model. The correlation analysis for the LES using thickened frame model shows that the CCV in combustion/pressure is correlated with: the tumble at the intake valve closing, the resolved and subfilter-scale kinetic energy just before spark time, and the second POD mode (shear flow near spark gap) of the velocity fields just before spark time.

Development of laser-induced fluorescence for precombustion diagnostics in spark-ignition engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neij, H.

1998-11-01

Motivated by a desire to understand and optimize combustion in spark-ignition (SI) engines, laser techniques have been developed for measurement of fuel and residual gas, respectively, in the precombustion mixture of an operating SI engine. The primary objective was to obtain two-dimensional, quantitative data in the vicinity of the spark gap at the time of ignition. A laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique was developed for fuel visualization in engine environments. Since the fluorescence signal from any commercial gasoline fuel would be unknown to its origin, with an unpredictable dependence on collisional partners, pressure and temperature, a non-fluorescent base fuel - isooctane - was used. For LIF detection, a fluorescent species was added to the fuel. An additive not commonly used in this context - 3-pentanone - was chosen based on its suitable vaporization characteristics and fluorescent properties. The LIF technique was applied to an optically accessible research engine. By calibration, the fluorescence signal from the additive was converted to fuel-to-air equivalence ratio ({phi}). The accuracy and precision of the acquired data were assessed. A statistical evaluation revealed that the spatially averaged equivalence ratio around the spark plug had a significant impact on the combustion event. The strong correlation between these two quantities suggested that the early combustion was sensitive to large-scale inhomogeneities in the precombustion mixture. A similar LIF technique, using acetone as a fluorescent additive in methane, was applied to a combustion cell for ion current evaluation. The local equivalence ratio around the spark gap at the time of ignition was extracted from LIF data. Useful relations were identified between different ion current parameters and the local equivalence ratio, although the impact of the flow field, the fuel type, and the electrode geometry were identified as areas for future research. A novel fuel - dimethyl ether (DME

Influence of hydrox on spark ignition engine performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naude, A.F.

2003-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed on the influence of the addition of small quantities of Hydrox (hydrogen and oxygen) as generated through electrolysis of water on the performance of a spark ignition engine. A Mazda 1600 cc fuel injected engine connected to a Superflow SF901 dynamometer system was used in this project. The engine was also equipped with a Unichip engine management system in order to enable changes in the spark timing and the amount of fuel injected. Hydrox was generated by an electrolysis process that could either be powered by the engine's alternator or from a separate power source. This hydrox gas produced from the electrolyzer was introduced into the engine's intake manifold and the influence of this was measured on the engine's performance, emissions and fuel consumption. For these tests a typical load condition as experienced for a light passenger car vehicle driven at 100 km/h on the open road was simulated. Typical results for the change in emissions with the hydrox introduction showed a significant reduction in hydrocarbons at lean air-fuel ratio operation of the engine. Additionally with the electrolysis process being driven by the engine a small improvement in fuel consumption was experienced. (author)

A prediction study of a spark ignition supercharged hydrogen engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Al-Baghdadi, Maher A.R. Sadiq.; Al-Janabi, Haroun A.K. Shahad

2003-01-01

Hydrogen is found to be a suitable alternative fuel for spark ignition engines with certain drawbacks, such as high NO x emission and small power output. However, supercharging may solve such problems. In this study, the effects of equivalence ratio, compression ratio and inlet pressure on the performance and NO x emission of a four stroke supercharged hydrogen engine have been analyzed using a specially developed computer program. The results are verified and compared with experimental data obtained from tests on a Ricardo E6/US engine. A chart specifying the safe operation zone of the hydrogen engine has been produced. The safe operation zone means no pre-ignition, acceptable NO x emission, high engine efficiency and lower specific fuel consumption in comparison with the gasoline engine. The study also shows that supercharging is a more effective method to increase the output of a hydrogen engine rather than increasing the compression ratio of the engine at the knock limited equivalence ratio

A prediction study of a spark ignition supercharged hydrogen engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, M.A.R.S.; Al-Janabi, H.A.K.S. [University of Babylon (Iraq). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2003-12-01

Hydrogen is found to be a suitable alternative fuel for spark ignition engines with certain drawbacks, such as high NO{sub x} emission and small power output. However, supercharging may solve such problems. In this study, the effects of equivalence ratio, compression ratio and inlet pressure on the performance and NO{sub x} emission of a four stroke supercharged hydrogen engine have been analyzed using a specially developed computer program. The results are verified and compared with experimental data obtained from tests on a Ricardo E6/US engine. A chart specifying the safe operation zone of the hydrogen engine has been produced. The safe operation zone means no pre-ignition, acceptable NO{sub x} emission, high engine efficiency and lower specific fuel consumption in comparison with the gasoline engine. The study also shows that supercharging is a more effective method to increase the output of a hydrogen engine rather than increasing the compression ratio of the engine at the knock limited equivalence ratio. (author)

Development of a pre-ignition submodel for hydrogen engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, Sadiq [University of Babylon (Iraq). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2005-10-15

In hydrogen-fuelled spark ignition engine applications, the onset of pre-ignition remains one of the prime limitations that needs to be addressed to avoid its incidence and achieve superior performance. This paper describes a new pre-ignition submodel for engine modelling codes. The effects of changes in key operating variables, such as compression ratio, spark timing, intake pressure, and temperature on pre-ignition limiting equivalence ratios are established both analytically and experimentally. With the established pre-ignition model, it is possible not only to investigate whether pre-ignition is observed with changing operating and design parameters, but also to evaluate those parameters' effects on the maximum possible pre-ignition intensity. (author)

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

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.

Wavelet analysis of cyclic variability in a spark ignition engine powered by gasoline-hydrogen fuel blends

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, Asok K. [Richard G. Lugar Centre for Renewable Energy, and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Indiana University, (United States)], email: asen@iupui.edu; Akif Ceviz, M.; Volkan Oner, I. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ataturk (Turkey)], email: aceviz@atauni.edu.tr

2011-07-01

The cycle-to-cycle variations (CCV) of the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) in a spark ignition engine fuelled by gasoline and gasoline-hydrogen blends is investigated. CCVs are estimated by using the coefficient of variation (COV) and the overall spectral power given by the global wavelet spectrum (GWS). It was found that the addition of hydrogen reduces the CCV of the IMEP. Analysis of the wavelet can also identify the dominant modes of variability and delineate the engine cycles over which these modes can persist. Air-fuel ratio was varied from 1.0 to 1.3, and hydrogen was added up to 7.74% by volume. The engine was operated at 2000 rpm. Results demonstrate that subject to air-fuel ratio and % of hydrogen added, IMEP time series can exhibit multiscale dynamics consisting of persistent oscillations and intermittent fluctuations. These results can help develop effective control strategies to reduce cyclic variability in a spark ignition engine fuelled by gasoline-hydrogen mixtures.

THE EFFECT OF VARIABLE COMPRESSION RATIO ON FUEL CONSUMPTION IN SPARK IGNITION ENGINES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yakup SEKMEN

2002-02-01

Full Text Available Due to lack of energy sources in the world, we are obliged to use our current energy sources in the most efficient way. Therefore, in the automotive industry, research works to manufacture more economic cars in terms of fuelconsumption and environmental friendly cars, at the same time satisfying the required performance have been intensively increasing. Some positive results have been obtained by the studies, aimed to change the compression ratio according to the operating conditions of engine. In spark ignition engines in order to improve the combustion efficiency, fuel economy and exhaust emission in the partial loads, the compression ratio must be increased; but, under the high load and low speed conditions to prevent probable knock and hard running compression ratio must be decreased slightly. In this paper, various research works on the variable compression ratio with spark ignition engines, the effects on fuel economy, power output and thermal efficiency have been investigated. According to the results of the experiments performed with engines having variable compression ratio under the partial and mid-load conditions, an increase in engine power, a decrease in fuel consumption, particularly in partial loads up to 30 percent of fuel economy, and also severe reductions of some exhaust emission values were determined.

Performance and fuel conversion efficiency of a spark ignition engine fueled with iso-butanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irimescu, Adrian

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Iso-butanol use in a port injection spark ignition engine. ► Fuel conversion efficiency calculated based on chassis dynamometer measurements. ► Combined study of engine efficiency and air–fuel mixture temperature. ► Excellent running characteristics with minor fuel system modifications. ► Up to 11% relative drop in part load efficiency due to incomplete fuel vaporization. -- Abstract: Alcohols are increasingly used as fuels for spark ignition engines. While ethanol is most commonly used, long chain alcohols such as butanol feature several advantages like increased heating value and reduced corrosive action. This study investigated the effect of fueling a port injection engine with iso-butanol, as compared to gasoline operation. Performance levels were maintained within the same limits as with the fossil fuel without modifications to any engine component. An additional electronic module was used for increasing fuel flow by extending the injection time. Fuel conversion efficiency decreased when the engine was fueled with iso-butanol by up to 9% at full load and by up to 11% at part load, calculated as relative values. Incomplete fuel evaporation was identified as the factor most likely to cause the drop in engine efficiency.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Jet Controlled Compression Ignition on Combustion Phasing Control in Diesel Premixed Compression Ignition Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiang Zhang

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In order to directly control the premixed combustion phasing, a Jet Controlled Compression Ignition (JCCI for diesel premixed compression ignition systems is investigated. Experiments were conducted on a single cylinder natural aspirated diesel engine without EGR at 3000 rpm. Numerical models were validated by load sweep experiments at fixed spark timing. Detailed combustion characteristics were analyzed based on the BMEP of 2.18 bar. The simulation results showed that the high temperature jets of reacting active radical species issued from the ignition chamber played an important role on the onset of combustion in the JCCI system. The combustion of diesel pre-mixtures was initiated rapidly by the combustion products issued from the ignition chamber. Moreover, the flame propagation was not obvious, similar to that in Pre-mixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI. Consequently, spark timing sweep experiments were conducted. The results showed a good linear relationship between spark timing in the ignition chamber and CA10 and CA50, which indicated the ability for direct combustion phasing control in diesel PCCI. The NOx and soot emissions gradually changed with the decrease of spark advance angle. The maximum reduction of NOx and soot were both over 90%, and HC and CO emissions were increased.

Control of combustion generated emissions from spark ignition engines: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansha, M.; Shahid, E.M.; Qureshi, A.H.

2012-01-01

For the past several decades automobiles have been a major source of ground level emissions of various pollutants like CO, HC, NO/sub x/, SO/sub x/ CO/sub 2/, etc. Due to their dangerous effects on human health, vegetation and on climate, various pre combustion, in-cylinder and post. combustion techniques have been tried for their abatement. This paper reviews all of the workable measures taken so far to controlling the combustion generated emissions from 4-stroke Spark Ignition Vehicular Engines ever since the promulgation of emission control legislation/standards and their subsequent enforcement in the late 1960s. (author)

Fuel Saving Strategy in Spark Ignition Engine Using Fuzzy Logic Engine Torque Control

OpenAIRE

Aris Triwiyatno; Sumardi

2012-01-01

In the case of injection gasoline engine, or better known as spark ignition engines, an effort to improve engine performance as well as to reduce fuel consumption is a fairly complex problem. Generally, engine performance improvement efforts will lead to increase in fuel consumption. However, this problem can be solved by implementing engine torque control based on intelligent regulation such as the fuzzy logic inference system. In this study, fuzzy logic engine torque regulation is used to c...

OH PLIF measurement in a spark ignition engine with a tumble flow

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Siddhartha; Moronuki, Tatsuya; Shimura, Masayasu; Minamoto, Yuki; Yokomori, Takeshi; Tanahashi, Mamoru; Strategic Innovation Program (SIP) Team

2017-11-01

Under lean conditions, high compression ratio and strong tumble flow; cycle-to-cycle variations of combustion in spark ignition (SI) engines is prominent, therefore, relation between flame propagation characteristics and increase of pressure needs to be clarified. The present study is aimed at exploring the spatial and temporal development of the flame kernel using OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (OH PLIF) in an optical SI engine. Equivalence ratio is changed at a fixed indicated mean effective pressure of 400 kPa. From the measurements taken at different crank angle degrees (CAD) after ignition, characteristics of flame behavior were investigated considering temporal evolution of in-cylinder pressure, and factors causing cycle-to-cycle variations are discussed. In addition, the effects of tumble flow intensity on flame propagation behavior were also investigated. This work is supported by the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Program (SIP), `Innovative Combustion Technology'.

Mixture distribution in a multi-valve twin-spark ignition engine equipped with high-pressure multi-hole injectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitroglou, N; Arcoumanis, C; Mori, K; Motoyama, Y

2006-01-01

Laser-induced fluorescence has been mainly used to characterise the two-dimensional fuel vapour concentration inside the cylinder of a multi-valve twin-spark ignition engine equipped with high-pressure multi-hole injectors. The effects of injection timing, in-cylinder charge motion and injector tip layout have been quantified. The flexibility in nozzle design of the multi-hole injectors has proven to be a powerful tool in terms of matching overall spray cone angle and number of holes to specific engine configurations. Injection timing was found to control spray impingement on the piston and cylinder wall, thus contributing to quick and efficient fuel evaporation. It was confirmed that in-cylinder charge motion plays a major role in engine's stable operation by assisting in the transportation of the air-fuel mixture towards the ignition locations (i.e. spark-plugs) in the way of a uniformly distributed charge or by preserving stratification of the charge depending on operating mode of the engine

Improvement of performance and reduction of pollutant emission of a four stroke spark ignition engine fueled with hydrogen-gasoline fuel mixture

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, Maher Abdul-Resul Sadiq; Al-Janabi, Haroun Abdul-Kadim Shahad [Babylon Univ., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Babylon (Iraq)

2000-07-01

The effect of the amount of hydrogen/ethyl alcohol addition on the performance and pollutant emissions of a four stroke spark ignition engine has been studied. A detailed model to simulate a four stroke cycle of a spark ignition engine fueled with hydrogen-ethyl alcohol-gasoline has been used to study the effect of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol blending on the thermodynamic cycle of the engine. The results of the study show that all engine performance parameters have been improved when operating the gasoline S.I.E. with dual addition of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol. It has been found that 4% of hydrogen and 30% of ethyl alcohol blending causes a 49% reduction in CO emission, a 39% reduction in NO{sub x} emission, a 49% reduction in specific fuel consumption and increases in the thermal efficiency and output power by 5 and 4%, respectively. When ethyl alcohol is increased over 30%, it causes unstable engine operation which can be related to the fact that the fuel is not vaporised, and this causes a reduction in both the brake power and efficiency. (Author)

Dynamic knock detection and quantification in a spark ignition engine by means of a pressure based method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galloni, Enzo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Experimental data have been analyzed by a pressure based method. ► Knock intensity level depends on a threshold varying with the engine operating point. ► A dynamic method is proposed to overcome the definition of a predetermined threshold. ► The knock intensity of each operating point is quantified by a dimensionless index. ► The knock limited spark advance can be detected by means of this index. - Abstract: In spark ignition engines, knock onset limits the maximum spark advance. An inaccurate identification of this limit penalises the fuel conversion efficiency. Thus it is very important to define a knock detection method able to assess the knock intensity of an engine operating point. Usually, in engine development, knock event is evaluated by analysing the in-cylinder pressure trace. Data are filtered and processed in order to obtain some indices correlated to the knock intensity, then the calculated value is compared to a predetermined threshold. The calibration of this threshold is complex and difficult; statistical approach should be used, but often empirical values are considered. In this paper a method that dynamically calculates the knock threshold necessary to determine the knock event is proposed. The purpose is to resolve cycle by cycle the knock intensity related to an individual engine cycle without setting a predetermined threshold. The method has been applied to an extensive set of experimental data relative to a gasoline spark-ignition engine. Results are correlated to those obtained considering a traditional method, where a statistical approach has been used to detect knock.

Development of a semi-empirical convective heat transfer correlation based on thermodynamic and optical measurements in a spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irimescu, Adrian; Merola, Simona Silvia; Tornatore, Cinzia; Valentino, Gerardo

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A new convective heat transfer correlation was developed for spark ignition engines. • Measurements in an experimental optical power unit were used for validation. • Fuel effects were correctly modeled and verified with methane and hydrogen. • Results were compared to two other widely used correlations. • Calibration was found to be easier for the proposed model. - Abstract: Internal combustion engines are still the main technology for energy conversion in automotive transport and are set to remain the main choice of propulsion solutions for some time to come. Development and design of these power units in the quest for improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact is increasingly reliant on simulations in order to reduce costs. Therefore, continuous improvement of sub-models used for numerical investigation is required so that correct and pertinent results are obtained. Convective heat transfer is receiving much attention in this respect, especially as direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engines can feature abnormal combustion phenomena such as mega-knock, mainly driven by local hot spots in the combustion chamber, that can be extremely damaging as they cannot be mitigated with existing control procedures. As a result, thermal stratification is more and more investigated through both quasi-dimensional and more complex computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. Alternative fuels are also extensively studied, especially as their specific properties that are different from those of gasoline can make their application challenging, thus requiring further insight in order to identify suitable injection and ignition control strategies. A new convective heat transfer correlation was developed for application in quasi-dimensional models, with a more fundamental basis combined with the application of a flow field model; results were compared to existing and extensively used empirical equations. Assessments were based on in-cylinder pressure

Investigating the influences of liquid LPG injection on spark ignition (SI engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tukiman Mohd Mustaqim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG is one of the alternative fuels that becoming popular to be use in spark ignition engine (SI. This paper briefly presents the influence of energy content to the engine output of 1.6L SI engine of Proton Gen 2. The engine was coupled to a chassis dynamometer and few related apparatus were employed in determine the engine behavior. All data collected were illustrated in graph for further analysis. The engine shows comparable engine output, however, the engine requires some tuning in order to fully utilize the energy content of LPG.

Laser-induced breakdown ignition in a gas fed two-stroke engine

Science.gov (United States)

Loktionov, E. Y.; Pasechnikov, N. A.; Telekh, V. D.

2018-01-01

Laser-induced ignition for internal combustion engines is investigated intensively after demonstration of a compact ‘laser plug’ possibility. Laser spark benefits as compared to traditional spark plugs are higher compression rate, and possibility of almost any fuel ignition, so lean mixtures burning with lower temperatures could reduce harmful exhausts (NO x , CH, etc). No need in electrode and possibility for multi-point, linear or circular ignition can make combustion even more effective. Laser induced combustion wave appears faster and is more stable in time, than electric one, so can be used for ramjets, chemical thrusters, and gas turbines. To the best of our knowledge, we have performed laser spark ignition of a gas fed two-stroke engine for the first time. Combustion temperature and pressure, exhaust composition, ignition timing were investigated at laser and compared to a regular electric spark ignition in a two-stroke model engine. Presented results show possibility for improvement of two-stroke engines performance, in terms of rotation rate increase and NO x emission reduction. Such compact engines using locally mined fuel could be highly demanded in remote Arctic areas.

Cycle-to-cycle fluctuation of combustion in a spark-ignition engine; Hibana tenka engine no nensho hendo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamamoto, Y; Yoshiyama, S; Tomita, E; Hamagami, T [Okayama University, Okayama (Japan); Otsubo, H [Yammer Diesel Engine Co. Ltd. Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

In a homogeneous charge spark-ignition engine, the duration of early stage of combustion is a dominant factor for determining the fluctuation of mean effective pressure. And the early stage of combustion varies with the equivalence ratio and turbulence characteristics of the mixture. In this study, the fluctuations of 1% combustion duration and indicated mean effective pressure Pmi were computed as the function of fluctuations both in the equivalence ratio {phi} of the mixture and in the turbulence characteristics of the cylinder charge. And effects of the spark timing {theta}ig and {phi} on the cycle-to-cycle fluctuation in Pmi were investigated. 16 refs., 6 figs.

Does charge transfer correlate with ignition probability?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holdstock, Paul

2008-01-01

Flammable or explosive atmospheres exist in many industrial environments. The risk of ignition caused by electrostatic discharges is very real and there has been extensive study of the incendiary nature of sparks and brush discharges. It is clear that in order to ignite a gas, an amount of energy needs to be delivered to a certain volume of gas within a comparatively short time. It is difficult to measure the energy released in an electrostatic discharge directly, but it is possible to approximate the energy in a spark generated from a well defined electrical circuit. The spark energy required to ignite a gas, vapour or dust cloud can be determined by passing such sparks through them. There is a relationship between energy and charge in a capacitive circuit and so it is possible to predict whether or not a spark discharge will cause an ignition by measuring the charge transferred in the spark. Brush discharges are in many ways less well defined than sparks. Nevertheless, some work has been done that has established a relationship between charge transferred in brush discharges and the probability of igniting a flammable atmosphere. The question posed by this paper concerns whether such a relationship holds true in all circumstances and if there is a universal correlation between charge transfer and ignition probability. Data is presented on discharges from textile materials that go some way to answering this question.

A predictive model for knock onset in spark-ignition engines with cooled EGR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Longhua; Li, Tie; Yin, Tao; Zheng, Bin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Ratio of specific heats should be used as variable in development of knock model. • Increases in EGR or excess air ratio lead to increases in the ratio of specific heats. • The widely-used Douaud–Eyzat correlation fails to predict the knock onset when increasing EGR. • The newly developed model including p, T, EGR and λ as variables predicts the knock onset accurately. • Effect of temperature at intake valve closure on the predicted knock onset is relatively small. - Abstract: A predictive knock model is crucial for one dimensional (1-D) engine cycle simulation that has been proven to be a powerful tool in both optimization of the conceptual design and reduction of calibration efforts in development of spark-ignition (SI) engines. With application of advanced technologies such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in modern SI engines, update of knock model is needed to give an acceptable prediction of knock onset. In this study, bench tests of a turbocharged gasoline SI engine with cooled EGR system operated under knocking conditions were conducted, the cylinder pressure traces were analyzed by the band-pass filtering technique, and the crank angle of knock onset was determined by the signal energy ratio (SER) and image processing method. A knock model considering multi-variable effects including pressure, temperature, EGR ratio and excess air ratio (λ) is formulated and calibrated with the experimental data using the multi-island genetic algorithm (GA). The calculation method of the end gas temperature, the impacts of the ratio of specific heats as well as the temperature at the intake valve closure on the end gas temperature are discussed. The performance of the new model is compared with the widely-used phenomenological knock models such as Douaud–Eyzat model and Hoepke model. While the widely-used knock models fail to give acceptable predictions when increasing EGR with fuel enrichment operations, the new model predicts the knock

Investigating the effects of LPG on spark ignition engine combustion and performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayraktar, Hakan; Durgun, Orhan

2005-01-01

A quasi-dimensional spark ignition (SI) engine cycle model is used to predict the cycle, performance and exhaust emissions of an automotive engine for the cases of using gasoline and LPG. Governing equations of the mathematical model mainly consist of first order ordinary differential equations derived for cylinder pressure and temperature. Combustion is simulated as a turbulent flame propagation process and during this process, two different thermodynamic regions consisting of unburned gases and burned gases that are separated by the flame front are considered. A computer code for the cycle model has been prepared to perform numerical calculations over a range of engine speeds and fuel-air equivalence ratios. In the computations performed at different engine speeds, the same fuel-air equivalence ratios are selected for each fuel to make realistic comparisons from the fuel economy and fuel consumption points of view. Comparisons show that if LPG fueled SI engines are operated at the same conditions with those of gasoline fueled SI engines, significant improvements in exhaust emissions can be achieved. However, variations in various engine performance parameters and the effects on the engine structural elements are not promising

A Soft Sensor-Based Fault-Tolerant Control on the Air Fuel Ratio of Spark-Ignition Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Jia Zhai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The air/fuel ratio (AFR regulation for spark-ignition (SI engines has been an essential and challenging control problem for engineers in the automotive industry. The feed-forward and feedback scheme has been investigated in both academic research and industrial application. The aging effect can often cause an AFR sensor fault in the feedback loop, and the AFR control performance will degrade consequently. In this research, a new control scheme on AFR with fault-tolerance is proposed by using an artificial neural network model based on fault detection and compensation, which can provide the satisfactory AFR regulation performance at the stoichiometric value for the combustion process, given a certain level of misreading of the AFR sensor.

Performance and emissions analysis on using acetone–gasoline fuel blends in spark-ignition engine

OpenAIRE

Ashraf Elfasakhany

2016-01-01

In this study, new blended fuels were formed by adding 3–10 vol. % of acetone into a regular gasoline. According to the best of the author's knowledge, it is the first time that the influence of acetone blends has been studied in a gasoline-fueled engine. The blended fuels were tested for their energy efficiencies and pollutant emissions using SI (spark-ignition) engine with single-cylinder and 4-stroke. Experimental results showed that the AC3 (3 vol.% acetone + 97 vol.% gasoline) blended fu...

CONVERSION OF DIESEL ENGINE INTO SPARK IGNITION ENGINE TO WORK WITH CNG AND LPG FUELS FOR MEETING NEW EMISSION NORMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Kaleemuddin

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Fluctuating fuel prices and associated pollution problems of largely exploited petroleum liquid fuel has stimulated the research on abundantly available gaseous fuels to keep the mobility industry intact. In the present work an air cooled diesel engine was modified suitably into a spark ignition engine incorporating electronic ignition and variable speed dependant spark timing to accommodate both LPG and CNG as fuels. Engine was optimized for stoichiometric operation on engine dynamometer. Materials of a few intricate engine components were replaced to suit LPG and CNG application. Ignition timing was mapped to work with gaseous fuels for different speeds. Compensation was done for recovering volumetric efficiency when operated with CNG by introducing more volume of air through resonator. Ignition timing was observed to be the pertinent parameter in achieving good performance with gaseous fuels under consideration. Performance and emission tests were carried out on engine dynamometer and chassis dynamometer. Under wide open throttle and at rated speed condition, it was observed that the peak pressure with LPG was lying between diesel fuel and CNG fuel operation due to slow burning nature of gaseous fuels. As compression ratio was maintained same for LPG and CNG fuel operation, low CO emissions were observed with LPG where as HC + NOx emissions were lower with CNG fuel operation. Chassis dynamometer based emission tests yielded lower CO2 levels with CNG operation.

Near wall combustion modeling in spark ignition engines. Part B: Post-flame reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demesoukas, Sokratis; Caillol, Christian; Higelin, Pascal; Boiarciuc, Andrei; Floch, Alain

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Models for the post flame reactions (CO and hydrocarbons) and heat release rate are proposed. • ‘Freezing’ effect of CO kinetics is captured but equilibrium CO concentrations are low. • Reactive–diffusive processes are modeled for hydrocarbons and the last stage of combustion is captured. - Abstract: Reduced fuel consumption, low pollutant emissions and adequate output performance are key features in the contemporary design of spark ignition engines. Zero-dimensional numerical simulation is an attractive alternative to engine experiments for the evaluation of various engine configurations. Both flame front reaction and post-flame processes contribute to the heat release rate. The contribution of this work is to highlight and model the role of post-flame reactions (CO and hydrocarbons) in the heat release rate. The modeling approach to CO kinetics used two reactions considered to be dominant and thus more suitable for the description of CO chemical mechanism. Equilibrium concentrations of all the species involved were calculated by a two-zone thermodynamic model. The computed characteristic time of CO kinetics was found to be of a similar order to the results of complex chemistry simulations. The proposed model captured the ‘freezing’ effect (reaction rate is almost zero) for temperatures lower than 1800 K and followed the trends of the measured values at exhaust. However, a consistent underestimation of CO levels at the exhaust was observed. The impact of the remaining CO on the combustion efficiency is considerable especially for rich mixtures. For a remaining 0.4% CO mass fraction, the impact on combustion inefficiency is 0.1%. Unburnt hydrocarbon, which have not reacted within the flame front before quenching, diffuse in the burnt gas and react. In this work, a global reaction rate models the kinetic behavior of hydrocarbon. The diffusion process was modeled by a relaxation equation applied on the calculated kinetic concentration

Natural-gas fueled spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine performance and emissions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korakianitis, T.; Namasivayam, A.M.; Crookes, R.J. [School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that has been used and investigated extensively for use in spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engines. Compared with conventional gasoline engines, SI engines using natural gas can run at higher compression ratios, thus producing higher thermal efficiencies but also increased nitrogen oxide (NO{sub x}) emissions, while producing lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), unburned hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO). These engines also produce relatively less power than gasoline-fueled engines because of the convergence of one or more of three factors: a reduction in volumetric efficiency due to natural-gas injection in the intake manifold; the lower stoichiometric fuel/air ratio of natural gas compared to gasoline; and the lower equivalence ratio at which these engines may be run in order to reduce NO{sub x} emissions. High NO{sub x} emissions, especially at high loads, reduce with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). However, EGR rates above a maximum value result in misfire and erratic engine operation. Hydrogen gas addition increases this EGR threshold significantly. In addition, hydrogen increases the flame speed of the natural gas-hydrogen mixture. Power levels can be increased with supercharging or turbocharging and intercooling. Natural gas is used to power CI engines via the dual-fuel mode, where a high-cetane fuel is injected along with the natural gas in order to provide a source of ignition for the charge. Thermal efficiency levels compared with normal diesel-fueled CI-engine operation are generally maintained with dual-fuel operation, and smoke levels are reduced significantly. At the same time, lower NO{sub x} and CO{sub 2} emissions, as well as higher HC and CO emissions compared with normal CI-engine operation at low and intermediate loads are recorded. These trends are caused by the low charge temperature and increased ignition delay, resulting in low combustion temperatures. Another factor is

Development of High Efficiency Clean Combustion Engine Designs for Spark-Ignition and Compression-Ignition Internal Combustion Engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marriott, Craig; Gonzalez, Manual; Russell, Durrett

2011-06-30

This report summarizes activities related to the revised STATEMENT OF PROJECT OBJECTIVES (SOPO) dated June 2010 for the Development of High-Efficiency Clean Combustion engine Designs for Spark-Ignition and Compression-Ignition Internal Combustion Engines (COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT NUMBER DE-FC26-05NT42415) project. In both the spark- (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) development activities covered in this program, the goal was to develop potential production-viable internal combustion engine system technologies that both reduce fuel consumption and simultaneously met exhaust emission targets. To be production-viable, engine technologies were also evaluated to determine if they would meet customer expectations of refinement in terms of noise, vibration, performance, driveability, etc. in addition to having an attractive business case and value. Prior to this activity, only proprietary theoretical / laboratory knowledge existed on the combustion technologies explored The research reported here expands and develops this knowledge to determine series-production viability. Significant SI and CI engine development occurred during this program within General Motors, LLC over more than five years. In the SI program, several engines were designed and developed that used both a relatively simple multi-lift valve train system and a Fully Flexible Valve Actuation (FFVA) system to enable a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion process. Many technical challenges, which were unknown at the start of this program, were identified and systematically resolved through analysis, test and development. This report documents the challenges and solutions for each SOPO deliverable. As a result of the project activities, the production viability of the developed clean combustion technologies has been determined. At this time, HCCI combustion for SI engines is not considered production-viable for several reasons. HCCI combustion is excessively sensitive to control variables

Modeling of the Inductance of a Blumlein Circuit Spark Gap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aboites, V; Rendón, L; Hernández, A I; Valdés, E

2015-01-01

In this paper we present an analysis of the time-varying inductance in the spark gap of a Blumlein circuit. We assume several mathematical expressions to describe the inductance and compare theoretical and computational calculations with experimental results. The time-varying inductance is approximated by a constant, a straight line and two parables which differ in their concavity. This is the first time to our knowledge, in which the time-varying ignition inductance of a nitrogen laser is modeled

An experimental study on performance and emission characteristics of a hydrogen fuelled spark ignition engine

OpenAIRE

Kahraman, Erol; Özcanlı, Şevket Cihangir; Özerdem, Barış

2007-01-01

In the present paper, the performance and emission characteristics of a conventional four cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine operated on hydrogen and gasoline are investigated experimentally. The compressed hydrogen at 20 MPa has been introduced to the engine adopted to operate on gaseous hydrogen by external mixing. Two regulators have been used to drop the pressure first to 300 kPa, then to atmospheric pressure. The variations of torque, power, brake thermal efficiency, brake mean effectiv...

About the constructive and functional particularities of spark ignition engines with gasoline direct injection: experimental results

Science.gov (United States)

Niculae, M.; Ivan, F.; Neacsu, D.

2017-08-01

The paper aims to analyze and compare the environmental performances between a gasoline direct engine and a multi-point injection engine. There are analyzed the stages of emission formation during the New European Driving Cycle. The paper points out the dynamic, economic and environmental performances of spark ignition engines equipped with a GDI systems. Reason why, we believe the widespread implementation of this technology is today an immediate need.

Analysis of an Increase in the Efficiency of a Spark Ignition Engine Through the Application of an Automotive Thermoelectric Generator

Science.gov (United States)

Merkisz, Jerzy; Fuc, Pawel; Lijewski, Piotr; Ziolkowski, Andrzej; Galant, Marta; Siedlecki, Maciej

2016-08-01

We have analyzed the increase of the overall efficiency of a spark ignition engine through energy recovery following the application of an automotive thermoelectric generator (ATEG) of our own design. The design of the generator was developed following emission investigations during vehicle driving under city traffic conditions. The measurement points were defined by actual operation conditions (engine speed and load), subsequently reproduced on an engine dynamometer. Both the vehicle used in the on-road tests and the engine dynamometer were fit with the same, downsized spark ignition engine (with high effective power-to-displacement ratio). The thermodynamic parameters of the exhaust gases (temperature and exhaust gas mass flow) were measured on the engine testbed, along with the fuel consumption and electric current generated by the thermoelectric modules. On this basis, the power of the ATEG and its impact on overall engine efficiency were determined.

Research of performance on a spark ignition engine fueled by alcohol–gasoline blends using artificial neural networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapusuz, Murat; Ozcan, Hakan; Yamin, Jehad Ahmad

2015-01-01

In this paper, we investigate various alcohol–unleaded gasoline mixtures that can be used with no modifications in a spark-ignition engine. The mixtures consisted of 5%, 10% and 15% ethanol, methanol together and separately. Based on the recommendations of the Jordanian Petroleum Company (JoPetrol), total alcohol content should not exceed 15–20% owing to safety and ignition hazards. Optimizations for the use of alcohol were made for the maximum torque, maximum power and minimum specific fuel consumption values. For torque 0.9906, for brake power 0.997, and for brake specific fuel consumption 0.9312 regression values for tests have been obtained from models generated by the neural network. According to the modeling and optimizations, use of fuel mixture containing 11% methanol–1% ethanol for performance, and fuel mixture containing 2% methanol for BSFC were found to have better results. Moreover, the paper demonstrates that ANN (Artificial Neural Network) can be used successfully as an alternative type of modeling technique for internal combustion engines. - Highlights: • ANN model was developed and verified. • Effects of alcohol–gasoline blends on performance of a SI engine are fairly simulated. • Effects of alcohol–gasoline blends on performance of a SI engine are optimized.

Spark Ignition Engine Combustion, Performance and Emission Products from Hydrous Ethanol and Its Blends with Gasoline

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Musaab O. El-Faroug

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This paper reviews the serviceability of hydrous ethanol as a clean, cheap and green renewable substitute fuel for spark ignition engines and discusses the comparative chemical and physical properties of hydrous ethanol and gasoline fuels. The significant differences in the properties of hydrous ethanol and gasoline fuels are sufficient to create a significant change during the combustion phase of engine operation and consequently affect the performance of spark-ignition (SI engines. The stability of ethanol-gasoline-water blends is also discussed. Furthermore, the effects of hydrous ethanol, and its blends with gasoline fuel on SI engine combustion characteristics, cycle-to-cycle variations, engine performance parameters, and emission characteristics have been highlighted. Higher water solubility in ethanol‑gasoline blends may be obviously useful and suitable; nevertheless, the continuous ability of water to remain soluble in the blend is significantly affected by temperature. Nearly all published engine experimental results showed a significant improvement in combustion characteristics and enhanced engine performance for the use of hydrous ethanol as fuel. Moreover, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions were also significantly decreased. It is also worth pointing out that unburned hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide emissions were also reduced for the use of hydrous ethanol. However, unregulated emissions such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde were significantly increased.

Exploring the stochastic and deterministic aspects of cyclic emission variability on a high speed spark-ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karvountzis-Kontakiotis, A.; Dimaratos, A.; Ntziachristos, L.; Samaras, Z.

2017-01-01

This study contributes to the understanding of cycle-to-cycle emissions variability (CEV) in premixed spark-ignition combustion engines. A number of experimental investigations of cycle-to-cycle combustion variability (CCV) exist in published literature; however only a handful of studies deal with CEV. This study experimentally investigates the impact of CCV on CEV of NO and CO, utilizing experimental results from a high-speed spark-ignition engine. Both CEV and CCV are shown to comprise a deterministic and a stochastic component. Results show that at maximum break torque (MBT) operation, the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) maximizes and its coefficient of variation (COV_I_M_E_P) minimizes, leading to minimum variation of NO. NO variability and hence mean NO levels can be reduced by more than 50% and 30%, respectively, at advanced ignition timing, by controlling the deterministic CCV using cycle resolved combustion control. The deterministic component of CEV increases at lean combustion (lambda = 1.12) and this overall increases NO variability. CEV was also found to decrease with engine load. At steady speed, increasing throttle position from 20% to 80%, decreased COV_I_M_E_P, COV_N_O and COV_C_O by 59%, 46%, and 6% respectively. Highly resolved engine control, by means of cycle-to-cycle combustion control, appears as key to limit the deterministic feature of cyclic variability and by that to overall reduce emission levels. - Highlights: • Engine emissions variability comprise both stochastic and deterministic components. • Lean and diluted combustion conditions increase emissions variability. • Advanced ignition timing enhances the deterministic component of variability. • Load increase decreases the deterministic component of variability. • The deterministic component can be reduced by highly resolved combustion control.

Influence of the capillary on the ignition of the transient spark discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerling, T; Hoder, T; Brandenburg, R; Bussiahn, R; Weltmann, K-D

2013-01-01

A self-pulsing negative dc discharge in argon generated in a needle-to-plane geometry at open atmosphere is investigated. Additionally, the needle electrode can be surrounded by a quartz capillary. It is shown that the relative position of the capillary end to the needle tip strongly influences the discharge inception and its spatio-temporal dynamics. Without the capillary for the selected working parameters a streamer corona is ignited, but when the capillary surrounds the needle, the transient spark (TS) discharge is ignited after a pre-streamer (PS) occurs. The time between PS and TS discharge depends on the relative capillary end position. The existence of the PS is confirmed by electro-optical characterization. Furthermore, spectrally and spatio-temporally resolved cross-correlation spectroscopy is applied to show the most active region of pre-phase emission activity as indicators for high local electric field strength. The results indicate that with a capillary in place, the necessary energy input of the pre-phase into the system is mainly reduced by additional electrical fields at the capillary edge. Even such a small change as a shift of dielectric surface close to the plasma largely changes the energy balance in the system. (paper)

Internal combustion engine report: Spark ignited ICE GenSet optimization and novel concept development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, J.; Blarigan, P. Van [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)

1998-08-01

In this manuscript the authors report on two projects each of which the goal is to produce cost effective hydrogen utilization technologies. These projects are: (1) the development of an electrical generation system using a conventional four-stroke spark-ignited internal combustion engine generator combination (SI-GenSet) optimized for maximum efficiency and minimum emissions, and (2) the development of a novel internal combustion engine concept. The SI-GenSet will be optimized to run on either hydrogen or hydrogen-blends. The novel concept seeks to develop an engine that optimizes the Otto cycle in a free piston configuration while minimizing all emissions. To this end the authors are developing a rapid combustion homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine using a linear alternator for both power take-off and engine control. Targeted applications include stationary electrical power generation, stationary shaft power generation, hybrid vehicles, and nearly any other application now being accomplished with internal combustion engines.

Tool grinding and spark testing

Science.gov (United States)

Widener, Edward L.

1993-01-01

The objectives were the following: (1) to revive the neglected art of metal-sparking; (2) to promote quality-assurance in the workplace; (3) to avoid spark-ignited explosions of dusts or volatiles; (4) to facilitate the salvage of scrap metals; and (5) to summarize important references.

Effect of flow velocity and temperature on ignition characteristics in laser ignition of natural gas and air mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

Griffiths, J.; Riley, M. J. W.; Borman, A.; Dowding, C.; Kirk, A.; Bickerton, R.

2015-03-01

Laser induced spark ignition offers the potential for greater reliability and consistency in ignition of lean air/fuel mixtures. This increased reliability is essential for the application of gas turbines as primary or secondary reserve energy sources in smart grid systems, enabling the integration of renewable energy sources whose output is prone to fluctuation over time. This work details a study into the effect of flow velocity and temperature on minimum ignition energies in laser-induced spark ignition in an atmospheric combustion test rig, representative of a sub 15 MW industrial gas turbine (Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery Ltd., Lincoln, UK). Determination of minimum ignition energies required for a range of temperatures and flow velocities is essential for establishing an operating window in which laser-induced spark ignition can operate under realistic, engine-like start conditions. Ignition of a natural gas and air mixture at atmospheric pressure was conducted using a laser ignition system utilizing a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser source operating at 532 nm wavelength and 4 ns pulse length. Analysis of the influence of flow velocity and temperature on ignition characteristics is presented in terms of required photon flux density, a useful parameter to consider during the development laser ignition systems.

The safe operation zone of the spark ignition engine working with dual renewable supplemented fuels (hydrogen+ethyl alcohol)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, Maher Abdul-Resul Sadiq [Babylon Univ., Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Babylon (Iraq)

2001-04-01

The effect of the amount of hydrogen/ethyl alcohol addition on the performance and pollutant emission of a four-stroke spark ignition engine has been studied. The results of the study show that all engine performance parameters have been improved when operating the gasoline spark ignition engine with dual addition of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol. The important improvements of alcohol addition are to reduce the NOx emission while increasing the higher useful compression ratio and output power of hydrogen-supplemented engine. An equation has been derived from experimental data to specify the least quantity of ethyl alcohol blended with gasoline and satisfying constant NOx emission when hydrogen is added. A chart limiting the safe operation zone of the engine fueled with dual renewable supplemented fuel, (hydrogen and ethyl alcohol) has been produced. The safe zone provides lower NOx and CO emission, lower s.f.c. and higher brake power compared to an equivalent gasoline engine. When ethyl alcohol is increased over 30%, it causes unstable engine operation which can be related to the fact that the fuel is not vaporized, and this causes a reduction in both brake power and efficiency. (Author)

Experimental investigation of the concomitant injection of gasoline and CNG in a turbocharged spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Momeni Movahed, M.; Basirat Tabrizi, H.; Mirsalim, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Concomitant injection of gasoline and CNG is compared with gasoline and CNG modes. • BSFC, HC and CO emissions of the concomitant injection are lower than gasoline mode. • Deteriorations of the concomitant injection are negligible compared to gasoline mode. • Cylinder peak pressure and heat loss to coolant of the concomitant injection are lower than CNG mode. • Some shortcomings in CNG mode can be solved by changing the spark timing and lambda. - Abstract: Concomitant injection of gasoline and CNG is a new concept to overcome problems of bi-fueled spark ignition engines, which operate in single fuel mode, either in gasoline or in CNG mode. This experimental study indicates how some problems of gasoline mode such as retarded ignition timings for knock prevention and rich air–fuel mixture for component protection can be resolved with the concomitant injection of gasoline and CNG. Results clearly show that the concomitant injection improves thermal efficiency compared to gasoline mode. On the other hand, simultaneous injection of gasoline and CNG reduces some problems of CNG mode such as high cylinder pressure and heat loss to the engine coolant. This decreases the stringent requirements for thermal and mechanical strength of the engine components in CNG mode. In addition, it is shown that by modifying the spark advance and air fuel ratio in CNG mode, the engine operation improves in terms of NOx emissions and maximum in-cylinder pressure as the concomitant injection does. Nevertheless, new requirements such as an intercooler with higher cooling capacity are implied to the engine configuration. Finally, the most important concerns in control strategies of the engine control unit for a vehicle with concomitant injection of gasoline and CNG are discussed

Availability analysis of a syngas fueled spark ignition engine using a multi-zone combustion model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rakopoulos, C.D.; Michos, C.N.; Giakoumis, E.G.

2008-01-01

A previously developed and validated zero-dimensional, multi-zone, thermodynamic combustion model for the prediction of spark ignition (SI) engine performance and nitric oxide (NO) emissions has been extended to include second-law analysis. The main characteristic of the model is the division of the burned gas into several distinct zones, in order to account for the temperature and chemical species stratification developed in the burned gas during combustion. Within the framework of the multi-zone model, the various availability components constituting the total availability of each of the multiple zones of the simulation are identified and calculated separately. The model is applied to a multi-cylinder, four-stroke, turbocharged and aftercooled, natural gas (NG) SI gas engine running on synthesis gas (syngas) fuel. The major part of the unburned mixture availability consists of the chemical contribution, ranging from 98% at the inlet valve closing (IVC) event to 83% at the ignition timing of the total availability for the 100% load case, which is due to the presence of the combustible fuel. On the contrary, the multiple burned zones possess mainly thermomechanical availability. Specifically, again for the 100% load case, the total availability of the first burned zone at the exhaust valve opening (EVO) event consists of thermomechanical availability approximately by 90%, with similar percentages for all other burned zones. Two definitions of the combustion exergetic efficiency are used to explore the degree of reversibility of the combustion process in each of the multiple burned zones. It is revealed that the crucial factor determining the thermodynamic perfection of combustion in each burned zone is the level of the temperatures at which combustion occurs in the zone, with minor influence of the whole temperature history of the zone during the complete combustion phase. The availability analysis is extended to various engine loads. The engine in question is

Future technology of the spark-ignition engine: spray-guided direct injection with piezo injector; Die Zukunftstechnologie des Ottomotors: Strahlgefuehrte Direkteinspritzung mit Piezo-Injektor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Waltner, A.; Lueckert, P.; Schaupp, U.; Rau, E.; Kemmler, R.; Weller, R. [DaimlerChrysler AG, Stuttgart (Germany)

2006-07-01

The completely new-style second-generation direct-injection for spark-ignition engines from Mercedes-Benz offers clear improvements in fuel consumption, power and emission levels. Faced with the necessity of further reducing fuel consumption, primarily in spark-ignition engines, the Mercedes-Benz combustion system represents a significant leap in technology. It was possible to noticeably expand the mapping range in which stratified operation can be used compared with the first generation. This significant improvement in efficiency results in more useable energy and a substantial reduction in consumption in city traffic, and also on cross-country and highway trips at roughly constant speeds. These benefits make themselves felt not only in the test cycle, but also in the real-world consumption achieved by the customer. Development proceeded from the base aspirated engine on the principle of the modular expansion of technology. Since production development of this combustion system was not possible using the hydraulic and ignition components available on the market, a new outward-opening piezo fuel injector had to be developed for production readiness, along with a 200-bar high-pressure fuel system, which is being introduced here for the first time world-wide. The injection spray stability and excellent mixture preparation that it achieves produce an optimally combustible mixture at the spark plug. The potential of multiple injection, along with stability in stratified operation, brings further benefits and possibilities for direct injection in fuel consumption and emissions. (orig.)

Advanced ignition for automotive engines

OpenAIRE

Pineda, Daniel Ivan

2017-01-01

Spark plugs have been igniting combustible mixtures like those found in automotive engines for over a century, and the principles of the associated ignition techniques using thermal plasma (inductive or capacitive sparks) have remained relatively unchanged during that time. However, internal combustion engines are increasingly operating with boosted intake pressures (i.e. turbo- or super-charged) in order to maintain power output while simultaneously reducing engine size and weight, and they ...

Effects of ignition parameters on combustion process of a rotary engine fueled with natural gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Baowei; Pan, Jianfeng; Liu, Yangxian; Zhu, Yuejin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A 3-D simulation model based on the chemical reaction kinetics is established. • The tumble near the trailing spark plug is beneficial for the combustion rate. • The best position of the trailing spark plug is at the rear of the tumble zone. • An increase of the tumble effect time can improve the combustion rate. • Considering the rate of pressure rise, the best ignition timing is 50 °CA (BTDC). - Abstract: The side-ported rotary engine fueled with natural gas is a new, clean, efficient energy system. This work aims to numerically study the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a side-ported rotary engine fueled with natural gas under different ignition positions and ignition timings. Simulations were performed using multi-dimensional software ANASYS Fluent. On the basis of the software, a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model was established by writing dynamic mesh programs and choosing a detailed reaction mechanism. The three-dimensional dynamic simulation model, based on the chemical reaction kinetics, was also validated by the experimental data. Meanwhile, further simulations were then conducted to investigate how to impact the combustion process by the coupling function between ignition operating parameter and the flow field inside the cylinder. Simulation results showed that in order to improve the combustion efficiency, the trailing spark plug should be located at the rear of the tumble zone and the ignition timing should be advanced properly. This was mainly caused by the trailing spark plug being located at the rear of the tumble zone, as it not only allowed the fuel in the rear of combustion chamber to be burnt without delay, but also permitted the acceleration of the flame propagation by the tumble. Meanwhile, with advanced ignition timing, the time between ignition timing and the timing of the tumble disappearance increased, which led to an increase of the tumble effect time used to improve the combustion

Controlling spark timing for consecutive cycles to reduce the cyclic variations of SI engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaleli, Alirıza; Ceviz, Mehmet Akif; Erenturk, Köksal

2015-01-01

Minimization of the cyclic variations is one of the most important design goal for spark-ignited engines. Primary motivation of this study is to reduce the cyclic variations in spark ignition engines by controlling the spark timing for consecutive cycles. A stochastic model was performed between spark timing and in–cylinder maximum pressure by using the system identification techniques. The incylinder maximum pressure of the next cycle was predicted with this model. Minimum variance and generalized minimum variance controllers were designed to regulate the in–cylinder maximum pressure by changing the spark timing for consecutive cycles of the test engine. The produced control algorithms were built in LabView environment and installed to the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) chassis. According to the test results, the in–cylinder maximum pressure of the next pressure cycle can be predicted fairly well, and the spark timing can be regulated to keep the in–cylinder maximum pressure in a desired band to reduce the cyclic variations. At fixed spark timing experiments, the COV Pmax and COV imep were 3.764 and 0.677%, whereas they decreased to 3.208 and 0.533% when GMV controller was applied, respectively. - Highlights: • Cycle per cycle spark timing control was carried out. • A stochastic process model was described between P max and the spark timing. • The cyclic variations in P max was decreased by keeping it in a desired band. • Different controllers were used to adjust spark timing signal of the next cycle. • COV Pmax was decreased by about 15% by using GMV controller

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.

Ignition system for an internal combustion engine with rotary system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochstein, P A

1977-05-18

In the Wankel engine, the sparking plugs spark three times per rotation of the rotor and are never cooled by the incoming mixture. This constant high temperature environment necessitates the use of special sparking plugs. The covered top of the sparking plug is particularly liable to carbon deposits. This invention makes it possible to use sparking plugs on the rotor, without the disadvantages due to the use of high voltage. Further, the use of distributors or mechanical devices determining the ignition timing is no longer necessary. The fuel/air mixture is ignited in a combustion chamber, which is limited by first and second components moving relative to one another in repeated cycles. A generator device is fitted to the first components and an ignition device to the second components. The magnetic flux linking takes place in a predetermined area of the relative movement between the first and second components in a repeated cycle. An ignition signal is produced in the combustion chamber by the magnetic flux linking.

Ignition assist systems for direct-injected, diesel cycle, medium-duty alternative fuel engines: Final report phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chan, A.K.

2000-02-23

This report is a summary of the results of Phase 1 of this contract. The objective was to evaluate the potential of assist technologies for direct-injected alternative fuel engines vs. glow plug ignition assist. The goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of an ignition system life of 10,000 hours and a system cost of less than 50% of the glow plug system, while meeting or exceeding the engine thermal efficiency obtained with the glow plug system. There were three tasks in Phase 1. Under Task 1, a comprehensive review of feasible ignition options for DING engines was completed. The most promising options are: (1) AC and the ''SmartFire'' spark, which are both long-duration, low-power (LDLP) spark systems; (2) the short-duration, high-power (SDHP) spark system; (3) the micropilot injection ignition; and (4) the stratified charge plasma ignition. Efforts concentrated on investigating the AC spark, SmartFire spark, and short-duration/high-power spark systems. Using proprietary pricing information, the authors predicted that the commercial costs for the AC spark, the short-duration/high-power spark and SmartFire spark systems will be comparable (if not less) to the glow plug system. Task 2 involved designing and performing bench tests to determine the criteria for the ignition system and the prototype spark plug for Task 3. The two most important design criteria are the high voltage output requirement of the ignition system and the minimum electrical insulation requirement for the spark plug. Under Task 3, all the necessary hardware for the one-cylinder engine test was designed. The hardware includes modified 3126 cylinder heads, specially designed prototype spark plugs, ignition system electronics, and parts for the system installation. Two 3126 cylinder heads and the SmartFire ignition system were procured, and testing will begin in Phase 2 of this subcontract.

Improving the performance and fuel consumption of dual chamber stratified charge spark ignition engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sorenson, S.C.; Pan, S.S.; Bruckbauer, J.J.; Gehrke, G.R.

1979-09-01

A combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the nature of the combustion processes in a dual chamber stratified charge spark ignition engine is described. This work concentrated on understanding the mixing process in the main chamber gases. A specially constructed single cylinder engine was used to both conduct experiments to study mixing effects and to obtain experimental data for the validation of the computer model which was constructed in the theoretical portion of the study. The test procedures are described. Studies were conducted on the effect of fuel injection timing on performance and emissions using the combination of orifice size and prechamber to main chamber flow rate ratio which gave the best overall compromise between emissions and performance. In general, fuel injection gave slightly higher oxides of nitrogen, but considerably lower hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions than the carbureted form of the engine. Experiments with engine intake port redesign to promote swirl mixing indicated a substantial increase in the power output from the engine and, that an equivalent power levels, the nitric oxide emissions are approximately 30% lower with swirl in the main chamber than without swirl. The development of a computer simulation of the combustion process showed that a one-dimensional combustion model can be used to accurately predict trends in engine operation conditions and nitric oxide emissions even though the actual flame in the engine is not completely one-dimensional, and that a simple model for mixing of the main chamber and prechamber intake gases at the start of compression proved adequate to explain the effects of swirl, ignition timing, overall fuel air ratio, volumetric efficiency, and variations in prechamber air fuel ratio and fuel rate percentage on engine power and nitric oxide emissions. (LCL)

Effects of gaseous ammonia direct injection on performance characteristics of a spark-ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Kyunghyun; Zacharakis-Jutz, George E.; Kong, Song-Charng

2014-01-01

Highlights: • This is the very first study in utilizing direct injection of gaseous ammonia in an SI engine. • Engine combustion using direct injection of gaseous ammonia is proven feasible. • Energy efficiency using ammonia is comparable to that using gasoline. • CO emissions are decreased but emissions of NOx and HC are increased when ammonia is used. - Abstract: The effects of direct injection of gaseous ammonia on the combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions of a spark-ignition engine were investigated. Port-injection gasoline was used to enhance the burning of ammonia that was directly injected into the engine cylinder. Appropriate direct injection strategies were developed to allow ammonia to be used in spark-ignition engines without sacrifice of volumetric efficiency. Experimental results show that with gasoline providing the baseline power of 0.6 kW, total engine power could increase to 2.7 kW when the injection timing of ammonia was advanced to 370 BTDC with injection duration of 22 ms. Engine performance with use of gasoline–ammonia was compared to that with gasoline alone. For operations using gasoline–ammonia, with baseline power from gasoline at 0.6 kW the appropriate ammonia injection timing was found to range from 320 to 370 BTDC for producing 1.5–2.7 kW. The peak pressures were slightly lower than those using gasoline alone because of the lower flame of ammonia, resulting in reduction of cylinder pressure. The brake specific energy consumption (BSEC) with gasoline–ammonia was very similar to that with gasoline alone. Ammonia direct injection caused slight reductions of BSCO for all the loads studied but significantly increased BSHC because of the reduced combustion temperature of ammonia combustion. The use of ammonia resulted in increased NOx emissions because of formation of fuel NOx. Ammonia slip was also detected in the engine exhaust because of incomplete combustion

Performance and emissions analysis on using acetone–gasoline fuel blends in spark-ignition engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashraf Elfasakhany

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, new blended fuels were formed by adding 3–10 vol. % of acetone into a regular gasoline. According to the best of the author's knowledge, it is the first time that the influence of acetone blends has been studied in a gasoline-fueled engine. The blended fuels were tested for their energy efficiencies and pollutant emissions using SI (spark-ignition engine with single-cylinder and 4-stroke. Experimental results showed that the AC3 (3 vol.% acetone + 97 vol.% gasoline blended fuel has an advantage over the neat gasoline in exhaust gases temperature, in-cylinder pressure, brake power, torque and volumetric efficiency by about 0.8%, 2.3%, 1.3%, 0.45% and 0.9%, respectively. As the acetone content increases in the blends, as the engine performance improved where the best performance obtained in this study at the blended fuel of AC10. In particular, exhaust gases temperature, in-cylinder pressure, brake power, torque and volumetric efficiency increase by about 5%, 10.5%, 5.2%, 2.1% and 3.2%, respectively, compared to neat gasoline. In addition, the use of acetone with gasoline fuel reduces exhaust emissions averagely by about 43% for carbon monoxide, 32% for carbon dioxide and 33% for the unburnt hydrocarbons. The enhanced engine performance and pollutant emissions are attributed to the higher oxygen content, slight leaning effect, lower knock tendency and high flame speeds of acetone, compared to the neat gasoline. Finally the mechanism of acetone combustion in gasoline-fueled engines is proposed in this work; two main pathways for acetone combustion are highlighted; furthermore, the CO, CO2 and UHC (unburnt hydrocarbons mechanisms of formation and oxidation are acknowledged. Such acetone mechanism is employed for further understanding acetone combustion in spark-ignition engines.

Hydrogen-ethanol blending as an alternative fuel of spark ignition engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, M.A.S. [University of Babylon (Iraq). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2003-07-01

The performance and pollutant emission of a four-stroke spark ignition engine using hydrogen-ethanol blends as fuel have been studied. The tests were performed using 2, 4, 6, 8, 1 0 and 12 mass% hydrogen-ethanol blends. Gasoline fuel was used as a basis for comparison. The effect of using different blends of hydrogen-ethanol on engine power, specific fuel consumption, CO and NO{sub x} emission was studied. Operating test results for a range of compression ratio (CR) and equivalent ratio are presented. The results show that the supplemental hydrogen in the ethanol-air mixture improves the combustion process and hence improves the combustion efficiency, expands the range of combustibility of the ethanol fuel, increases the power, reduces the s.f.c. and reduces toxic emissions. The important improvement of hydrogen addition is to reduce the s.f.c. of ethanol engines. Results were compared to those with gasoline fuel at 7 CR and stoichiometric equivalence ratio. (author)

Performance study of a four-stroke spark ignition engine working with both of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol as supplementary fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Baghdadi, M.A.-R.S. [Babylon Univ. (Iraq). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2000-10-01

The effect of the amount of hydrogen/ethyl alcohol addition on the performance and pollutant emission of a four-stroke spark ignition engine has been studied. The results of the study show that all engine performance parameters have been improved when operating the gasoline spark ignition engine with dual addition of hydrogen and ethyl alcohol. The important improvements of alcohol addition are to reduce the NO{sub x} emission with increase in the higher useful compression ratio and output power of hydrogen-supplemented engine. The addition of 8 mass% of hydrogen, with 30 vol% of ethyl alcohol into a gasoline engine operating at 9 compression ratio and 1500 rpm causes a 48.5% reduction in CO emission, 31.1% reduction in NO{sub x} emission and 58.5% reduction in specific fuel consumption. Moreover, the engine thermal efficiency and output power increased by 10.1 and 4.72%, respectively. When ethyl alcohol is increased over 30%, it causes unstable engine operation which can be related to the fact that the fuel is not vaporized, and this causes a reduction in both the break power and efficiency. (Author)

Investigations on the effects of ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends in a spark-ignition engine: Performance and emissions analysis

OpenAIRE

Elfasakhany, Ashraf

2015-01-01

This study discusses performance and exhaust emissions from spark-ignition engine fueled with ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends. The test results obtained with the use of low content rates of ethanol–methanol blends (3–10 vol.%) in gasoline were compared to ethanol–gasoline blends, methanol–gasoline blends and pure gasoline test results. Combustion and emission characteristics of ethanol, methanol and gasoline and their blends were evaluated. Results showed that when the vehicle was fueled wit...

Dual Spark Plugs For Stratified-Charge Rotary Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, John; Bracco, Frediano V.

1996-01-01

Fuel efficiency of stratified-charge, rotary, internal-combustion engine increased by improved design featuring dual spark plugs. Second spark plug ignites fuel on upstream side of main fuel injector; enabling faster burning and more nearly complete utilization of fuel.

Energetic and exergetic analyses of a variable compression ratio spark ignition gas engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javaheri, A.; Esfahanian, V.; Salavati-Zadeh, A.; Darzi, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Effects of CR and λ on CNG SI ICE 1st and 2nd law analyses are experimentally studied. • The performance of pure methane and a real CNG are observed and compared. • The ratio of actual to Otto cycle thermal efficiencies is 0.78 for all cases. • At least 25.5% of destructed availability is due to combustion irreversibility. • With decrease in methane content, CNG shows more combustion irreversibility. - Abstract: Considering the significance of obtaining higher efficiencies from internal combustion engines (ICE) along with the growing role of natural gas as a fuel, the present work is set to explore the effects of compression ratio (CR hereafter) and air/fuel equivalence ratio (AFER hereafter) on the energy and exergy potentials in a gas-fueled spark ignition internal combustion engine. Experiments are carried out using a single cylinder, port injection, water cooled, variable compression ratio (VCR hereafter), spark ignition engine at a constant engine speed of 2000 rpm. The study involves CRs of 12, 14 and 16 and 10 AFERs between 0.8 and 1.25. Pure methane is utilized for the analysis. In addition, a natural gas blend with the minimum methane content among Iranian gas sources is also tested in order to investigate the effect of real natural gas on findings. The energy analysis involves input fuel power, indicated power and losses due to high temperature of exhaust gases and their unburned content, blow-by and heat loss. The exergy analysis is carried out for availability input and piston, exhaust, and losses availabilities along with destructed entropy. The analysis indicates an increase in the ratio of thermo-mechanical exhaust availability to fuel availability by CR with a maximum near stoichiometry, whereas it is shown that chemical exhaust exergy is not dependent on CR and reduces with AFER. In addition, it is indicated that the ratio of actual cycle to Otto cycle thermal efficiencies is about constant (about 0.784) with changing CR

Experimental and Numerical Study of Jet Controlled Compression Ignition on Combustion Phasing Control in Diesel Premixed Compression Ignition Systems

OpenAIRE

Qiang Zhang; Wuqiang Long; Jiangping Tian; Yicong Wang; Xiangyu Meng

2014-01-01

In order to directly control the premixed combustion phasing, a Jet Controlled Compression Ignition (JCCI) for diesel premixed compression ignition systems is investigated. Experiments were conducted on a single cylinder natural aspirated diesel engine without EGR at 3000 rpm. Numerical models were validated by load sweep experiments at fixed spark timing. Detailed combustion characteristics were analyzed based on the BMEP of 2.18 bar. The simulation results showed that the high temperature j...

Lubricant induced pre-ignition in an optical spark-ignition engine

OpenAIRE

Dingle, Simon Frederick

2014-01-01

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London This work focuses on the introduction of lubricant into the combustion chamber and the effect that this has on pre-ignition. Apparently for the first time, the work presented provides detailed full-bore optical data for lubricant induced pre-ignition and improves understanding of the super-knock phenomena that affects modern downsized gasoline engines. A new single-cylinder optical r...

Development status of the ignition system for Vinci

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frenken, G.; Vermeulen, E.; Bouquet, F.; Sanders, H.M.

2002-01-01

The development status of ignition system for the new cryogenic upper stage engine Vinci is presented. The concept differs from existing upper stage ignition systems as its functioning is engine independent. The system consists of a spark torch igniter, a highpressure igniter feed system and an

Full Load Performance of a Spark Ignition Engine Fueled with Gasoline-Isobutanol Blends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Irimescu

2009-10-01

Full Text Available With fossil fuels reserves coming ever closer to depletion and the issue of air pollution caused by automotive transport becoming more and more important, mankind has looked for various solutions in the field of internal combustion engines. One of these solutions is using biofuels, and while the internal combustion engine will most likely disappear along with the last fossil fuel source, studying biofuels and their impact on automotive power-trains is a necessity even if only on a the short term basis. While engines built to run on alcohol-gasoline blends offer good performance levels even at high concentrations of alcohol, unmodified engines fueled with blends of biofuels and fossil fuels can exhibit a drop in power. The object of this study is evaluating such phenomena when a spark ignition engine is operated at full load.

Near-frictionless carbon coatings for spark-ignited direct-injected fuel systems. Final report, January 2002.; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hershberger, J.; Ozturk, O.; Ajayi, O. O.; Woodford, J. B.; Erdemir, A.; Fenske, G. R.

2002-01-01

This report describes an investigation by the Tribology Section of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) into the use of near-frictionless carbon (NFC) coatings for spark-ignited, direct-injected (SIDI) engine fuel systems. Direct injection is being pursued in order to improve fuel efficiency and enhance control over, and flexibility of, spark-ignited engines. SIDI technology is being investigated by the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) as one route towards meeting both efficiency goals and more stringent emissions standards. Friction and wear of fuel injector and pump parts were identified as issues impeding adoption of SIDI by the OTT workshop on ''Research Needs Related to CIDI and SIDI Fuel Systems'' and the resulting report, Research Needs Related to Fuel Injection Systems in CIDI and SIDI Engines. The following conclusions were reached: (1) Argonne's NFC coatings consistently reduced friction and wear in existing and reformulated gasolines. (2) Compared to three commercial DLC coatings, NFC provided the best friction reduction and protection from wear in gasoline and alternative fuels. (3) NFC was successfully deposited on production fuel injectors. (4) Customized wear tests were performed to simulate the operating environment of fuel injectors. (5) Industry standard lubricity test results were consistent with customized wear tests in showing the friction and wear reduction of NFC and the lubricity of fuels. (6) Failure of NFC coatings by tensile crack opening or spallation did not occur, and issues with adhesion to steel substrates were eliminated. (7) This work addressed several of the current research needs of the OAAT SIDI program, as defined by the OTT report Research Needs Related to Fuel Injection Systems in CIDI and SIDI Engines

Artificial neural network applications in the calibration of spark-ignition engines: An overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Fiifi Turkson

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Emission legislation has become progressively tighter, making the development of new internal combustion engines very challenging. New engine technologies for complying with these regulations introduce an exponential dependency between the number of test combinations required for obtaining optimum results and the time and cost outlays. This makes the calibration task very expensive and virtually impossible to carry out. The potential use of trained neural networks in combination with Design of Experiments (DoE methods for engine calibration has been a subject of research activities in recent times. This is because artificial neural networks, compared with other data-driven modeling techniques, perform better in satisfying a majority of the modeling requirements for engine calibration including the curse of dimensionality; the use of DoE for obtaining few measurements as practicable, with the aim of reducing engine calibration costs; the required flexibility that allows model parameters to be optimized to avoid overfitting; and the facilitation of automated online optimization during the engine calibration process that eliminates the need for user intervention. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of the various applications of neural networks in the calibration of spark-ignition engines. The identified and discussed applications include system identification for rapid prototyping, virtual sensing, use of neural networks as look-up table surrogates, emerging control strategies and On-Board Diagnostic (OBD applications. The demerits of neural networks, future possibilities and alternatives were also discussed.

Exergetic Evaluation of Speed and Load Effects in Spark Ignition Engines Évaluation exergétique des effets de la vitesse et de la charge dans les moteurs àallumage par étincelle

OpenAIRE

Sezer I.; Bilgin A.

2012-01-01

This study investigates the effects of various operating conditions in spark ignition engines via an exergy analysis. A thermodynamic cycle model including compression, combustion and expansion processes was used for investigation. Induction and exhaust processes were computed with a simple approximation method. The principles of the second law were applied to the cycle model to perform the exergy analysis. Exergetic variables, i.e., the exergy transfers with heat and work, irreversibili...

Estimation of operational parameters for a direct injection turbocharged spark ignition engine by using regression analysis and artificial neural network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tosun Erdi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study was aimed at estimating the variation of several engine control parameters within the rotational speed-load map, using regression analysis and artificial neural network techniques. Duration of injection, specific fuel consumption, exhaust gas at turbine inlet, and within the catalytic converter brick were chosen as the output parameters for the models, while engine speed and brake mean effective pressure were selected as independent variables for prediction. Measurements were performed on a turbocharged direct injection spark ignition engine fueled with gasoline. A three-layer feed-forward structure and back-propagation algorithm was used for training the artificial neural network. It was concluded that this technique is capable of predicting engine parameters with better accuracy than linear and non-linear regression techniques.

Plasma igniter for internal combustion engine

Science.gov (United States)

Fitzgerald, D. J.; Breshears, R. R. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

An igniter for the air/fuel mixture used in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine is described. A conventional spark is used to initiate the discharge of a large amount of energy stored in a capacitor. A high current discharge of the energy in the capacitor switched on by a spark discharge produces a plasma and a magnetic field. The resultant combined electromagnetic current and magnetic field force accelerates the plasma deep into the combustion chamber thereby providing an improved ignition of the air/fuel mixture in the chamber.

Cycle Engine Modelling Of Spark Ignition Engine Processes during Wide-Open Throttle (WOT) Engine Operation Running By Gasoline Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahim, M F Abdul; Rahman, M M; Bakar, R A

2012-01-01

One-dimensional engine model is developed to simulate spark ignition engine processes in a 4-stroke, 4 cylinders gasoline engine. Physically, the baseline engine is inline cylinder engine with 3-valves per cylinder. Currently, the engine's mixture is formed by external mixture formation using piston-type carburettor. The model of the engine is based on one-dimensional equation of the gas exchange process, isentropic compression and expansion, progressive engine combustion process, and accounting for the heat transfer and frictional losses as well as the effect of valves overlapping. The model is tested for 2000, 3000 and 4000 rpm of engine speed and validated using experimental engine data. Results showed that the engine is able to simulate engine's combustion process and produce reasonable prediction. However, by comparing with experimental data, major discrepancy is noticeable especially on the 2000 and 4000 rpm prediction. At low and high engine speed, simulated cylinder pressures tend to under predict the measured data. Whereas the cylinder temperatures always tend to over predict the measured data at all engine speed. The most accurate prediction is obtained at medium engine speed of 3000 rpm. Appropriate wall heat transfer setup is vital for more precise calculation of cylinder pressure and temperature. More heat loss to the wall can lower cylinder temperature. On the hand, more heat converted to the useful work mean an increase in cylinder pressure. Thus, instead of wall heat transfer setup, the Wiebe combustion parameters are needed to be carefully evaluated for better results.

Cyclic variations of fuel-droplet distribution during the early intake stroke of a lean-burn stratified-charge spark-ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleiferis, P.G. [Imperial College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); University College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Hardalupas, Y.; Taylor, A.M.K.P. [Imperial College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, London (United Kingdom); Ishii, K. [Honda International Technical School, Saitama (Japan); Urata, Y. [Tochigi R and D Centre, Honda R and D Co., Ltd, Tochigi (Japan)

2005-11-01

Lean-burn spark-ignition engines exhibit higher efficiency and lower specific emissions in comparison with stoichiometrically charged engines. However, as the air-to-fuel (A/F) ratio of the mixture is made leaner than stoichiometric, cycle-by-cycle variations in the early stages of in-cylinder combustion, and subsequent indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), become more pronounced and limit the range of lean-burn operation. Viable lean-burn engines promote charge stratification, the mixture near the spark plug being richer than the cylinder volume averaged value. Recent work has shown that cycle-by-cycle variations in the early stages of combustion in a stratified-charge engine can be associated with variations in both the local value of A/F ratio near the spark plug around ignition timing, as well as in the volume averaged value of the A/F ratio. The objective of the current work was to identify possible sources of such variability in A/F ratio by studying the in-cylinder field of fuel-droplet distribution during the early intake stroke. This field was visualised in an optical single-cylinder 4-valve pentroof-type spark-ignition engine by means of laser-sheet illumination in planes parallel to the cylinder head gasket 6 and 10 mm below the spark plug. The engine was run with port-injected isooctane at 1500 rpm with 30% volumetric efficiency and air-to-fuel ratio corresponding to both stoichiometric firing (A/F=15, {phi} =1.0) and mixture strength close to the lean limit of stable operation (A/F=22, {phi} =0.68). Images of Mie intensity scattered by the cloud of fuel droplets were acquired on a cycle-by-cycle basis. These were studied in order to establish possible correlations between the cyclic variations in size, location and scattered-light intensity of the cloud of droplets with the respective variations in IMEP. Because of the low level of Mie intensity scattered by the droplets and because of problems related to elastic scattering on the walls of the

Diesel engines vs. spark ignition gasoline engines -- Which is ``greener``?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fairbanks, J.W. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

1997-12-31

Criteria emissions, i.e., NO{sub x}, PM, CO, CO{sub 2}, and H{sub 2}, from recently manufactured automobiles, compared on the basis of what actually comes out of the engines, the diesel engine is greener than spark ignition gasoline engines and this advantage for the diesel engine increases with time. SI gasoline engines tend to get out of tune more than diesel engines and 3-way catalytic converters and oxygen sensors degrade with use. Highway measurements of NO{sub 2}, H{sub 2}, and CO revealed that for each model year, 10% of the vehicles produce 50% of the emissions and older model years emit more than recent model year vehicles. Since 1974, cars with SI gasoline engines have uncontrolled emission until the 3-way catalytic converter reaches operating temperature, which occurs after roughly 7 miles of driving. Honda reports a system to be introduced in 1998 that will alleviate this cold start problem by storing the emissions then sending them through the catalytic converter after it reaches operating temperature. Acceleration enrichment, wherein considerable excess fuel is introduced to keep temperatures down of SI gasoline engine in-cylinder components and catalytic converters so these parts meet warranty, results in 2,500 times more CO and 40 times more H{sub 2} being emitted. One cannot kill oneself, accidentally or otherwise, with CO from a diesel engine vehicle in a confined space. There are 2,850 deaths per year attributable to CO from SI gasoline engine cars. Diesel fuel has advantages compared with gasoline. Refinery emissions are lower as catalytic cracking isn`t necessary. The low volatility of diesel fuel results in a much lower probability of fires. Emissions could be improved by further reducing sulfur and aromatics and/or fuel additives. Reformulated fuel has become the term covering reducing the fuels contribution to emissions. Further PM reduction should be anticipated with reformulated diesel and gasoline fuels.

Efficiency and exhaust gas analysis of variable compression ratio spark ignition engine fuelled with alternative fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seshaiah, N. [Mechanical Engineering Department, M.I.T.S, Madanapalle, Angallu-517325, A.P. (India)

2010-07-01

Considering energy crises and pollution problems today, investigations have been concentrated on decreasing fuel consumption by using alternative fuels and on lowering the concentration of toxic components in combustion products. In the present work, the variable compression ratio spark ignition engine designed to run on gasoline has been tested with pure gasoline, LPG (Isobutene), and gasoline blended with ethanol 10%, 15%, 25% and 35% by volume. Also, the gasoline mixed with kerosene at 15%, 25% and 35% by volume without any engine modifications has been tested and presented the result. Brake thermal and volumetric efficiency variation with brake load is compared and presented. CO and CO2 emissions have been also compared for all tested fuels.

Heat transfer comparison between methane and hydrogen in a spark ignited engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sierens, Roger; Demuynck, Joachim; Paepe, Michel de; Verhelst, Sebastian [Ghent Univ. (Belgium)

2010-07-01

Hydrogen is one of the alternative fuels which are being investigated at Ghent University. NO{sub x} emissions will occur at high engine loads and they are a constraint for power and efficiency optimization. The formation of NO{sub x} emissions is temperature dependent. Consequently, the heat transfer from the burning gases to the cylinder walls has to be accurately modelled if precise computer calculations of the emissions are wanted. Several engine heat transfer models exist but they have been cited to be inaccurate for hydrogen. We have measured the heat flux in a spark ignited engine with a commercially available heat flux sensor. This paper investigates the difference between the heat transfer of hydrogen and a fossil fuel, in this case methane. Measurements with the same indicated power output are compared and the effect of the heat loss on the indicated efficiency is investigated. The power output of hydrogen combustion is lowered by burning lean in contrast to using a throttle in the case of methane. Although the peak in the heat flux of hydrogen is 3 times higher compared to methane for a high engine power output, the indicated efficiency is only 3% lower. The heat loss for hydrogen at a low engine load is smaller than that of methane which results in a higher indicated efficiency. The richness of the hydrogen-air mixture has a great influence on the heat transfer process in contrast to the in-cylinder mass in the case of methane. (orig.)

The Performance of Chrome-Coated Copper as Metallic Catalytic Converter to Reduce Exhaust Gas Emissions from Spark-Ignition Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Warju; Harto, S. P.; Soenarto

2018-01-01

One of the automotive technologies to reduce exhaust gas emissions from the spark-ignition engine (SIE) is by using a catalytic converter. The aims of this research are firstly to conduct a metallic catalytic converter, secondly to find out to what extend chrome-coated copper plate (Cu+Cr) as a catalyst is efficient. To measure the concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) on the frame there are two conditions required. First is when the standard condition, and second is when Cu+Cr metallic catalytic converter is applied using exhaust gas analyzer. Exhaust gas emissions from SIE are measured by using SNI 19-7118.1-2005. The testing of CO and HC emissions were conducted with variable speed to find the trend of exhaust gas emissions from idle speed to high speed. This experiment results in the fact that the use of Cu+Cr metallic catalytic converter can reduce the production of CO and HC of a four-stroke gasoline engine. The reduction of CO and HC emission are 95,35% and 79,28%. Using active metal catalyst in form of metallic catalytic converter, it is gained an optimum effective surface of a catalyst which finally is able to decrease the amount of CO and HC emission significantly in every spinning happened in the engine. Finally, this technology can be applied to the spark ignition engine both car and motorcycle to support blue sky program in Indonesia.

Effects of electrode geometry on transient plasma induced ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shukla, B; Gururajan, V; Eisazadeh-Far, K; Windom, B; Egolfopoulos, F N; Singleton, D; Gundersen, M A

2013-01-01

Achieving effective ignition of reacting mixtures using nanosecond pulsed discharge non-equilibrium transient plasma (TP), requires that the effects of several experimental parameters be quantified and understood. Among them are the electrode geometry, the discharge location especially in non-premixed systems, and the relative ignition performance by spark and TP under the same experimental conditions. In the present investigation, such issues were addressed experimentally using a cylindrical constant volume combustion chamber and a counterflow flame configuration coupled with optical shadowgraph that enables observation of how and where the ignition process starts. Results were obtained under atmospheric pressure and showed that the electrode geometry has a notable influence on ignition, with the needle-to-semicircle exhibiting the best ignition performance. Furthermore, it was determined that under non-premixed conditions discharging TP in the reactants mixing layer was most effective in achieving ignition. It was also determined that in the cases considered, the TP induced ignition initiates from the needle head where the electric field and electron densities are the highest. In the case of a spark, however, ignition was found to initiate always from the hot region between the two electrodes. Comparison of spark and TP discharges in only air (i.e. without fuel) and ignition phenomena induced by them also suggest that in the case of TP ignition is at least partly non-thermal and instead driven by the production of active species. Finally, it was determined that single pulsed TP discharges are sufficient to ignite both premixed and non-premixed flames of a variety of fuels ranging from hydrogen to heavy fuels including F-76 diesel and IFO380 bunker fuel even at room temperature. (paper)

Surface breakdown igniter for mercury arc devices

Science.gov (United States)

Bayless, John R.

1977-01-01

Surface breakdown igniter comprises a semiconductor of medium resistivity which has the arc device cathode as one electrode and has an igniter anode electrode so that when voltage is applied between the electrodes a spark is generated when electrical breakdown occurs over the surface of the semiconductor. The geometry of the igniter anode and cathode electrodes causes the igniter discharge to be forced away from the semiconductor surface.

Knock investigation by flame and radical species detection in spark ignition engine for different fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merola, Simona S.; Vaglieco, Bianca M.

2007-01-01

The present paper aims to evaluate the phenomena of normal combustion and knocking in a single cylinder, ported fuel injection, four-stroke spark-ignition engine with a four-valve production head. All the measurements were realized in an optically accessible engine equipped with a wide quartz window in the bottom of the chamber. The study was carried out using optical techniques based on flame natural emission imaging and spectroscopy from UV to visible. Radical species such as OH and HCO were detected and correlated to the onset and the duration of knock and presence of hot-spots in end-gas. Measurements were carried out at 1000 rpm with wide-open throttle and stoichiometric mixture. Pure iso-octane, suitable mixtures of iso-octane and n-heptane and commercial gasoline were used

Acoustic Igniter, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An acoustic igniter eliminates the need to use electrical energy to drive spark systems to initiate combustion in liquid-propellant rockets. It does not involve the...

Variations in speciated emissions from spark-ignition and compression-ignition motor vehicles in California's south coast air basin.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujita, Eric M; Zielinska, Barbara; Campbell, David E; Arnott, W Patrick; Sagebiel, John C; Mazzoleni, Lynn; Chow, Judith C; Gabele, Peter A; Crews, William; Snow, Richard; Clark, Nigel N; Wayne, W Scott; Lawson, Douglas R

2007-06-01

The U.S. Department of Energy Gasoline/Diesel PM Split Study examined the sources of uncertainties in using an organic compound-based chemical mass balance receptor model to quantify the contributions of spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine exhaust to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5). This paper presents the chemical composition profiles of SI and CI engine exhaust from the vehicle-testing portion of the study. Chemical analysis of source samples consisted of gravimetric mass, elements, ions, organic carbon (OC), and elemental carbon (EC) by the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) and Speciation Trends Network (STN) thermal/optical methods, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), hopanes, steranes, alkanes, and polar organic compounds. More than half of the mass of carbonaceous particles emitted by heavy-duty diesel trucks was EC (IMPROVE) and emissions from SI vehicles contained predominantly OC. Although total carbon (TC) by the IMPROVE and STN protocols agreed well for all of the samples, the STN/IMPROVE ratios for EC from SI exhaust decreased with decreasing sample loading. SI vehicles, whether low or high emitters, emitted greater amounts of high-molecular-weight particulate PAHs (benzo[ghi]perylene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and coronene) than did CI vehicles. Diesel emissions contained higher abundances of two- to four-ring semivolatile PAHs. Diacids were emitted by CI vehicles but are also prevalent in secondary organic aerosols, so they cannot be considered unique tracers. Hopanes and steranes were present in lubricating oil with similar composition for both gasoline and diesel vehicles and were negligible in gasoline or diesel fuels. CI vehicles emitted greater total amounts of hopanes and steranes on a mass per mile basis, but abundances were comparable to SI exhaust normalized to TC emissions within measurement uncertainty. The combustion-produced high-molecular-weight PAHs were found in used

Emission characteristics of iso-propanol/gasoline blends in a spark-ignition engine combined with exhaust gas re-circulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gong Jing

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Experiments were carried out in a spark-ignition engine fueled with iso-propanol/gasoline blends. Emission characteristics of this engine were investigated experimentally, including gaseous emissions (HC, CO, NOx and particulate matter emission in term of number and size distributions. The effects of different iso-propanol percentages, loads and exhaust gas recirculation rates on emissions were analyzed. Results show that the introduction of exhaust gas recirculation reduces the NOx emission and NOx emission gives the highest value at full load condition. HC and CO emissions present inconspicuous variations at all the loads except the load of 10%. Additionally, HC emission shows a sharp increase for pure propanol when the exhaust gas recirculation rate is up to 5%, while little variation is observed at lager exhaust gas recirculation rates. Moreover, the particulate matter number concentration increases monotonically with the increase of load and the decrease of exhaust gas recirculation rate. There exists a critical spark timing that produces the highest particulate matter number concentration at all the blending ratios.

INVESTIGATION OF COMBUSTION, PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF SPARK IGNITION ENGINE FUELLED WITH BUTHANOL – GASOLINE MIXTURE AND A HYDROGEN ENRICHED AIR

OpenAIRE

Alfredas Rimkus; Mindaugas Melaika; Jonas Matijošius; Šarūnas Mikaliūnas; Saugirdas Pukalskas

2016-01-01

In this study, spark ignition engine fuelled with buthanol-gasoline mixture and a hydrogen-enriched air was investigated. Engine performance, emissions and combustion characteristics were investigated with different buthanol (10% and 20% by volume) gasoline mixtures and additionally supplied oxygen and hydrogen (HHO) gas mixture (3.6 l/min) in the sucked air. Hydrogen, which is in the HHO gas, improves gasoline and gasoline-buthanol mixture combustion, increases indicated pressure during comb...

"Simultaneous measurement of flame impingement and piston surface temperatures in an optically accessible spark ignition engine"

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Carl-Philipp; Honza, Rene; Böhm, Benjamin; Dreizler, Andreas

2017-04-01

This paper shows the results of spatially resolved temperature measurements of the piston surface of an optically accessible direct injection spark ignition engine during flame impingement. High-speed thermographic phosphor thermometry (TPT), using Gd3Ga5O12:Cr,Ce, and planar laser-induced fluorescence of the hydroxyl radical (OH-PLIF) were used to investigate the temperature increase and the time and position of flame impingement at the piston surface. Measurements were conducted at two operating cases and showed heating rates of up to 16,000 K/s. The OH-PLIF measurements were used to localize flame impingement and calculate conditioned statistics of the temperature profiles. The TPT coating was characterized and its influence on the temperature measurements evaluated.

Gas temperature of capacitance spark discharge in air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ono, Ryo; Nifuku, Masaharu; Fujiwara, Shuzo; Horiguchi, Sadashige; Oda, Tetsuji

2005-01-01

Capacitance spark discharge has been widely used for studying the ignition of flammable gas caused by electrostatic discharge. In the present study, the gas temperature of capacitance spark discharge is measured. The gas temperature is an important factor in understanding the electrostatic ignition process because it influences the reaction rate of ignition. Spark discharge is generated in air with a pulse duration shorter than 100 ns. The discharge energy is set to 0.03-1 mJ. The rotational and vibrational temperatures of the N 2 molecule are measured using the emission spectrum of the N 2 second positive system. The rotational and vibrational temperatures are estimated to be 500 and 5000 K, respectively, which are independent of the discharge energy. This result indicates that most of the electron energy is consumed in the excitation of vibrational levels of molecules rather than the heating of the gas. The gas temperature after discharge is also measured by laser-induced fluorescence of OH radicals. It is shown that the gas temperature increases after discharge and reaches approximately 1000 K at 3 μs after discharge. Then the temperature decreases at a rate in the range of 8-35 K/μs depending on the discharge energy

Numerical investigation of natural gas direct injection properties and mixture formation in a spark ignition engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yadollahi Bijan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, a numerical model has been developed in AVL FIRE software to perform investigation of Direct Natural Gas Injection into the cylinder of Spark Ignition Internal Combustion Engines. In this regard two main parts have been taken into consideration, aiming to convert an MPFI gasoline engine to direct injection NG engine. In the first part of study multi-dimensional numerical simulation of transient injection process, mixing and flow field have been performed via three different validation cases in order to assure the numerical model validity of results. Adaption of such a modeling was found to be a challenging task because of required computational effort and numerical instabilities. In all cases present results were found to have excellent agreement with experimental and numerical results from literature. In the second part, using the moving mesh capability the validated model has been applied to methane Injection into the cylinder of a Direct Injection engine. Five different piston head shapes along with two injector types have been taken into consideration in investigations. A centrally mounted injector location has been adapted to all cases. The effects of injection parameters, combustion chamber geometry, injector type and engine RPM have been studied on mixing of air-fuel inside cylinder. Based on the results, suitable geometrical configuration for a NG DI Engine has been discussed.

An investigation of the ignition probability and data analysis for the detection of relevant parameters of mechanically generated steel sparks in explosive gas/air-mixtures; Untersuchungen zur Zuendwahrscheinlichkeit und Datenanalyse zur Erfassung der Einflussgroessen mechanisch erzeugter Stahl-Schlagfunktion in explosionsfaehigen Brenngas/Luft-Gemischen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grunewald, Thomas; Finke, Robert; Graetz, Rainer

2010-07-01

Mechanically generated sparks are a potential source of ignition in highly combustible areas. A multiplicity of mechanical and reaction-kinetic influences causes a complex interaction of parameters. It is only little known about their effect on the ignition probability. The ignition probability of mechanically generated sparks with a material combination of unalloyed steel/unalloyed steel and with an kinetic impact energy between 3 and 277 Nm could be determined statistically tolerable. In addition, the explosiveness of not oxidized particles at increased temperatures in excess stoichiometric mixtures was proven. A unique correlation between impact energy and ignition probability as well as a correlation of impact energy and number of separated particles could be determined. Also, a principle component analysis considering the interaction of individual particles could not find a specific combination of measurable characteristics of the particles, which correlate with a distinct increase of the ignition probability.

Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) Initiative: Recent Progress on Light-Duty Boosted Spark-Ignition Fuels/Engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farrell, John

2017-07-03

This presentation reports recent progress on light-duty boosted spark-ignition fuels/engines being developed under the Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines initiative (Co-Optima). Co-Optima is focused on identifying fuel properties that optimize engine performance, independent of composition, allowing the market to define the best means to blend and provide these fuels. However, in support of this, we are pursuing a systematic study of blendstocks to identify a broad range of feasible options, with the objective of identifying blendstocks that can provide target ranges of key fuel properties, identifying trade-offs on consistent and comprehensive basis, and sharing information with stakeholders.

Preliminary study on the combustion and emission in a direct injection LPG spark ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Seungmook; Lee, Seokhwan [Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (Korea, Republic of)

2010-07-01

In the energy sector, with the implementation of stringent regulations on combustion emissions and the depletion of conventional fuels, there is an important need for low carbon fuel and advanced engine technology. Korea is the country with the most LPG vehicles in the world and the aim of this study, performed by the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, is to compare the performance of LPG direct injection spark ignition (DISI) with gasoline DISI. Heat release analyses were conducted to determine the combustion characteristics of both systems and experiments were performed to determine gaseous and nanoparticle emissions. Results showed that LPG provides a better thermal efficiency than gasoline and that THC, NOx, and particulate emissions were lower for LPG than for gasoline. This study demonstrated that LPG DISI can provide better combustion efficiency and lower emissions than gasoline DISI.

Biofuel and Hydrogen Influence for Operation Parameters of Spark Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martynas Damaševičius

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Paper presents research of efficient and ecological parameters of gasoline engine working with biobuthanol (10% and 20% by volume and addi-tionaly supplying oxygen and hydrogen (HHO gas mixture (3.6 l/min, which was obtained from from water by electrolysis. Biobuthanol addition decreases rate of heat release, the combustion temperature and pressure are lower, which has an influence on lower nitrous oxide (NOx emission in exhaust gases. However, biobuthanol increases carbon monoxide (CO concentration. Biobuthanol fuel has a simplier molecular structure, therefore the concentration of HC in the exhaust gas is decreasing. Due to lower heating value of biobuthanol fuel and slower combustion process, the engine efficiency decreases and specific fuel consumptions increase. The change of engine energetical indicators due to biobuthanol, can be compensated with advanced ignition angle. Using experimental investigation, it was determined, that negative biobuthanol influence for the combustion process and engine efficient inicators can be compensated also by additional supplied HHO gas, in which the hydrogen element iprove fuel mixture com-bustion. Fuel combustion process analysis was carried out using AVL BOOST software. Experimental research and combustion process numerical simulation showed that using balanced biobuthanol and hydrogen addition, optimal efficient and ecological parameters could be achieved, when engine is working for petrol fuel typical optimal spark timing.

Propellant Flow Actuated Piezoelectric Igniter for Combustion Engines

Science.gov (United States)

Wollen, Mark A. (Inventor)

2018-01-01

A propellant flow actuated piezoelectric igniter device using one or more hammer balls retained by one or more magnets, or other retaining method, until sufficient fluid pressure is achieved in one or more charging chambers to release and accelerate the hammer ball, such that it impacts a piezoelectric crystal to produce an ignition spark. Certain preferred embodiments provide a means for repetitively capturing and releasing the hammer ball after it impacts one or more piezoelectric crystals, thereby oscillating and producing multiple, repetitive ignition sparks. Furthermore, an embodiment is presented for which oscillation of the hammer ball and repetitive impact to the piezoelectric crystal is maintained without the need for a magnet or other retaining mechanism to achieve this oscillating impact process.

Effect of compression ratio, equivalence ratio and engine speed on the performance and emission characteristics of a spark ignition engine using hydrogen as a fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadiq Al-Baghdadi, M.A.R. [University of Babylon (Iraq). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

2004-12-01

The present energy situation has stimulated active research interest in non-petroleum and non-polluting fuels, particularly for transportation, power generation, and agricultural sectors. Researchers have found that hydrogen presents the best and an unprecedented solution to the energy crises and pollution problems, due to its superior combustion qualities and availability. This paper discusses analytically and provides data on the effect of compression ratio, equivalence ratio and engine speed on the engine performance, emissions and pre-ignition limits of a spark ignition engine operating on hydrogen fuel. These data are important in order to understand the interaction between engine performance and emission parameters, which will help engine designers when designing for hydrogen. (author)

Technical evaluation of vehicle ignition systems: conduct differences between a high energy capacitive system and a standard inductive system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Santos Goulart

2014-09-01

Full Text Available An efficient combustion depends on many factors, such as injection, turbulence and ignition characteristics. With the improvement of internal combustion engines the turbulence intensity and internal pressure have risen, demanding more efficient and powerful ignition systems. In direct injection engines, the stratified charge resultant from the wall/air-guided or spray-guided system requires even more energy. The Paschen’s law shows that spark plug gap and mixture density are proportional to the dielectric rupture voltage. It is known that larger spark gaps promote higher efficiency in the internal combustion engines, since the mixture reaction rate rises proportionally. However, the ignition system must be adequate to the imposed gap, not only on energy, but also on voltage and spark duration. For the reported study in this work two test benches were built: a standard inductive ignition system and a capacitive discharge high energy ignition system, with variable voltage and capacitance. The influence of the important parameters energy and ignition voltage on the spark duration, as well as the electrode gap and shape were analyzed. It was also investigated the utilization of a coil with lower resistance and inductance values, as well as spark plugs with and without internal resistances.

An Experimental and Simulation Study of Early Flame Development in a Homogeneous-charge Spark-Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shekhawat Y.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available An integrated experimental and Large-Eddy Simulation (LES study is presented for homogeneous premixed combustion in a spark-ignition engine. The engine is a single-cylinder two-valve optical research engine with transparent liner and piston: the Transparent Combustion Chamber (TCC engine. This is a relatively simple, open engine configuration that can be used for LES model development and validation by other research groups. Pressure-based combustion analysis, optical diagnostics and LES have been combined to generate new physical insight into the early stages of combustion. The emphasis has been on developing strategies for making quantitative comparisons between high-speed/high-resolution optical diagnostics and LES using common metrics for both the experiments and the simulations, and focusing on the important early flame development period. Results from two different LES turbulent combustion models are presented, using the same numerical methods and computational mesh. Both models yield Cycle-to-Cycle Variations (CCV in combustion that are higher than what is observed in the experiments. The results reveal strengths and limitations of the experimental diagnostics and the LES models, and suggest directions for future diagnostic and simulation efforts. In particular, it has been observed that flame development between the times corresponding to the laminar-to-turbulent transition and 1% mass-burned fraction are especially important in establishing the subsequent combustion event for each cycle. This suggests a range of temporal and spatial scales over which future experimental and simulation efforts should focus.

Investigation of possibilities of ignition of target plasma in conditions of inertial thermonuclear synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreev, A.A.; Gus'kov, S.Yu.; Rozanov, V.B.; Il'in, D.V.; Levkovskij, A.A.; Sherman, V.E.

2001-01-01

On the basis of mathematical simulation of thermonuclear burning of DT-plasma of laser targets one calculated G factors of thermonuclear intensification for a space and a spark ignitions at various parameters of target plasma and igniters (both isobaric and isochoric). One calculated the critical parameters of igniters upon reaching of which the efficient thermonuclear burst with G ∼ 100 took place. It is shown that further increase of temperature and of dimensions of igniters does not practically affect the efficiency of DT-fuel burnup and independently of the way of ignition G value may be estimated using a simple asymptotic expression. At the same time the values of the critical parameters of igniters depend essentially on the way of ignition and on target parameters. One studied in detail the spark ignition with isochoric igniter. Thermal energy generated at absorption of supershort additional laser pulse is shown to be the key critical parameter for the optimal isochoric igniters. Critical parameters of this energy are calculated [ru

Multi-point laser spark generation for internal combustion engines using a spatial light modulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, Elliott; Kuang, Zheng; Dearden, Geoff; Cheng, Hua; Page, Vincent; Shenton, Tom

2014-01-01

This paper reports on a technique demonstrating for the first time successful multi-point laser-induced spark generation, which is variable in three dimensions and derived from a single laser beam. Previous work on laser ignition of internal combustion engines found that simultaneously igniting in more than one location resulted in more stable and faster combustion – a key potential advantage over conventional spark ignition. However, previous approaches could only generate secondary foci at fixed locations. The work reported here is an experimental technique for multi-point laser ignition, in which several sparks with arbitrary spatial location in three dimensions are created by variable diffraction of a pulsed single laser beam source and transmission through an optical plug. The diffractive multi-beam arrays and patterns are generated using a spatial light modulator on which computer generated holograms are displayed. A gratings and lenses algorithm is used to accurately modulate the phase of the input laser beam and create multi-beam output. The underpinning theory, experimental arrangement and results obtained are presented and discussed. (paper)

3rd Conference on Ignition Systems for Gasoline Engines

CERN Document Server

Sens, Marc

2017-01-01

The volume includes selected and reviewed papers from the 3rd Conference on Ignition Systems for Gasoline Engines in Berlin in November 2016. Experts from industry and universities discuss in their papers the challenges to ignition systems in providing reliable, precise ignition in the light of a wide spread in mixture quality, high exhaust gas recirculation rates and high cylinder pressures. Classic spark plug ignition as well as alternative ignition systems are assessed, the ignition system being one of the key technologies to further optimizing the gasoline engine.

Performance analyses of a spark-ignition engine firing with gasoline–butanol blends at partial load operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galloni, E.; Fontana, G.; Staccone, S.; Scala, F.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • The potential of butanol has been investigated at partial load operation. • Torque and thermal efficiency slightly decrease when the alcohol content increases. • At part load, spark advance does not require changes when alcohol content increases. - Abstract: Biofuels seem to represent one of the most promising means for the limitation of the greenhouse gas emissions coming from traditional energy systems. In this paper, the performance of a “downsized” spark-ignition engine, fueled by gasoline and bio-butanol blends (20% and 40% butanol mass percentage), has been analyzed. In the first phase of this activity, the experimental tests have been carried out at operating points ranging from low to medium engine speed and load. The first investigations were aimed to assess the main differences among the different fuels in terms of output torque, thermal efficiency, combustion duration and optimal spark timing. In order to study the engine behavior in a wide range of fuel mixtures, these parameters have been evaluated for equivalence ratio values ranging from 1.25 to 0.83. The results obtained in this step show that both the engine torque and thermal efficiency slightly decrease (meanly about 4%) when the blend alcohol content increases. However, butanol increases the burning rate of lean mixtures and an interesting result is that the spark advance does not require adjustments when fueling changes from neat gasoline to bio-butanol/gasoline blends. Later, the pollutant emissions and the CO_2 emissions, for both rich and lean mixtures of pure gasoline and gasoline bio-butanol blends, have been measured. In general, firing with alcohol blends, NO_x and CO emissions remain quite the same, HC emissions slightly decrease while the CO_2 emissions slightly increase. At the end, in order to reproduce the real world urban driving cycle, stoichiometric mixtures have been analyzed. In these conditions, the engine thermal efficiency, at given speed and torque

Plasma igniter for internal-combustion engines

Science.gov (United States)

Breshears, R. R.; Fitzgerald, D. J.

1978-01-01

Hot ionized gas (plasma) ignites air/fuel mixture in internal combustion engines more effectively than spark. Electromagnetic forces propel plasma into combustion zone. Combustion rate is not limited by flame-front speed.

Combustion and emissions characteristics of a spark-ignition engine fueled with hydrogen–methanol blends under lean and various loads conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Bo; Ji, Changwei; Wang, Shuofeng; Liu, Xiaolong

2014-01-01

Methanol is a promising alternative fuel for the spark-ignition engines. This paper experimentally investigated the performance of a hydrogen-blended methanol engine at lean and various load conditions. The test was conducted on a four-cylinder commercial spark-ignition engine equipped with an electronically controlled hydrogen port injection system. The test was conducted under a typical city driving speed of 1400 rpm and a constant excess air ratio of 1.20. Two hydrogen volume fractions in the intake of 0 and 3% were adopted to investigate the effect of hydrogen addition on combustion and emissions performance of the methanol engine. The test results showed that brake thermal efficiency was improved after the hydrogen addition. When manifolds absolute pressure increased from about 38 to 83 kPa, brake thermal efficiencies after the hydrogen addition were increased by 6.5% and 4.2%. The addition of hydrogen availed shortening flame development and propagation periods. The peak cylinder temperature was raised whereas cylinder temperature at the exhaust valve opening was decreased after the hydrogen addition. The addition of hydrogen contributed to the dropped hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide. However, nitrogen oxides were slightly raised after the hydrogen enrichment. - Highlights: • Load characteristics of a H 2 -blended methanol engine are experimentally studied. • H 2 addition is more effective on raising engine efficiency at low loads. • Flame development and propagation periods are shortened after H 2 addition. • H 2 enrichment contributes to the smooth operation of the methanol engine. • HC and CO emissions from the methanol engine are reduced after H 2 addition

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.

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.

Improvements to the Composition of Fusel Oil and Analysis of the Effects of Fusel Oil–Gasoline Blends on a Spark-Ignited (SI Engine’s Performance and Emissions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suleyman Simsek

2018-03-01

Full Text Available With the increase of energy needs and environmental pollution, alcohol-based alternative fuels are used in spark-ignited (SI engines. Fusel oil, which is a by-product obtained through distillation of ethanol, contains some valuable alcohols. As alcohols are high-octane, they have an important place among the alternative fuels. Fusel also takes its place among those alternatives as it is high-octane and low on exhaust emissions. In this research, the effects of using blends of unleaded gasoline and improved fusel oil on engine performance and exhaust emissions were analyzed experimentally. A four-stroke, single-cylinder, spark-ignited engine was used in the experiments. The tests were conducted at a fixed speed and under different loads. The test fuels were blended supplying with fusel oil at rates incremented by 10%, up to 50%. Under each load, the engine’s performance and emissions were measured. Throughout the experiments, it has been observed that engine torque and specific fuel consumption increases as the amount of fusel oil in the blend is increased. Nitrogen oxide (NOx, carbon monoxide (CO, and hydrocarbon (HC emissions are reduced as the amount of fusel oil in the blends is increased.

Development and validation of a multi-zone combustion model for performance and nitric oxide formation in syngas fueled spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rakopoulos, C.D.; Michos, C.N.

2008-01-01

The development of a zero-dimensional, multi-zone combustion model is presented for predicting the performance and nitric oxide (NO) emissions of a spark ignition (SI) engine. The model is validated against experimental data from a multi-cylinder, four-stroke, turbocharged and aftercooled, SI gas engine running with syngas fuel. This alternative fuel, the combustible part of which consists mainly of CO and H 2 with the rest containing non-combustible gases, has been recently identified as a promising substitute of fossil fuels in view of environmentally friendly engine operation. The basic concept of the model is the division of the burned gas into several distinct zones, unlike the simpler two-zone models, for taking into account the temperature stratification of the burned mixture during combustion. This is especially important for accurate NO emissions predictions, since NO formation is strongly temperature dependent. The multi-zone formulation provides the chemical species concentrations gradient existing in the burned zones, as well as the relative contribution of each burned zone to the total in-cylinder NO formation. The burning rate required as input to the model is expressed as a Wiebe function, fitted to experimentally derived burn rates. All model's constants are calibrated at one operating point and then kept unchanged. Zone-resolved combustion related information is obtained, assisting in the understanding of the complex phenomena occurring during combustion in SI engines. Combustion characteristics of the lean-burn gas engine tested are provided for the complete load range, aiding the interpretation of its performance and knocking tendency. Computed NO emissions from the multi-zone model for various values of the engine load (i.e. air-fuel ratios) are presented and found to be in good agreement with the respective experimental ones, providing confidence for the predictive capability of the model. The superiority of the multi-zone model over its two

On the assessment of performance and emissions characteristics of a SI engine provided with a laser ignition system

Science.gov (United States)

Birtas, A.; Boicea, N.; Draghici, F.; Chiriac, R.; Croitoru, G.; Dinca, M.; Dascalu, T.; Pavel, N.

2017-10-01

Performance and exhaust emissions of spark ignition engines are strongly dependent on the development of the combustion process. Controlling this process in order to improve the performance and to reduce emissions by ensuring rapid and robust combustion depends on how ignition stage is achieved. An ignition system that seems to be able for providing such an enhanced combustion process is that based on plasma generation using a Q-switched solid state laser that delivers pulses with high peak power (of MW-order level). The laser-spark devices used in the present investigations were realized using compact diffusion-bonded Nd:YAG/Cr4+:YAG ceramic media. The laser igniter was designed, integrated and built to resemble a classical spark plug and therefore it could be mounted directly on the cylinder head of a passenger car engine. In this study are reported the results obtained using such ignition system provided for a K7M 710 engine currently produced by Renault-Dacia, where the standard calibrations were changed towards the lean mixtures combustion zone. Results regarding the performance, the exhaust emissions and the combustion characteristics in optimized spark timing conditions, which demonstrate the potential of such an innovative ignition system, are presented.

DT ignition in a Z pinch compressed by an imploding liner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilbao, L.; Bernal, L.; Linhart, J.G.; Verri, G.

2001-01-01

It has been shown that an m=0 instability of a Z pinch carrying a current of the order of 10 MA with a rise time of less than 10 ns can generate a spark capable of igniting a fusion detonation in the adjacent DT plasma channel. A possible method for generating such currents, necessary for the implosion of an initial large radius, low temperature Z pinch, can be a radial implosion of a cylindrical fast liner. The problem has been addressed in previous publications without considering the role played by an initially impressed m=0 perturbation, a mechanism indispensable for the generation of a spark. The liner-Z pinch dynamics can be solved at several levels of physical model completeness. The first corresponds to a zero dimensional model in which the liner has a given mass per unit length and a zero thickness, the plasma is compressed adiabatically and is isotropic, and there are no energy losses or Joule heating. The second level is one dimensional. The Z pinch plasma is described by the full set of MHD, two-fluid equations. The liner is treated first as thin and incompressible, and subsequently it is assumed that it has a finite thickness and is composed of a heavy ion plasma, having an artificial but realistic equation of state. Both plasma and liner are considered uniform in the Z direction and only DT reactions are considered. It is shown that, given sufficient energy and speed of the liner, the Z pinch can reach a volume ignition. The third level is two dimensional. Plasma and liner are treated as in the second level but either the Z pinch or the liner is perturbed by an m=0 non-uniformity. Provided the liner energy is high enough and the initial m=0 perturbation is correctly chosen, the final neck plasma can act as a spark for DT ignition. It is also shown that the liner energy required for generating a spark and the subsequent detonation propagation are considerably less than in the case of volume ignition. (author)

CORONA DISCHARGE IGNITION FOR ADVANCED STATIONARY NATURAL GAS ENGINES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Paul D. Ronney

2003-09-12

An ignition source was constructed that is capable of producing a pulsed corona discharge for the purpose of igniting mixtures in a test chamber. This corona generator is adaptable for use as the ignition source for one cylinder on a test engine. The first tests were performed in a cylindrical shaped chamber to study the characteristics of the corona and analyze various electrode geometries. Next a test chamber was constructed that closely represented the dimensions of the combustion chamber of the test engine at USC. Combustion tests were performed in this chamber and various electrode diameters and geometries were tested. The data acquisition and control system hardware for the USC engine lab was updated with new equipment. New software was also developed to perform the engine control and data acquisition functions. Work is underway to design a corona electrode that will fit in the new test engine and be capable igniting the mixture in one cylinder at first and eventually in all four cylinders. A test engine was purchased for the project that has two spark plug ports per cylinder. With this configuration it will be possible to switch between corona ignition and conventional spark plug ignition without making any mechanical modifications.

Physical and chemical effects of low octane gasoline fuels on compression ignition combustion

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad; Viollet, Yoann; Elwardani, Ahmed Elsaid; Im, Hong G.; Chang, Junseok

2016-01-01

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines running on low octane gasoline fuels are considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition engines. In this study, three fuels with different chemical and physical characteristics have

Characterisation of laser ignition in hydrogen-air mixtures in a combustion bomb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar [Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016 (India); Weinrotter, Martin; Wintner, Ernst [Photonics Institute, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Iskra, Kurt [Institute of Experimental Physics, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 16, A-8010 Graz (Austria)

2009-03-15

Laser-induced spark ignition of lean hydrogen-air mixtures was experimentally investigated using nanosecond pulses generated by Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (wavelength 1064 nm) at initial pressure of 3 MPa and temperature 323 K in a constant volume combustion chamber. Laser ignition has several advantages over conventional ignition systems especially in internal combustion engines, hence it is necessary to characterise the combustion phenomena from start of plasma formation to end of combustion. In the present experimental investigation, the formation of laser plasma by spontaneous emission technique and subsequently developing flame kernel was measured. Initially, the plasma propagates towards the incoming laser. This backward moving plasma (towards the focusing lens) grows much faster than the forward moving plasma (along the direction of laser). A piezoelectric pressure transducer was used to measure the pressure rise in the combustion chamber. Hydrogen-air mixtures were also ignited using a spark plug under identical experimental conditions and results are compared with the laser ignition ones. (author)

Optimization of operating conditions in the early direct injection premixed charge compression ignition regime

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Boot, M.D.; Luijten, C.C.M.; Rijk, E.P.; Albrecht, B.A.; Baert, R.S.G.

2009-01-01

Early Direct Injection Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (EDI PCCI) is a widely researched combustion concept, which promises soot and CO2 emission levels of a spark-ignition (SI) and compression-ignition (CI) engine, respectively. Application of this concept to a conventional CI engine using a

Ignition circuit for combustion engines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becker, H W

1977-05-26

The invention refers to the ignition circuit for combustion engines, which are battery fed. The circuit contains a transistor and an oscillator to produce an output voltage on the secondary winding of an output transformer to supply an ignition current. The plant is controlled by an interrupter. The purpose of the invention is to form such a circuit that improved sparks for ignition are produced, on the one hand, and that on the other hand, the plant can continue to function after loss of the oscillator. The problem is solved by the battery and the secondary winding of the output transformers of the oscillator are connected via a rectifier circuit to produce a resultant total voltage with the ignition coil from the battery voltage and the rectified pulsating oscillator output.

Performance and emission characteristics of a turbocharged spark-ignition hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas engine under wide open throttle operating conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, Fanhua; Wang, Mingyue; Jiang, Long; Deng, Jiao; Chen, Renzhe; Naeve, Nashay; Zhao, Shuli [State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

2010-11-15

This paper investigates the effect of various hydrogen ratios in HCNG (hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas) fuels on performance and emission characteristics at wide open throttle operating conditions using a turbocharged spark-ignition natural gas engine. The experimental data was taken at hydrogen fractions of 0%, 30% and 55% by volume and was conducted under different excess air ratio ({lambda}) at MBT operating conditions. It is found that under various {lambda}, the addition of hydrogen can significantly reduce CO, CH{sub 4} emissions and the NO{sub x} emission remain at an acceptable level when ignition timing is optimized. Using the same excess air ratio, as more hydrogen is added the power, exhaust temperatures and max cylinder pressure decrease slowly until the mixture's lower heating value remains unchanged with the hydrogen enrichment, then they rise gradually. In addition, the early flame development period and the flame propagation duration are both shorter, and the indicated thermal efficiency and maximum heat release rate both increase with more hydrogen addition. (author)

Piezoelectrically Initiated Pyrotechnic Igniter

Science.gov (United States)

Quince, Asia; Dutton, Maureen; Hicks, Robert; Burnham, Karen

2013-01-01

This innovation consists of a pyrotechnic initiator and piezoelectric initiation system. The device will be capable of being initiated mechanically; resisting initiation by EMF, RF, and EMI (electromagnetic field, radio frequency, and electromagnetic interference, respectively); and initiating in water environments and space environments. Current devices of this nature are initiated by the mechanical action of a firing pin against a primer. Primers historically are prone to failure. These failures are commonly known as misfires or hang-fires. In many cases, the primer shows the dent where the firing pin struck the primer, but the primer failed to fire. In devices such as "T" handles, which are commonly used to initiate the blowout of canopies, loss of function of the device may result in loss of crew. In devices such as flares or smoke generators, failure can result in failure to spot a downed pilot. The piezoelectrically initiated ignition system consists of a pyrotechnic device that plugs into a mechanical system (activator), which on activation, generates a high-voltage spark. The activator, when released, will strike a stack of electrically linked piezo crystals, generating a high-voltage, low-amperage current that is then conducted to the pyro-initiator. Within the initiator, an electrode releases a spark that passes through a pyrotechnic first-fire mixture, causing it to combust. The combustion of the first-fire initiates a primary pyrotechnic or explosive powder. If used in a "T" handle, the primary would ramp the speed of burn up to the speed of sound, generating a shock wave that would cause a high explosive to go "high order." In a flare or smoke generator, the secondary would produce the heat necessary to ignite the pyrotechnic mixture. The piezo activator subsystem is redundant in that a second stack of crystals would be struck at the same time with the same activation force, doubling the probability of a first strike spark generation. If the first

Methods to improve efficiency of four stroke, spark ignition engines at part load

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutlar, Osman Akin; Arslan, Hikmet; Calik, Alper Tolga

2005-01-01

The four stroke, spark ignition (SI) engine pressure-volume diagram (p-V) contains two main parts. They are the compression-combustion-expansion (high pressure loop) and the exhaust-intake (low pressure or gas exchange loop) parts. The main reason for efficiency decrease at part load conditions for these types of engines is the flow restriction at the cross sectional area of the intake system by partially closing the throttle valve, which leads to increased pumping losses and to increased low pressure loop area on the p-V diagram. Meanwhile, the poorer combustion quality, i.e. lower combustion speed and cycle to cycle variations, additionally influence these pressure loop areas. In this study, methods for increasing efficiency at part load conditions and their potential for practical use are investigated. The study also includes a review of the vast literature on the solution of this problem. This investigation shows that the potential for increasing the efficiency of SI engines at part load conditions is not yet exhausted. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Among these, the most promising methods to decrease the fuel consumption at part load conditions are stratified charge and variable displacement engines. When used in combination, the other listed methods are more effective than their usage alone

Modelling piloted ignition of wood and plastics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blijderveen, Maarten van; Bramer, Eddy A.; Brem, Gerrit

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We model piloted ignition times of wood and plastics. ► The model is applied on a packed bed. ► When the air flow is above a critical level, no ignition can take place. - Abstract: To gain insight in the startup of an incinerator, this article deals with piloted ignition. A newly developed model is described to predict the piloted ignition times of wood, PMMA and PVC. The model is based on the lower flammability limit and the adiabatic flame temperature at this limit. The incoming radiative heat flux, sample thickness and moisture content are some of the used variables. Not only the ignition time can be calculated with the model, but also the mass flux and surface temperature at ignition. The ignition times for softwoods and PMMA are mainly under-predicted. For hardwoods and PVC the predicted ignition times agree well with experimental results. Due to a significant scatter in the experimental data the mass flux and surface temperature calculated with the model are hard to validate. The model is applied on the startup of a municipal waste incineration plant. For this process a maximum allowable primary air flow is derived. When the primary air flow is above this maximum air flow, no ignition can be obtained.

Evaluation of performance and emissions characteristics of methanol blend (gasohol) in a naturally aspirated spark ignition engine

Science.gov (United States)

Alexandru, Dima; Ilie, Dumitru; Dragos, Tutunea

2017-10-01

Alternative fuels for use in internal combustion engines have become recently in attention due the strict regulations regarding the environmental protection, emissions and to reduce the dependency of the fossil fuels. One choice is the use of methanol as it can be produce from renewable sources and blended with gasoline in any proportion. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of methanol - gasoline blends regarding performance, combustion and emission characteristics with gasoline. Five different blends M5, M10, M15, M20 and M25 were tested in a single cylinder spark ignition engine typically used in scooters applications. The experimental results in engine performance show a decrease of torque and power up to 10 %and in emissions characteristics a CO, CO2, HC. It can be concluded that gasohol is viable option to be used in gasoline engines to replace partially the fossil fuel.

INVESTIGATION OF COMBUSTION, PERFORMANCE AND EMISSION CHARACTERISTICS OF SPARK IGNITION ENGINE FUELLED WITH BUTHANOL – GASOLINE MIXTURE AND A HYDROGEN ENRICHED AIR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredas Rimkus

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this study, spark ignition engine fuelled with buthanol-gasoline mixture and a hydrogen-enriched air was investigated. Engine performance, emissions and combustion characteristics were investigated with different buthanol (10% and 20% by volume gasoline mixtures and additionally supplied oxygen and hydrogen (HHO gas mixture (3.6 l/min in the sucked air. Hydrogen, which is in the HHO gas, improves gasoline and gasoline-buthanol mixture combustion, increases indicated pressure during combustion phase and decreases effective specific fuel consumption. Buthanol addition decreases the rate of heat release, the combustion temperature and pressure are lower which have an influence on lower nitrous oxide (NOx emission in exhaust gases. Buthanol lowers hydrocarbon (HC formation, but it increases carbon monoxide (CO concentration and fuel consumption. Combustion process analysis was carried out using AVL BOOST software. Experimental research and combustion process numerical simulation showed that using balanced buthanol and hydrogen addition, optimal efficient and ecological parameters could be achieved when engine is working with optimal spark timing, as it would work on gasoline fuel.

Volume ignition of laser driven fusion pellets and double layer effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cicchitelli, L.; Eliezer, S.; Goldsworthy, M.P.; Green, F.; Hora, H.; Ray, P.S.; Stening, R.J.; Szichman, H.

1988-01-01

The realization of an ideal volume compression of laser-irradiated fusion pellets opens the possibility for an alternative to spark ignition proposed for many years for inertial confinement fusion. A re-evaluation of the difficulties of the central spark ignition of laser driven pellets is given. The alternative volume compression theory, together with volume burn and volume ignition, have received less attention and are re-evaluated in view of the experimental verification generalized fusion gain formulas, and the variation of optimum temperatures derived at self-ignition. Reactor-level DT fusion with MJ-laser pulses and volume compression to 50 times the solid-state density are estimated. Dynamic electric fields and double layers at the surface and in the interior of plasmas result in new phenomena for the acceleration of thermal electrons to suprathermal electrons. Double layers also cause a surface tension which stabilizes against surface wave effects and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities. (author)

Coil-On-Plug Ignition for LOX/Methane Liquid Rocket Engines in Thermal Vacuum Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Melcher, John C.; Atwell, Matthew J.; Morehead, Robert L.; Hurlbert, Eric A.; Bugarin, Luz; Chaidez, Mariana

2017-01-01

A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed and tested for Liquid Oxygen (LOX) / liquid methane rocket engines operating in thermal vacuum conditions. The igniters were developed and tested as part of the Integrated Cryogenic Propulsion Test Article (ICPTA), previously tested as part of the Project Morpheus test vehicle. The ICPTA uses an integrated, pressure-fed, cryogenic LOX/methane propulsion system including a reaction control system (RCS) and a main engine. The ICPTA was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in the Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) under vacuum and thermal vacuum conditions. In order to successfully demonstrate ignition reliability in the vacuum conditions and eliminate corona discharge issues, a coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed. The ICPTA uses spark-plug ignition for both the main engine igniter and the RCS. The coil-on-plug configuration eliminates the conventional high-voltage spark plug cable by combining the coil and the spark-plug into a single component. Prior to ICPTA testing at Plum Brook, component-level reaction control engine (RCE) and main engine igniter testing was conducted at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), which demonstrated successful hot-fire ignition using the coil-on-plug from sea-level ambient conditions down to 10(exp.-2) torr. Integrated vehicle hot-fire testing at JSC demonstrated electrical and command/data system performance. Lastly, Plum Brook testing demonstrated successful ignitions at simulated altitude conditions at 30 torr and cold thermal-vacuum conditions at 6 torr. The test campaign successfully proved that coil-on-plug technology will enable integrated LOX/methane propulsion systems in future spacecraft.

Coil-On-Plug Ignition for Oxygen/Methane Liquid Rocket Engines in Thermal-Vacuum Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Melcher, John C.; Atwell, Matthew J.; Morehead, Robert L.; Hurlbert, Eric A.; Bugarin, Luz; Chaidez, Mariana

2017-01-01

A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed and tested for Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/liquid methane (LCH4) rocket engines operating in thermal vacuum conditions. The igniters were developed and tested as part of the Integrated Cryogenic Propulsion Test Article (ICPTA), previously tested as part of the Project Morpheus test vehicle. The ICPTA uses an integrated, pressure-fed, cryogenic LOX/LCH4 propulsion system including a reaction control system (RCS) and a main engine. The ICPTA was tested at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in the Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) under vacuum and thermal vacuum conditions. A coil-on-plug ignition system has been developed to successfully demonstrate ignition reliability at these conditions while preventing corona discharge issues. The ICPTA uses spark plug ignition for both the main engine igniter and the RCS. The coil-on-plug configuration eliminates the conventional high-voltage spark plug cable by combining the coil and the spark plug into a single component. Prior to ICPTA testing at Plum Brook, component-level reaction control engine (RCE) and main engine igniter testing was conducted at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC), which demonstrated successful hot-fire ignition using the coil-on-plug from sea-level ambient conditions down to 10(exp -2) torr. Integrated vehicle hot-fire testing at JSC demonstrated electrical and command/data system performance. Lastly, hot-fire testing at Plum Brook demonstrated successful ignitions at simulated altitude conditions at 30 torr and cold thermal-vacuum conditions at 6 torr. The test campaign successfully proved that coil-on-plug technology will enable integrated LOX/LCH4 propulsion systems in future spacecraft.

A study of operating parameters on the linear spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Ocktaeck; Hung, Nguyen Ba; Oh, Seokyoung; Kim, Gangchul; Song, Hanho; Iida, Norimasa

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An experimental and simulation study of a linear engine is conducted. • The effects of operating parameters on the generating power are investigated. • The air gap length has a significant influence on the generating power. • The generating power of the linear engine is optimized with the value of 111.3 W. • There are no problems for the linear engine after 100 h of durable test. - Abstract: In this paper, we present our experiment and simulation study of a free piston linear engine based on operating conditions and structure of the linear engine for generating electric power. The free piston linear engine includes a two-stroke free piston engine, linear generators, and compressors. In the experimental study, the effects of key parameters such as input caloric value, equivalence ratio, spark timing delay, electrical resistance, and air gap length on the piston dynamics and electric power output are investigated. Propane is used as a fuel in the free piston linear engine, and it is premixed with the air to make a homogeneous charge before go into the cylinder. The air and fuel mass flow rate are varied by a mass flow controller. The experimental results show that the maximum generating power is found with the value of 111 W at the input caloric value of 5.88 kJ/s, spark timing delay of 1.5 ms, equivalence ratio of 1.0, electric resistance of 30 Ω, and air gap length of 1.0 mm. In order to check the durability of the linear engine, a durable test is conducted during 100 h. The experimental results show that there are no problems for the linear engine after about one hundred hours of the durable test. Beside experimental study, a simulation study is conducted to predict operating behavior of the linear engine. In the simulation study, the two-stroke free piston linear engine is modeled and simulated through a combination of three mathematical models including a dynamic model, a linear alternator model and a thermodynamic model. These

Thermodynamic analysis of EGR effects on the first and second law efficiencies of a boosted spark-ignited direct-injection gasoline engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tie; Wu, Da; Xu, Min

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We clarified the mechanism of EGR improving fuel economy of gasoline engines. • At constant air–fuel ratio, reduction of heat transfer loss is most significant. • At full load, elimination of fuel enrichment is dominant. • Combustion irreversibility increases with EGR. • Availability in the exhaust and heat transfer losses is smaller than energy losses. - Abstract: Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is effective to improve fuel economy of spark-ignition gasoline engines, but the detailed mechanism needs to be further investigated. In this paper, an in-depth analysis of the effects of cooled EGR on the fuel conversion efficiency of a boosted, spark-ignited, direct-injection, gasoline engines operated at the full, medium and low loads is conducted with the engine experiment and 1-D cycle simulation based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics. For all the operating loads, EGR increases the ratio of specific heat of working gas, reduces the fraction of heat transfer through the combustion chamber walls, and improves the pumping work during the gas exchanging stroke. Besides, EGR may replace the fuel enrichment at high load, advance the combustion phasing and increase the degree of constant volume heat release at the medium and high loads. As a result, about 1.1–4.1% improvements in the brake thermal efficiency are obtained by the 12–17% EGR at different loads. Despite the increased fraction of combustion-generated irreversibility (destruction in availability or exergy), the fraction of indicated work in the total availability increases with EGR for all the operating loads. Among the influencing factors, the effect of reduction in the heat transfer loss owing to EGR is dominant in improvement of the fuel conversion efficiency at constant air–fuel ratio, while replacement of the fuel enrichment with EGR is most effective at full load

Effects of turbulence enhancement on combustion process using a double injection strategy in direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) gasoline engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Taehoon; Song, Jingeun; Park, Sungwook

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Using double injection strategy, turbulent kinetic energy can be improved with slight decrease in mixture homogeneity. • Retarded first injection timing reduces vapor fuel loss to intake port. • Double injection increases tumble intensity. • High turbulent intensity caused by double injection increases flame propagation speed. - Abstract: Direct-injection spark-ignition (DISI) gasoline engines have been spotlighted due to their high thermal efficiency. Increase in the compression ratio that result from the heat absorption effect of fuel vaporization induces higher thermal efficiency than found in port fuel injection (PFI) engines. Since fuel is injected at the cylinder directly, various fuel injection strategies can be used. In this study, turbulent intensity was improved by a double injection strategy while maintaining mixture homogeneity. To analyze the turbulence enhancement effects using the double injection strategy, a side fuel injected, homogeneous-charge-type DISI gasoline engine with a multi-hole-type injector was utilized. The spray model was evaluated using experimental data for various injection pressures and the combustion model was evaluated for varied ignition timing. First and second injection timing was swept by 20 degree interval. The turbulent kinetic energy and mixture inhomogeneity index were mapped. First injection at the middle of the intake stroke and second injection early in the compression stroke showed improved turbulent characteristics that did not significantly decrease with mixture homogeneity. A double injection case that showed improved turbulent intensity while maintaining an adequate level of mixture homogeneity and another double injection case that showed significantly improved turbulent intensity with a remarkable decrease in mixture homogeneity were considered for combustion simulation. We found that the improved turbulent intensity increased the flame propagation speed. Also, the mixture homogeneity

Physical Improvements in Exciter/Igniter Units, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed Phase 2 project consists of the physical integration of our Phase 1 small, compact exciter with a "flight like" igniter or spark plug capable of...

Prediction of cold start hydrocarbon emissions of air cooled two wheeler spark ignition engines by simple fuzzy logic simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Raja Ayyanan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The cold start hydrocarbon emission from the increasing population of two wheelers in countries like India is one of the research issues to be addressed. This work describes the prediction of cold start hydrocarbon emissions from air cooled spark ignition engines through fuzzy logic technique. Hydrocarbon emissions were experimentally measured from test engines of different cubic capacity, at different lubricating oil temperature and at different idling speeds with and without secondary air supply in exhaust. The experimental data were used as input for modeling average hydrocarbon emissions for 180 seconds counted from cold start and warm start of gasoline bike engines. In fuzzy logic simulation, member functions were assigned for input variables (cubic capacity and idling rpm and output variables (average hydrocarbon emission for first 180 seconds at cold start and warm start. The knowledge based rules were adopted from the analyzed experimental data and separate simulations were carried out for predicting hydrocarbon emissions from engines equipped with and without secondary air supply. The simulation yielded the average hydrocarbon emissions of air cooled gasoline engine for a set of given input data with accuracy over 90%.

Mean Value Modelling of Turbocharged SI Engines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Müller, Martin; Hendricks, Elbert; Sorenson, Spencer C.

1998-01-01

The development of a computer simulation to predict the performance of a turbocharged spark ignition engine during transient operation. New models have been developed for the turbocharged and the intercooling system. An adiabatic model for the intake manifold is presented.......The development of a computer simulation to predict the performance of a turbocharged spark ignition engine during transient operation. New models have been developed for the turbocharged and the intercooling system. An adiabatic model for the intake manifold is presented....

Propellant Flow Actuated Piezoelectric Rocket Engine Igniter, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Under a Phase 1 effort, IES successfully developed and demonstrated a spark ignition concept where propellant flow drives a very simple fluid mechanical oscillator...

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.)

Propellant Flow Actuated Piezoelectric Rocket Engine Igniter, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Spark ignition of a bi-propellant rocket engine is a classic, proven, and generally reliable process. However, timing can be critical, and the control logic,...

Cycle-skipping strategies for pumping loss reduction in spark ignition engines: An experimental approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yüksek, Levent; Özener, Orkun; Sandalcı, Tarkan

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► A cycle density variation technique called cycle-skipping was applied. ► Effect on fuel consumption and gaseous emissions was investigated. ► Fuel consumption and gaseous tail-pipe emissions improved at partial loading conditions. - Abstract: Spark ignition (SI) engines are widely used for power generation, especially in the automotive industry. SI engines have a lower thermal efficiency than diesel engines due to a lower compression ratio, higher charge-induction work and lower end of compression stroke pressure. A significant amount of charge induction work is lost when an SI engine runs under partial loading conditions. Under partial loading conditions, a lower intake charge is required, which can be theoretically achieved by varying the displacement volume or the stroke number of the engine without using a throttle. Reducing the displacement volume to control the engine load can be achieved by skipping cycles in single-cylinder engines. This study investigates the effect of cycle-skipping strategies on the brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and exhaust emissions of an SI engine under partial loading conditions. Three different skipping modes were applied: normal, normal-skip and normal-normal-skip. A significant improvement in BSFC and carbon monoxide emission was obtained by applying cycle-skipping strategies.

Schlieren-based temperature measurement inside the cylinder of an optical spark ignition and homogeneous charge compression ignition engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Aleiferis, Pavlos; Charalambides, Alexandros; Hardalupas, Yannis; Soulopoulos, Nikolaos; Taylor, A M K P; Urata, Yunichi

2015-05-10

Schlieren [Schlieren and Shadowgraphy Techniques (McGraw-Hill, 2001); Optics of Flames (Butterworths, 1963)] is a non-intrusive technique that can be used to detect density variations in a medium, and thus, under constant pressure and mixture concentration conditions, measure whole-field temperature distributions. The objective of the current work was to design a schlieren system to measure line-of-sight (LOS)-averaged temperature distribution with the final aim to determine the temperature distribution inside the cylinder of internal combustion (IC) engines. In a preliminary step, we assess theoretically the errors arising from the data reduction used to determine temperature from a schlieren measurement and find that the total error, random and systematic, is less than 3% for typical conditions encountered in the present experiments. A Z-type, curved-mirror schlieren system was used to measure the temperature distribution from a hot air jet in an open air environment in order to evaluate the method. Using the Abel transform, the radial distribution of the temperature was reconstructed from the LOS measurements. There was good agreement in the peak temperature between the reconstructed schlieren and thermocouple measurements. Experiments were then conducted in a four-stroke, single-cylinder, optical spark ignition engine with a four-valve, pentroof-type cylinder head to measure the temperature distribution of the reaction zone of an iso-octane-air mixture. The engine optical windows were designed to produce parallel rays and allow accurate application of the technique. The feasibility of the method to measure temperature distributions in IC engines was evaluated with simulations of the deflection angle combined with equilibrium chemistry calculations that estimated the temperature of the reaction zone at the position of maximum ray deflection as recorded in a schlieren image. Further simulations showed that the effects of exhaust gas recirculation and air

Modelling Spark Integration in Science Classroom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Paz E. Morales

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The study critically explored how a PASCO-designed technology (SPARK ScienceLearning System is meaningfully integrated into the teaching of selected topics in Earth and Environmental Science. It highlights on modelling the effectiveness of using the SPARK Learning System as a primary tool in learning science that leads to learning and achievement of the students. Data and observation gathered and correlation of the ability of the technology to develop high intrinsic motivation to student achievement were used to design framework on how to meaningfully integrate SPARK ScienceLearning System in teaching Earth and Environmental Science. Research instruments used in this study were adopted from standardized questionnaires available from literature. Achievement test and evaluation form were developed and validated for the purpose of deducing data needed for the study. Interviews were done to delve into the deeper thoughts and emotions of the respondents. Data from the interviews served to validate all numerical data culled from this study. Cross-case analysis of the data was done to reveal some recurring themes, problems and benefits derived by the students in using the SPARK Science Learning System to further establish its effectiveness in the curriculum as a forerunner to the shift towards the 21st Century Learning.

Critical firing and misfiring boundary in a spark ignition methanol engine during cold start based on single cycle fuel injection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Zhaohui; Gong, Changming; Qu, Xiang; Liu, Fenghua; Sun, Jingzhen; Wang, Kang; Li, Yufeng

2015-01-01

The influence of the mass of methanol injected per cycle, ambient temperature, injection and ignition timing, preheating methods, and supplying additional liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) injection into the intake manifold on the critical firing and misfiring boundary of an electronically injection controlled spark ignition (SI) methanol engine during cold start were investigated experimentally based on a single cycle fuel injection with cycle-by-cycle control strategy. The critical firing and misfiring boundary was restricted by all parameters. For ambient temperatures below 16 °C, methanol engines must use auxiliary start-aids during cold start. Optimal control of the methanol injection and ignition timing can realize ideal next cycle firing combustion after injection. Resistance wire and glow plug preheating can provide critical firing down to ambient temperatures of 5 °C and 0 °C, respectively. Using an additional LPG injection into the intake manifold can provide critical firing down to an ambient temperature of −13 °C during cold start. As the ambient temperature decreases, the optimal angle difference between methanol injection timing and LPG injection timing for critical firing of a methanol engine increases rapidly during cold start. - Highlights: • A single cycle fuel injection and cycle-by-cycle control strategy are used to study. • In-cylinder pressure and instantaneous speed were used to determine firing boundary. • For the ambient temperatures below 16 °C, an auxiliary start-aids must be used. • A preheating and additional LPG were used to expand critical firing boundary. • Additional LPG can result in critical firing down to ambient temperature of −13 °C

Conditioning of data for cyclic variation of IMEP under lean burn operation in a spark-ignition engine; Hibana tenka kikan no kihaku nensho untenji ni okeru zushi heikin yuko atsuryoku no hendo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ishii, K.; Urata, Y.; Yoshida, K.; Ono, t. [Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-07-25

In this study, we investigated the relationship of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) for a spark ignition engine under lean combustion with the cyclic variation of mass fraction burned by measuring the energy release from the spark plug, intensity of the light emission from the flame and the cylinder pressure at the same time. In order to minimized an error in the initial and late combustion sages of the mass fraction burned to be obtained by cylinder pressure, spark plug energy and intensity of light emission were measured. As a result, it was found that there are three main causes of cyclic variation of IMEP. These consist of the burning speed during the initial stage of combustion, variation in the total mass fraction burned, and variation of the late burning during the late expansion stroke. Thus, we determined that there is a favorable interrelationship between the IMEPs and the corrected mass fraction burned. 13 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

Two-stage Lagrangian modeling of ignition processes in ignition quality tester and constant volume combustion chambers

KAUST Repository

Alfazazi, Adamu

2016-08-10

The ignition characteristics of isooctane and n-heptane in an ignition quality tester (IQT) were simulated using a two-stage Lagrangian (TSL) model, which is a zero-dimensional (0-D) reactor network method. The TSL model was also used to simulate the ignition delay of n-dodecane and n-heptane in a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC), which is archived in the engine combustion network (ECN) library (http://www.ca.sandia.gov/ecn). A detailed chemical kinetic model for gasoline surrogates from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was utilized for the simulation of n-heptane and isooctane. Additional simulations were performed using an optimized gasoline surrogate mechanism from RWTH Aachen University. Validations of the simulated data were also performed with experimental results from an IQT at KAUST. For simulation of n-dodecane in the CVCC, two n-dodecane kinetic models from the literature were utilized. The primary aim of this study is to test the ability of TSL to replicate ignition timings in the IQT and the CVCC. The agreement between the model and the experiment is acceptable except for isooctane in the IQT and n-heptane and n-dodecane in the CVCC. The ability of the simulations to replicate observable trends in ignition delay times with regard to changes in ambient temperature and pressure allows the model to provide insights into the reactions contributing towards ignition. Thus, the TSL model was further employed to investigate the physical and chemical processes responsible for controlling the overall ignition under various conditions. The effects of exothermicity, ambient pressure, and ambient oxygen concentration on first stage ignition were also studied. Increasing ambient pressure and oxygen concentration was found to shorten the overall ignition delay time, but does not affect the timing of the first stage ignition. Additionally, the temperature at the end of the first stage ignition was found to increase at higher ambient pressure

A comparative experimental study on engine operating on premixed charge compression ignition and compression ignition mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhiogade Girish E.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available New combustion concepts have been recently developed with the purpose to tackle the problem of high emissions level of traditional direct injection Diesel engines. A good example is the premixed charge compression ignition combustion. A strategy in which early injection is used causing a burning process in which the fuel burns in the premixed condition. In compression ignition engines, soot (particulate matter and NOx emissions are an extremely unsolved issue. Premixed charge compression ignition is one of the most promising solutions that combine the advantages of both spark ignition and compression ignition combustion modes. It gives thermal efficiency close to the compression ignition engines and resolves the associated issues of high NOx and particulate matter, simultaneously. Premixing of air and fuel preparation is the challenging part to achieve premixed charge compression ignition combustion. In the present experimental study a diesel vaporizer is used to achieve premixed charge compression ignition combustion. A vaporized diesel fuel was mixed with the air to form premixed charge and inducted into the cylinder during the intake stroke. Low diesel volatility remains the main obstacle in preparing premixed air-fuel mixture. Exhaust gas re-circulation can be used to control the rate of heat release. The objective of this study is to reduce exhaust emission levels with maintaining thermal efficiency close to compression ignition engine.

Enhanced Model for Fast Ignition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mason, Rodney J. [Research Applications Corporation, Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2010-10-12

Laser Fusion is a prime candidate for alternate energy production, capable of serving a major portion of the nation's energy needs, once fusion fuel can be readily ignited. Fast Ignition may well speed achievement of this goal, by reducing net demands on laser pulse energy and timing precision. However, Fast Ignition has presented a major challenge to modeling. This project has enhanced the computer code ePLAS for the simulation of the many specialized phenomena, which arise with Fast Ignition. The improved code has helped researchers to understand better the consequences of laser absorption, energy transport, and laser target hydrodynamics. ePLAS uses efficient implicit methods to acquire solutions for the electromagnetic fields that govern the accelerations of electrons and ions in targets. In many cases, the code implements fluid modeling for these components. These combined features, "implicitness and fluid modeling," can greatly facilitate calculations, permitting the rapid scoping and evaluation of experiments. ePLAS can be used on PCs, Macs and Linux machines, providing researchers and students with rapid results. This project has improved the treatment of electromagnetics, hydrodynamics, and atomic physics in the code. It has simplified output graphics, and provided new input that avoids the need for source code access by users. The improved code can now aid university, business and national laboratory users in pursuit of an early path to success with Fast Ignition.

Experimental analysis on a spark ignition petrol engine fuelled with LPG (liquefied petroleum gas)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masi, Massimo

2012-01-01

The use of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as alternative fuel to petrol is common practise in spark ignition engines. While the main driving force to the use of LPG still remains the low cost for the end user, its favourable pollutant emissions, in particular carbon dioxide, will in the middle term probably increase interest in LPG as an IC engine fuel. In addition, there are both theoretical and technical reasons to consider LPG as an attractive fuel also in terms of engine performance. Despite the continuously increasing stock production of dual-fuel (petrol–LPG) passenger car models, doubts still exist about both real engine performance in LPG operation and the reliability of the dual-fuel feeding system. This paper deals with the theoretical advantages of using LPG as fuel for SI engines. Brake performance tests of a passenger car engine fed with petrol and LPG are analysed and compared. The stock engine has been equipped with a “third-generation” standard kit for dual-fuel operation. The performance reductions in LPG operation are discussed in both steady state and transient condition. The results of some modifications to the set-up of both the petrol and LPG metering devices, designed for a better justification of the measured performance, are also presented. -- Highlights: ► Experimental research on the actual performances of an SI engine fed with petrol and gaseous LPG. ► Theoretical advantages and drawbacks of fuelling SI ICE’s with LPG. ► Brake performance analysis shows a noticeable gap between LPG and petrol operation. ► Local measurements confirm that the thermodynamic operation of the evaporator-pressure reducer device is crucial for the engine performance. ► The performance of the up-to-date kit for petrol–LPG dual-fuel operation is greatly affected by the settings of the mechanical components of the LPG evaporator device.

Determination of knock characteristics in spark ignition engines: an approach based on ensemble empirical mode decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Ning; Liang, Caiping; Yang, Jianguo; Zhou, Rui

2016-01-01

Knock is one of the major constraints to improve the performance and thermal efficiency of spark ignition (SI) engines. It can also result in severe permanent engine damage under certain operating conditions. Based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), this paper proposes a new approach to determine the knock characteristics in SI engines. By adding a uniformly distributed and finite white Gaussian noise, the EEMD can preserve signal continuity in different scales and therefore alleviates the mode-mixing problem occurring in the classic empirical mode decomposition (EMD). The feasibilities of applying the EEMD to detect the knock signatures of a test SI engine via the pressure signal measured from combustion chamber and the vibration signal measured from cylinder head are investigated. Experimental results show that the EEMD-based method is able to detect the knock signatures from both the pressure signal and vibration signal, even in initial stage of knock. Finally, by comparing the application results with those obtained by short-time Fourier transform (STFT), Wigner–Ville distribution (WVD) and discrete wavelet transform (DWT), the superiority of the EEMD method in determining knock characteristics is demonstrated. (paper)

Numerical analysis of a downsized spark-ignition engine fueled by butanol/gasoline blends at part-load operation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scala, F.; Galloni, E.; Fontana, G.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Bio-fuels will reduce the overall CO_2 emission. • The properties of butanol/gasoline–air mixtures have been determined. • A 1-D model of a SI engine has been calibrated and validated. • The butanol content reduces the combustion duration. • The optimal ignition timing slightly changes. - Abstract: In this paper, the performance of a turbocharged SI engine, firing with butanol/gasoline blends, has been investigated by means of numerical simulations of the engine behavior. When engine fueling is switched from gasoline to alcohol/gasoline mixture, engine control parameters must be adapted. The main necessary modifications in the Electronic Control Unit have been highlighted in the paper. Numerical analyses have been carried out at partial load operation and at two different engine speeds (3000 and 4000 rpm). Several n-butanol/gasoline mixtures, differing for the alcohol contents, have been analyzed. Such engine performances as torque and indicated efficiency have been evaluated. Both these characteristics decrease with the alcohol contents within the mixtures. On the contrary, when the engine is fueled by neat n-butanol, torque and efficiency reach values about 2% higher than those obtained with neat gasoline. Furthermore, the optimal spark timing, for alcohol/gasoline mixture operation, must be retarded (up to 13%) in comparison with the correspondent values of the gasoline operation. In general, engine performance and operation undergo little variations when fuel supplying is switched from gasoline to alcohol/gasoline blends.

Mixed butanols addition to gasoline surrogates: Shock tube ignition delay time measurements and chemical kinetic modeling

KAUST Repository

AlRamadan, Abdullah S.

2015-10-01

The demand for fuels with high anti-knock quality has historically been rising, and will continue to increase with the development of downsized and turbocharged spark-ignition engines. Butanol isomers, such as 2-butanol and tert-butanol, have high octane ratings (RON of 105 and 107, respectively), and thus mixed butanols (68.8% by volume of 2-butanol and 31.2% by volume of tert-butanol) can be added to the conventional petroleum-derived gasoline fuels to improve octane performance. In the present work, the effect of mixed butanols addition to gasoline surrogates has been investigated in a high-pressure shock tube facility. The ignition delay times of mixed butanols stoichiometric mixtures were measured at 20 and 40bar over a temperature range of 800-1200K. Next, 10vol% and 20vol% of mixed butanols (MB) were blended with two different toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane (TPRF) fuel blends having octane ratings of RON 90/MON 81.7 and RON 84.6/MON 79.3. These MB/TPRF mixtures were investigated in the shock tube conditions similar to those mentioned above. A chemical kinetic model was developed to simulate the low- and high-temperature oxidation of mixed butanols and MB/TPRF blends. The proposed model is in good agreement with the experimental data with some deviations at low temperatures. The effect of mixed butanols addition to TPRFs is marginal when examining the ignition delay times at high temperatures. However, when extended to lower temperatures (T < 850K), the model shows that the mixed butanols addition to TPRFs causes the ignition delay times to increase and hence behaves like an octane booster at engine-like conditions. © 2015 The Combustion Institute.

Knock Resistance and Fine Particle Emissions for Several Biomass-Derived Oxygenates in a Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition Engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratcliff, Matthew A.; Burton, Jonathan; Sindler, Petr; Christensen, Earl; Fouts, Lisa; Chupka, Gina M.; McCormick, Robert L.

2016-04-01

Several high octane number oxygenates that could be derived from biomass were blended with gasoline and examined for performance properties and their impact on knock resistance and fine particle emissions in a single cylinder direct-injection spark-ignition engine. The oxygenates included ethanol, isobutanol, anisole, 4-methylanisole, 2-phenylethanol, 2,5-dimethyl furan, and 2,4-xylenol. These were blended into a summertime blendstock for oxygenate blending at levels ranging from 10 to 50 percent by volume. The base gasoline, its blends with p-xylene and p-cymene, and high-octane racing gasoline were tested as controls. Relevant gasoline properties including research octane number (RON), motor octane number, distillation curve, and vapor pressure were measured. Detailed hydrocarbon analysis was used to estimate heat of vaporization and particulate matter index (PMI). Experiments were conducted to measure knock-limited spark advance and particulate matter (PM) emissions. The results show a range of knock resistances that correlate well with RON. Molecules with relatively low boiling point and high vapor pressure had little effect on PM emissions. In contrast, the aromatic oxygenates caused significant increases in PM emissions (factors of 2 to 5) relative to the base gasoline. Thus, any effect of their oxygen atom on increasing local air-fuel ratio was outweighed by their low vapor pressure and high double-bond equivalent values. For most fuels and oxygenate blend components, PMI was a good predictor of PM emissions. However, the high boiling point, low vapor pressure oxygenates 2-phenylethanol and 2,4-xylenol produced lower PM emissions than predicted by PMI. This was likely because they did not fully evaporate and combust, and instead were swept into the lube oil.

Numerical study of the ignition behavior of a post-discharge kernel injected into a turbulent stratified cross-flow

Science.gov (United States)

Jaravel, Thomas; Labahn, Jeffrey; Ihme, Matthias

2017-11-01

The reliable initiation of flame ignition by high-energy spark kernels is critical for the operability of aviation gas turbines. The evolution of a spark kernel ejected by an igniter into a turbulent stratified environment is investigated using detailed numerical simulations with complex chemistry. At early times post ejection, comparisons of simulation results with high-speed Schlieren data show that the initial trajectory of the kernel is well reproduced, with a significant amount of air entrainment from the surrounding flow that is induced by the kernel ejection. After transiting in a non-flammable mixture, the kernel reaches a second stream of flammable methane-air mixture, where the successful of the kernel ignition was found to depend on the local flow state and operating conditions. By performing parametric studies, the probability of kernel ignition was identified, and compared with experimental observations. The ignition behavior is characterized by analyzing the local chemical structure, and its stochastic variability is also investigated.

Spark ignition engine performance and emissions in a high compression engine using biogas and methane mixtures without knock occurrence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gómez Montoya Juan Pablo

2015-01-01

Full Text Available With the purpose to use biogas in an internal combustion engine with high compression ratio and in order to get a high output thermal efficiency, this investigation used a diesel engine with a maximum output power 8.5 kW, which was converted to spark ignition mode to use it with gaseous fuels. Three fuels were used: Simulated biogas, biogas enriched with 25% and 50% methane by volume. After conversion, the output power of the engine decreased by 17.64% when using only biogas, where 7 kW was the new maximum output power of the engine. The compression ratio was kept at 15.5:1, and knocking did not occur during engine operation. Output thermal efficiency operating the engine in SI mode with biogas enriched with 50% methane was almost the same compared with the engine running in diesel-biogas dual mode at full load and was greater at part loads. The dependence of the diesel pilot was eliminated when biogas was used in the engine converted in SI mode. The optimum condition of experiment for the engine without knocking was using biogas enriched with 50% methane, with 12 degrees of spark timing advance and equivalence ratio of 0.95, larger output powers and higher values of methane concentration lead the engine to knock operation. The presence of CO2 allows operating engines at high compression ratios with normal combustion conditions. Emissions of nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and unburnt methane all in g/kWh decreased when the biogas was enriched with 50% methane.

Electric ignition energy evaluation and the energy distribution structure of energy released in electrostatic discharge process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Qingming; Huang Jinxiang; Shao Huige; Zhang Yunming

2017-01-01

Ignition energy is one of the important parameters of flammable materials, and evaluating ignition energy precisely is essential to the safety of process industry and combustion science and technology. By using electric spark discharge test system, a series of electric spark discharge experiments were conducted with the capacitor-stored energy in the range of 10 J, 100 J, and 1000 J, respectively. The evaluation method for energy consumed by electric spark, wire, and switch during capacitor discharge process has been studied respectively. The resistance of wire, switch, and plasma between electrodes has been evaluated by different methods and an optimized evaluation method has been obtained. The electric energy consumed by wire, electric switch, and electric spark-induced plasma between electrodes were obtained and the energy structure of capacitor-released energy was analyzed. The dynamic process and the characteristic parameters (the maximum power, duration of discharge process) of electric spark discharge process have been analyzed. Experimental results showed that, electric spark-consumed energy only accounts for 8%–14% of the capacitor-released energy. With the increase of capacitor-released energy, the duration of discharge process becomes longer, and the energy of plasma accounts for more in the capacitor-released energy. The power of electric spark varies with time as a damped sinusoids function and the period and the maximum value increase with the capacitor-released energy. (paper)

Performance Characteristics Comparison of CNG Port and CNG Direct Injection in Spark Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rajesh Patel

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A comparative performance analysis is being carried out on a four cylinder, four stroke cycle, spark ignition engine having displacement volume 1297cc. The cylinder head of original gasoline based engine was modified by drilling holes from upper surfaces of head to individual combustion chamber to convert the engine in a CNG direct injection engine. The CNG port injection (CNG-PI system and CNG direct injection (CNG-DI system were incorporated with the single engine.  The engine was retrofitted to run on both CNG-PI and CNG-DI system alternately with common CNG tank and other engine loading and measurement system. The engine was equipped with electrical dynamometer having rheostat type loading. The CNG direct injection system was incorporated with various sensors and engine ECU. The operating parameters can be obtained on computer screen by loading the computer with engine through switch box. The engine was run over the speed range of 1000 rpm to 3000 rpm with incremental speed of 300 rpm. The performance parameters were calculated from observations and recorded for both CNG-PI and CNG-DI system. The experimental investigation exhibits that, the average 7-8% reduction in BSFC while the engine was running with CNG-DI system as compared to that of CNG-PI system. Also the engine produced 8-9% higher brake torque and hence higher brake power. The engine gives 6-7% higher brake thermal efficiency with CNG-DI system as compared to CNG-PI system.

EXPERIMENTS AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF PULVERIZED-COAL IGNITION; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel Owusu-Ofori; John C. Chen

1999-01-01

Under typical conditions of pulverized-coal combustion, which is characterized by fine particles heated at very high rates, there is currently a lack of certainty regarding the ignition mechanism of bituminous and lower rank coals as well as the ignition rate of reaction. furthermore, there have been no previous studies aimed at examining these factors under various experimental conditions, such as particle size, oxygen concentration, and heating rate. Finally, there is a need to improve current mathematical models of ignition to realistically and accurately depict the particle-to-particle variations that exist within a coal sample. Such a model is needed to extract useful reaction parameters from ignition studies, and to interpret ignition data in a more meaningful way. The authors propose to examine fundamental aspects of coal ignition through (1) experiments to determine the ignition temperature of various coals by direct measurement, and (2) modeling of the ignition process to derive rate constants and to provide a more insightful interpretation of data from ignition experiments. The authors propose to use a novel laser-based ignition experiment to achieve their first objective. Laser-ignition experiments offer the distinct advantage of easy optical access to the particles because of the absence of a furnace or radiating walls, and thus permit direct observation and particle temperature measurement. The ignition temperature of different coals under various experimental conditions can therefore be easily determined by direct measurement using two-color pyrometry. The ignition rate-constants, when the ignition occurs heterogeneously, and the particle heating rates will both be determined from analyses based on these measurements

Study of cycle-by-cycle variations of a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Jinhua; Chen, Hao; Liu, Bing; Huang, Zuohua [State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

2008-09-15

Cycle-by-cycle variations of a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends with hydrogen volumetric fraction of 0%, 12%, 23%, 30% and 40% were studied. The effect of hydrogen addition on cycle-by-cycle variations of the natural gas engine was analyzed. The results showed that the peak cylinder pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise and the indicated mean effective pressure increased and their corresponding cycle-by-cycle variations decreased with the increase of hydrogen fraction at lean mixture operation. The interdependency between the combustion parameters and the corresponding crank angle tended to be strongly correlated with the increase of hydrogen fraction under lean mixture operation. Coefficient of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure gave a low level and is slightly influenced by hydrogen addition under the stoichiometric and relatively rich mixture operation while it decreased remarkably with the increase of hydrogen fraction under the lean mixture operation. The excessive air ratio at CoV{sub imep} = 10% extended to the leaner mixture side with the increase of hydrogen fraction and this indicated that the engine lean operating limit could be extended with hydrogen addition. (author)

The Effect of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR on the Emission of a Single Cylinder Spark Ignition Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Limyaa Mahdi Asaad

2016-07-01

Full Text Available A single cylinder variable compression ratio spark ignition engine type PRODIT was used in this study. The  experiments  were  conducted  with  gasoline  fuel  (80  octane  No.at  equivalence  ratio  (Ø  =1.  This study examined the effects of exhaust gas recirculation on emission. It was conducted at engine speeds (1500, 1900, 2300 and 2700 r.p.m..The  exhaust  gases  were  added  in  volumetric  ratios  of  10%,  20%  and  30%  of  the  entering  air/fuel charge. The results showed that the EGR addition decreases the CO2 concentrations, in the same time CO and HC concentrations increase remarkably.  NOx concentration decreased highly with the increase of EGR percentage at variable engine speeds and constant torque. Also, it decreased when the engine run  at  constant  speed  and  variable  engine  torque.  The  exhaust  gas  temperature  decreased  with increasing EGR ratio.

Study on waste heat recovery from exhaust gas spark ignition (S.I. engine using steam turbine mechanism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talib Kamarulhelmy

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The issue of global warming has pushed the effort of researchers not only to find alternative renewable energy, but also to improve the machine’s energy efficiency. This includes the utilization of waste energy into ‘useful energy’. For a vehicle using internal combustion engine (ICE, the waste energy produce by exhaust gas can be utilize to ‘useful energy’ up to 34%. The energy from the automotive exhaust can be harness by implementing heat pipe heat exchanger in the automotive system. In order to maximize the amount of waste energy that can be turned to ‘useful energy’, the used of appropriate fluid in the heat exchanger is important. In this study, the fluid used is water, thus converting the fluid into steam and thus drive the turbine that coupling with generator. The paper will explore the performance of a naturally aspirated spark ignition (S.I. engine equipped with waste heat recovery mechanism (WHRM that used water as the heat absorption medium. The experimental and simulation test suggest that the concept is thermodynamically feasible and could significantly enhance the system performance depending on the load applied to the engine.

Lean hydrous and anhydrous bioethanol combustion in spark ignition engine at idle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuepeng, Sathaporn; Srisuwan, Sudecha; Tongroon, Manida

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Anhydrous ethanol burns fastest in uncalibrated engine at equal equivalence ratio. • The leaner hydrous ethanol combustion tends to elevate the COV in imep. • Hydrous ethanol consumption was 10% greater than anhydrous ethanol at ϕ = 0.67 limit. • Optimizing alternative fuel engine at idle for stability and emission is suggested. - Abstract: The applications of anhydrous bioethanol to substitute or replace gasoline fuel have shown to attain benefits in terms of engine thermal efficiency, power output and exhaust emissions from spark ignition engines. A hydrous bioethanol has also been gained more attention due to its energy and cost effectiveness. The main aim of this work is to minimize fuel quantity injected to the intake ports of a four-cylinder engine under idle condition. The engine running with hydrous ethanol undergoes within lean-burn condition as its combustion stability is analyzed using an engine indicating system. Coefficient of variation in indicated mean effective pressure is an indicator for combustion stability with hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emission monitoring as a supplement. Anhydrous ethanol burns faster than hydrous ethanol and gasoline in the uncalibrated engine at the same fuel-to-air equivalence ratio under idle condition. The leaner hydrous ethanol combustion tends to elevate the coefficient of variation in indicated mean effective pressure. The experimental results have found that the engine consumes greater hydrous ethanol by 10% on mass basis compared with those of anhydrous ethanol at the lean limit of fuel-to-air equivalence ratio of 0.67. The results of exhaust gas analysis were compared with those predicted by chemical equilibrium analysis of the fuel-air combustion; the resemble trends were found. Calibrating the alternative fueled engine for fuel injection quantity should be accomplished at idle with combustion stability and emissions optimization.

Laser ignited engines: progress, challenges and prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Dearden, Geoff; Shenton, Tom

2013-11-04

Laser ignition (LI) has been shown to offer many potential benefits compared to spark ignition (SI) for improving the performance of internal combustion (IC) engines. This paper outlines progress made in recent research on laser ignited IC engines, discusses the potential advantages and control opportunities and considers the challenges faced and prospects for its future implementation. An experimental research effort has been underway at the University of Liverpool (UoL) to extend the stratified speed/load operating region of the gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine through LI research, for which an overview of some of the approaches, testing and results to date are presented. These indicate how LI can be used to improve control of the engine for: leaner operation, reductions in emissions, lower idle speed and improved combustion stability.

Development of an empirical correlation for combustion durations in spark ignition engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bayraktar, Hakan; Durgun, Orhan

2004-01-01

Development of an empirical correlation for combustion duration is presented. For this purpose, the effects of variations in compression ratio engine speed, fuel/air equivalence ratio and spark advance on combustion duration have been determined by means of a quasi-dimensional SI engine cycle model previously developed by the authors. Burn durations at several engine operating conditions were calculated from the turbulent combustion model. Variations of combustion duration with each operating parameter obtained from the theoretical results were expressed by second degree polynomial functions. By using these functions, a general empirical correlation for the burn duration has been developed. In this correlation, the effects of engine operating parameters on combustion duration were taken into account. Combustion durations predicted by means of this correlation are in good agreement with those obtained from experimental studies and a detailed combustion model

An experimental study on performance and emission characteristics of a hydrogen fuelled spark ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kahraman, Erol [Program of Energy Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430 (Turkey); Cihangir Ozcanli, S.; Ozerdem, Baris [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430 (Turkey)

2007-08-15

In the present paper, the performance and emission characteristics of a conventional four cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine operated on hydrogen and gasoline are investigated experimentally. The compressed hydrogen at 20 MPa has been introduced to the engine adopted to operate on gaseous hydrogen by external mixing. Two regulators have been used to drop the pressure first to 300 kPa, then to atmospheric pressure. The variations of torque, power, brake thermal efficiency, brake mean effective pressure, exhaust gas temperature, and emissions of NO{sub x}, CO, CO{sub 2}, HC, and O{sub 2} versus engine speed are compared for a carbureted SI engine operating on gasoline and hydrogen. Energy analysis also has studied for comparison purpose. The test results have been demonstrated that power loss occurs at low speed hydrogen operation whereas high speed characteristics compete well with gasoline operation. Fast burning characteristics of hydrogen have permitted high speed engine operation. Less heat loss has occurred for hydrogen than gasoline. NO{sub x} emission of hydrogen fuelled engine is about 10 times lower than gasoline fuelled engine. Finally, both first and second law efficiencies have improved with hydrogen fuelled engine compared to gasoline engine. It has been proved that hydrogen is a very good candidate as an engine fuel. The obtained data are also very useful for operational changes needed to optimize the hydrogen fueled SI engine design. (author)

Selected Issues of the Indicating Measurements in a Spark Ignition Engine with an Additional Expansion Process

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Marcin Noga

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of research on the turbocharged spark ignition engine with additional exhaust expansion in a separate cylinder, which is commonly known as the five-stroke engine. The research engine has been constructed based on the four cylinder engine in which two outer cylinders work as the fired cylinders, while two internally connected inner cylinders constitute the volume of the additional expansion process. The engine represents a powertrain realizing an ultra-expansion cycle. The purpose of the study was to find an effective additional expansion process in the five-stroke engine. Cylinder-pressure indicating measurements were carried out for one of the fired cylinders and the additional expansion cylinder. The study was performed for over 20 different points on the engine operation map. This allowed us to determine a dependence between the pressure indicated in the fired cylinders and in the additional expansion cylinders. A function of the mean pressure indicated in the additional expansion cylinder versus a brake mean effective pressure was also presented. This showed a load threshold from which the work of the cylinders of additional expansion produced benefits for the output of the experimental engine. The issues of mechanical efficiency and effective efficiency of this engine were also discussed.

Potential benefits of oxygen-enriched intake air in a vehicle powered by a spark-ignition engine

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, H. K.; Sekar, R. R.

1994-04-01

A production vehicle powered by a spark-ignition engine (3.1-L Chevrolet Lumina, model year 1990) was tested. The test used oxygen-enriched intake air containing 25 and 28% oxygen by volume to determine (1) if the vehicle would run without difficulties and (2) if emissions benefits would result. Standard Federal Test Procedure (FTP) emissions test cycles were run satisfactorily. Test results of catalytic converter-out emissions (emissions out of the converter) showed that both carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons were reduced significantly in all three phases of the emissions test cycle. Test results of engine-out emissions (emissions straight out of the engine, with the converter removed) showed that carbon monoxide was significantly reduced in the cold phase. All emission test results were compared with those for normal air (21% oxygen). The catalytic converter also had an improved carbon monoxide conversion efficiency under the oxygen-enriched-air conditions. Detailed results of hydrocarbon speciation indicated large reductions in 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzene from the engine with the oxygen-enriched air. Catalytic converter-out ozone was reduced by 60% with 25%-oxygen-content air. Although NO(x) emissions increased significantly, both for engine-out and catalytic converter-out emissions, we anticipate that they can be ameliorated in the near future with new control technologies. The automotive industry currently is developing exhaust-gas control technologies for an oxidizing environment; these technologies should reduce NO(x) emissions more efficiently in vehicles that use oxygen-enriched intake air. On the basis of estimates made from current data, several production vehicles that had low NO(x) emissions could meet the 2004 Tier 2 emissions standards with 25%-oxygen-content air.

Gain curves and hydrodynamic modeling for shock ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafon, M.; Ribeyre, X.; Schurtz, G.

2010-01-01

Ignition of a precompressed thermonuclear fuel by means of a converging shock is now considered as a credible scheme to obtain high gains for inertial fusion energy. This work aims at modeling the successive stages of the fuel time history, from compression to final thermonuclear combustion, in order to provide the gain curves of shock ignition (SI). The leading physical mechanism at work in SI is pressure amplification, at first by spherical convergence, and by collision with the shock reflected at center during the stagnation process. These two effects are analyzed, and ignition conditions are provided as functions of the shock pressure and implosion velocity. Ignition conditions are obtained from a non-isobaric fuel assembly, for which we present a gain model. The corresponding gain curves exhibit a significantly lower ignition threshold and higher target gains than conventional central ignition.

An experimental study on regulated and unregulated pollutants from a spark ignition car fuelled on liquefied petroleum gas and Gasoline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, A.N.; Yun-shan, G.E.; Jun-fang, W.; Jian-wei, T.; Gardezi, S.A.R.

2010-01-01

In the experimental study conducted on a spark ignition (SI) car running on a chassis dynamometer, fuelled on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and gasoline, carbon monoxide (CO) and total hydrocarbons (HC) decreased by 37.3% and 46.8%, respectively, while oxides of nitrogen (NOx) increased by 59.7% due to higher compression ratio with LPG, compared with gasoline. In case of LPG fuel, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, 2-butanone, butyraldehyde, benzaldehyde and valeraldehyde decreased, leading to an over all decrease of about 35% and 26% in carbonyls and their ozone forming potential (OFP), respectively, compared with gasoline. Furthermore, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene and styrene decreased, resulting in an overall decrease of 38.8% in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 39.2% in BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene) species due to more complete combustion with LPG, compared with gasoline. Further, the OFP of VOCs with LPG was 6% lower than that with gasoline fuel. (author)

STUDENT AWARD FINALIST: Oxygen Pathways in Streamer Discharge for Transient Plasma Ignition

Science.gov (United States)

Pendleton, S. J.; Bowman, S.; Singleton, D.; Watrous, J.; Carter, C.; Lempert, W.; Gundersen, M. A.

2011-10-01

The use of streamers for the ignition of fuels, also known as transient plasma ignition (TPI), has been shown in a variety of engines to improve combustion through decreased ignition delay, increased lean burn capability and increased energy release relative to conventional spark ignition. The mechanisms behind these improvements, however, remain poorly understood. Temperature measurements by optical emission spectroscopy demonstrate that ignition by TPI is a nonthermal process, and thus is almost entirely dependent on the production and presence of electron impact-created active species in the discharge afterglow. Of particular interest are active oxygen species due to their relatively long lifetimes at high pressures and the pivotal role they play in combustion reactions. In order to elucidate the oxygen pathways, here we report the investigation of the temporal evolution of the populations of atomic oxygen and ozone by use of two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF) and UV absorption, respectively. Experimental results are presented and compared to kinetic modeling of the streamers. Future experiments are proposed to better understand the physics behind TPI. Supported by NSF, AFOSR, NumerEx-ONR, AFRL-WPAFB.

Researches on Preliminary Chemical Reactions in Spark-Ignition Engines

Science.gov (United States)

1943-06-01

compression type, without ignition, the resulting preliminary reactions being detectable and meas- urable thermometrically . Contents I. Influence of Preliminary...thoroughly insulated be- tween the carburettor and the engine, by aluminium foil and asbestos. -I -I " I" I ’I il i~ " !, I I 1𔃻I I’ ) To enable the

Low-Load Limit in a Diesel-Ignited Gas Engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Hutter

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The lean-burn capability of the Diesel-ignited gas engine combined with its potential for high efficiency and low CO 2 emissions makes this engine concept one of the most promising alternative fuel converters for passenger cars. Instead of using a spark plug, the ignition relies on the compression-ignited Diesel fuel providing ignition centers for the homogeneous air-gas mixture. In this study the amount of Diesel is reduced to the minimum amount required for the desired ignition. The low-load operation of such an engine is known to be challenging, as hydrocarbon (HC emissions rise. The objective of this study is to develop optimal low-load operation strategies for the input variables equivalence ratio and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR rate. A physical engine model helps to investigate three important limitations, namely maximum acceptable HC emissions, minimal CO 2 reduction, and minimal exhaust gas temperature. An important finding is the fact that the high HC emissions under low-load and lean conditions are a consequence of the inability to raise the gas equivalence ratio resulting in a poor flame propagation. The simulations on the various low-load strategies reveal the conflicting demand of lean combustion with low CO 2 emissions and stoichiometric operation with low HC emissions, as well as the minimal feasible dual-fuel load of 3.2 bar brake mean effective pressure.

Effects of spark plug configuration on combustion and emission characteristics of a LPG fuelled lean burn SI engine

Science.gov (United States)

Ravi, K.; Khan, Manazir Ahmed; Pradeep Bhasker, J.; Porpatham, E.

2017-11-01

Introduction of technological innovation in automotive engines in reducing pollution and increasing efficiency have been under contemplation. Gaseous fuels have proved to be a promising way to reduce emissions in Spark Ignition (SI) engines. In particular, LPG settled to be a favourable fuel for SI engines because of their higher hydrogen to carbon ratio, octane rating and lower emissions. Wide ignition limits and efficient combustion characteristics make LPG suitable for lean burn operation. But lean combustion technology has certain drawbacks like poor flame propagation, cyclic variations etc. Based on copious research it was found that location, types and number of spark plug significantly influence in reducing cyclic variations. In this work the influence of single and dual spark plugs of conventional and surface discharge electrode type were analysed. Dual surface discharge electrode spark plug enhanced the brake thermal efficiency and greatly reduced the cyclic variations. The experimental results show that rate of heat release and pressure rise was more and combustion duration was shortened in this configuration. On the emissions front, the NOx emission has increased whereas HC and CO emissions were reduced under lean condition.

Modelling piloted ignition of wood and plastics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blijderveen, M.; Bramer, Eduard A.; Brem, Gerrit

2012-01-01

To gain insight in the startup of an incinerator, this article deals with piloted ignition. A newly developed model is described to predict the piloted ignition times of wood, PMMA and PVC. The model is based on the lower flammability limit and the adiabatic flame temperature at this limit. The

Analytical model for fast-shock ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghasemi, S. A.; Farahbod, A. H.; Sobhanian, S.

2014-01-01

A model and its improvements are introduced for a recently proposed approach to inertial confinement fusion, called fast-shock ignition (FSI). The analysis is based upon the gain models of fast ignition, shock ignition and considerations for the fast electrons penetration into the pre-compressed fuel to examine the formation of an effective central hot spot. Calculations of fast electrons penetration into the dense fuel show that if the initial electron kinetic energy is of the order ∼4.5 MeV, the electrons effectively reach the central part of the fuel. To evaluate more realistically the performance of FSI approach, we have used a quasi-two temperature electron energy distribution function of Strozzi (2012) and fast ignitor energy formula of Bellei (2013) that are consistent with 3D PIC simulations for different values of fast ignitor laser wavelength and coupling efficiency. The general advantages of fast-shock ignition in comparison with the shock ignition can be estimated to be better than 1.3 and it is seen that the best results can be obtained for the fuel mass around 1.5 mg, fast ignitor laser wavelength ∼0.3  micron and the shock ignitor energy weight factor about 0.25

A trial of ignition innovation of gasoline engine by nanosecond pulsed low temperature plasma ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiraishi, Taisuke; Urushihara, Tomonori; Gundersen, Martin

2009-01-01

Application of nanosecond pulsed low temperature plasma as an ignition technique for automotive gasoline engines, which require a discharge under conditions of high back pressure, has been studied experimentally using a single-cylinder engine. The nanosecond pulsed plasma refers to the transient (non-equilibrated) phase of a plasma before the formation of an arc discharge; it was obtained by applying a high voltage with a nanosecond pulse (FWHM of approximately 80 or 25 ns) between coaxial cylindrical electrodes. It was confirmed that nanosecond pulsed plasma can form a volumetric multi-channel streamer discharge at an energy consumption of 60 mJ cycle -1 under a high back pressure of 1400 kPa. It was found that the initial combustion period was shortened compared with the conventional spark ignition. The initial flame visualization suggested that the nanosecond pulsed plasma ignition results in the formation of a spatially dispersed initial flame kernel at a position of high electric field strength around the central electrode. It was observed that the electric field strength in the air gap between the coaxial cylindrical electrodes was increased further by applying a shorter pulse. It was also clarified that the shorter pulse improved ignitability even further.

A trial of ignition innovation of gasoline engine by nanosecond pulsed low temperature plasma ignition

Science.gov (United States)

Shiraishi, Taisuke; Urushihara, Tomonori; Gundersen, Martin

2009-07-01

Application of nanosecond pulsed low temperature plasma as an ignition technique for automotive gasoline engines, which require a discharge under conditions of high back pressure, has been studied experimentally using a single-cylinder engine. The nanosecond pulsed plasma refers to the transient (non-equilibrated) phase of a plasma before the formation of an arc discharge; it was obtained by applying a high voltage with a nanosecond pulse (FWHM of approximately 80 or 25 ns) between coaxial cylindrical electrodes. It was confirmed that nanosecond pulsed plasma can form a volumetric multi-channel streamer discharge at an energy consumption of 60 mJ cycle-1 under a high back pressure of 1400 kPa. It was found that the initial combustion period was shortened compared with the conventional spark ignition. The initial flame visualization suggested that the nanosecond pulsed plasma ignition results in the formation of a spatially dispersed initial flame kernel at a position of high electric field strength around the central electrode. It was observed that the electric field strength in the air gap between the coaxial cylindrical electrodes was increased further by applying a shorter pulse. It was also clarified that the shorter pulse improved ignitability even further.

Contactless Electric Igniter for Vehicle to Lower Exhaust Emission and Fuel Consumption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Lung Shen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available An electric igniter for engine/hybrid vehicles is presented. The igniter comprises a flyback converter, a voltage-stacked capacitor, a PIC-based controller, a differential voltage detector, and an ignition coil, of which structure is non-contact type. Since the electric igniter adopts a capacitor to accumulate energy for engine ignition instead of traditional contacttype approach, it enhances the igniting performance of a spark plug effectively. As a result, combustion efficiency is promoted, fuel consumption is saved, and exhaust emission is reduced. The igniter not only is good for fuel efficiency but also can reduce HC and CO emission significantly, which therefore is an environmentally friendly product. The control core of the igniter is implemented on a single chip, which lowers discrete component count, reduces system volume, and increases reliability. In addition, the ignition timing can be programmed so that a timing regulator can be removed from the proposed system, simplifying its structure. To verify the feasibility and functionality of the igniter, key waveforms are measured and real-car experiments are performed as well.

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.

Two-stage Lagrangian modeling of ignition processes in ignition quality tester and constant volume combustion chambers

KAUST Repository

Alfazazi, Adamu; Kuti, Olawole Abiola; Naser, Nimal; Chung, Suk-Ho; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

The ignition characteristics of isooctane and n-heptane in an ignition quality tester (IQT) were simulated using a two-stage Lagrangian (TSL) model, which is a zero-dimensional (0-D) reactor network method. The TSL model was also used to simulate

Investigation of emissions characteristics of secondary butyl alcohol-gasoline blends in a port fuel injection spark ignition engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yusri I.M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Exhaust emissions especially from light duty gasoline engine are a major contributor to air pollution due to the large number of vehicles on the road. The purpose of this study is to experimentally analyse the exhaust pollutant emissions of a four-stroke port fuel spark ignition engines operating using secondary butyl alcohol–gasoline blends by percentage volume of 5% (GBu5, 10% (GBu10 and 15% (GBu15 of secondary butyl- alcohol (2-butanol additives in gasoline fuels at 50% of wide throttle open. The exhaust emissions characteristics of the engine using blended fuels was compared to the exhaust emissions of the engine with gasoline fuels (G100 as a reference fuels. Exhaust emissions analysis results show that all of the blended fuels produced lower CO by 8.6%, 11.6% and 24.8% for GBu5, GBu10 and GBu15 respectively from 2500 to 4000 RPM, while for HC, both GBu10 and GBu15 were lower than that G100 fuels at all engine speeds. In general, when the engine was operated using blended fuels, the engine produced lower CO and HC, but higher CO2.

Development of a simulation model for compression ignition engine running with ignition improved blend

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudeshkumar Ponnusamy Moranahalli

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Department of Automobile Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, India. The present work describes the thermodynamic and heat transfer models used in a computer program which simulates the diesel fuel and ignition improver blend to predict the combustion and emission characteristics of a direct injection compression ignition engine fuelled with ignition improver blend using classical two zone approach. One zone consists of pure air called non burning zone and other zone consist of fuel and combustion products called burning zone. First law of thermodynamics and state equations are applied in each of the two zones to yield cylinder temperatures and cylinder pressure histories. Using the two zone combustion model the combustion parameters and the chemical equilibrium composition were determined. To validate the model an experimental investigation has been conducted on a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine fuelled with 12% by volume of 2- ethoxy ethanol blend with diesel fuel. Addition of ignition improver blend to diesel fuel decreases the exhaust smoke and increases the thermal efficiency for the power outputs. It was observed that there is a good agreement between simulated and experimental results and the proposed model requires low computational time for a complete run.

Analysis of biomass and waste gasification lean syngases combustion for power generation using spark ignition engines.

Science.gov (United States)

Marculescu, Cosmin; Cenuşă, Victor; Alexe, Florin

2016-01-01

The paper presents a study for food processing industry waste to energy conversion using gasification and internal combustion engine for power generation. The biomass we used consisted in bones and meat residues sampled directly from the industrial line, characterised by high water content, about 42% in mass, and potential health risks. Using the feedstock properties, experimentally determined, two air-gasification process configurations were assessed and numerically modelled to quantify the effects on produced syngas properties. The study also focused on drying stage integration within the conversion chain: either external or integrated into the gasifier. To comply with environmental regulations on feedstock to syngas conversion both solutions were developed in a closed system using a modified down-draft gasifier that integrates the pyrolysis, gasification and partial oxidation stages. Good quality syngas with up to 19.1% - CO; 17% - H2; and 1.6% - CH4 can be produced. The syngas lower heating value may vary from 4.0 MJ/Nm(3) to 6.7 MJ/Nm(3) depending on process configuration. The influence of syngas fuel properties on spark ignition engines performances was studied in comparison to the natural gas (methane) and digestion biogas. In order to keep H2 molar quota below the detonation value of ⩽4% for the engines using syngas, characterised by higher hydrogen fraction, the air excess ratio in the combustion process must be increased to [2.2-2.8]. The results in this paper represent valuable data required by the design of waste to energy conversion chains with intermediate gas fuel production. The data is suitable for Otto engines characterised by power output below 1 MW, designed for natural gas consumption and fuelled with low calorific value gas fuels. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

KAUST Repository

Shankar, Vijai; Alabbad, Mohammed; El-Rachidi, Mariam; Mohamed, Samah; Singh, Eshan; Wang, Zhandong; Farooq, Aamir; Sarathy, Mani

2016-01-01

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

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)

Skip cycle method with a valve-control mechanism for spark ignition engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baykara, Cemal; Akin Kutlar, O.; Dogru, Baris; Arslan, Hikmet

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A normal four-stroke cycle followed by a skip cycle without gas exchange is tested. • The normal and skipped mode results are compared at equal power levels. • The throttle valve is opened wider, thereby resulting in a higher volumetric efficiency. • The pumping work during the gas exchange decreases significantly. • The fuel consumption (BSFC) is reduced by approximately 14–26% under part load conditions. - Abstract: The efficiency decrease of spark ignition (SI) engines under part-load conditions is a considerable issue. Changing the effective stroke volume based on the load level is one of the methods using to improve the part-load efficiency. In this study, a novel alternative engine valve control technique in order to perform a cycle without gas exchange (skip cycle), is examined. The goal of skip cycle strategy is to reduce the effective stroke volume of an engine under part load conditions by skipping several of the four stroke cycles by cutting off the fuel injection and simultaneously deactivating the inlet and exhaust valves. To achieve the same power level in the skip cycle, the cylinder pressure level reaches higher values compared to those in a normal four stroke cycle operation, but inherently not higher than the maximum one at full load of normal cycle. According to the experimental results, the break specific fuel consumption (BSFC) was reduced by 14–26% at a 1–3 bar break mean effective pressure (BMEP) and a 1200–1800 rpm engine speed of skip cycle operation, in comparison to normal engine operation. The significant decrease in the pumping work from the gas exchange is one of the primary factors for an increase in efficiency under part load conditions. As expected, the fuel consumption reduction rate at lower load conditions was higher. These experimental results indicate a promising potential of the skip cycle system for reducing the fuel consumption under part load conditions.

Improvement of performance and reduction of pollutant emissions of a four-stroke spark ignition engine fuelled with a mixture of hydrogen and methane as a supplementary fuel to alcohol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Al-Bagdhadi, M.A.-R.S. [University of Babylon (Iraq). College of Engineering

2004-05-01

Owing to the energy crisis and pollution problems of today, investigations have concentrated on decreasing fuel consumption and on lowering the concentration of toxic components in combustion products by using non-petroleum, renewable, sustainable and non-polluting fuels. While conventional energy sources such as natural gas, oil and coal are non-renewable, hydrogen and alcohol can be coupled to renewable and sustainable energy sources. The usage of a mixture of hydrogen and methane as a supplementary fuel to an alcohol-air mixture for spark ignition engines results in a considerable improvement in engine performance and in the reduction of the toxic components in exhaust gases in comparison with the conventional spark ignition gasoline engine. In tests, the gas comprising 40 per cent H, and 60 per cent CH{sub 4} by volume was added to alcohol as 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 per cent by mass. Operating test results for a range of compression ratio (CR) and equivalent ratio are presented. Gasoline fuel was used as a basis for comparison. The important improvement in methane addition reduced the specific fuel consumption (s.f.c.) and CO emission of alcohol engines. The performance of the engine is enhanced when relatively small amounts of hydrogen are present with methane. This improvement in performance, which is especially pronounced at operational equivalence ratios that are much leaner than the stoichiometric value, can be attributed largely to the faster and cleaner burning characteristics of hydrogen in comparison with methane or alcohol. Moreover, the addition of hydrogen decreases the s.f.c. of the engine. The possibility of an engine power quality adjustment has also been studied. (author)

IIT MMAE Dept. Research project the homogeneous charge thermal ignition (HCTI) engine

OpenAIRE

Domenech Menal, Joan Ignasi

2011-01-01

Nowadays the main kinds of engines that are used in ground transportation are, gasoline Spark Ignition engines and diesel Compression Ignition engines. As every day more fuel is being used by a growing number of vehicles, fuel dependency growth and a growing concern for our environment health, it is a crucial point to gain in fuel efficiency for ground transportation engines. Many approaches are being investigated, but we will focus in one kind that we call the HCTI, homogeneous charge the...

Spark discharge and flame inception analysis through spectroscopy in a DISI engine fuelled with gasoline and butanol

Science.gov (United States)

Irimescu, A.; Merola, S. S.

2017-10-01

Extensive application of downsizing, as well as the application of alternative combustion control with respect to well established stoichiometric operation, have determined a continuous increase in the energy that is delivered to the working fluid in order to achieve stable and repeatable ignition. Apart from the complexity of fluid-arc interactions, the extreme thermodynamic conditions of this initial combustion stage make its characterization difficult, both through experimental and numerical techniques. Within this context, the present investigation looks at the analysis of spark discharge and flame kernel formation, through the application of UV-visible spectroscopy. Characterization of the energy transfer from the spark plug’s electrodes to the air-fuel mixture was achieved by the evaluation of vibrational and rotational temperatures during ignition, for stoichiometric and lean fuelling of a direct injection spark ignition engine. Optical accessibility was ensured from below the combustion chamber through an elongated piston design, that allowed the central region of the cylinder to be investigated. Fuel effects were evaluated for gasoline and n-butanol; roughly the same load was investigated in throttled and wide-open throttle conditions for both fuels. A brief thermodynamic analysis confirmed that significant gains in efficiency can be obtained with lean fuelling, mainly due to the reduction of pumping losses. Minimal effect of fuel type was observed, while mixture strength was found to have a stronger influence on calculated temperature values, especially during the initial stage of ignition. In-cylinder pressure was found to directly determine emission intensity during ignition, but the vibrational and rotational temperatures featured reduced dependence on this parameter. As expected, at the end of kernel formation, temperature values converged towards those typically found for adiabatic flames. The results show that indeed only a relatively small part

Study on the combustion and hydrocarbon emission characteristics of direct injection spark-ignition engines during the direct-start process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Lei; Xiao, Maoyu; Deng, Kangyao

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Mixture concentration in first-combustion cylinder of direct start is measured. • Factors that affect direct start performances are investigated. • Combustion characteristics of first-combustion cylinder are analyzed. • Hydrocarbon emission is considered to determined control strategies of direct start. - Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the combustion and emissions characteristics of the first-combustion cylinder in a direct-start process. The explosive energy of the first combustion is important for the success of a direct start, but this combustion was rarely addressed in recent research. For a 2.0 L direct-injection spark-ignition engine, the in-cylinder mixture concentration, cylinder pressure, engine speed and exhaust hydrocarbon concentration were detected to analyze the fuel evaporation, combustion, engine movement and engine emissions, respectively. In the first-combustion cylinder of the direct-start process, the injected fuel was often enriched to ensure that an appropriate mixture concentration was obtained for ignition without misfiring. Approximately one-third of the injected fuel would not participate in the combustion process and would therefore reduce the exhaust hydrocarbon emissions. The start position determined the amount of the total explosive energy in the first-combustion cylinder, and an optimal start position for a direct start was found to be at a 70–80° crank angle before the top dead center to obtain a better combustion performance and lower emissions. A lower coolant temperature increased the maximum explosion energy of the first combustion, but additional hydrocarbon emissions were generated. Because there was almost no problem in the direct-start capability with different coolant temperatures after an idling stop, it was necessary to maintain the coolant temperature when the engine was stopped

Electron accelerator with a laser ignition for investigation of beam plasma by optical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabanov, S.N.; Korolev, A.A.; Kul'beda, V.E.; Razumovskij, A.I.; Trukhin, V.A.

1990-01-01

Facility to conduct investigations into dense gas beam plasma is described. Facility comprises: electron accelerator (200-300 keV, 5kA, 20ns), OGM-40 ignition ruby laser LZhI-501 diagnostic laser (with 0.55-0.66 μm tunable wave length), Michelson interferometer and diagnostic equipment for optical measurements. Laser ignition of spark gap is introduced to strong synchronization (±10ns) of radiation pulse of diagnostic laser with beam current pulse

Cycle-by-cycle variations in a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends combined with EGR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Bin; Hu, Erjiang; Huang, Zuohua; Zheng, Jianjun; Liu, Bing; Jiang, Deming [State Key Laboratory of Multiphase Flow in Power Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, 710049 Xi' an (China)

2009-10-15

Study of cycle-by-cycle variations in a spark ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends combined with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) was conducted. The effects of EGR ratio and hydrogen fraction on engine cycle-by-cycle variations are analyzed. The results show that the cylinder peak pressure, the maximum rate of pressure rise and the indicated mean effective pressure decrease and cycle-by-cycle variations increase with the increase of EGR ratio. Interdependency between the above parameters and their corresponding crank angles of cylinder peak pressure is decreased with the increase of EGR ratio. For a given EGR ratio, combustion stability is promoted and cycle-by-cycle variations are decreased with the increase of hydrogen fraction in the fuel blends. Non-linear relationship is presented between the indicated mean effective pressure and EGR ratio. Slight influence of EGR ratio on indicated mean effective pressure is observed at low EGR ratios while large influence of EGR ratio on indicated mean effective pressure is demonstrated at high EGR ratios. The high test engine speed has lower cycle-by-cycle variations due to the enhancement of air flow turbulence and swirls in the cylinder. Increasing hydrogen fraction can maintain low cycle-by-cycle variations at high EGR ratios. (author)

Vacuum spark breakdown model based on exploding metal wire phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haaland, J.

1984-06-01

Spark source mass spectra (SSMS) indicates that ions are extracted from an expanding and decaying plasma. The intensity distribution shows no dependance on vaporization properties of individual elements which indicates explosive vapour formation. This seems further to be a requirement for bridging a vacuum gap. A model including plasma ejection from a superheated anode spot by a process similar to that of an exploding metal wire is proposed. The appearance of hot plasma points in low inductance vacuum sparks can then be explained as exploding micro particles ejected from a final central anode spot. The phenomenological model is compared with available experimental results from literature, but no extensive quantification is attempted

Electrostatic hazards of charging of bedclothes and ignition in medical facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Endo, Yuta; Ohsawa, Atsushi; Yamaguma, Mizuki

2018-02-26

We investigated the charge generated on bedclothes (cotton and polyester) during bedding exchange with different humidities and the ignitability of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (72.3 mass% ethanol) due to static spark with different temperatures to identify the hazards of electrostatic shocks and ignitions occurring previously in medical facilities. The results indicated that charging of the polyester bedclothes may induce a human body potential of over about 10 kV, resulting in shocks even at a relative humidity of 50%, and a human body potential of higher than about 8 kV can cause a risk for the ignition of the hand sanitizer. The grounding of human bodies via footwear and flooring, therefore, is essential to avoid such hazards (or to reduce such risks).

Deriving forest fire ignition risk with biogeochemical process modelling.

Science.gov (United States)

Eastaugh, C S; Hasenauer, H

2014-05-01

Climate impacts the growth of trees and also affects disturbance regimes such as wildfire frequency. The European Alps have warmed considerably over the past half-century, but incomplete records make it difficult to definitively link alpine wildfire to climate change. Complicating this is the influence of forest composition and fuel loading on fire ignition risk, which is not considered by purely meteorological risk indices. Biogeochemical forest growth models track several variables that may be used as proxies for fire ignition risk. This study assesses the usefulness of the ecophysiological model BIOME-BGC's 'soil water' and 'labile litter carbon' variables in predicting fire ignition. A brief application case examines historic fire occurrence trends over pre-defined regions of Austria from 1960 to 2008. Results show that summer fire ignition risk is largely a function of low soil moisture, while winter fire ignitions are linked to the mass of volatile litter and atmospheric dryness.

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges in air at atmospheric pressure-the spark regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pai, David Z; Lacoste, Deanna A; Laux, Christophe O

2010-01-01

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) spark discharges have been studied in atmospheric pressure air preheated to 1000 K. Measurements of spark initiation and stability, plasma dynamics, gas temperature and current-voltage characteristics of the spark regime are presented. Using 10 ns pulses applied repetitively at 30 kHz, we find that 2-400 pulses are required to initiate the spark, depending on the applied voltage. Furthermore, about 30-50 pulses are required for the spark discharge to reach steady state, following initiation. Based on space- and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, the spark discharge in steady state is found to ignite homogeneously in the discharge gap, without evidence of an initial streamer. Using measured emission from the N 2 (C-B) 0-0 band, it is found that the gas temperature rises by several thousand Kelvin in the span of about 30 ns following the application of the high-voltage pulse. Current-voltage measurements show that up to 20-40 A of conduction current is generated, which corresponds to an electron number density of up to 10 15 cm -3 towards the end of the high-voltage pulse. The discharge dynamics, gas temperature and electron number density are consistent with a streamer-less spark that develops homogeneously through avalanche ionization in volume. This occurs because the pre-ionization electron number density of about 10 11 cm -3 produced by the high frequency train of pulses is above the critical density for streamer-less discharge development, which is shown to be about 10 8 cm -3 .

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges in air at atmospheric pressure—the spark regime

Science.gov (United States)

Pai, David Z.; Lacoste, Deanna A.; Laux, Christophe O.

2010-12-01

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) spark discharges have been studied in atmospheric pressure air preheated to 1000 K. Measurements of spark initiation and stability, plasma dynamics, gas temperature and current-voltage characteristics of the spark regime are presented. Using 10 ns pulses applied repetitively at 30 kHz, we find that 2-400 pulses are required to initiate the spark, depending on the applied voltage. Furthermore, about 30-50 pulses are required for the spark discharge to reach steady state, following initiation. Based on space- and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, the spark discharge in steady state is found to ignite homogeneously in the discharge gap, without evidence of an initial streamer. Using measured emission from the N2 (C-B) 0-0 band, it is found that the gas temperature rises by several thousand Kelvin in the span of about 30 ns following the application of the high-voltage pulse. Current-voltage measurements show that up to 20-40 A of conduction current is generated, which corresponds to an electron number density of up to 1015 cm-3 towards the end of the high-voltage pulse. The discharge dynamics, gas temperature and electron number density are consistent with a streamer-less spark that develops homogeneously through avalanche ionization in volume. This occurs because the pre-ionization electron number density of about 1011 cm-3 produced by the high frequency train of pulses is above the critical density for streamer-less discharge development, which is shown to be about 108 cm-3.

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges in air at atmospheric pressure-the spark regime

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pai, David Z; Lacoste, Deanna A; Laux, Christophe O [Laboratoire EM2C, CNRS UPR288, Ecole Centrale Paris, 92295 Chatenay-Malabry (France)

2010-12-15

Nanosecond repetitively pulsed (NRP) spark discharges have been studied in atmospheric pressure air preheated to 1000 K. Measurements of spark initiation and stability, plasma dynamics, gas temperature and current-voltage characteristics of the spark regime are presented. Using 10 ns pulses applied repetitively at 30 kHz, we find that 2-400 pulses are required to initiate the spark, depending on the applied voltage. Furthermore, about 30-50 pulses are required for the spark discharge to reach steady state, following initiation. Based on space- and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy, the spark discharge in steady state is found to ignite homogeneously in the discharge gap, without evidence of an initial streamer. Using measured emission from the N{sub 2} (C-B) 0-0 band, it is found that the gas temperature rises by several thousand Kelvin in the span of about 30 ns following the application of the high-voltage pulse. Current-voltage measurements show that up to 20-40 A of conduction current is generated, which corresponds to an electron number density of up to 10{sup 15} cm{sup -3} towards the end of the high-voltage pulse. The discharge dynamics, gas temperature and electron number density are consistent with a streamer-less spark that develops homogeneously through avalanche ionization in volume. This occurs because the pre-ionization electron number density of about 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} produced by the high frequency train of pulses is above the critical density for streamer-less discharge development, which is shown to be about 10{sup 8} cm{sup -3}.

Laser ignition of liquid petroleum gas at elevated pressures

Science.gov (United States)

Loktionov, E.; Pasechnikov, N.; Telekh, V.

2017-11-01

Recent development of laser spark plugs for internal combustion engines have shown lack of data on laser ignition of fuel mixtures at multi-bar pressures needed for laser pulse energy and focusing optimisation. Methane and hydrogen based mixtures are comparatively well investigated, but propane and butane based ones (LPG), which are widely used in vehicles, are still almost unstudied. Optical breakdown thresholds in gases decrease with pressure increase up to ca. 100 bar, but breakdown is not a sufficient condition for combustion ignition. So minimum ignition energy (MIE) becomes more important for combustion core onset, and its dependency on mixture composition and pressure has several important features. For example, unlike breakdown threshold, is poorly dependent on laser pulse length, at least in pico- and to microsecond range. We have defined experimentally the dependencies of minimum picosecond laser pulse energies (MIE related value) needed for ignition of LPG based mixtures of 1.0 to 1.6 equivalence ratios and pressure of 1.0 to 3.5 bar. In addition to expected values decrease, low-energy flammability range broadening has been found at pressure increase. Laser ignition of LPG in Wankel rotary engine is reported for the first time.

Shock ignition of thermonuclear fuel: principles and modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atzeni, S.; Ribeyre, X.; Schurtz, G.; Schmitt, A.J.; Canaud, B.; Betti, R.; Perkins, L.J.

2014-01-01

Shock ignition is an approach to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion (ICF) in which the stages of compression and hot spot formation are partly separated. The fuel is first imploded at a lower velocity than in conventional ICF. Close to stagnation, an intense laser spike drives a strong converging shock, which contributes to hot spot formation. Shock ignition shows potentials for high gain at laser energies below 1 MJ, and could be tested on the National Ignition Facility or Laser MegaJoule. Shock ignition principles and modelling are reviewed in this paper. Target designs and computer-generated gain curves are presented and discussed. Limitations of present studies and research needs are outlined. (special topic)

Novel Laser Ignition Technique Using Dual-Pulse Pre-Ionization

Science.gov (United States)

Dumitrache, Ciprian

Recent advances in the development of compact high power laser sources and fiber optic delivery of giant pulses have generated a renewed interest in laser ignition. The non-intrusive nature of laser ignition gives it a set of unique characteristics over the well-established capacitive discharge devices (or spark plugs) that are currently used as ignition sources in engines. Overall, the use of laser ignition has been shown to have a positive impact on engine operation leading to a reduction in NOx emission, fuel saving and an increased operational envelope of current engines. Conventionally, laser ignition is achieved by tightly focusing a high-power q-switched laser pulse until the optical intensity at the focus is high enough to breakdown the gas molecules. This leads to the formation of a spark that serves as the ignition source in engines. However, there are certain disadvantages associated with this ignition method. This ionization approach is energetically inefficient as the medium is transparent to the laser radiation until the laser intensity is high enough to cause gas breakdown. As a consequence, very high energies are required for ignition (about an order of magnitude higher energy than capacitive plugs at stoichiometric conditions). Additionally, the fluid flow induced during the plasma recombination generates high vorticity leading to high rates of flame stretching. In this work, we are addressing some of the aforementioned disadvantages of laser ignition by developing a novel approach based on a dual-pulse pre-ionization scheme. The new technique works by decoupling the effect of the two ionization mechanisms governing plasma formation: multiphoton ionization (MPI) and electron avalanche ionization (EAI). An UV nanosecond pulse (lambda = 266 nm) is used to generate initial ionization through MPI. This is followed by an overlapped NIR nanosecond pulse (lambda = 1064 nm) that adds energy into the pre-ionized mixture into a controlled manner until the

Laser Ignition Technology for Bi-Propellant Rocket Engine Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Matthew E.; Bossard, John A.; Early, Jim; Trinh, Huu; Dennis, Jay; Turner, James (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The fiber optically coupled laser ignition approach summarized is under consideration for use in igniting bi-propellant rocket thrust chambers. This laser ignition approach is based on a novel dual pulse format capable of effectively increasing laser generated plasma life times up to 1000 % over conventional laser ignition methods. In the dual-pulse format tinder consideration here an initial laser pulse is used to generate a small plasma kernel. A second laser pulse that effectively irradiates the plasma kernel follows this pulse. Energy transfer into the kernel is much more efficient because of its absorption characteristics thereby allowing the kernel to develop into a much more effective ignition source for subsequent combustion processes. In this research effort both single and dual-pulse formats were evaluated in a small testbed rocket thrust chamber. The rocket chamber was designed to evaluate several bipropellant combinations. Optical access to the chamber was provided through small sapphire windows. Test results from gaseous oxygen (GOx) and RP-1 propellants are presented here. Several variables were evaluated during the test program, including spark location, pulse timing, and relative pulse energy. These variables were evaluated in an effort to identify the conditions in which laser ignition of bi-propellants is feasible. Preliminary results and analysis indicate that this laser ignition approach may provide superior ignition performance relative to squib and torch igniters, while simultaneously eliminating some of the logistical issues associated with these systems. Further research focused on enhancing the system robustness, multiplexing, and window durability/cleaning and fiber optic enhancements is in progress.

Effect of Operating Conditions on Pollutants Concentration Emitted from a Spark Ignition Engine Fueled with Gasoline Bioethanol Blends

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haroun A. K. Shahad

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This study is an experimental investigation of the effect of bioethanol gasoline blending on exhaust emissions in terms of carbon dioxide CO2, carbon monoxide CO, unburnt hydrocarbons UHC, and nitric oxide NOx of a spark ignition engine. Tests are conducted at controlled throttle and variable speed condition over the range of 1200 to 2000 rpm with intervals 400 rpm. Different compression ratios are tested for each speed, namely (7,8,10, and 11. Pure gasoline and bioethanol gasoline blends are used. The bioethanol used is produced from Iraqi date crop (Zehdi. Blending is done on energy replacement bases. Ethanol energy ratio (EER used is 5%, 10%, and 15%. At each of the three designated engine speeds, the torque is set as 0, 3, 7, 10, and 14 N·m. It is found that ethanol blending reduces CO and UHC concentration in the exhaust gases by about 45% and 40.15%, respectively, and increases NOx and CO2 concentrations in the exhaust gases by about 16.18% and 7.5%, respectively. It is found also that load and speed increase causes an increase in CO2 and NOx concentrations and reduces CO and UHC concentrations. It is also found that increasing the compression ratio causes the emissions of CO2 and NOx to decrease and those of CO and UHC to increase.

Advances for laser ignition of internal combustion and rocket engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwarz, E.

2011-01-01

The scope of the PhD thesis presented here is the investigation of theoretical and practical aspects of laser-induced spark ignition and laser thermal ignition. Laser ignition systems are currently undergoing a rapidly development with growing intensity involving more and more research groups who mainly concentrate on the field of car and large combustion engines. This research is primarily driven by the engagement to meet the increasingly strict emission limits and by the intention to use the limited energy reserves more efficiently. For internal combustion engines, laser plasma-induced ignition will allow to combine the goals for legally required reductions of pollutant emissions and higher engine efficiencies. Also for rocket engines laser ignition turns out to be very attractive. A highly reliable ignition system like laser ignition would represent an option for introducing non-toxic propellants in order to replace highly toxic and carcinogenic hydrazine-based propellants commonly used in launch vehicle upper stages and satellites. The most important results on laser ignition and laser plasma generation, accomplished by the author and, in some respects, enriched by cooperation with colleagues are presented in the following. The emphasis of this thesis is placed on the following issues: - Two-color effects on laser plasma generation - Theoretical considerations about the focal volume concerning plasma generation - Plasma transmission experiments - Ignition experiments on laser-induced ignition - Ignition experiments on thermally-induced ignition - Feasibility study on laser ignition of rocket engines The purpose of the two-color laser plasma experiments is to investigate possible constructive interference effects of driving fields that are not monochromatic, but contain (second) harmonic radiation with respect to the goal of lowering the plasma generation threshold. Such effects have been found in a number of related processes, such as laser ablation or high

Experimental investigation of the vibrational and thermal response of a laser spark plug

Science.gov (United States)

Yoder, Gregory S.

A study was conducted in order to evaluate the external thermal and vibrational effects on the operation of a laser ignition system for internal combustion (IC) engine applications. West Virginia University (WVU) in conjunction with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have constructed a prototype laser spark plug which has been designed to mount directly onto the head of a natural gas engine for the purpose of igniting an air/fuel (A/F) mixture in the engine's combustion chamber. To be considered as a viable replacement for the conventional electrode-based ignition system, integrity, durability and reliability must be justified. Thermal and oscillatory perturbations induced upon the ignition system are major influences that affect laser spark plug (LSP) operation and, therefore, quantifying these effects is necessary to further the advancement and development of this technology. The passively q-switched Nd:YAG laser was mounted on Bruel & Kjaer (B&K) Vibration Exciter Type 4808 Shaker in conjunction with at B&K Power Amplifier Type 2719, which was oscillated in 10 Hz intervals from 0 to 60 Hz using a sine wave to mimic natural gas engine operation. The input signal simulated the rotational velocity of the engine operating from 0 to 3600 RPM with the laser mounted in three different axial orientations. The laser assembly was wrapped with medium-temperature heat tape, outfitted with thermocouples and heated from room temperature to 140 ºF to simulate the temperatures that the LSP may experience when installed on an engine. The acceleration of the payload was varied between 50% and 100% of the oscillator's maximum allowable acceleration in each mounting orientation resulting in a total of 294 total setpoints. For each setpoint, pulse width, pulse width variation, q-switch delay, jitter and output energy were measured and recorded. Each of these dependent variables plays a critical role in multi photon ionization and precise control is necessary to limit

Fuel conversion efficiency improvements in a highly boosted spark-ignition engine with ultra-expansion cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Tie; Zheng, Bin; Yin, Tao

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Ultra-expansion cycle SI engine is investigated. • An improvement of 9–26% in BSFC at most frequently operated conditions is obtained. • At high and medium loads, BSFC improvement is attributed to the increased combustion efficiency and reduced exhaust energy. • At low loads, reduction in pumping loss and exhaust energy is the primary contributors to BSFC improvement. • Technical challenge in practical application of this type of engine is discussed. - Abstract: A four-cylinder, intake boosted, port fuel injection (PFI), spark-ignition (SI) engine is modified to a three-cylinder engine with the outer two cylinders working in the conventional four stroke cycle and with the inner cylinder working only with the expansion and exhausting strokes. After calibration and validation of the engine cycle simulation models using the experimental data in the original engine, the performance of the three-cylinder engine with the ultra-expansion cycle is numerically studied. Compared to the original engine, the fuel consumptions under the most-frequently operated conditions are improved by 9–26% and the low fuel consumption area on the operating map are drastically enlarged for the ultra-expansion cycle engine with the proper design. Nonetheless, a higher intake boosting is needed for the ultra-expansion cycle engine to circumvent the significant drop in the wide-open-throttle (WOT) performance, and compression ratio of the combustion cylinder must be reduced to avoid knocking combustion. Despite of the reduced compression ratio, however, the total expansion ratio is increased to 13.8 with the extra expansion of the working gas in the inner cylinder. Compared to the conventional engine, the theoretical thermal efficiency is therefore increased by up to above 4.0% with the ultra-expansion cycle over the most load range. The energy balance analysis shows that the increased combustion efficiency, reduced exhaust energy and the extra expansion work in the

Analytical and numerical models of uranium ignition assisted by hydride formation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Totemeier, T.C.; Hayes, S.L.

1996-01-01

Analytical and numerical models of uranium ignition assisted by the oxidation of uranium hydride are described. The models were developed to demonstrate that ignition of large uranium ingots could not occur as a result of possible hydride formation during storage. The thermodynamics-based analytical model predicted an overall 17 C temperature rise of the ingot due to hydride oxidation upon opening of the storage can in air. The numerical model predicted locally higher temperature increases at the surface; the transient temperature increase quickly dissipated. The numerical model was further used to determine conditions for which hydride oxidation does lead to ignition of uranium metal. Room temperature ignition only occurs for high hydride fractions in the nominally oxide reaction product and high specific surface areas of the uranium metal

Modelling of a Spark Ignition Engine for Power-Heat Production Optimization Modèle de moteur à allumage commandé en vue de l’optimisation de la production chaleur-force

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Descieux D.

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Spark ignition gas engine is more and more used in order to produce electricity and heat simultaneously. The engine crankshaft drives a synchronous electric generator. The thermal power output is recovered from the engine coolant system and exhaust gas, and is used to produce generally hot water for heating system. In order to have a better adequacy between supply (production of the engine and user demand, good knowledge of the engine and implemented phenomena are necessary. A generic methodology is proposed to simulate the stationary state response of a SI engine. The engine simulation is based on a one zone thermodynamic model, which characterizes each phase of the engine cycle to predict energy performances: exergy efficiency as high as 0.70 is attainable. Le moteur a allumage commande alimente en gaz est un moteur de plus en plus utilise pour la production simultanee d’electricite et de chaleur. Classiquement le moteur entraine sur l’arbre une generatrice electrique. Le flux thermique est recupere principalement sur le systeme de refroidissement du moteur ainsi que sur les fumees chaudes et il est generalement utilise pour produire de la chaleur pour les systemes de chauffage. Pour avoir une meilleure adaptation entre la production du moteur et la demande de l’usager, une bonne connaissance des evolutions dans le moteur et des phenomenes correspondants est necessaire. Une methode thermodynamique generale est proposee pour simulation du fonctionnement dynamique stationnaire d’un MACI. Le modele utilise une analyse monozone et les caracteristiques de chaque transformation du cycle pour etudier les performances energetiques : rendement exergetique de l’ordre de 0,70.

Numerical Simulations of Hollow Cone Injection and Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion With Naphtha Fuels

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad A.

2016-01-11

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI), also known as partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI) and gasoline direct injection compression ignition (GDICI), engines have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition engines. Lean burn combustion with the direct injection of fuel eliminates throttle losses for higher thermodynamic efficiencies, and the precise control of the mixture compositions allows better emission performance such as NOx and particulate matter (PM). Recently, low octane gasoline fuel has been identified as a viable option for the GCI engine applications due to its longer ignition delay characteristics compared to diesel and lighter evaporation compared to gasoline fuel [1]. The feasibility of such a concept has been demonstrated by experimental investigations at Saudi Aramco [1, 2]. The present study aims to develop predictive capabilities for low octane gasoline fuel compression ignition engines with accurate characterization of the spray dynamics and combustion processes. Full three-dimensional simulations were conducted using CONVERGE as a basic modeling framework, using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulent mixing models. An outwardly opening hollow-cone spray injector was characterized and validated against existing and new experimental data. An emphasis was made on the spray penetration characteristics. Various spray breakup and collision models have been tested and compared with the experimental data. An optimum combination has been identified and applied in the combusting GCI simulations. Linear instability sheet atomization (LISA) breakup model and modified Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor (KH-RT) break models proved to work the best for the investigated injector. Comparisons between various existing spray models and a parametric study have been carried out to study the effects of various spray parameters. The fuel effects have been tested by using three different primary reference fuel (PRF

[Exposure to electrocution by automotive ignition system in the work environment of car service employees].

Science.gov (United States)

Fryśkowski, Bernard; Swiatek-Fryśkowska, Dorota

2014-01-01

Automotive ignition system diagnostic procedures involve a specific kind of action due to the presence of high voltage pulses rated of roughly several dozen kilovolts. Therefore, the repairers employed at car service coming into direct contact with electrical equipment of ignition systems are exposed to risk of electric shock. Typically, the electric discharge energy of automotive ignition systems is not high enough to cause fibrillation due to the electric effect on the heart. Nevertheless, there are drivers and car service employees who use electronic cardiac pacemakers susceptible to high voltage pulses. The influence of high-voltage ignition systems on the human body, especially in case of electric injury, has not been comprehensively elucidated. Therefore, relatively few scientific papers address this problem. The aim of this paper is to consider the electrical injury danger from automotive ignition systems, especially in people suffering from cardiac diseases. Some examples of the methods to reduce electric shock probability during diagnostic procedures of spark-ignition combustion engines are presented and discussed.

A Comparative study on VOCs and aldehyde-ketone emissions from a spark Ignition vehicle fuelled on compressed natural gas and gasoline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, A.N.

2012-01-01

In this work, an experimental study was conducted on a spark ignition (SI) vehicle fuelled on compressed natural gas (CNG), and gasoline to compare the unregulated emissions such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aldehyde-ketones or carbonyls. In the meantime, ozone forming potential (OFP) of pollutants was also calculated on the basis of their specific reactivity (SR). The vehicle was run on a chassis dynamometer following the Chinese National Standards test scheduled for light duty vehicle (LDV) emissions. According to the results, total aldehyde-ketones were increased by 39.4% due to the substantial increase in formaldehyde and acrolein + acetone emissions, while VOCs and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylene) reduced by 85.2 and 86% respectively, in case of CNG fuelled vehicle as compared to gasoline vehicle. Although total aldehyde-ketones were higher with CNG relative to gasoline, their SR was lower due decrease in acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, and methacrolein species having higher maximum incremental reactivity (MIR) values. The SR of VOCs and aldehyde-ketones emitted from CNG fuelled vehicle was decreased by above 10% and 32% respectively, owing to better physicochemical properties and more complete burning of CNG as compared to gasoline. (author)

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.

Direct electrical arc ignition of hybrid rocket motors

Science.gov (United States)

Judson, Michael I., Jr.

Hybrid rockets motors provide distinct safety advantages when compared to traditional liquid or solid propellant systems, due to the inherent stability and relative inertness of the propellants prior to established combustion. As a result of this inherent propellant stability, hybrid motors have historically proven difficult to ignite. State of the art hybrid igniter designs continue to require solid or liquid reactants distinct from the main propellants. These ignition methods however, reintroduce to the hybrid propulsion system the safety and complexity disadvantages associated with traditional liquid or solid propellants. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of a novel direct electrostatic arc ignition method for hybrid motors. A series of small prototype stand-alone thrusters demonstrating this technology were successfully designed and tested using Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic and Gaseous Oxygen (GOX) as propellants. Measurements of input voltage and current demonstrated that arc-ignition will occur using as little as 10 watts peak power and less than 5 joules total energy. The motor developed for the stand-alone small thruster was adapted as a gas generator to ignite a medium-scale hybrid rocket motor using nitrous oxide /and HTPB as propellants. Multiple consecutive ignitions were performed. A large data set as well as a collection of development `lessons learned' were compiled to guide future development and research. Since the completion of this original groundwork research, the concept has been developed into a reliable, operational igniter system for a 75mm hybrid motor using both gaseous oxygen and liquid nitrous oxide as oxidizers. A development map of the direct spark ignition concept is presented showing the flow of key lessons learned between this original work and later follow on development.

Numerical Simulations of Hollow-Cone Injection and Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion With Naphtha Fuels

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad A.

2016-01-29

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI), also known as partially premixed compression ignition (PPCI) and gasoline direct injection compression ignition (GDICI), engines have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition (SI) engines. Lean-burn combustion with the direct injection of fuel eliminates throttle losses for higher thermodynamic efficiencies, and the precise control of the mixture compositions allows better emission performance such as NOx and particulate matter (PM). Recently, low octane gasoline fuel has been identified as a viable option for the GCI engine applications due to its longer ignition delay characteristics compared to diesel and lighter evaporation compared to gasoline fuel (Chang et al., 2012, "Enabling High Efficiency Direct Injection Engine With Naphtha Fuel Through Partially Premixed Charge Compression Ignition Combustion," SAE Technical Paper No. 2012-01-0677). The feasibility of such a concept has been demonstrated by experimental investigations at Saudi Aramco (Chang et al., 2012, "Enabling High Efficiency Direct Injection Engine With Naphtha Fuel Through Partially Premixed Charge Compression Ignition Combustion," SAE Technical Paper No. 2012-01-0677; Chang et al., 2013, "Fuel Economy Potential of Partially Premixed Compression Ignition (PPCI) Combustion With Naphtha Fuel," SAE Technical Paper No. 2013-01-2701). The present study aims to develop predictive capabilities for low octane gasoline fuel compression ignition (CI) engines with accurate characterization of the spray dynamics and combustion processes. Full three-dimensional simulations were conducted using converge as a basic modeling framework, using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulent mixing models. An outwardly opening hollow-cone spray injector was characterized and validated against existing and new experimental data. An emphasis was made on the spray penetration characteristics. Various spray breakup and collision models have been

Interferometric fiber-optic sensor embedded in a spark plug for in-cylinder pressure measurement in engines.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Taehan; Atkins, Robert A; Taylor, Henry F; Gibler, William N

2003-02-20

Pressure sensing in an internal combustion engine with an intrinsic fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FFPI) integrated with a spark plug is demonstrated for the first time. The spark plug was used for the ignition of the cylinder in which it was mounted. The FFPI element, protected with a copper/gold coating, was embedded in a groove in the spark-plug housing. Gas pressure inthe engine induced longitudinal strain in this housing, which was also experienced by the fiber-optic sensing element. The sensor was monitored with a signal conditioning unit containing a chirped distributed-feedback laser. Pressure sensitivities as high as 0.00339 radians round-trip phase shift per pounds per square inch of pressure were observed. Measured pressure versus time traces showed good agreement with those from a piezoelectric reference sensor mounted in the same engine cylinder.

Cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heats ratio and duration of combustion for spark ignition engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shehata, M.S. [Mechanical Engineering Technology Department, Higher Institute of Technology, Banha University, 4Zagalol Street, Benha, Galubia 1235 Z (Egypt)

2010-12-15

An experimental work were conducted for investigating cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heat ratio and duration of combustion for multi cylinder spark ignition engine (SIE). Ccylinder pressure was measured for gasoline, kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG) separately as a fuel for SIE. Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) was used to cylinder pressure data transform from time domain into frequency domain to develop empirical correlation for calculating cylinder pressures at different engine speeds and different fuels. In addition, Inverse Fast Fourier Transformations (IFFT) was used to cylinder pressure reconstruct into time domain. The results gave good agreement between the measured cylinder pressure and the reconstructed cylinder pressure in time domain with different engine speeds and different fuels. The measured cylinder pressure and hydraulic dynamotor were the source of data for calculating engine performance parameters. First law of thermodynamics and single zone heat release model with temperature dependant specific heat ratio {gamma}(T) were the main tools for calculating heat release and heat transfer to cylinder walls. Third order empirical correlation for calculating {gamma}(T) was one of the main gains of the present study. The correlation gave good agreement with other researchers with wide temperatures range. For kerosene, cylinder pressure is higher than for gasoline and LPG due to high volumetric efficiency where kerosene density (mass/volume ratio) is higher than gasoline and LPG. In addition, kerosene heating value is higher than gasoline that contributes in heat release rate and pressure increases. Duration of combustion for different engine speeds was determined using four different methods: (I) Mass fuel burnt, (II) Entropy change, (III) Temperature dependant specific heat ratio {gamma}(T), and (IV) Logarithmic scale of (P and V). The duration of combustion for kerosene is smaller than for gasoline and

Cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heats ratio and duration of combustion for spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shehata, M.S.

2010-01-01

An experimental work were conducted for investigating cylinder pressure, performance parameters, heat release, specific heat ratio and duration of combustion for multi cylinder spark ignition engine (SIE). Ccylinder pressure was measured for gasoline, kerosene and Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG) separately as a fuel for SIE. Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) was used to cylinder pressure data transform from time domain into frequency domain to develop empirical correlation for calculating cylinder pressures at different engine speeds and different fuels. In addition, Inverse Fast Fourier Transformations (IFFT) was used to cylinder pressure reconstruct into time domain. The results gave good agreement between the measured cylinder pressure and the reconstructed cylinder pressure in time domain with different engine speeds and different fuels. The measured cylinder pressure and hydraulic dynamotor were the sours of data for calculating engine performance parameters. First law of thermodynamics and single zone heat release model with temperature dependant specific heat ratio γ(T) were the main tools for calculating heat release and heat transfer to cylinder walls. Third order empirical correlation for calculating γ(T) was one of the main gains of the present study. The correlation gave good agreement with other researchers with wide temperatures range. For kerosene, cylinder pressure is higher than for gasoline and LPG due to high volumetric efficiency where kerosene density (mass/volume ratio) is higher than gasoline and LPG. In addition, kerosene heating value is higher than gasoline that contributes in heat release rate and pressure increases. Duration of combustion for different engine speeds was determined using four different methods: (I) Mass fuel burnt, (II) Entropy change, (III) Temperature dependant specific heat ratio γ(T), and (IV) Logarithmic scale of (P and V). The duration of combustion for kerosene is smaller than for gasoline and LPG due to high

E25 stratified torch ignition engine performance, CO_2 emission and combustion analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues Filho, Fernando Antonio; Moreira, Thiago Augusto Araujo; Valle, Ramon Molina; Baêta, José Guilherme Coelho; Pontoppidan, Michael; Teixeira, Alysson Fernandes

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A torch ignition engine prototype was built and tested. • Significant reduction of BSFC was achieved due to the use of the torch ignition system. • Low cyclic variability characterized the lean combustion process of the torch ignition engine prototype. • The torch ignition system allowed an average reduction of 8.21% at the CO_2 specific emissions. - Abstract: Vehicular emissions significantly increase atmospheric air pollution and the greenhouse effect. This fact associated with the fast growth of the global motor vehicle fleet demands technological solutions from the scientific community in order to achieve a decrease in fuel consumption and CO_2 emission, especially of fossil fuels to comply with future legislation. To meet this goal, a prototype stratified torch ignition engine was designed from a commercial baseline engine. In this system, the combustion starts in a pre-combustion chamber where the pressure increase pushes the combustion jet flames through a calibrated nozzle to be precisely targeted into the main chamber. These combustion jet flames are endowed with high thermal and kinetic energy being able to promote a stable lean combustion process. The high kinetic and thermal energy of the combustion jet flame results from the load stratification. This is carried out through direct fuel injection in the pre-combustion chamber by means of a prototype gasoline direct injector (GDI) developed for low fuel flow rate. During the compression stroke, lean mixture coming from the main chamber is forced into the pre-combustion chamber and, a few degrees before the spark timing, fuel is injected into the pre-combustion chamber aiming at forming a slightly rich mixture cloud around the spark plug which is suitable for the ignition and kernel development. The performance of the torch ignition engine running with E25 is presented for different mixture stratification levels, engine speed and load. The performance data such as combustion phasing

Spark ignition engine control: estimation and prediction of the in-cylinder mass and chemical species; Controle moteur a allumage commande: estimation / prediction de la masse et de la composition du melange enferme dans le cylindre

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giansetti, P.

2005-09-15

Spark ignition engine control has become a major issue regarding compliance with emissions legislation while ensuring driving comfort. The objective of this thesis was to estimate the mass and composition of gases inside the cylinder of an engine based on physics in order to insure better control of transient phases taking into account residual gases as well as exhaust gas recirculation. Residual gas fraction has been characterized using two experiments and one CFD code. A model has been validated experimentally and integrated into an observer which predicts pressure and temperature inside the manifold. The predictions of the different gas flows and the chemical species inside the cylinder are deduced. A closed loop observer has been validated experimentally and in simulation. Moreover, an algorithm estimating the fresh and burned gas mass from the cylinder pressure has been proposed in order to obtain the information cycle by cycle and cylinder by cylinder. (author)

Low-Temperature Catalytic Performance of Ni-Cu/Al2O3 Catalysts for Gasoline Reforming to Produce Hydrogen Applied in Spark Ignition Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Anh Tuan

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The performance of Ni-Cu/Al2O3 catalysts for steam reforming (SR of gasoline to produce a hydrogen-rich gas mixture applied in a spark ignition (SI engine was investigated at relatively low temperature. The structural and morphological features and catalysis activity were observed by X-ray diffractometry (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, and temperature programmed reduction (TPR. The results showed that the addition of copper improved the dispersion of nickel and therefore facilitated the reduction of Ni at low temperature. The highest hydrogen selectivity of 70.6% is observed over the Ni-Cu/Al2O3 catalysts at a steam/carbon ratio of 0.9. With Cu promotion, a gasoline conversion of 42.6% can be achieved at 550 °C, while with both Mo and Ce promotion, the gasoline conversions were 31.7% and 28.3%, respectively, higher than with the conventional Ni catalyst. On the other hand, initial durability testing showed that the conversion of gasoline over Ni-Cu/Al2O3 catalysts slightly decreased after 30 h reaction time.

Probability of ignition - a better approach than ignition margin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, S.K.; Perkins, L.J.

1989-01-01

The use of a figure of merit - the probability of ignition - is proposed for the characterization of the ignition performance of projected ignition tokamaks. Monte Carlo and analytic models have been developed to compute the uncertainty distribution function for ignition of a given tokamak design, in terms of the uncertainties inherent in the tokamak physics database. A sample analysis with this method indicates that the risks of not achieving ignition may be unacceptably high unless the accepted margins for ignition are increased. (author). Letter-to-the-editor. 12 refs, 2 figs, 2 tabs

The effect of ethanol-gasoline blends on performance and exhaust emissions of a spark ignition engine through exergy analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doğan, Battal; Erol, Derviş; Yaman, Hayri; Kodanli, Evren

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Examining the performance of ethanol-gasoline blend. • Evaluation of the exhaust emissions. • Energy and exergy analysis. • Calculation of irreversibility from cooling system and the exhaust resulting. - Abstract: Ethanol which is considered as an environmentally cleaner alternative to fossil fuels is used on its own or blended with other fuels in different ratios. In this study, ethanol which has high octane rating, low exhaust emission, and which is easily obtained from agricultural products has been used in fuels prepared by blending it with gasoline in various ratios (E0, E10, E20, and E30). Ethanol-gasoline blends have been used in a four-cylinder four-stroke spark ignition engine for performance and emission analysis under full load. In the experimental studies, engine torque, fuel and cooling water flow rates, and exhaust and engine surface temperature have been measured. Engine energy distribution, irreversible processes in the cooling system and the exhaust, and the exergy distribution have been calculated using the experimental data and the formulas for the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Experiments and theoretical calculations showed that ethanol added fuels show reduction in carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO_2) and nitrogen oxide (NO_X) emissions without significant loss of power compared to gasoline. But it was measured that the reduction of the temperature inside the cylinder increases the hydrocarbon (HC) emission.

SciSpark: Highly Interactive and Scalable Model Evaluation and Climate Metrics for Scientific Data and Analysis

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We will construct SciSpark, a scalable system for interactive model evaluation and for the rapid development of climate metrics and analyses. SciSpark directly...

Integrated thermodynamic model for ignition target performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Springer P.T.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available We have derived a 3-dimensional synthetic model for NIF implosion conditions, by predicting and optimizing fits to a broad set of x-ray and nuclear diagnostics obtained on each shot. By matching x-ray images, burn width, neutron time-of-flight ion temperature, yield, and fuel ρr, we obtain nearly unique constraints on conditions in the hotspot and fuel in a model that is entirely consistent with the observables. This model allows us to determine hotspot density, pressure, areal density (ρr, total energy, and other ignition-relevant parameters not available from any single diagnostic. This article describes the model and its application to National Ignition Facility (NIF tritium–hydrogen–deuterium (THD and DT implosion data, and provides an explanation for the large yield and ρr degradation compared to numerical code predictions.

Characterization of laser-induced ignition of biogas-air mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsich, Christian; Lackner, Maximilian; Winter, Franz; Kopecek, Herbert; Wintner, Ernst

2004-01-01

Fuel-rich to fuel-lean biogas-air mixtures were ignited by a Nd:YAG laser at initial pressures of up to 3 MPa and compared to the ignition of methane-air mixtures. The investigations were performed in a constant volume vessel heatable up to 473 K. An InGaAsSb/AlGaAsSb quantum well ridge diode laser operating at 2.55 μm was used to track the generation of water in the vicinity of the laser spark in a semi-quantitative manner. Additionally, the flame emissions during the ignition process were recorded and a gas inhomogeneity index was deduced. Laser-induced ignition and its accompanying effects could be characterized on a time scale spanning four orders of magnitude. The presence of CO 2 in the biogas reduces the burning velocity. The flame emissions result in a much higher intensity for methane than it was the case during biogas ignition. This knowledge concludes that engines fuelled with biogas ultimately affect the performance of the process in a different way than with methane. Methane-air mixtures can be utilized in internal combustion engines with a higher air-fuel ratio than biogas. Comparing failed laser-induced ignition of methane-air and biogas-air mixtures similar results were obtained. The three parameters water absorbance, flame emission and the gas inhomogeneity index constitute a suitable tool for judging the quality of laser-induced ignition of hydrocarbon-air mixtures at elevated pressures and temperatures as encountered in internal combustion engines

Standardized Gasoline Compression Ignition Fuels Matrix

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad; Bakor, Radwan; AlRamadan, Abdullah; Almansour, Mohammed; Sim, Jaeheon; Ahmed, Ahfaz; Viollet, Yoann; Chang, Junseok

2018-01-01

Direct injection compression ignition engines running on gasoline-like fuels have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition and diesel engines. The compression and lean combustion mode eliminates throttle losses yielding higher thermodynamic efficiencies and the better mixing of fuel/air due to the longer ignition delay times of the gasoline-like fuels allows better emission performance such as nitric oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). These gasoline-like fuels which usually have lower octane compared to market gasoline have been identified as a viable option for the gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine applications due to its lower reactivity and lighter evaporation compared to diesel. The properties, specifications and sources of these GCI fuels are not fully understood yet because this technology is relatively new. In this work, a GCI fuel matrix is being developed based on the significance of certain physical and chemical properties in GCI engine operation. Those properties were chosen to be density, temperature at 90 volume % evaporation (T90) or final boiling point (FBP) and research octane number (RON) and the ranges of these properties were determined from the data reported in literature. These proposed fuels were theoretically formulated, while applying realistic constraints, using species present in real refinery streams. Finally, three-dimensional (3D) engine computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using the proposed GCI fuels and the similarities and differences were highlighted.

Standardized Gasoline Compression Ignition Fuels Matrix

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad

2018-04-03

Direct injection compression ignition engines running on gasoline-like fuels have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition and diesel engines. The compression and lean combustion mode eliminates throttle losses yielding higher thermodynamic efficiencies and the better mixing of fuel/air due to the longer ignition delay times of the gasoline-like fuels allows better emission performance such as nitric oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). These gasoline-like fuels which usually have lower octane compared to market gasoline have been identified as a viable option for the gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine applications due to its lower reactivity and lighter evaporation compared to diesel. The properties, specifications and sources of these GCI fuels are not fully understood yet because this technology is relatively new. In this work, a GCI fuel matrix is being developed based on the significance of certain physical and chemical properties in GCI engine operation. Those properties were chosen to be density, temperature at 90 volume % evaporation (T90) or final boiling point (FBP) and research octane number (RON) and the ranges of these properties were determined from the data reported in literature. These proposed fuels were theoretically formulated, while applying realistic constraints, using species present in real refinery streams. Finally, three-dimensional (3D) engine computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed using the proposed GCI fuels and the similarities and differences were highlighted.

Pollution provoquée par le moteur Diesel. Niveaux d'émission. Comparaison avec le moteur à allumage commandé Pollution Caused by Diesel Engines. Emission Levels. Comparison with Spark-Ignition Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Degobert P.

2006-11-01

Full Text Available A partir de l'analyse des différences de modes de combustion allumage commandé et Diesel , cet article compare et explique la nature et les niveaux des différents polluants émis en fonction de leurs mécanismes de formation. Les facteurs d'action au niveau moteur sont examinés, ainsi que l'influence du carburant utilisé. Based on an analysis of the difference between spark-ignition and diesel combustion modes, this article compares and explains the nature and levels of different pollutants emitted as a function of their formation mechanisms. The action factors at the engine> level are examined together with the influence of the fuel used.

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

Multi variable control of a switched ignition device: efficiency improvement under various constraints; Commande multivariable d`un moteur a allumage commande: Amelioration du rendement sous differentes contraintes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaumerliac, V

1995-03-09

Spark-ignition engine control needs substantial improvement for various reasons: a non-linear and multivariable process, the strictness of anti-pollution constraints, the necessity of fuel economy, the variable running conditions, the aging, the reliability and the cost. The improvement of engine efficiency will be involved in this context and with the pollution constraints. This work develops a system approach and its philosophy is based on a suitable description of the main dynamics. A compartmentalized model of a spark-ignition engine and the dynamic of the vehicle is presented. The aim of this modeling is to have a good representativeness in transients and to describe the behavior of the outputs useful for control. The multivariable control is split in two independent systems. The first one controls the spark advance control to obtain the maximum torque. The second one controls the throttle and the electronic fuel injection device to have lower pollutant emissions. The spark advance closed loop control uses information measured with either a cylinder pressure sensor or a torque sensor. These studies have achieved to an adaptive tuning on engine bench. A new actuator, the electronic throttle control, can provide a higher degree of precision for the fuel/air ratio regulation system, particularly during fast accelerations and decelerations. An intake manifold pressure control is developed to coordinate the air and fuel flows. A delay strategy and a simple compensation of fuel supply dynamics allow to obtain good results on engine bench. Uncoupling the acceleration pedal and the throttle command is a promising way to improve engine efficiency and reduce exhaust emission during transient phases. (author) 59 refs.

Spark Channels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haydon, S. C. [Department of Physics, University of New England, Armidale, NSW (Australia)

1968-04-15

A brief summary is given of the principal methods used for initiating spark channels and the various highly time-resolved techniques developed recently for studies with nanosecond resolution. The importance of the percentage overvoltage in determining the early history and subsequent development of the various phases of the growth of the spark channel is discussed. An account is then given of the recent photographic, oscillographic and spectroscopic investigations of spark channels initiated by co-axial cable discharges of spark gaps at low [{approx} 1%] overvoltages. The phenomena observed in the development of the immediate post-breakdown phase, the diffuse glow structure, the growth of the luminous filament and the final formation of the spark channel in hydrogen are described. A brief account is also given of the salient features emerging from corresponding studies of highly overvolted spark gaps in which the spark channel develops from single avalanche conditions. The essential differences between the two types of channel formation are summarized and possible explanations of the general features are indicated. (author)

Exposure to electrocution by automotive ignition system in the work environment of car service employees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard Fryśkowski

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Automotive ignition system diagnostic procedures involve a specific kind of action due to the presence of high voltage pulses rated of roughly several dozen kilovolts. Therefore, the repairers employed at car service coming into direct contact with electrical equipment of ignition systems are exposed to risk of electric shock. Typically, the electric discharge energy of automotive ignition systems is not high enough to cause fibrillation due to the electric effect on the heart. Nevertheless, there are drivers and car service employees who use electronic cardiac pacemakers susceptible to high voltage pulses. The influence of high-voltage ignition systems on the human body, especially in case of electric injury, has not been comprehensively elucidated. Therefore, relatively few scientific papers address this problem. The aim of this paper is to consider the electrical injury danger from automotive ignition systems, especially in people suffering from cardiac diseases. Some examples of the methods to reduce electric shock probability during diagnostic procedures of spark-ignition combustion engines are presented and discussed. Med Pr 2014;65(3:419–427

Behaviour analysis of the fuel injected in the intake manifold of port-injected spark ignition engines: modeling and experimental validation; Analyse du comportement du carburant injecte dans les conduits d`admission des moteurs a allumage commande a injection multipoint: modelisation et validation experimentale

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sches, C

1999-01-27

In order to limit pollutant emissions resulting from transient engine operation, the mastering of mixture formation is essential. In this context, an interactive work was undertaken between a modeling job and an experimental study, to get better understanding of the mechanisms of fuel dynamic behavior in the intake manifold of port-injected spark-ignition engines. The experimental study, elaborated thanks to experimental designs, showed out two essential factors: injection timing and coolant liquid temperature, which act on the fuel dynamic behavior through a second order filter. Then, a phenomenological modeling was established and validated, to analyze the various phenomena influencing mixture formation and to calculate the air/fuel ratio evolutions during transient operation. This program uses the results of a 3D model describing the fuel spray transportation, evaporation and impact on the port walls. The calculation does not need any boundary conditions and the running times are vary satisfactory. We showed that a correct description of the liquid fuel film was necessary to get good prediction of the mixture fuel/air ratio. The spray modeling, which is necessary, can however be kept simple. Future work may develop either in the engine control filed (injection strategies development, optimization of the injection system configuration, ...), or in the theoretical field (better modeling of fuel film displacement or of secondary atomization of the fuel on the intake valve). (author) 79 refs.

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)

Modeling anthropogenic and natural fire ignitions in an inner-alpine valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Vacchiano

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Modeling and assessing the factors that drive forest fire ignitions is critical for fire prevention and sustainable ecosystem management. In southern Europe, the anthropogenic component of wildland fire ignitions is especially relevant. In the Alps, however, the role of fire as a component of disturbance regimes in forest and grassland ecosystems is poorly known. The aim of this work is to model the probability of fire ignition for an Alpine region in Italy using a regional wildfire archive (1995–2009 and MaxEnt modeling. We analyzed separately (i winter forest fires, (ii winter fires on grasslands and fallow land, and (iii summer fires. Predictors were related to morphology, climate, and land use; distance from infrastructures, number of farms, and number of grazing animals were used as proxies for the anthropogenic component. Collinearity among predictors was reduced by a principal component analysis. Regarding ignitions, 30 % occurred in agricultural areas and 24 % in forests. Ignitions peaked in the late winter–early spring. Negligence from agrosilvicultural activities was the main cause of ignition (64 %; lightning accounted for 9 % of causes across the study time frame, but increased from 6 to 10 % between the first and second period of analysis. Models for all groups of fire had a high goodness of fit (AUC 0.90–0.95. Temperature was proportional to the probability of ignition, and precipitation was inversely proportional. Proximity from infrastructures had an effect only on winter fires, while the density of grazing animals had a remarkably different effect on summer (positive correlation and winter (negative fires. Implications are discussed regarding climate change, fire regime changes, and silvicultural prevention. Such a spatially explicit approach allows us to carry out spatially targeted fire management strategies and may assist in developing better fire management plans.

Modeling anthropogenic and natural fire ignitions in an inner-alpine valley

Science.gov (United States)

Vacchiano, Giorgio; Foderi, Cristiano; Berretti, Roberta; Marchi, Enrico; Motta, Renzo

2018-03-01

Modeling and assessing the factors that drive forest fire ignitions is critical for fire prevention and sustainable ecosystem management. In southern Europe, the anthropogenic component of wildland fire ignitions is especially relevant. In the Alps, however, the role of fire as a component of disturbance regimes in forest and grassland ecosystems is poorly known. The aim of this work is to model the probability of fire ignition for an Alpine region in Italy using a regional wildfire archive (1995-2009) and MaxEnt modeling. We analyzed separately (i) winter forest fires, (ii) winter fires on grasslands and fallow land, and (iii) summer fires. Predictors were related to morphology, climate, and land use; distance from infrastructures, number of farms, and number of grazing animals were used as proxies for the anthropogenic component. Collinearity among predictors was reduced by a principal component analysis. Regarding ignitions, 30 % occurred in agricultural areas and 24 % in forests. Ignitions peaked in the late winter-early spring. Negligence from agrosilvicultural activities was the main cause of ignition (64 %); lightning accounted for 9 % of causes across the study time frame, but increased from 6 to 10 % between the first and second period of analysis. Models for all groups of fire had a high goodness of fit (AUC 0.90-0.95). Temperature was proportional to the probability of ignition, and precipitation was inversely proportional. Proximity from infrastructures had an effect only on winter fires, while the density of grazing animals had a remarkably different effect on summer (positive correlation) and winter (negative) fires. Implications are discussed regarding climate change, fire regime changes, and silvicultural prevention. Such a spatially explicit approach allows us to carry out spatially targeted fire management strategies and may assist in developing better fire management plans.

GeoSpark SQL: An Effective Framework Enabling Spatial Queries on Spark

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou Huang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available In the era of big data, Internet-based geospatial information services such as various LBS apps are deployed everywhere, followed by an increasing number of queries against the massive spatial data. As a result, the traditional relational spatial database (e.g., PostgreSQL with PostGIS and Oracle Spatial cannot adapt well to the needs of large-scale spatial query processing. Spark is an emerging outstanding distributed computing framework in the Hadoop ecosystem. This paper aims to address the increasingly large-scale spatial query-processing requirement in the era of big data, and proposes an effective framework GeoSpark SQL, which enables spatial queries on Spark. On the one hand, GeoSpark SQL provides a convenient SQL interface; on the other hand, GeoSpark SQL achieves both efficient storage management and high-performance parallel computing through integrating Hive and Spark. In this study, the following key issues are discussed and addressed: (1 storage management methods under the GeoSpark SQL framework, (2 the spatial operator implementation approach in the Spark environment, and (3 spatial query optimization methods under Spark. Experimental evaluation is also performed and the results show that GeoSpark SQL is able to achieve real-time query processing. It should be noted that Spark is not a panacea. It is observed that the traditional spatial database PostGIS/PostgreSQL performs better than GeoSpark SQL in some query scenarios, especially for the spatial queries with high selectivity, such as the point query and the window query. In general, GeoSpark SQL performs better when dealing with compute-intensive spatial queries such as the kNN query and the spatial join query.

Investigations on the effects of ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends in a spark-ignition engine: Performance and emissions analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashraf Elfasakhany

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study discusses performance and exhaust emissions from spark-ignition engine fueled with ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends. The test results obtained with the use of low content rates of ethanol–methanol blends (3–10 vol.% in gasoline were compared to ethanol–gasoline blends, methanol–gasoline blends and pure gasoline test results. Combustion and emission characteristics of ethanol, methanol and gasoline and their blends were evaluated. Results showed that when the vehicle was fueled with ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends, the concentrations of CO and UHC (unburnt hydrocarbons emissions were significantly decreased, compared to the neat gasoline. Methanol–gasoline blends presented the lowest emissions of CO and UHC among all test fuels. Ethanol–gasoline blends showed a moderate emission level between the neat gasoline and ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends, e.g., ethanol–gasoline blends presented lower CO and UHC emissions than those of the neat gasoline but higher emissions than those of the ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends. In addition, the CO and UHC decreased and CO2 increased when ethanol and/or methanol contents increased in the fuel blends. Furthermore, the effects of blended fuels on engine performance were investigated and results showed that methanol–gasoline blends presents the highest volumetric efficiency and torque; ethanol–gasoline blends provides the highest brake power, while ethanol–methanol–gasoline blends showed a moderate level of volumetric efficiency, torque and brake power between both methanol–gasoline and ethanol–gasoline blends; gasoline, on the other hand, showed the lowest volumetric efficiency, torque and brake power among all test fuels.

Physics-based modeling of live wildland fuel ignition experiments in the Forced Ignition and Flame Spread Test apparatus

Science.gov (United States)

C. Anand; B. Shotorban; S. Mahalingam; S. McAllister; D. R. Weise

2017-01-01

A computational study was performed to improve our understanding of the ignition of live fuel in the forced ignition and flame spread test apparatus, a setup where the impact of the heating mode is investigated by subjecting the fuel to forced convection and radiation. An improvement was first made in the physics-based model WFDS where the fuel is treated as fixed...

Structure ignition assessment model (SIAM)\\t

Science.gov (United States)

Jack D. Cohen

1995-01-01

Major wildland/urban interface fire losses, principally residences, continue to occur. Although the problem is not new, the specific mechanisms are not well known on how structures ignite in association with wildland fires. In response to the need for a better understanding of wildland/urban interface ignition mechanisms and a method of assessing the ignition risk,...

Effect of spark plug and fuel injector location on mixture stratification in a GDI engine - A CFD analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Saw, O. P.; Mallikarjuna, J. M.

2017-09-01

The mixture preparation in gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines operating at stratified condition plays an important role in deciding the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of the engine. In a wall-guided GDI engine, with a late fuel injection strategy, piston top surface is designed in such a way that the injected fuel is directed towards the spark plug to form a combustible mixture at the time of ignition. In addition, in these engines, location of spark-plug and fuel injector, fuel injection pressure and timing are also important to create a combustible mixture near the spark plug. Therefore, understanding the mixture formation under the influence of the location of spark plug and fuel injector is very essential for the optimization of the engine parameters. In this study, an attempt is made to understand the effect of spark plug and fuel injector location on the mixture preparation in a four-stroke, four-valve and wall-guided GDI engine operating under a stratified condition by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. All the CFD simulations are carried out at an engine speed of 2000 rev/min., and compression ratio of 10.6, at an overall equivalence ratio (ER) of about 0.65. The fuel injection and spark timings are maintained at 605 and 710 CADs respectively. Finally, it is concluded that, combination of central spark plug and side fuel injector results in better combustion and performance.

Shock Tube Ignition Delay Data Affected by Localized Ignition Phenomena

KAUST Repository

Javed, Tamour

2016-12-29

Shock tubes have conventionally been used for measuring high-temperature ignition delay times ~ O(1 ms). In the last decade or so, the operating regime of shock tubes has been extended to lower temperatures by accessing longer observation times. Such measurements may potentially be affected by some non-ideal phenomena. The purpose of this work is to measure long ignition delay times for fuels exhibiting negative temperature coefficient (NTC) and to assess the impact of shock tube non-idealities on ignition delay data. Ignition delay times of n-heptane and n-hexane were measured over the temperature range of 650 – 1250 K and pressures near 1.5 atm. Driver gas tailoring and long length of shock tube driver section were utilized to measure ignition delay times as long as 32 ms. Measured ignition delay times agree with chemical kinetic models at high (> 1100 K) and low (< 700 K) temperatures. In the intermediate temperature range (700 – 1100 K), however, significant discrepancies are observed between the measurements and homogeneous ignition delay simulations. It is postulated, based on experimental observations, that localized ignition kernels could affect the ignition delay times at the intermediate temperatures, which lead to compression (and heating) of the bulk gas and result in expediting the overall ignition event. The postulate is validated through simple representative computational fluid dynamic simulations of post-shock gas mixtures which exhibit ignition advancement via a hot spot. The results of the current work show that ignition delay times measured by shock tubes may be affected by non-ideal phenomena for certain conditions of temperature, pressure and fuel reactivity. Care must, therefore, be exercised in using such data for chemical kinetic model development and validation.

Self-ignition and oxidation of various hydrocarbons between 600 and 1000 K at high pressure: experimental study with fast compression machine and modeling; Autoinflammation et oxydation de divers hydrocarbures entre 600 et 1000 K a haute pression: etude experimentale en machine a compression rapide et modelisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribaucour, M.

2002-12-01

Low- and intermediate-temperature oxidation and self-ignition of hydrocarbons play a major role in spark ignition, diesel and HCCI (homogenous charge compression ignition) engines. A deep understanding of the chemistry linked with both phenomena is necessary to improve the engines efficiency and to reduce the formation of pollutants. This document treats of works about the self-ignition and oxidation at high pressure of various hydrocarbons between 600 and 1000 deg. K. The experimental tool used is a fast compression machine fitted with a fast sampling system for the measurement of self-ignition delays and of the concentrations of intermediate oxidation products. The advantages and limitations of this tool are discussed. The self-ignition of various hydrocarbons is compared using pre-defined data which characterize the phenomenologies like cold flames, negative temperature coefficients and self-ignition limits. The hydrocarbons considered are pure or binary mixtures of alkanes, pent-1-ene and n-butyl-benzene. The development of high pressure oxidation reaction schemes of alkanes between 600 and 1000 deg. K is described. It is directly based on the analysis of intermediate oxidation products. This methodology is also applied to pent-1-ene and n-butyl-benzene. The construction of detailed thermo-kinetic models of oxidation and the modeling of phenomena are made for n-butane, n-heptane, for the 3 pentane isomers, for pent-1-ene and n-butyl-benzene. Finally, the perspectives of future works are evoked. They concern new modeling and new methodologies to be applied in more predictive thermo-kinetic models and the reduction of detailed models in order to include them inside fluid dynamics codes. (J.S.)

SparkRS - Spark for Remote Sensing, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed innovation is Spark-RS, an open source software project that enables GPU-accelerated remote sensing workflows in an Apache Spark distributed computing...

Modelling Air Pollution Near Arterial Roads and Highways

Science.gov (United States)

Shenouda, Deloor Abdel Shaheed

In this study emissions of carbon dioxide (CO _2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NO_{rm x}) from vehicles are modelled by considering the instantaneous power generated by each vehicle and modifying the expressions developed by Post et al, (1981). The emissions from both spark ignition (SI) and diesel vehicles have been included. The model was used to estimate fuel consumption and emissions over a standard driving cycle. When used for spark ignition vehicles over a driving cycle, the influence of cold starts was quantified and allowance was made, in the case of equipped vehicles, for catalyst warm-up and for variations in catalyst efficiency. The model was validated against fuel consumption and emissions data obtained using ADR27 and ADR37 tests, and also against detailed, high time resolution analysis of ADR27 tests carried out by the Victorian EPA. The emissions model was used in conjunction with two pollution dispersion models viz: HIWAY and CALINE to compare predicted concentrations with an experimental data -set consisting of measurements of the pollutants of CO _2, CO, HC, and NO_ {rm x}, and were made under a variety of traffic and meteorological conditions. The measurements were made at locations up to 60 metres downwind from the roadside and to heights of 10m above the ground. A video camera was used to record the traffic flow, speed and type (classified simply as domestic, light or heavy commercial). The emission rates of CO, HC, and NO_ {rm x} (at slope 0^ circ) for spark ignition and diesel vehicles produced by the power-based emissions model were found to be similar to those produced by the California EPA, EMFAC7, emissions model.

High performance Spark best practices for scaling and optimizing Apache Spark

CERN Document Server

Karau, Holden

2017-01-01

Apache Spark is amazing when everything clicks. But if you haven’t seen the performance improvements you expected, or still don’t feel confident enough to use Spark in production, this practical book is for you. Authors Holden Karau and Rachel Warren demonstrate performance optimizations to help your Spark queries run faster and handle larger data sizes, while using fewer resources. Ideal for software engineers, data engineers, developers, and system administrators working with large-scale data applications, this book describes techniques that can reduce data infrastructure costs and developer hours. Not only will you gain a more comprehensive understanding of Spark, you’ll also learn how to make it sing. With this book, you’ll explore: How Spark SQL’s new interfaces improve performance over SQL’s RDD data structure The choice between data joins in Core Spark and Spark SQL Techniques for getting the most out of standard RDD transformations How to work around performance issues i...

Measure of the volumetric efficiency and evaporator device performance for a liquefied petroleum gas spark ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Masi, Massimo; Gobbato, Paolo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Measure of the effect of LPG fuel on volumetric efficiency of a SI petrol ICE. ► Steady-state and transient performance of a LPG evaporator device on a SI ICE. ► Volume displaced by LPG causes slight performance loss in SI petrol engines. ► LPG reveals peak efficiency and high-efficiency range wider than petrol in SI ICE’s. ► One-stage pressure reducer for LPG performs satisfactorily during SI ICE transients. - Abstract: The use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as fuel for spark ignition engines originally designed to be gasoline fuelled is common practice in many countries. Despite this, some questions remain still open. The present paper deals with the two main problems related to LPG port-fuel SI engines: the volumetric efficiency drop and the LPG evaporator device performance. A passengers car SI engine equipped with a “third generation” kit for the dual-fuel operation was tested using a dynamometer test rig. A single-stage pressure reducer was selected as LPG evaporator, to take advantage of an additional pre-heating of the liquid LPG that allows higher power output than a two-stage device of the same size. Engine performance, volumetric efficiency and change of LPG thermodynamic states in the evaporator were measured both in steady-state and transient operation of the engine. Steady-state measurements show the advantage of LPG in terms of engine efficiency, and quantify the drop in steady-state brake torque due to the volume swept by gaseous fuel in the fresh charge admission process. On the other hand, transient measurements show that a single-stage evaporator device is capable to match overall simplicity and satisfactory performance during strong changes in engine load.

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

Research of some operating parameters and the emissions level variation in a spark ignited engine through on-board investigation methods in different loading conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Iosif, Ferenti; Baldean, Doru Laurean

2014-06-01

The present paper shows research made on a spark ignited engine with port fuel injection in different operation conditions in order to improve the comprehension about the cold start sequence, acceleration when changing the gear ratios, quality of combustion process and also any measures to be taken for pollutant reduction in such cases. The engineering endeavor encompasses the pollutants investigation during the operation time of gasoline supplied engine with four inline cylinders in different conditions. The temperature and any other parameters were measured with specific sensors installed on the engine or in the exhaust pipes. All the data collected has been evaluated using electronic investigation systems and highly developed equipment. In this manner it has enabled the outline of the idea of how pollutants of engine vary in different operating conditions. Air quality in the everyday environment is very important for the human health, and thus the ambient air quality has a well-known importance in the European pollution standards and legislation. The high level of attention directed to the pollution problem in the European lifestyle is a driving force for all kinds of studies in the field of the reduction of engine emission.

Effects of a catalytic volatile particle remover (VPR) on the particulate matter emissions from a direct injection spark ignition engine.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Fan; Chen, Longfei; Stone, Richard

2011-10-15

Emissions of fine particles have been shown to have a large impact on the atmospheric environment and human health. Researchers have shown that gasoline engines, especially direct injection spark ignition (DISI) engines, tend to emit large amounts of small size particles compared to diesel engines fitted with diesel particulate filters (DPFs). As a result, the particle number emissions of DISI engines will be restricted by the forthcoming EU6 legislation. The particulate emission level of DISI engines means that they could face some challenges in meeting the EU6 requirement. This paper is an experimental study on the size-resolved particle number emissions from a spray guided DISI engine and the performance of a catalytic volatile particle remover (VPR), as the EU legislation seeks to exclude volatile particles. The performance of the catalytic VPR was evaluated by varying its temperature and the exhaust residence time. The effect of the catalytic VPR acting as an oxidation catalyst on particle emissions was also tested. The results show that the catalytic VPR led to a marked reduction in the number of particles, especially the smaller size (nucleation mode) particles. The catalytic VPR is essentially an oxidation catalyst, and when post three-way catalyst (TWC) exhaust was introduced to the catalytic VPR, the performance of the catalytic VPR was not affected much by the use of additional air, i.e., no significant oxidation of the PM was observed.

Characteristics of Early Flame Development in a Direct-Injection Spark-Ignition CNG Engine Fitted with a Variable Swirl Control Valve

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abd Rashid Abd Aziz

2017-07-01

Full Text Available An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of the structure of the induction flow on the characteristics of early flames in a lean-stratified and lean-homogeneous charge combustion of compressed natural gas (CNG fuel in a direct injection (DI engine at different engine speeds. The engine speed was varied at 1500 rpm, 1800 rpm and 2100 rpm, and the ignition timing was set at a 38.5° crank angle (CA after top dead center (TDC for all conditions. The engine was operated in a partial-load mode and a homogeneous air/fuel charge was achieved by injecting the fuel early (before the intake valve closure, while late injection during the compression stroke was used to produce a stratified charge. Different induction flow structures were obtained by adjusting the swirl control valves (SCV. Using an endoscopic intensified CCD (ICCD camera, flame images were captured and analyzed. Code was developed to analyze the level of distortion of the flame and its wrinkledness, displacement and position relative to the spark center, as well as the flame growth rate. The results showed a higher flame growth rate with the flame kernel in the homogeneous charge, compared to the stratified combustion case. In the stratified charge combustion scenario, the 10° SCV closure (medium-tumble resulted in a higher early flame growth rate, whereas a homogeneous charge combustion (characterized by strong swirl resulted in the highest rate of flame growth.

Final environmental statement concerning rule making. Exemption from licensing requirements for spark-gap irradiators that contain cobalt-60. Docket No. PRM 30-54

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-12-01

The potential environmental impacts and adverse environmental effects from distribution, use only in commercial-sized oil burners, and disposal of 6000 spark-gap irradiators per year that contain 60 Co are summarized. On the basis of the analysis and evaluation set forth in this statement and after weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against environmental costs and after considering available alternatives, it is concluded that the action called for under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and 10 CFR Part 51 is the issuance of an exemption from licensing requirements for spark-gap irradiators that contain 60 Co, subject to the following conditions for the protection of the environment: persons who apply 60 Co to, or persons who incorporate 60 Co into, spark-gap irradiators or persons who import for sale or distribution spark-gap irradiators containing 60 Co are not exempt from the requirements for a license; each spark-gap irradiator shall contain no more than 1 μCi of 60 Co; and the 60 Co shall be applied to the spark-gap irradiators for use in electrically ignited fuel-oil burners having a firing rate of at least 3 gal/h

Modeling And Simulation Of Combined Extrusion For Spark Plug Body Parts

Science.gov (United States)

Canta, T.; Noveanu, D.; Frunza, D.

2004-06-01

The paper presents the modeling and simulation for the extrusion technology of a new type of spark plug body for Dacia Supernova car. This technology was simulated using the finite elements modeling and analysis SuperForm software, designed for the simulation of plastic deformation processes. There is also presented a comparison between the results of the simulation and the industrial results.

Modeling of high energy laser ignition of energetic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kyung-cheol; Kim, Ki-hong; Yoh, Jack J.

2008-01-01

We present a model for simulating high energy laser heating and ignition of confined energetic materials. The model considers the effect of irradiating a steel plate with long laser pulses and continuous lasers of several kilowatts and the thermal response of well-characterized high explosives for ignition. Since there is enough time for the thermal wave to propagate into the target and to create a region of hot spot in the high explosives, electron thermal diffusion of ultrashort (femto- and picosecond) lasing is ignored; instead, heat diffusion of absorbed laser energy in the solid target is modeled with thermal decomposition kinetic models of high explosives. Numerically simulated pulsed-laser heating of solid target and thermal explosion of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, triaminotrinitrobenzene, and octahydrotetranitrotetrazine are compared to experimental results. The experimental and numerical results are in good agreement

Ignition of Aluminum Particles and Clouds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhl, A L; Boiko, V M

2010-04-07

Here we review experimental data and models of the ignition of aluminum (Al) particles and clouds in explosion fields. The review considers: (i) ignition temperatures measured for single Al particles in torch experiments; (ii) thermal explosion models of the ignition of single Al particles; and (iii) the unsteady ignition Al particles clouds in reflected shock environments. These are used to develop an empirical ignition model appropriate for numerical simulations of Al particle combustion in shock dispersed fuel explosions.

Scattering profiles of sparks and combustibility of filter against hot sparks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asazuma, Shinichiro; Okada, Takashi; Kashiro, Kashio

2004-01-01

The glove-box dismantling facility in the Plutonium Fuel Production Facility is developed to dismantle after-service glove-boxes with remote-controlled devices such as an arm-type manipulator. An abrasive wheel cutter, which is used to size reduce the gloveboxes, generates sparks during operation. This dispersing spark was a problem from the fire prevention point of view. A suitable spark control measures for this operation were required. We developed panels to minimize spark dispersion, shields to prevent the income of sparks to the pre-filter, and incombustible pre-filters. The equipment was tested and effectiveness was confirmed. This report provides the results of these tests. (author)

Combustion performance, flame, and soot characteristics of gasoline–diesel pre-blended fuel in an optical compression-ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Joonho; Lee, Jong Tae; Kwon, Sang Il; Park, Sungwook

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Gasoline–diesel pre-blended fuel was investigated in an optical direct-injection diesel engine. • KIVA3V-CHEMKIN code modeled blended fuel spray and combustion with discrete multi-component model. • Flame and soot characteristics in the combustion chamber were shown by optical kits. • Combustion performance and soot emissions for gasoline–diesel blended fuel were discussed. - Abstract: Among the new combustion technologies available for internal combustion engines to enhance performance and reduce exhausted emissions, the homogeneous charge compression ignition method is one of the most effective strategies for the compression-ignition engine. There are some challenges to realize the homogeneous charge compression ignition method in the compression-ignition engine. The use of gasoline–diesel blended fuel has been suggested as an alternative strategy to take advantages of homogeneous charge compression ignition while overcoming its challenges. Gasoline and diesel fuels are reference fuels for the spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines, respectively, both of which are widely used. The application of both these fuels together in the compression-ignition engine has been investigated using a hybrid injection system combining port fuel injection (gasoline) and direct injection (diesel); this strategy is termed reactivity controlled compression ignition. However, the pre-blending of gasoline and diesel fuels for direct injection systems has been rarely studied. For the case of direct injection of pre-blended fuel into the cylinder, various aspects of blended fuels should be investigated, including their spray breakup, fuel/air mixing, combustion development, and emissions. In the present study, the use of gasoline–diesel pre-blended fuel in an optical single-cylinder compression-ignition engine was investigated under various conditions of injection timing and pressure. Furthermore, KIVA-3V release 2 code was employed to model the

Spark Ignition of Combustible Vapor in a Plastic Bottle as a Demonstration of Rocket Propulsion

Science.gov (United States)

Mattox, J. R.

2017-01-01

I report an innovation that provides a compelling demonstration of rocket propulsion, appropriate for students of physics and other physical sciences. An electrical spark is initiated from a distance to cause the deflagration of a combustible vapor mixed with air in a lightweight plastic bottle that is consequently propelled as a rocket by the…

Contribution to the study of an lpg jet in the combustion chamber of a spark-ignition engine; Contribution a l'etude d'un jet de gpl dans la chambre de combustion d'un moteur a allumage commande, pour differentes strategies d'injection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duong Viet, D.

2002-07-01

It appears tempting to combine the less polluting combustion of LPG with the energy performances of a direct injection spark-ignition engine. To this aim the study of high pressure injection of a liquid LPG jet, directly inside the combustion chamber of an engine was performed in two ways: Experimental studies: one with fast cinematography and another with the method of Doppler phases in an one-cylinder 'transparent' engine for various conditions of injection and without combustion. They respectively deliver empirical laws for the jet development and some informations about size and speed of the droplets of LPG. A modeling of the jet could then be made on the basis of a turbulent and deviated jet the parameters of which could be adjusted using results of the preceding experimental study. (author)

Using SPARK as a Solver for Modelica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wetter, Michael; Wetter, Michael; Haves, Philip; Moshier, Michael A.; Sowell, Edward F.

2008-06-30

Modelica is an object-oriented acausal modeling language that is well positioned to become a de-facto standard for expressing models of complex physical systems. To simulate a model expressed in Modelica, it needs to be translated into executable code. For generating run-time efficient code, such a translation needs to employ algebraic formula manipulations. As the SPARK solver has been shown to be competitive for generating such code but currently cannot be used with the Modelica language, we report in this paper how SPARK's symbolic and numerical algorithms can be implemented in OpenModelica, an open-source implementation of a Modelica modeling and simulation environment. We also report benchmark results that show that for our air flow network simulation benchmark, the SPARK solver is competitive with Dymola, which is believed to provide the best solver for Modelica.

Zero-dimensional mathematical model of the torch ignited engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cruz, Igor William Santos Leal; Alvarez, Carlos Eduardo Castilla; Teixeira, Alysson Fernandes; Valle, Ramon Molina

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Publications about the torch ignition system are mostly CFD or experimental research. • A zero-dimensional mathematical model is presented. • The model is based on classical thermodynamic equations. • Approximations are based on empirical functions. • The model is applied to a prototype by means of a computer code. - Abstract: Often employed in the analysis of conventional SI and CI engines, mathematical models can also be applied to engines with torch ignition, which have been researched almost exclusively by CFD or experimentally. The objective of this work is to describe the development and application of a zero-dimensional model of the compression and power strokes of a torch ignited engine. It is an initial analysis that can be used as a basis for future models. The processes of compression, combustion and expansion were described mathematically and applied to an existing prototype by means of a computer code written in MATLAB language. Conservation of energy and mass and the ideal gas law were used in determining gas temperature, pressure, and mass flow rate within the cylinder. Gas motion through the orifice was modelled as an isentropic compressible flow. The thermodynamic properties of the mixture were found by a weighted arithmetic mean of the data for each component, computed by polynomial functions of temperature. Combustion was modelled by the Wiebe function. Heat transfer to the cylinder walls was estimated by Annand’s correlations. Results revealed the behaviour of pressure, temperature, jet velocity, energy transfer, thermodynamic properties, among other variables, and how some of these are influenced by others.

Effects of Heat of Vaporization and Octane Sensitivity on Knock-Limited Spark Ignition Engine Performance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ratcliff, Matthew A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Burton, Jonathan L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sindler, Petr [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); McCormick, Robert L [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Christensen, Earl D [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Fouts, Lisa A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2018-04-03

Knock-limited loads for a set of surrogate gasolines all having nominal 100 research octane number (RON), approximately 11 octane sensitivity (S), and a heat of vaporization (HOV) range of 390 to 595 kJ/kg at 25 degrees C were investigated. A single-cylinder spark-ignition engine derived from a General Motors Ecotec direct injection (DI) engine was used to perform load sweeps at a fixed intake air temperature (IAT) of 50 degrees C, as well as knock-limited load measurements across a range of IATs up to 90 degrees C. Both DI and pre-vaporized fuel (supplied by a fuel injector mounted far upstream of the intake valves and heated intake runner walls) experiments were performed to separate the chemical and thermal effects of the fuels' knock resistance. The DI load sweeps at 50 degrees C intake air temperature showed no effect of HOV on the knock-limited performance. The data suggest that HOV acts as a thermal contributor to S under the conditions studied. Measurement of knock-limited loads from the IAT sweeps for DI at late combustion phasing showed that a 40 vol% ethanol (E40) blend provided additional knock resistance at the highest temperatures, compared to a 20 vol% ethanol blend and hydrocarbon fuel with similar RON and S. Using the pre-vaporized fuel system, all the high S fuels produced nearly identical knock-limited loads at each temperature across the range of IATs studied. For these fuels RON ranged from 99.2 to 101.1 and S ranged from 9.4 to 12.2, with E40 having the lowest RON and highest S. The higher knock-limited loads for E40 at the highest IATs examined were consistent with the slightly higher S for this fuel, and the lower engine operating condition K values arising from use of this fuel. The study highlights how fuel HOV can affect the temperature at intake valve closing, and consequently the pressure-temperature history of the end gas leading to more negative values of K, thereby enhancing the effect of S on knock resistance.

An experimental investigation of a lean-burn natural-gas pre-chamber spark ignition engine for cogeneration; Swiss Motor. Modification d'un moteur diesel pour le fonctionnement au gaz naturel en cogeneration. Fonctionnement avec prechambre de combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roethlisberger, R.; Favrat, D.

2001-07-01

This thesis presented at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne describes the conversion and testing of a commercial diesel engine for use as a lean-burn, natural gas, pre-chamber, spark ignition engine with a rated power of 150 kW, in combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The objective of the investigations - to evaluate the potential of reducing exhaust gas emissions - is discussed in detail with respect to NO{sub x} and CO emissions. The approach adopted includes both experimental work and numerical simulation. The report describes the testing facilities used. The results obtained with experimental spark-plug configurations based on simulation results are presented and the influence of various pre-chamber configuration variants are discussed. The results of the tests are presented and the significant reduction of NO{sub x}, CO and unburned-hydrocarbon (THC) emissions are discussed. The authors state that the engine, which achieves a fuel efficiency of more than 36.5%, fulfils the Swiss requirements on exhaust gas emissions. Also, ways of compensating for the slight loss in fuel-conversion efficiency in the pre-chamber configuration are discussed.

Analysis of Modifications on a Spark Ignition Engine for Operation with Natural Gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramasamy D.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Transportation is one of the key contributors to petroleum usage and emissions to the atmosphere. According to researchers, there are many ways to use transport by using renewable energy sources. Of these solutions, the immediate solution which requires less modification to current engine technology is by using gaseous fuels. Natural gas is the fuel of choice for minor modification to current engines. As it can be derived from anaerobic digestion process, the potential as a renewable energy source is tremendous, especially for an agricultural country such a Malaysia. The aim in the future will be operating an engine with natural gas only with pipelines straight to houses for easy filling. The fuel is light and can be easily carried in vehicles when in compressed form. As such, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG is currently used in bi-fuel engines, but is mostly not optimized in term of their performance. The focus of the paper is to optimize a model of natural gas engine by one dimensional flow modeling for operation with natural gas. The model is analyzed for performance and emission characteristics produced by a gasoline engine and later compared with natural gas. The average performance drop is about 15% from its gasoline counterpart. The 4% benchmark indicates that the modification to ignition timing and compression ratio does improve engine performance using natural gas as fuel.

THE MARINE HEAVY FUEL IGNITION AND COMBUSTION BY PLASMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MOROIANU CORNELIU

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The continuous damage of the used fuel quality, of its dispersion due to the increasing viscosity, make necessary the volume expansion and the rise of the e electric spark power used at ignition. A similar situation appears to the transition of the generator operation from the marine Diesel heavy fuel to the residues of water-fuel mixture. So, it feels like using an ignition system with high specific energy and power able to perform the starting and burning of the fuels mentioned above. Such a system is that which uses a low temperature plasma jet. Its use involves obtaining a high temperature area round about the jet, with a high discharge power, extending the possibility of obtaining a constant burning of different concentration (density mixtures. Besides the action of the temperature of the air-fuel mixture, the plasma jet raises the rate of oxidation reaction as a result of appearance of lot number of active centers such as loaded molecules, atoms, ions, free radicals.

An investigation of partially premixed compression ignition combustion using gasoline and spark assistance

OpenAIRE

Benajes Calvo, Jesus Vicente; García Martínez, Antonio; Doménech Llopis, Vicente; Durret, Russell

2013-01-01

Nowadays the automotive scientific community and companies are focusing part of their efforts on the investigation of new combustion modes in Compression Ignition (Cl) engines, mainly based on the use of locally lean air fuel mixtures. This characteristic, combined with exhaust gas recirculation, provides low combustion temperatures that reduce pollutant formation. However these combustion concepts have some shortcomings, related to combustion phasing control and combustion stability under th...

Mobile Source Emissions Regulatory Compliance Data Inventory

Science.gov (United States)

The Mobile Source Emissions Regulatory Compliance Data Inventory data asset contains measured summary compliance information on light-duty, heavy-duty, and non-road engine manufacturers by model, as well as fee payment data required by Title II of the 1990 Amendments to the Clean Air Act, to certify engines for sale in the U.S. and collect compliance certification fees. Data submitted by manufacturers falls into 12 industries: Heavy Duty Compression Ignition, Marine Spark Ignition, Heavy Duty Spark Ignition, Marine Compression Ignition, Snowmobile, Motorcycle & ATV, Non-Road Compression Ignition, Non-Road Small Spark Ignition, Light-Duty, Evaporative Components, Non-Road Large Spark Ignition, and Locomotive. Title II also requires the collection of fees from manufacturers submitting for compliance certification. Manufacturers submit data on an annual basis, to document engine model changes for certification. Manufacturers also submit compliance information on already certified in-use vehicles randomly selected by the EPA (1) year into their life and (4) years into their life to ensure that emissions systems continue to function appropriately over time.The EPA performs targeted confirmatory tests on approximately 15% of vehicles submitted for certification. Confirmatory data on engines is associated with its corresponding submission data to verify the accuracy of manufacturer submission beyond standard business rules.Section 209 of the 1990 Amendments to the Clea

Engine modeling and control modeling and electronic management of internal combustion engines

CERN Document Server

Isermann, Rolf

2014-01-01

The increasing demands for internal combustion engines with regard to fuel consumption, emissions and driveability lead to more actuators, sensors and complex control functions. A systematic implementation of the electronic control systems requires mathematical models from basic design through simulation to calibration. The book treats physically-based as well as models based experimentally on test benches for gasoline (spark ignition) and diesel (compression ignition) engines and uses them for the design of the different control functions. The main topics are: - Development steps for engine control - Stationary and dynamic experimental modeling - Physical models of intake, combustion, mechanical system, turbocharger, exhaust, cooling, lubrication, drive train - Engine control structures, hardware, software, actuators, sensors, fuel supply, injection system, camshaft - Engine control methods, static and dynamic feedforward and feedback control, calibration and optimization, HiL, RCP, control software developm...

Final Report: Utilizing Alternative Fuel Ignition Properties to Improve SI and CI Engine Efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wooldridge, Margaret; Boehman, Andre; Lavoie, George; Fatouraie, Mohammad

2017-11-30

Experimental and modeling studies were completed to explore leveraging physical and chemical fuel properties for improved thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines. Fundamental studies of the ignition chemistry of ethanol and iso-octane blends and constant volume spray chamber studies of gasoline and diesel sprays supported the core research effort which used several reciprocating engine platforms. Single cylinder spark ignition (SI) engine studies were carried out to characterize the impact of ethanol/gasoline, syngas (H2 and CO)/gasoline and other oxygenate/gasoline blends on engine performance. The results of the single-cylinder engine experiments and other data from the literature were used to train a GT Power model and to develop a knock criteria based on reaction chemistry. The models were used to interpret the experimental results and project future performance. Studies were also carried out using a state of the art, direct injection (DI) turbocharged multi- cylinder engine with piezo-actuated fuel injectors to demonstrate the promising spray and spark timing strategies from single-cylinder engine studies on the multi-cylinder engine. Key outcomes and conclusions of the studies were: 1. Efficiency benefits of ethanol and gasoline fuel blends were consistent and substantial (e.g. 5-8% absolute improvement in gross indicated thermal efficiency (GITE)). 2. The best ethanol/gasoline blend (based on maximum thermal efficiency) was determined by the engine hardware and limits based on component protection (e.g. peak in-cylinder pressure or maximum turbocharger inlet temperature) – and not by knock limits. Blends with <50% ethanol delivered significant thermal efficiency gains with conventional SI hardware while maintain good safety integrity to the engine hardware. 3. Other compositions of fuel blends including syngas (H2 and CO) and other dilution strategies provided significant efficiency gains as well (e.g. 5% absolute improvement in ITE). 4. When the

Gasoline surrogate modeling of gasoline ignition in a rapid compression machine and comparison to experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mehl, M; Kukkadapu, G; Kumar, K; Sarathy, S M; Pitz, W J; Sung, S J

2011-09-15

The use of gasoline in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines (HCCI) and in duel fuel diesel - gasoline engines, has increased the need to understand its compression ignition processes under engine-like conditions. These processes need to be studied under well-controlled conditions in order to quantify low temperature heat release and to provide fundamental validation data for chemical kinetic models. With this in mind, an experimental campaign has been undertaken in a rapid compression machine (RCM) to measure the ignition of gasoline mixtures over a wide range of compression temperatures and for different compression pressures. By measuring the pressure history during ignition, information on the first stage ignition (when observed) and second stage ignition are captured along with information on the phasing of the heat release. Heat release processes during ignition are important because gasoline is known to exhibit low temperature heat release, intermediate temperature heat release and high temperature heat release. In an HCCI engine, the occurrence of low-temperature and intermediate-temperature heat release can be exploited to obtain higher load operation and has become a topic of much interest for engine researchers. Consequently, it is important to understand these processes under well-controlled conditions. A four-component gasoline surrogate model (including n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene, and 2-pentene) has been developed to simulate real gasolines. An appropriate surrogate mixture of the four components has been developed to simulate the specific gasoline used in the RCM experiments. This chemical kinetic surrogate model was then used to simulate the RCM experimental results for real gasoline. The experimental and modeling results covered ultra-lean to stoichiometric mixtures, compressed temperatures of 640-950 K, and compression pressures of 20 and 40 bar. The agreement between the experiments and model is encouraging in terms of first

Theoretical investigation of a photoconductively switched high-voltage spark gap

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broks, B.H.P.; Hendriks, J.; Brok, W.J.M.; Brussaard, G.J.H.; Mullen, van der J.J.A.M.

2006-01-01

In this contribution, a photoconductively switched high-voltage spark gap with an emphasis on theswitching behavior is modeled. It is known experimentally that not all of the voltage that is present at the input of the spark gap is switched, but rather a fraction of it drops across the spark gap.

CFD modeling of two-stage ignition in a rapid compression machine: Assessment of zero-dimensional approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mittal, Gaurav [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Akron, Akron, OH 44325 (United States); Raju, Mandhapati P. [General Motor R and D Tech Center, Warren, MI 48090 (United States); Sung, Chih-Jen [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269 (United States)

2010-07-15

In modeling rapid compression machine (RCM) experiments, zero-dimensional approach is commonly used along with an associated heat loss model. The adequacy of such approach has not been validated for hydrocarbon fuels. The existence of multi-dimensional effects inside an RCM due to the boundary layer, roll-up vortex, non-uniform heat release, and piston crevice could result in deviation from the zero-dimensional assumption, particularly for hydrocarbons exhibiting two-stage ignition and strong thermokinetic interactions. The objective of this investigation is to assess the adequacy of zero-dimensional approach in modeling RCM experiments under conditions of two-stage ignition and negative temperature coefficient (NTC) response. Computational fluid dynamics simulations are conducted for n-heptane ignition in an RCM and the validity of zero-dimensional approach is assessed through comparisons over the entire NTC region. Results show that the zero-dimensional model based on the approach of 'adiabatic volume expansion' performs very well in adequately predicting the first-stage ignition delays, although quantitative discrepancy for the prediction of the total ignition delays and pressure rise in the first-stage ignition is noted even when the roll-up vortex is suppressed and a well-defined homogeneous core is retained within an RCM. Furthermore, the discrepancy is pressure dependent and decreases as compressed pressure is increased. Also, as ignition response becomes single-stage at higher compressed temperatures, discrepancy from the zero-dimensional simulations reduces. Despite of some quantitative discrepancy, the zero-dimensional modeling approach is deemed satisfactory from the viewpoint of the ignition delay simulation. (author)

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.

Performance and emissions assessment of n-butanol–methanol–gasoline blends as a fuel in spark-ignition engi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashraf Elfasakhany

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The sleek of using alternatives to gasoline fuel in internal combustion engines becomes a necessity as the environmental problems of fossil fuels as well as their depleted reserves. This research presents an experimental investigation into a new blended fuel; the effects of n-butanol–methanol–gasoline fuel blends on the performance and pollutant emissions of an SI (spark-ignition engine were examined. Four test fuels (namely 0, 3, 7 and 10 volumetric percent of n-butanol–methanol blends at equal rates, e.g., 0%, 1.5%, 3.5% and 5% for n-butanol and methanol, in gasoline were investigated in an engine speed range of 2600–3400 r/min. In addition, the dual alcohol (methanol and n-butanol–gasoline blends were compared with single alcohol (n-butanol–gasoline blends (for the first time as well as with the neat gasoline fuel in terms of performance and emissions. The experimental results showed that the addition of low content rates of n-butanol–methanol to neat gasoline adversely affects the engine performance and exhaust gas emissions as compared to the results of neat gasoline and single alcohol–gasoline blends; in particular, a reduction in engine volumetric efficiency, brake power, torque, in-cylinder pressure, exhaust gas temperature and CO2 emissions and an increase in concentrations of CO and UHC (unburned hydrocarbons emissions were observed for the dual alcohols. However, higher rates of n-butanol–methanol blended in gasoline were observed to improve the SI engine performance parameters and emission concentration. Oppositely the higher rates of single alcohol–gasoline blends were observed to provide adverse results, e.g., higher emissions and lower performance than those of lower rates of single alcohol. Finally, dual alcohol–gasoline blends could exceed (i.e. provide higher performance and lower emissions single alcohol–gasoline blends and pure gasoline at higher rates (>10 vol.% in the blend and, in turn, it is

Experiment and modeling: Ignition of aluminum particles with a carbon dioxide laser

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Salil

Aluminum is a promising ingredient for high energy density compositions used in propulsion systems, explosives, and pyrotechnics. Aluminum powder fuel additives enable one to achieve higher combustion enthalpies and reaction temperatures. Therefore, to develop aluminum based novel and customized high density energetic materials, understanding of ignition and combustion kinetics of aluminum powders is required. In most practical systems, metal ignition and combustion occur in environments with rapidly changing temperatures and gas compositions. The kinetics of exothermic reactions in related energetic materials is commonly characterized by thermal analysis, where the heating rates are very low, on the order of 1--50 K/min. The extrapolation of the identified kinetics to the high heating rates is difficult and requires direct experimental verification. This difficulty led to development of new experimental approaches to directly characterize ignition kinetics for the heating rates in the range of 103--104 K/s. However, the practically interesting heating rates of 106 K/s range have not been achieved. This work is directed at development of an experimental technique and respective heat transfer model for studying ignition of aluminum and other micron-sized metallic particles at heating rates varied around 106 K/s. The experimental setup uses a focused CO2 laser as a heating source and a plate capacitor aerosolizer to feed the aluminum particles into the laser beam. The setup allows using different environment for particle aerosolization. The velocities of particles in the jet are in the range of 0.1 --0 3 m/s. For each selected jet velocity, the laser power is increased until the particles are observed to ignite. The ignition is detected optically using a digital camera and a photomultiplier. The ignition thresholds for spherical aluminum powder were measured at three different particle jet velocities, in air environment. A single particle heat transfer model was

Research on cylinder processes of gasoline homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine

Science.gov (United States)

Cofaru, Corneliu

2017-10-01

This paper is designed to develop a HCCI engine starting from a spark ignition engine platform. The engine test was a single cylinder, four strokes provided with carburetor. The results of experimental research on this version were used as a baseline for the next phase of the work. After that, the engine was modified for a HCCI configuration, the carburetor was replaced by a direct fuel injection system in order to control precisely the fuel mass per cycle taking into account the measured intake air-mass. To ensure that the air - fuel mixture auto ignite, the compression ratio was increased from 9.7 to 11.5. The combustion process in HCCI regime is governed by chemical kinetics of mixture of air-fuel, rein ducted or trapped exhaust gases and fresh charge. To modify the quantities of trapped burnt gases, the exchange gas system was changed from fixed timing to variable valve timing. To analyze the processes taking place in the HCCI engine and synthesizing a control system, a model of the system which takes into account the engine configuration and operational parameters are needed. The cylinder processes were simulated on virtual model. The experimental research works were focused on determining the parameters which control the combustion timing of HCCI engine to obtain the best energetic and ecologic parameters.

A simple analytical model for reactive particle ignition in explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanguay, Vincent [Defence Research and Development Canada - Valcartier, 2459 Pie XI Blvd. North, Quebec, QC, G3J 1X5 (Canada); Higgins, Andrew J. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2K6 (Canada); Zhang, Fan [Defence Research and Development Canada - Suffield, P. O. Box 4000, Stn Main, Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 8K6 (Canada)

2007-10-15

A simple analytical model is developed to predict ignition of magnesium particles in nitromethane detonation products. The flow field is simplified by considering the detonation products as a perfect gas expanding in a vacuum in a planar geometry. This simplification allows the flow field to be solved analytically. A single particle is then introduced in this flow field. Its trajectory and heating history are computed. It is found that most of the particle heating occurs in the Taylor wave and in the quiescent flow region behind it, shortly after which the particle cools. By considering only these regions, thereby considerably simplifying the problem, the flow field can be solved analytically with a more realistic equation of state (such as JWL) and a spherical geometry. The model is used to compute the minimum charge diameter for particle ignition to occur. It is found that the critical charge diameter for particle ignition increases with particle size. These results are compared to experimental data and show good agreement. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Effects of various intake valve timings and spark timings on combustion, cyclic THC and NOX emissions during cold start phase with idle operation in CVVT engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Kwan Hee; Lee, Hyung Min; Hwang, In Goo; Myung, Cha Lee; Park, Sim Soo

2008-01-01

In a gasoline SI engine, valve events and spark timings put forth a major influence on overall efficiency, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions. Residual gases controlled by the valve overlap can be used to reduce NOx emissions and the spark retardation technique can be used to improve raw THC emissions and catalyst light-off performance during the cold start phase. This paper investigated the behaviors of the engine and its combustion characteristics with various intake valve timings and spark timings during the fast idle condition and cold start. And cyclic THC and NOx emissions were measured at the exhaust port and their formation mechanisms were examined with fast response gas analyzers. As a result, THCs and NOx were reduced by 35% and 23% with optimizing valve overlap and spark advance during the cold transient start phase. Consequently, the valve events and ignition timings were found to significantly affect combustion phenomena and cold-start emissions

The IGNITE network: a model for genomic medicine implementation and research.

Science.gov (United States)

Weitzel, Kristin Wiisanen; Alexander, Madeline; Bernhardt, Barbara A; Calman, Neil; Carey, David J; Cavallari, Larisa H; Field, Julie R; Hauser, Diane; Junkins, Heather A; Levin, Phillip A; Levy, Kenneth; Madden, Ebony B; Manolio, Teri A; Odgis, Jacqueline; Orlando, Lori A; Pyeritz, Reed; Wu, R Ryanne; Shuldiner, Alan R; Bottinger, Erwin P; Denny, Joshua C; Dexter, Paul R; Flockhart, David A; Horowitz, Carol R; Johnson, Julie A; Kimmel, Stephen E; Levy, Mia A; Pollin, Toni I; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S

2016-01-05

Patients, clinicians, researchers and payers are seeking to understand the value of using genomic information (as reflected by genotyping, sequencing, family history or other data) to inform clinical decision-making. However, challenges exist to widespread clinical implementation of genomic medicine, a prerequisite for developing evidence of its real-world utility. To address these challenges, the National Institutes of Health-funded IGNITE (Implementing GeNomics In pracTicE; www.ignite-genomics.org ) Network, comprised of six projects and a coordinating center, was established in 2013 to support the development, investigation and dissemination of genomic medicine practice models that seamlessly integrate genomic data into the electronic health record and that deploy tools for point of care decision making. IGNITE site projects are aligned in their purpose of testing these models, but individual projects vary in scope and design, including exploring genetic markers for disease risk prediction and prevention, developing tools for using family history data, incorporating pharmacogenomic data into clinical care, refining disease diagnosis using sequence-based mutation discovery, and creating novel educational approaches. This paper describes the IGNITE Network and member projects, including network structure, collaborative initiatives, clinical decision support strategies, methods for return of genomic test results, and educational initiatives for patients and providers. Clinical and outcomes data from individual sites and network-wide projects are anticipated to begin being published over the next few years. The IGNITE Network is an innovative series of projects and pilot demonstrations aiming to enhance translation of validated actionable genomic information into clinical settings and develop and use measures of outcome in response to genome-based clinical interventions using a pragmatic framework to provide early data and proofs of concept on the utility of these

Hydrodynamic modeling and simulations of shock ignition thresholds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lafon M.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The Shock Ignition (SI scheme [1] offers to reduce the laser requirements by relaxing the implosion phase to sub-ignition velocities and later adding an intense laser spike. Depending on laser energy, target characteristics and implosion velocity, high gains are expected [2,3]. Relevant intensities for scaled targets imploded in the velocity range from 150 to 400 km/s are defined at ignition thresholds. A range of moderate implosion velocities is specified to match safe implosions. These conditions for target design are then inferred for relevant NIF and LMJ shock-ignited targets.

SPARK: Adapting Keyword Query to Semantic Search

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Qi; Wang, Chong; Xiong, Miao; Wang, Haofen; Yu, Yong

Semantic search promises to provide more accurate result than present-day keyword search. However, progress with semantic search has been delayed due to the complexity of its query languages. In this paper, we explore a novel approach of adapting keywords to querying the semantic web: the approach automatically translates keyword queries into formal logic queries so that end users can use familiar keywords to perform semantic search. A prototype system named 'SPARK' has been implemented in light of this approach. Given a keyword query, SPARK outputs a ranked list of SPARQL queries as the translation result. The translation in SPARK consists of three major steps: term mapping, query graph construction and query ranking. Specifically, a probabilistic query ranking model is proposed to select the most likely SPARQL query. In the experiment, SPARK achieved an encouraging translation result.

Hydrodynamic modelling of the shock ignition scheme for inertial confinement fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vallet, Alexandra

2014-01-01

The shock ignition concept in inertial confinement fusion uses an intense power spike at the end of an assembly laser pulse. The key features of shock ignition are the generation of a high ablation pressure, the shock pressure amplification by at least a factor of a hundred in the cold fuel shell and the shock coupling to the hot-spot. In this thesis, new semi-analytical hydrodynamic models are developed to describe the ignitor shock from its generation up to the moment of fuel ignition. A model is developed to describe a spherical converging shock wave in a pre-heated hot spot. The self-similar solution developed by Guderley is perturbed over the shock Mach number Ms ≥≥1. The first order correction accounts for the effects of the shock strength. An analytical ignition criterion is defined in terms of the shock strength and the hot-spot areal density. The ignition threshold is higher when the initial Mach number of the shock is lower. A minimal shock pressure of 20 Gbar is needed when it enters the hot-spot. The shock dynamics in the imploding shell is then analyzed. The shock is propagating into a non inertial medium with a high radial pressure gradient and an overall pressure increase with time. The collision with a returning shock coming from the assembly phase enhances further the ignitor shock pressure. The analytical theory allows to describe the shock pressure and strength evolution in a typical shock ignition implosion. It is demonstrated that, in the case of the HiPER target design, a generation shock pressure near the ablation zone on the order of 300-400 Mbar is needed. An analysis of experiments on the strong shock generation performed on the OMEGA laser facility is presented. It is shown that a shock pressure close to 300 Mbar near the ablation zone has been reached with an absorbed laser intensity up to 2 * 10 15 W:cm -2 and a laser wavelength of 351 nm. This value is two times higher than the one expected from collisional laser absorption only

IGNITION IMPROVEMENT OF LEAN NATURAL GAS MIXTURES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jason M. Keith

2005-02-01

This report describes work performed during a thirty month project which involves the production of dimethyl ether (DME) on-site for use as an ignition-improving additive in a compression-ignition natural gas engine. A single cylinder spark ignition engine was converted to compression ignition operation. The engine was then fully instrumented with a cylinder pressure transducer, crank shaft position sensor, airflow meter, natural gas mass flow sensor, and an exhaust temperature sensor. Finally, the engine was interfaced with a control system for pilot injection of DME. The engine testing is currently in progress. In addition, a one-pass process to form DME from natural gas was simulated with chemical processing software. Natural gas is reformed to synthesis gas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide), converted into methanol, and finally to DME in three steps. Of additional benefit to the internal combustion engine, the offgas from the pilot process can be mixed with the main natural gas charge and is expected to improve engine performance. Furthermore, a one-pass pilot facility was constructed to produce 3.7 liters/hour (0.98 gallons/hour) DME from methanol in order to characterize the effluent DME solution and determine suitability for engine use. Successful production of DME led to an economic estimate of completing a full natural gas-to-DME pilot process. Additional experimental work in constructing a synthesis gas to methanol reactor is in progress. The overall recommendation from this work is that natural gas to DME is not a suitable pathway to improved natural gas engine performance. The major reasons are difficulties in handling DME for pilot injection and the large capital costs associated with DME production from natural gas.

Experimental and modeling study of hydrogen/syngas production and particulate emissions from a natural gas-fueled partial oxidation engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMillian, Michael H.; Lawson, Seth A.

2006-01-01

In this study, a combustion model was first applied to conditions representing varying compression ratios and equivalence ratios to investigate engine exhaust composition from partial oxidation (POX) of natural gas in reciprocating engines. The model was experimentally validated over a range of equivalence ratios from 1.3 to 1.6 with a spark-ignited single cylinder engine fueled by natural gas. The modeling results matched well with engine gaseous emission data over the experimental range. The model was also extended to higher equivalence ratios to predict H 2 and CO production at engine conditions and stoichiometries representative of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine operation. Secondly, over the same experimental range of equivalence ratios, particulate samples were taken to determine both total particulate mass production (g/hph) via gravimetric measurement as well as particle size distribution and loading via a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS). While experiments indicate hydrogen yields up to 11% using spark ignition (SI), modeling results indicate that greater than 20% H 2 yield may be possible in HCCI operation. Over the experimental range, rich-burn particulate matter (PM) production is no greater than that from typical lean-burn operation. Finally, an energy balance was performed over the range of engine experimental operation. (author)

OPTIMIZING IGNITION AND COMBUSTION OF FUELS TO THE NAVAL STEAM GENERATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corneliu MOROIANU

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The continuous damage of the used fuel quality, of its dispersion due to the increasingviscosity, make necessary the volume expansion and the rise of the e electric spark power used at ignition. Asimilar situation appears to the transition of the generator operation from the marine Diesel heavy fuel to theresidues of water-fuel mixture. So, it feels like using an ignition system with high specific energy and power ableto perform the starting and burning of the fuels mentioned above. Such a system is that which uses a lowtemperature plasma jet. Its use involves obtaining a high temperature area round about the jet, with a highdischarge power, extending the possibility of obtaining a constant burning of different concentration (densitymixtures. Besides the action of the temperature of the air-fuel mixture, the plasma jet raises the rate of oxidationreaction as a result of appearance of lot number of active centers such as loaded molecules, atoms, ions, freeradicals

Ignition probabilities for Compact Ignition Tokamak designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stotler, D.P.; Goldston, R.J.

1989-09-01

A global power balance code employing Monte Carlo techniques had been developed to study the ''probability of ignition'' and has been applied to several different configurations of the Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT). Probability distributions for the critical physics parameters in the code were estimated using existing experimental data. This included a statistical evaluation of the uncertainty in extrapolating the energy confinement time. A substantial probability of ignition is predicted for CIT if peaked density profiles can be achieved or if one of the two higher plasma current configurations is employed. In other cases, values of the energy multiplication factor Q of order 10 are generally obtained. The Ignitor-U and ARIES designs are also examined briefly. Comparisons of our empirically based confinement assumptions with two theory-based transport models yield conflicting results. 41 refs., 11 figs

Improving fire season definition by optimized temporal modelling of daily human-caused ignitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Costafreda-Aumedes, S; Vega-Garcia, C; Comas, C

2018-07-01

Wildfire suppression management is usually based on fast control of all ignitions, especially in highly populated countries with pervasive values-at-risk. To minimize values-at-risk loss by improving response time of suppression resources it is necessary to anticipate ignitions, which are mainly caused by people. Previous studies have found that human-ignition patterns change spatially and temporally depending on socio-economic activities, hence, the deployment of suppression resources along the year should consider these patterns. However, full suppression capacity is operational only within legally established fire seasons, driven by past events and budgets, which limits response capacity and increases damages out of them. The aim of this study was to assess the temporal definition of fire seasons from the perspective of human-ignition patterns for the case study of Spain, where people cause over 95% of fires. Humans engage in activities that use fire as a tool in certain periods within a year, and in locations linked to specific spatial factors. Geographic variables (population, infrastructures, physiography and land uses) were used as explanatory variables for human-ignition patterns. The changing influence of these geographic variables on occurrence along the year was analysed with day-by-day logistic regression models. Daily models were built for all the municipal units in the two climatic regions in Spain (Atlantic and Mediterranean Spain) from 2002 to 2014, and similar models were grouped within continuous periods, designated as ignition-based seasons. We found three ignition-based seasons in the Mediterranean region and five in the Atlantic zones, not coincidental with calendar seasons, but with a high degree of agreement with current legally designated operational fire seasons. Our results suggest that an additional late-winter-early-spring fire season in the Mediterranean area and the extension of this same season in the Atlantic zone should be re

Experimental studies on the group ignition of a cloud of coal particles: Volume 2, Pyrolysis and ignition modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Annamalai, K.; Ryan, W.

1992-01-01

The primary objectives of this work are to formulate a model to simulate transient coal pyrolysis, ignition, and combustion of a cloud of coal particles and to compare results of the program with those reported in the literature elsewhere.

Ignition tuning for the National Ignition Campaign

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Landen O.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The overall goal of the indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion [1] tuning campaigns [2] is to maximize the probability of ignition by experimentally correcting for likely residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics [3] used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models, and by checking for and resolving unexpected shot-to-shot variability in performance [4]. This has been started successfully using a variety of surrogate capsules that set key laser, hohlraum and capsule parameters to maximize ignition capsule implosion velocity, while minimizing fuel adiabat, core shape asymmetry and ablator-fuel mix.

Ignition delay times of Gasoline Distillation Cuts measured with Ignition Quality Tester

KAUST Repository

Naser, Nimal

2017-04-21

Tailoring fuel properties to maximize the efficiency of internal combustion engines is a way towards achieving cleaner combustion systems. In this work, the ignition properties of various gasoline fuel distillation cuts are analyzed to better understand fuel properties of the full boiling range fuel. An advanced distillation column (ADC) provides a more realistic representation of volatility characteristics, which can be modeled using equilibrium thermodynamic methods. The temperature reported is that of the liquid, as opposed to the vapor temperature in conventional ASTM D86 distillation standard. Various FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) gasolines were distilled and various cuts were obtained. The separated fractions were then tested in an ignition quality tester (IQT) to see the effect of chemical composition of different fractions on their ignition delay time. Fuels with lower aromatic content showed decreasing ignition delay time with increasing boiling point (i.e., molecular weight). However, fuels with higher aromatic content showed an initial decrease in ignition delay time with increasing boiling point, followed by drastic increase in ignition delay time due to fractions containing aromatics. This study also provides an understanding on contribution of different fractions to the ignition delay time of the fuel, which provides insights into fuel stratification utilized in gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines to tailor heat release rates.

Effects of natural gas composition on performance and regulated, greenhouse gas and particulate emissions in spark-ignition engines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amirante, R.; Distaso, E.; Di Iorio, S.; Sementa, P.; Tamburrano, P.; Vaglieco, B.M.; Reitz, R.D.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The influence of natural gas composition is investigated. • Real-time methane/propane fuel mixtures were realized. • IMEP, HRR and MBF were used to evaluate the effects on engine performance. • Gaseous, greenhouse and Particulate emissions were studied. • The propane content strongly influenced performance and emissions. - Abstract: In vehicles fueled with compressed natural gas, a variation in the fuel composition can have non-negligible effects on their performance, as well as on their emissions. The present work aimed to provide more insight on this crucial aspect by performing experiments on a single-cylinder port-fuel injected spark-ignition engine. In particular, methane/propane mixtures were realized to isolate the effects of a variation of the main constituents in natural gas on engine performance and associated pollutant emissions. The propane volume fraction was varied from 10 to 40%. Using an experimental procedure designed and validated to obtain precise real-time mixture fractions to inject directly into the intake manifold. Indicative Mean Effective Pressure, Heat Release Rate and Mass Burned Fraction were used to evaluate the effects on engine performance. Gaseous emissions were measured as well. Particulate Mass, Number and Size Distributions were analyzed with the aim to identify possible correlations existing between fuel composition and soot emissions. Emissions samples were taken from the exhaust flow, just downstream of the valves. Opacity was measured downstream the Three-Way Catalyst. Three different engine speeds were investigated, namely 2000, 3000 and 4000 rpm. Stoichiometric and full load conditions were considered in all tests. The results were compared with pure methane and propane, as well as with natural gas. The results indicated that both performance and emissions were strongly influenced by the variation of the propane content. Increasing the propane fraction favored more complete combustion and increased NO

Compression ignition of low-octane gasoline: Life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Han; Liu, Feiqi; Liu, Zongwei; Zhao, Fuquan

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established. • The impacts of using low-octane gasoline on compression ignition engines are examined. • Life cycle energy consumption and GHG emissions reductions are 24.6% and 21.6%. • Significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. - Abstract: The use of low-octane gasoline on Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI) engines is considered as a competitive alternative to the conventional vehicle propulsion technologies. In this study, a process-based, well-to-wheel conceptualized life cycle assessment model is established to estimate the life cycle energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the conventional gasoline-Spark Ignition (SI) and low-octane gasoline-GCI pathways. It is found that compared with the conventional pathway, the low-octane gasoline-GCI pathway leads to a 24.6% reduction in energy consumption and a 22.8% reduction in GHG emissions. The removal of the isomerization and catalytic reforming units in the refinery and the higher energy efficiency in the vehicle use phase are the substantial drivers behind the reductions. The results indicate that by promoting the use of low-octane gasoline coupled with the deployment of GCI vehicles, considerable reductions of energy consumption and GHG emissions in the transport sector can be achieved. However, significant technical and market barriers are still to be overcome. The inherent problems of NO_x and PM exhaust emissions associated with GCI engines need to be further addressed with advanced combustion techniques. Besides, the yield of low-octane gasoline needs to be improved through adjusting the refinery configurations.

SciSpark's SRDD : A Scientific Resilient Distributed Dataset for Multidimensional Data

Science.gov (United States)

Palamuttam, R. S.; Wilson, B. D.; Mogrovejo, R. M.; Whitehall, K. D.; Mattmann, C. A.; McGibbney, L. J.; Ramirez, P.

2015-12-01

Remote sensing data and climate model output are multi-dimensional arrays of massive sizes locked away in heterogeneous file formats (HDF5/4, NetCDF 3/4) and metadata models (HDF-EOS, CF) making it difficult to perform multi-stage, iterative science processing since each stage requires writing and reading data to and from disk. We have developed SciSpark, a robust Big Data framework, that extends ApacheTM Spark for scaling scientific computations. Apache Spark improves the map-reduce implementation in ApacheTM Hadoop for parallel computing on a cluster, by emphasizing in-memory computation, "spilling" to disk only as needed, and relying on lazy evaluation. Central to Spark is the Resilient Distributed Dataset (RDD), an in-memory distributed data structure that extends the functional paradigm provided by the Scala programming language. However, RDDs are ideal for tabular or unstructured data, and not for highly dimensional data. The SciSpark project introduces the Scientific Resilient Distributed Dataset (sRDD), a distributed-computing array structure which supports iterative scientific algorithms for multidimensional data. SciSpark processes data stored in NetCDF and HDF files by partitioning them across time or space and distributing the partitions among a cluster of compute nodes. We show usability and extensibility of SciSpark by implementing distributed algorithms for geospatial operations on large collections of multi-dimensional grids. In particular we address the problem of scaling an automated method for finding Mesoscale Convective Complexes. SciSpark provides a tensor interface to support the pluggability of different matrix libraries. We evaluate performance of the various matrix libraries in distributed pipelines, such as Nd4jTM and BreezeTM. We detail the architecture and design of SciSpark, our efforts to integrate climate science algorithms, parallel ingest and partitioning (sharding) of A-Train satellite observations from model grids. These

Large-volume excitation of air, argon, nitrogen and combustible mixtures by thermal jets produced by nanosecond spark discharges

Science.gov (United States)

Stepanyan, Sergey; Hayashi, Jun; Salmon, Arthur; Stancu, Gabi D.; Laux, Christophe O.

2017-04-01

This work presents experimental observations of strong expanding thermal jets following the application of nanosecond spark discharges. These jets propagate in a toroidal shape perpendicular to the interelectrode axis, with high velocities of up to 30 m s-1 and over distances of the order of a cm. Their propagation length is much larger than the thermal expansion region produced by the conventional millisecond sparks used in car engine ignition, thus greatly improving the volumetric excitation of gas mixtures. The shape and velocity of the jets is found to be fairly insensitive to the shape of the electrodes. In addition, their spatial extent is found to increase with the number of nanosecond sparks and with the discharge voltage, and to decrease slightly with the pressure between 1 and 7 atm at constant applied voltage. Finally, this thermal jet phenomenon is observed in experiments conducted with many types of gas mixtures, including air, nitrogen, argon, and combustible CH4/air mixtures. This makes nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges particularly attractive for aerodynamic flow control or plasma-assisted combustion because of their ability to excite large volumes of gas, typically about 100 times the volume of the discharge.

Symbolic Analysis of the Cycle-to-Cycle Variability of a Gasoline–Hydrogen Fueled Spark Engine Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Israel Reyes-Ramírez

2018-04-01

Full Text Available An study of temporal organization of the cycle-to-cycle variability (CCV in spark ignition engines fueled with gasoline–hydrogen blends is presented. First, long time series are generated by means of a quasi-dimensional model incorporating the key chemical and physical components, leading to variability in the time evolution of energetic functions. The alterations in the combustion process, for instance the composition of reactants, may lead to quantitative changes in the time evolution of the main engine variables. It has been observed that the presence of hydrogen in the fuel mixture leads to an increased laminar flame speed, with a corresponding decrease in CCV dispersion. Here, the effects of different hydrogen concentrations in the fuel are considered. First, it is observed that return maps of heat release sequences exhibit different patterns for different hydrogen concentrations and fuel–air ratios. Second, a symbolic analysis is used to characterize time series. The symbolic method is based on the probability of occurrence of consecutive states (a word in a symbolic sequence histogram (SSH. Modified Shannon entropy is computed in order to determine the adequate word length. Results reveal the presence of non-random patterns in the sequences and soft transitions between states. Moreover, the general behavior of CCV simulations results and three types of synthetic noises: white, log-normal, and a noisy logistic map, are compared. This analysis reveals that the non-random features observed in heat release sequences are quite different from synthetic noises.

Application of transient ignition model to multi-canister (MCO) accident analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kummerer, M.

1996-01-01

The potential for ignition of spent nuclear fuel in a Multi-Canister Overpack (MCO) is examined. A transient model is applied to calculate the highest ambient gas temperature outside an MCO wall tube or shipping cask for which a stable temperature condition exists. This integral analysis couples reaction kinetics with a description of the MCO configuration, heat and mass transfer, and fission product phenomena. It thereby allows ignition theory to be applied to various complex scenarios, including MCO water loss accidents and dry MCO air ingression

Optical diagnostics of early flame development in a DISI (direct injection spark ignition) engine fueled with n-butanol and gasoline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merola, Simona Silvia; Tornatore, Cinzia; Irimescu, Adrian; Marchitto, Luca; Valentino, Gerardo

2016-01-01

Given the instability in supply and finite nature of fossil fuels, alternative renewable energy sources are continuously investigated throughout the production–distribution-use chain. Within this context, the research presented in this work is focused on using butanol as gasoline replacement in a Direct Injection Spark Ignition engine. The impact of this fuel on the combustion processes was investigated using optical diagnostics and conventional methods in a transparent single cylinder engine. Three different load settings were investigated at fixed engine speed, with combined throttling and mixture strength control. The engine was operated in homogenous charge mode, with commercial gasoline and pure n-butanol fueling. High spatial and temporal resolution visualization was applied in the first phase of the combustion process in order to follow the early flame development for the two fuels. The optical data were completed with conventional measurements of thermodynamic data and pollutants emission at the exhaust. Improved performance was obtained in throttled stoichiometric mode when using the alternative fuel, while at wide open throttle, gasoline featured higher indicated mean effective pressure at both air–fuel ratio settings. These overall findings were correlated to flame characteristics; the alcohol was found to feature more distorted flame contour compared to gasoline, especially in lean conditions. Differences were reduced during throttled stoichiometric operation, confirming that mass transfer processes, along with fuel chemistry and physical properties, exert a significant influence on local phenomena during combustion. - Highlights: • Butanol can replace gasoline without performance penalties in throttled, stoichiometric operation. • Butanol induces higher flame contour distortion than gasoline, especially in lean case. • Fuel chemical–physical properties strongly influence local phenomena during combustion. • Butanol ensured lower smoke

Numerical simulation of a Z-pinch compressed by imploding liner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilbao, L.; Linhart, J.G.; Verri, G.; Bernal, L.

2001-01-01

The spark created in a neck of a dense Z-pinch can ignite a fusion detonation in the adjacent D-T plasma channel. Using an appropriate transition between the ignited D-T plasma and an inertially confined cylinder of highly compressed advanced fuel plasma it is possible to amplify the spark energy to a level adequate for the ignition of a detonation wave in the advanced fuel. An m=0 instability of a Z-pinch carrying a current of the order of 10 MA, with a rise time inferior to 10 ns can generate a spark capable of igniting a fusion detonation in the adjacent D-T plasma channel. Such μZ-pinch may be produced by a fast implosion of a cylindrical liner, while a conical channel properly chosen can amplify the spark energy. In order to derive some general rules for the parameters of the spark, the transition, the cylinder of advanced fuel and the liner different numerical models were used. We present here a review of these results and an outline of a possible experimental arrangement for obtaining such a Z-pinch compression

Reversed field pinch ignition requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werley, K.A.

1991-01-01

Plasma models are described and used to calculated numerically the transport confinement (nτ E ) requirements and steady state operation points for both the reversed field pinch (RFP) and the tokamak. The models are used to examine the CIT tokamak ignition conditions and the RFP experimental and ignition conditions. Physics differences between RFPs and tokamaks and their consequences for a D-T ignition machine are discussed. Compared with a tokamak, the ignition RFP has many physics advantages, including Ohmic heating to ignition (no need for auxiliary heating systems), higher beta, lower ignition current, less sensitivity of ignition requirements to impurity effects, no hard disruptions (associated with beta or density limits) and successful operation with high radiation fractions (f RAD ∼ 0.95). These physics advantages, coupled with important engineering advantages associated with lower external magnetic field, larger aspect ratios and smaller plasma cross-sections, translate to significant cost reductions for both ignition and reactor applications. The primary drawback of the RFP is the uncertainty that the present scaling will extrapolate to reactor regimes. Devices that are under construction should go a long way toward resolving this scaling uncertainty. The 4 MA ZTH is expected to extend the nτ E transport scaling data by three orders of magnitude above the results of ZT-40M, and, if the present scaling holds, ZTH is expected to achieve a D-T equivalent scientific energy breakeven, Q = 1. A base case RFP ignition point is identified with a plasma current of 8.1 MA and no auxiliary heating. (author). 19 refs, 11 figs, 3 tabs

Effects of tetracaine on voltage-activated calcium sparks in frog intact skeletal muscle fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hollingworth, Stephen; Chandler, W Knox; Baylor, Stephen M

2006-03-01

The properties of Ca(2+) sparks in frog intact skeletal muscle fibers depolarized with 13 mM [K(+)] Ringer's are well described by a computational model with a Ca(2+) source flux of amplitude 2.5 pA (units of current) and duration 4.6 ms (18 degrees C; Model 2 of Baylor et al., 2002). This result, in combination with the values of single-channel Ca(2+) current reported for ryanodine receptors (RyRs) in bilayers under physiological ion conditions, 0.5 pA (Kettlun et al., 2003) to 2 pA (Tinker et al., 1993), suggests that 1-5 RyR Ca(2+) release channels open during a voltage-activated Ca(2+) spark in an intact fiber. To distinguish between one and greater than one channel per spark, sparks were measured in 8 mM [K(+)] Ringer's in the absence and presence of tetracaine, an inhibitor of RyR channel openings in bilayers. The most prominent effect of 75-100 microM tetracaine was an approximately sixfold reduction in spark frequency. The remaining sparks showed significant reductions in the mean values of peak amplitude, decay time constant, full duration at half maximum (FDHM), full width at half maximum (FWHM), and mass, but not in the mean value of rise time. Spark properties in tetracaine were simulated with an updated spark model that differed in minor ways from our previous model. The simulations show that (a) the properties of sparks in tetracaine are those expected if tetracaine reduces the number of active RyR Ca(2+) channels per spark, and (b) the single-channel Ca(2+) current of an RyR channel is normal voltage-activated sparks (i.e., in the absence of tetracaine) are produced by two or more active RyR Ca(2+) channels. The question of how the activation of multiple RyRs is coordinated is discussed.

Microinstability-based models for confinement properties and ignition criteria in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, W.M.; Bishop, C.M.; Coppi, B.; Kaye, S.M.; Perkins, F.W.; Redi, M.H.; Rewoldt, G.

1987-02-01

This paper reports on results of theoretical studies dealing with: (1) the use of microinstability-based thermal transport models to interpret the anomalous confinement properties observed in key tokamak experiments such as TFTR and (2) the likely consequences of the presence of such instabilities for future ignition devices. Transport code simulations using profile-consistent forms of anomalous thermal diffusivities due to drift-type instabilities have yielded good agreement with the confinement times and temperatures observed in TFTR under a large variety of operating conditions including pellet-fuelling in both ohmic- and neutral-beam-heated discharges. With regard to achieving an optimal ignition margin, the adverse temperature scaling of anomalous losses caused by drift modes leads to the conclusion that it is best to operate at the maximum allowable density while holding the temperature close to the minimum value required for ignition

Approach to decision modeling for an ignition test reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howland, H.R.; Varljen, T.C.

1977-01-01

A comparison matrix decision model is applied to candidates for a D-T ignition tokamak (TNS), including assessment of semi-quantifiable or judgemental factors as well as quantitative ones. The results show that TNS is mission-sensitive with a choice implied between near-term achievability and reactor technology

Ignition and spread of electrical wire fires

OpenAIRE

Huang, Xinyan

2012-01-01

Ignition of electrical wires by external heating is investigated in order to gain a better understanding of the initiation of electrical-wire fires. An ignition-to- spread model is developed to systematically explain ignition and the following transition to spread. The model predicts that for a higher-conductance wire it is more difficult to achieve ignition and the weak flame may extinguish during the transition phase because of a large conductive heat loss along the wire core. Wires with tw...

Chemical Kinetics of Hydrocarbon Ignition in Practical Combustion Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westbrook, C.K.

2000-01-01

Chemical kinetic factors of hydrocarbon oxidation are examined in a variety of ignition problems. Ignition is related to the presence of a dominant chain branching reaction mechanism that can drive a chemical system to completion in a very short period of time. Ignition in laboratory environments is studied for problems including shock tubes and rapid compression machines. Modeling of the laboratory systems are used to develop kinetic models that can be used to analyze ignition in practical systems. Two major chain branching regimes are identified, one consisting of high temperature ignition with a chain branching reaction mechanism based on the reaction between atomic hydrogen with molecular oxygen, and the second based on an intermediate temperature thermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. Kinetic models are then used to describe ignition in practical combustion environments, including detonations and pulse combustors for high temperature ignition, and engine knock and diesel ignition for intermediate temperature ignition. The final example of ignition in a practical environment is homogeneous charge, compression ignition (HCCI) which is shown to be a problem dominated by the kinetics intermediate temperature hydrocarbon ignition. Model results show why high hydrocarbon and CO emissions are inevitable in HCCI combustion. The conclusion of this study is that the kinetics of hydrocarbon ignition are actually quite simple, since only one or two elementary reactions are dominant. However, there are many combustion factors that can influence these two major reactions, and these are the features that vary from one practical system to another

76 FR 67728 - Proposed Settlement Agreement

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-02

...). The RICE NESHAP requires certain subcategories of four-stroke rich burn spark-ignition RICE to meet an... provisions to allow owners and operators of spark-ignition four-stroke rich burn engines that meet an... to revise the RICE NESHAP to allow owners and operators of spark-ignition 4-stroke rich burn engines...

Fusion ignition via a magnetically-assisted fast ignition approach

OpenAIRE

Wang, W. -M.; Gibbon, P.; Sheng, Z. -M.; Li, Y. T.; Zhang, J.

2016-01-01

Significant progress has been made towards laser-driven fusion ignition via different schemes, including direct and indirect central ignition, fast ignition, shock ignition, and impact ignition schemes. However, to reach ignition conditions, there are still various technical and physical challenges to be solved for all these schemes. Here, our multi-dimensional integrated simulation shows that the fast-ignition conditions could be achieved when two 2.8 petawatt heating laser pulses counter-pr...

Fiber coupled optical spark delivery system

Science.gov (United States)

Yalin, Azer; Willson, Bryan; Defoort, Morgan

2008-08-12

A spark delivery system for generating a spark using a laser beam is provided, the spark delivery system including a laser light source and a laser delivery assembly. The laser delivery assembly includes a hollow fiber and a launch assembly comprising launch focusing optics to input the laser beam in the hollow fiber. In addition, the laser delivery assembly includes exit focusing optics that demagnify an exit beam of laser light from the hollow fiber, thereby increasing the intensity of the laser beam and creating a spark. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the assembly may be used to create a spark in a combustion engine. In accordance with other embodiments of the present invention, a method of using the spark delivery system is provided. In addition, a method of choosing an appropriate fiber for creating a spark using a laser beam is also presented.

Effects of In-Cylinder Mixing on Low Octane Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad; Farooq, Aamir; Sim, Jaeheon; Viollet, Yoann; Im, Hong G.; Chang, Junseok

2016-01-01

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition engines. Low octane gasoline fuel has been identified as a viable option for the GCI engine applications due to its longer ignition delay characteristics compared to diesel and in the volatility range of gasoline fuels. In this study, we have investigated the effect of different injection timings at part-load conditions using light naphtha stream in single cylinder engine experiments in the GCI combustion mode with injection pressure of 130 bar. A toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) was used as a surrogate for the light naphtha in the engine simulations performed here. A physical surrogate based on the evaporation characteristics of the light naphtha has been developed and its properties have been implemented in the engine simulations. Full cycle GCI computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engine simulations have been successfully performed while changing the start of injection (SOI) timing from -50° to -11 ° CAD aTDC. The effect of SOI on mixing and combustion phasing was investigated using detailed equivalence ratio-temperature maps and ignition delay times. Both experimental and computational results consistently showed that an SOI of -30° CAD aTDC has the most advanced combustion phasing (CA50), with the highest NOx emission. The effects of the SOI on the fuel containment in the bowl of the piston, the ignition delay time, combustion rate and emissions have been carefully examined through the CFD calculations. It was found that the competition between the equivalence ratio and temperature is the controlling parameter in determining the combustion phasings.

Effects of In-Cylinder Mixing on Low Octane Gasoline Compression Ignition Combustion

KAUST Repository

Badra, Jihad

2016-04-05

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engines have been considered an attractive alternative to traditional spark ignition engines. Low octane gasoline fuel has been identified as a viable option for the GCI engine applications due to its longer ignition delay characteristics compared to diesel and in the volatility range of gasoline fuels. In this study, we have investigated the effect of different injection timings at part-load conditions using light naphtha stream in single cylinder engine experiments in the GCI combustion mode with injection pressure of 130 bar. A toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF) was used as a surrogate for the light naphtha in the engine simulations performed here. A physical surrogate based on the evaporation characteristics of the light naphtha has been developed and its properties have been implemented in the engine simulations. Full cycle GCI computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engine simulations have been successfully performed while changing the start of injection (SOI) timing from -50° to -11 ° CAD aTDC. The effect of SOI on mixing and combustion phasing was investigated using detailed equivalence ratio-temperature maps and ignition delay times. Both experimental and computational results consistently showed that an SOI of -30° CAD aTDC has the most advanced combustion phasing (CA50), with the highest NOx emission. The effects of the SOI on the fuel containment in the bowl of the piston, the ignition delay time, combustion rate and emissions have been carefully examined through the CFD calculations. It was found that the competition between the equivalence ratio and temperature is the controlling parameter in determining the combustion phasings.

SPARK Version 1.1 user manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weissenburger, D.W.

1988-01-01

This manual describes the input required to use Version 1.1 of the SPARK computer code. SPARK 1.1 is a library of FORTRAN main programs and subprograms designed to calculate eddy currents on conducting surfaces where current flow is assumed zero in the direction normal to the surface. Surfaces are modeled with triangular and/or quadrilateral elements. Lorentz forces produced by the interaction of eddy currents with background magnetic fields can be output at element nodes in a form compatible with most structural analysis codes. In addition, magnetic fields due to eddy currents can be determined at points off the surface. Version 1.1 features eddy current streamline plotting with optional hidden-surface-removal graphics and topological enhancements that allow essentially any orientable surface to be modeled. SPARK also has extensive symmetry specification options. In order to make the manual as self-contained as possible, six appendices are included that present summaries of the symmetry options, topological options, coil options and code algorithms, with input and output examples. An edition of SPARK 1.1 is available on the Cray computers at the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center at Livermore, California. Another more generic edition is operational on the VAX computers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and is available on magnetic tape by request. The generic edition requires either the GKS or PLOT10 graphics package and the IMSL or NAG mathematical package. Requests from outside the United States will be subject to applicable federal regulations regarding dissemination of computer programs. 22 refs

SPARK Version 1. 1 user manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weissenburger, D.W.

1988-01-01

This manual describes the input required to use Version 1.1 of the SPARK computer code. SPARK 1.1 is a library of FORTRAN main programs and subprograms designed to calculate eddy currents on conducting surfaces where current flow is assumed zero in the direction normal to the surface. Surfaces are modeled with triangular and/or quadrilateral elements. Lorentz forces produced by the interaction of eddy currents with background magnetic fields can be output at element nodes in a form compatible with most structural analysis codes. In addition, magnetic fields due to eddy currents can be determined at points off the surface. Version 1.1 features eddy current streamline plotting with optional hidden-surface-removal graphics and topological enhancements that allow essentially any orientable surface to be modeled. SPARK also has extensive symmetry specification options. In order to make the manual as self-contained as possible, six appendices are included that present summaries of the symmetry options, topological options, coil options and code algorithms, with input and output examples. An edition of SPARK 1.1 is available on the Cray computers at the National Magnetic Fusion Energy Computer Center at Livermore, California. Another more generic edition is operational on the VAX computers at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and is available on magnetic tape by request. The generic edition requires either the GKS or PLOT10 graphics package and the IMSL or NAG mathematical package. Requests from outside the United States will be subject to applicable federal regulations regarding dissemination of computer programs. 22 refs.

Fastdata processing with Spark

CERN Document Server

Karau, Holden

2013-01-01

This book will be a basic, step-by-step tutorial, which will help readers take advantage of all that Spark has to offer.Fastdata Processing with Spark is for software developers who want to learn how to write distributed programs with Spark. It will help developers who have had problems that were too much to be dealt with on a single computer. No previous experience with distributed programming is necessary. This book assumes knowledge of either Java, Scala, or Python.

Measurement of the fast electron distribution in laser-plasma experiments in the context of the 'fast ignition' approach to inertial confinement fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batani, Dimitri; Morace, Alessio

2010-01-01

The recent 'fast ignition approach' to ICF relies on the presence of fast electrons to provide the 'external' ignition spark triggering the nuclear fusion reaction in the compressed core of a thermonuclear target. Such fast electron beam is produced by the interaction of a short-pulse high-intensity laser with the target itself. In this context, it becomes essential to characterize the density of fast electrons and their average energy (i.e. the 'laser to fast electron' energy conversion efficiency) but also the finer details of the velocity and angular distribution. In this work we will discuss several techniques used to determine the fast electron distribution function.

Compact and Accurate Turbocharger Modelling for Engine Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sorenson, Spencer C; Hendricks, Elbert; Magnússon, Sigurjón

2005-01-01

With the current trend towards engine downsizing, the use of turbochargers to obtain extra engine power has become common. A great díffuculty in the use of turbochargers is in the modelling of the compressor map. In general this is done by inserting the compressor map directly into the engine ECU...... turbocharges with radial compressors for either Spark Ignition (SI) or diesel engines...

Relativistic self focussing of laser beams at fast ignitor inertial fusion with volume ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osman, F.; Castillo, R.; Hora, H.

1999-01-01

The alternative to the magnetic confinement fusion is inertial fusion energy mostly using lasers as drivers for compression and heating of pellets with deuterium and tritium fuel. Following the present technology of lasers with pulses of some megajoules energy and nanosecond duration, a power station for very low cost energy production (and without the problems of well erosion of magnetic confinement) could be available within 15 to 20 years. For the pellet compression, the scheme of spark ignition was mostly applied but its numerous problems with asymmetries and instabilities may be overcome by the alternative scheme of high gain volume ignition. This is a well established option of inertial fusion energy with lasers where a large range of possible later improvements is implied with respect to laser technology or higher plasma compression leading to energy production of perhaps five times below the present lowest level cost from fission reactors. A further improvement may be possible by the recent development of lasers with picosecond pulse duration using the fast igniter scheme which may reach even higher fusion gains with laser pulse energies of some 100 kilojoules

Plasma transport in a compact ignition tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singer, C.E.; Ku, L.P; Bateman, G.

1987-02-01

Nominal predicted plasma conditions in a compact ignition tokamak are illustrated by transport simulations using experimentally calibrated plasma transport models. The range of uncertainty in these predictions is explored by using various models which have given almost equally good fits to experimental data. Using a transport model which best fits the data, thermonuclear ignition occurs in a Compact Ignition Tokamak design with major radius 1.32 m, plasma half-width 0.43 m, elongation 2.0, and toroidal field and plasma current ramped in six seconds from 1.7 to 10.4 T and 0.7 to 10 MA, respectively. Ignition is facilitated by 20 MW of heating deposited off the magnetic axis near the 3 He minority cyclotron resonance layer. Under these conditions, sawtooth oscillations are small and have little impact on ignition. Tritium inventory is minimized by preconditioning most discharges with deuterium. Tritium is injected, in large frozen pellets, only after minority resonance preheating. Variations of the transport model, impurity influx, heating profile, and pellet ablation rates, have a large effect on ignition and on the maximum beta that can be achieved

Modelling of spatial prediction of fire ignition risk in the Antalya-Manavgat district

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Coşkun Okan Güney

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to present the fire ignition risk for Manavgat-Antalya District to enable the planning of firefighting sources in a more qualified way. From sites within the study area, where forest fires broke out or not during the past five years, we obtained geographical coordinates, climate data, topographical data and variables like bedrock, stand types, settlement areas, roads and power lines and prepared them with geographical information systems. For all variables we performed Wilcoxon rank-sum test, interspecific correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis and obtained 4 different models. When ROC analysis was applied to these models, model 4 was determined as the most significant model and therefore used to prepare the fire ignition risk map for the Manavgat-Antalya District. According to this map, ignition risk within the study area was highest in and around settlement areas where roads and power lines concentrate and Turkish red pine is distributed, but it was lowest afar of settlement areas without roads and where species apart from Turkish red pine are distributed. According to the results some suggestions were made.

40 CFR 1065.170 - Batch sampling for gaseous and PM constituents.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Materials Emissions Engines Compression-ignition, two-stroke spark ignition, 4-stroke spark-ignition auto changer configurations, you may... environments and should be loaded into cassettes, filter holders, or auto changer apparatus before removal from...

Design of ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haan, S.W.; Dittrich, T.R.; Marinak, M.M.; Hinkel, D.E.

1999-01-01

This is a brief update on the work being done to design ignition targets for the National Ignition Facility. Updates are presented on three areas of current activity : improvements in modeling, work on a variety of targets spanning the parameter space of possible ignition targets ; and the setting of specifications for target fabrication and diagnostics. Highlights of recent activity include : a simulation of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability growth on an imploding capsule, done in 3D on a 72degree by 72degree wedge, with enough zones to resolve modes out to 100 ; and designs of targets at 250eV and 350eV, as well as the baseline 300 eV ; and variation of the central DT gas density, which influences both the Rayleigh-Taylor growth and the smoothness of the DT ice layer

US Department of Energy - Office of FreedomCar and Vehicle Technologies and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Inter-Agency Agreement Research on "The Analysis of Genotoxic Activities of Exhaust Emissions from Mobile Natural Gas, Diesel, and Spark-Ignition Engines"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

William E. Wallace

2006-09-30

The US Department of Energy-Office of Heavy Vehicle Technologies (now the DOE-Office of FreedomCar and Vehicle Technologies) signed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), No.01-15 DOE, 9/4/01, for 'The analysis of genotoxic activities of exhaust emissions from mobile natural gas, diesel, and spark-ignition engines'; subsequently modified on 3/27/02 (DOE IAG No.01-15-02M1); subsequently modified 9/02/03 (IAA Mod No. 01-15-03M1), as 'The analysis of genotoxic activities of exhaust emissions from mobile internal combustion engines: identification of engine design and operational parameters controlling exhaust genotoxicity'. The DOE Award/Contract number was DE-AI26-01CH11089. The IAA ended 9/30/06. This is the final summary technical report of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health research performed with the US Department of Energy-Office of FreedomCar and Vehicle Technologies under that IAA: (A) NIOSH participation was requested by the DOE to provide in vitro genotoxicity assays of the organic solvent extracts of exhaust emissions from a suite of in-use diesel or spark-ignition vehicles; (B) research also was directed to develop and apply genotoxicity assays to the particulate phase of diesel exhaust, exploiting the NIOSH finding of genotoxicity expression by diesel exhaust particulate matter dispersed into the primary components of the surfactant coating the surface of the deep lung; (C) from the surfactant-dispersed DPM genotoxicity findings, the need for direct collection of DPM aerosols into surfactant for bioassay was recognized, and design and developmental testing of such samplers was initiated.

Main conditions and effectiveness of gas fuel use for powering of dual fuel IC self-ignition engine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan POSTRZEDNIK

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Internal combustion engines are fuelled mostly with liquid fuels (gasoline, diesel. Nowadays the gaseous fuels are applied as driving fuel of combustion engines. In case of spark ignition engines the liquid fuel (petrol can be totally replaced by the gas fuels. This possibility in case of compression engines is essentially restricted through the higher self-ignition temperatures of the combustible gases in comparison to classical diesel oil. Solution if this problem can be achieved by using of the dual fuel system, where for ignition of the prepared fuel gas - air mixture a specified amount of the liquid fuel (diesel oil should be additionally injected into the combustion chamber. For assurance that the combustion process proceeds without mistakes and completely, some basic conditions should be satisfied. In the frame of this work, three main aspects of this problem are taken into account: a. filling efficiency of the engine, b. stoichiometry of the combustion, c. performance of mechanical parameters (torque, power. A complex analysis of these conditions has been done and some achieved important results are presented in the paper.

Whist code calculations of ignition margin in an ignition tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheffield, J.

1985-01-01

A simple global model was developed to determine the ignition margin of tokamaks including electron and ion conduction losses. A comparison of this model with results from a 1 1/2 dimensional Whist code is made

Options for an ignited tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sheffield, J.

1984-02-01

It is expected that the next phase of the fusion program will involve a tokamak with the goals of providing an ignited plasma for pulses of hundreds of seconds. A simple model is described in this memorandum which establishes the physics conditions for such a self-sustaining plasma, for given ion and electron thermal diffusivities, in terms of R/a, b/a, I, B/q, epsilon β/sub p/, anti T/sub i/, and anti T/sub e//anti T/sub i/. The model is used to produce plots showing the wide range of tokamaks that may ignite or have a given ignition margin. The constraints that limit this range are discussed

Mathematical modeling of ignition of woodlands resulted from accident on the pipeline

Science.gov (United States)

Perminov, V. A.; Loboda, E. L.; Reyno, V. V.

2014-11-01

Accidents occurring at the sites of pipelines, accompanied by environmental damage, economic loss, and sometimes loss of life. In this paper we calculated the sizes of the possible ignition zones in emergency situations on pipelines located close to the forest, accompanied by the appearance of fireballs. In this paper, using the method of mathematical modeling calculates the maximum size of the ignition zones of vegetation as a result of accidental releases of flammable substances. The paper suggested in the context of the general mathematical model of forest fires give a new mathematical setting and method of numerical solution of a problem of a forest fire modeling. The boundary-value problem is solved numerically using the method of splitting according to physical processes. The dependences of the size of the forest fuel for different amounts of leaked flammable substances and moisture content of vegetation.

Progress towards a lightning ignition model for the Northern Rockies

Science.gov (United States)

Paul Sopko; Don Latham

2010-01-01

We are in the process of constructing a lightning ignition model specific to the Northern Rockies using fire occurrence, lightning strike, ecoregion, and historical weather, NFDRS (National Fire Danger Rating System), lightning efficiency and lightning "possibility" data. Daily grids for each of these categories were reconstructed for the 2003 fire season (...

The internal propagation of fusion flame with the strong shock of a laser driven plasma block for advanced nuclear fuel ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malekynia, B.; Razavipour, S. S.

2013-01-01

An accelerated skin layer may be used to ignite solid state fuels. Detailed analyses were clarified by solving the hydrodynamic equations for nonlinear force driven plasma block ignition. In this paper, the complementary mechanisms are included for the advanced fuel ignition: external factors such as lasers, compression, shock waves, and sparks. The other category is created within the plasma fusion as reheating of an alpha particle, the Bremsstrahlung absorption, expansion, conduction, and shock waves generated by explosions. With the new condition for the control of shock waves, the spherical deuterium-tritium fuel density should be increased to 75 times that of the solid state. The threshold ignition energy flux density for advanced fuel ignition may be obtained using temperature equations, including the ones for the density profile obtained through the continuity equation and the expansion velocity for the r ≠ 0 layers. These thresholds are significantly reduced in comparison with the ignition thresholds at x = 0 for solid advanced fuels. The quantum correction for the collision frequency is applied in the case of the delay in ion heating. Under the shock wave condition, the spherical proton-boron and proton-lithium fuel densities should be increased to densities 120 and 180 times that of the solid state. These plasma compressions are achieved through a longer duration laser pulse or X-ray. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

A Model based Examination of Conditions for Ignition of Turbidity Currents on Slopes

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, A. J.; Krishna, G.

2009-12-01

Turbidity currents form a major mechanism for the movement of sediment in the natural environment. Self-accelerating turbidity currents over continental slopes are of considerable scientific and engineering interest due to their role as agents for submarine sediment transportation from the shelf to the seabed. Such currents are called ignitive provided they eventually reach a catastrophic state as acceleration results in high sediment loads due to erosion of the sloping bed. A numerical model, which treats the fluid and the particles as two separate phases, is applied to investigate the effects of particle size, initial flow friction velocity and mild bed slope on the ignitive condition. Laboratory experimental data have been included as part of the analysis for qualitative comparison purposes. Ignition for the smallest of the three selected sizes (0.21mm) of medium sand typical of Florida beaches was found to depend on the initial conditions at the head of the slope as determined by the pressure gradient. Bed slope seemed to be of secondary importance. For the two sands with larger grain sizes (0.28mm and 0.35mm) the slope was found to play a more important role when compared to the initial pressure gradient. For a given pressure gradient, increasing the slope increased the likelihood of self-acceleration. It is concluded that in general ignition cannot be defined merely in terms of positive values of the velocity gradient and the sediment flux gradient along the slope. Depending on particle size the initial pressure gradient can also play a role. For the selected initial conditions (grain size, pressure gradient and bed slope), out of the 54 combinations tested, all except three satisfied the Knapp-Bagnold criterion for auto-suspension irrespective of whether the turbid current was ignitive or non-ignitive. In all 54 cases the current was found to erode the bed. Further use of the model will require accommodation of wider ranges of sediment size and bed density

High-Gain Shock Ignition on the National Ignition Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, L. J.; Lafortune, K.; Bailey, D.; Lambert, M.; MacKinnon, A.; Blackfield, D.; Comley, A.; Schurtz, G.; Ribeyre, X.; Lebel, E.; Casner, A.; Craxton, R. S.; Betti, R.; McKenty, P.; Anderson, K.; Theobald, W.; Schmitt, A.; Atzeni, S.; Schiavi, A.

2010-11-01

Shock ignition offers the possibility for a near-term test of high-gain ICF on the NIF at less than 1MJ drive energy and with day-1 laser hardware. We will summarize the status of target performance simulations, delineate the critical issues and describe the R&D program to be performed in order to test the potential of a shock-ignited target on NIF. In shock ignition, compressed fuel is separately ignited by a late-time laser-driven shock and, because capsule implosion velocities are significantly lower than those required for conventional hotpot ignition, simulations indicate that fusion energy gains of 60 may be achievable at laser energies around 0.5MJ. Like fast ignition, shock ignition offers high gain but requires only a single laser with less demanding timing and focusing requirements. Conventional symmetry and stability constraints apply, thus a key immediate step towards attempting shock ignition on NIF is to demonstrate adequacy of low-mode uniformity and shock symmetry under polar drive

40 CFR 1065.260 - Flame-ionization detector.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

.... For compression-ignition engines, two-stroke spark-ignition engines, and four-stroke spark-ignition... CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Measurement Instruments Hydrocarbon Measurements § 1065.260 Flame... that has compensation algorithms that are functions of other gaseous measurements and the engine's...

Effect of water-containing acetone–butanol–ethanol gasoline blends on combustion, performance, and emissions characteristics of a spark-ignition engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Yuqiang; Nithyanandan, Karthik; Lee, Timothy H.; Donahue, Robert Michael; Lin, Yilu; Lee, Chia-Fon; Liao, Shengming

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Water-containing ABE (acetone–butanol–ethanol) was used an alternative fuel. • Water-containing ABE and gasoline blends were investigated in an SI engine. • Water-containing ABE and gasoline blends can enhance engine torque. • Water-containing ABE and gasoline blends can reduce CO, UHC and NO_x emissions. - Abstract: Bio-butanol has proved to be a promising alternative fuel in recent years; it is typically produced from ABE (acetone–butanol–ethanol) fermentation from non-edible biomass feedstock. The high costs for dehydration and recovery from dilute fermentation broth have so far prohibited bio-butanol’s use in internal combustion engines. There is an interesting in studying the intermediate fermentation product, i.e. water-containing ABE as a potential fuel. However, most previous studies covered the use of water-containing ABE–diesel blends. In addition, previous studies on SI engines fueled with ABE did not consider the effect of water. Therefore, the evaluation of water-containing ABE gasoline blends in a port fuel-injected spark-ignition (SI) engine was carried out in this study. Effect of adding ABE and water into gasoline on combustion, performance and emissions characteristics was investigated by testing gasoline, ABE30, ABE85, ABE29.5W0.5 and ABE29W1 (29 vol.% ABE, 1 vol.% water and 70 vol.% gasoline). In addition, ABE29W1 was compared with gasoline under various equivalence ratios (Φ = 0.83–1.25) and engine loads (3 and 5 bar BMEP). It was found that ABE29W1 generally had higher engine toque (3.1–8.2%) and lower CO (9.8–35.1%), UHC (27.4–78.2%) and NO_x (4.1–39.4%) than those of gasoline. The study indicated that water-containing ABE could be used in SI engines as an alternative fuel with good engine performance and low emissions.

The effects of different intake charge diluents on the combustion and emission characteristics of a spark ignition natural gas engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, Zhuoyao; Jing, Qijian; Zhu, Lei; Zhang, Wugao; Huang, Zhen

2015-01-01

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is the most common method to control NO_x emission of internal combustion engine. The major components of EGR are CO_2 and N_2, which have different influences on engine combustion and pollutants formation through thermal, dilution and chemical effects. The main objective of this work is to investigate the different influences of CO_2 and N_2 on engine combustion and emission on a four-cylinder, turbo charged, spark ignition natural gas engine with electronically control unit, simultaneously to separate the thermal effect with the comparison with Ar. It was found that the peak in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate both decreased along with the increase of intake dilution extent regardless of the diluent's type. For each diluent gas, NO_x emission decreases while HC emission increases with the increased dilution ratio. However, CO emission firstly decreased and then increased. Results also revealed that NO_x and CO emission could be simultaneously reduced by intake charge dilution at a little sacrifice of HC emission. The effects of three diluents are different compared with each other. Among these three diluents, it can be found that CO_2 is the most effective on reducing NO_x and CO emission followed by N_2. However, both CO_2 and N_2 dilution deteriorates the thermal efficiency while Ar dilution improved it. Besides, when NO_x emission was reduced to the same level, the thermal efficiency is the highest and CO emission is the lowest for Ar dilution. - Highlights: • CO_2 is the most effective on reducing NO_x and CO emission followed by N_2 and then Ar. • NO_x and CO emission could be simultaneously reduced by intake charge dilution regardless of the diluents when appropriate dilution extent is chosen. • Both CO_2 and N_2 dilution worsen while Ar dilution improves thermal efficiency. • Thermal effect is a dominant factor for reducing NO_x emission.

The influence of beam energy, mode and focal length on the control of laser ignition in an internal combustion engine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullett, J D; Dodd, R; Williams, C J; Triantos, G; Dearden, G; Shenton, A T; Watkins, K G; Carroll, S D; Scarisbrick, A D; Keen, S

2007-01-01

This work involves a study on laser ignition (LI) in an internal combustion (IC) engine and investigates the effects on control of engine combustion performance and stability of varying specific laser parameters (beam energy, beam quality, minimum beam waist size, focal point volume and focal length). A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser operating at the fundamental wavelength 1064 nm was successfully used to ignite homogeneous stoichiometric gasoline and air mixtures in one cylinder of a 1.6 litre IC test engine, where the remaining three cylinders used conventional electrical spark ignition (SI). A direct comparison between LI and conventional SI is presented in terms of changes in coefficient of variability in indicated mean effective pressure (COV IMEP ) and the variance in the peak cylinder pressure position (Var PPP ). The laser was individually operated in three different modes by changing the diameter of the cavity aperture, where the results show that for specific parameters, LI performed better than SI in terms of combustion performance and stability. Minimum ignition energies for misfire free combustion ranging from 4 to 28 mJ were obtained for various optical and laser configurations and were compared with the equivalent minimum optical breakdown energies in air

Tokamak and RFP ignition requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Werley, K.A.

1991-01-01

A plasma model is applied to calculate numerically transport- confinement (nτ E ) requirements and steady-state operation tokamak. The CIT tokamak and RFP ignition conditions are examined. Physics differences between RFP and tokamaks, and their consequences for a DT ignition machine, are discussed. The ignition RFP, compared to a tokamak, has many physics advantages, including ohmic heating to ignition (no need for auxiliary heating systems), higher beta, low ignition current, less sensitivity of ignition requirements to impurity effects, no hard disruptions (associated with beta or density limits), and successful operation with high radiation fractions (f RAD ∼ 0.95). These physics advantages, coupled with important engineering advantages associated with lower external magnetic fields, larger aspect ratios, and smaller plasma cross sections translate into significant cost reductions for both ignition and power reactor. The primary drawback of the RFP is the uncertainty that the present confinement scaling will extrapolate to reactor regimes. The 4-MA ZTH was expected to extend the nτ E transport scaling data three order of magnitude above ZT-40M results, and if the present scaling held, to achieve a DT-equivalent scientific energy breakeven, Q=1. A basecase RFP ignition point is identified with a plasma current of 8.1 MA and no auxiliary heating. 16 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Fonctionnement transitoire et controle de la richesse des moteurs à allumage commandé à injection multipoint Transient Operation and Air-Fuel Ratio Control of Spark-Ignition Port-Injected Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Le Moyne L.

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Sur les moteurs à allumage commandé à injection multipoint on observe des désadaptations de richesse lors de fonctionnement transitoire. Ces désadaptations sont dues au dépôt, sous forme de film liquide, du carburant injecté dans le collecteur. Elles peuvent être compensées par une gestion adéquate de la masse injectée. Ainsi, afin d'obtenir la masse de carburant qui maintient la richesse constante, nous avons développé un modèle bidimensionnel des écoulements dans le collecteur au cours du cycle moteur. Ce modèle décrit l'écoulement des gaz frais, des gouttes injectées, des gaz brûlés refoulés vers l'admission et du film sur les parois, sur le principe de la séparation des phases. Nous montrons que le modèle reproduit correctement le signal de richesse et comment il permet de supprimer les désadaptations. La mesure de richesse est faite à l'échappement avec une sonde à oxygène dont nous validons le fonctionnement en transitoire avec une corrélation à la pression maximale du cycle dans le cylindre. Air-fuel ratio excursions are observed on port-injected spark ignition engines during transients. This excursions result from the liquid fuel film deposited on intake port. They can be compensated by controlling the injected fuel mass. In order to have the amount of fuel that keeps air-fuel ratio constant, we have developed a 2D model of flows in the intake port during engine cycle. This separate phases model describes the flow of fresh gases, injected droplets, hot burned gases and film on port walls. We show that the model effectively predicts the equivalence ratio and how it allows to eliminate excursions. Equivalence ratio measures are made with an oxygen sensor which functioning is validated during transients by correlating it to maximal pressure during engine cycle.

Monte-Carlo computation of turbulent premixed methane/air ignition

Science.gov (United States)

Carmen, Christina Lieselotte

The present work describes the results obtained by a time dependent numerical technique that simulates the early flame development of a spark-ignited premixed, lean, gaseous methane/air mixture with the unsteady spherical flame propagating in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. The algorithm described is based upon a sub-model developed by an international automobile research and manufacturing corporation in order to analyze turbulence conditions within internal combustion engines. Several developments and modifications to the original algorithm have been implemented including a revised chemical reaction scheme and the evaluation and calculation of various turbulent flame properties. Solution of the complete set of Navier-Stokes governing equations for a turbulent reactive flow is avoided by reducing the equations to a single transport equation. The transport equation is derived from the Navier-Stokes equations for a joint probability density function, thus requiring no closure assumptions for the Reynolds stresses. A Monte-Carlo method is also utilized to simulate phenomena represented by the probability density function transport equation by use of the method of fractional steps. Gaussian distributions of fluctuating velocity and fuel concentration are prescribed. Attention is focused on the evaluation of the three primary parameters that influence the initial flame kernel growth-the ignition system characteristics, the mixture composition, and the nature of the flow field. Efforts are concentrated on the effects of moderate to intense turbulence on flames within the distributed reaction zone. Results are presented for lean conditions with the fuel equivalence ratio varying from 0.6 to 0.9. The present computational results, including flame regime analysis and the calculation of various flame speeds, provide excellent agreement with results obtained by other experimental and numerical researchers.

Development and Validation of 3D-CFD Injection and Combustion Models for Dual Fuel Combustion in Diesel Ignited Large Gas Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Eder

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on improving the 3D-Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD modeling of diesel ignited gas engines, with an emphasis on injection and combustion modeling. The challenges of modeling are stated and possible solutions are provided. A specific approach for modeling injection is proposed that improves the modeling of the ballistic region of the needle lift. Experimental results from an inert spray chamber are used for model validation. Two-stage ignition methods are described along with improvements in ignition delay modeling of the diesel ignited gas engine. The improved models are used in the Extended Coherent Flame Model with the 3 Zones approach (ECFM-3Z. The predictive capability of the models is investigated using data from single cylinder engine (SCE tests conducted at the Large Engines Competence Center (LEC. The results are discussed and further steps for development are identified.

Pressure dependence of the spark constant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hess, H; Radtke, R; Deparade, W [Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR, Berlin. Zentralinstitut fuer Elektronenphysik

1978-02-21

The author's theory on the development of LTE plasmas in low-inductance spark discharges has proved to be a useful tool in predicting the electric behaviour of such sparks. Their earlier experimental work was restricted to only one initial pressure, and in this paper they extend the examined pressure range to obtain some general conclusions on the pressure dependence of the spark behaviour.

Signal Analysis of Automotive Engine Spark Ignition System using Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) and Case-based Maintenance (CBM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, H.; Vong, C. M.; Wong, P. K.

2010-01-01

With the development of modern technology, modern vehicles adopt electronic control system for injection and ignition. In traditional way, whenever there is any malfunctioning in an automotive engine, an automotive mechanic usually performs a diagnosis in the ignition system of the engine to check any exceptional symptoms. In this paper, we present a case-based reasoning (CBR) approach to help solve human diagnosis problem. Nevertheless, one drawback of CBR system is that the case library will be expanded gradually after repeatedly running the system, which may cause inaccuracy and longer time for the CBR retrieval. To tackle this problem, case-based maintenance (CBM) framework is employed so that the case library of the CBR system will be compressed by clustering to produce a set of representative cases. As a result, the performance (in retrieval accuracy and time) of the whole CBR system can be improved.

Investigating the effect of crevice flow on internal combustion engines using a new simple crevice model implemented in a CFD code

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rakopoulos, C.D.; Kosmadakis, G.M.; Dimaratos, A.M.; Pariotis, E.G.

2011-01-01

A theoretical investigation is conducted to examine the way the crevice regions affect the mean cylinder pressure, the in-cylinder temperature, and the velocity field of internal combustion engines running at motoring conditions. For the calculation of the wall heat flux, a wall heat transfer formulation developed by the authors is used, while for the simulation of the crevices and the blow-by a newly developed simplified simulation model is presented herein. These sub-models are incorporated into an in-house Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code. The main advantage of the new crevice model is that it can be applied in cases where no detailed information of the ring-pack configuration is available, which is important as this information is rarely known or may have been altered during the engine's life. Thus, an adequate estimation of the blow-by effect on the cylinder pressure can be drawn. To validate the new model, the measured in-cylinder pressure traces of a diesel engine, located at the authors' laboratory, running under motoring conditions at four engine speeds were used as reference, together with measured velocity profiles and turbulence data of a motored spark-ignition engine. Comparing the predicted and measured cylinder pressure traces of the diesel engine for all cases examined, it is observed that by incorporating the new crevice sub-model into the in-house CFD code, significant improvements on the predictive accuracy of the model is obtained. The calculated cylinder pressure traces almost coincide with the measured ones, thus avoiding the use of any calibration constants as would have been the case with the crevice effect omitted. Concerning the radial and swirl velocity profiles and the turbulent kinetic energy measured in the spark-ignition engine, the validation process revealed that the developed crevice model has a minor influence on the aforementioned parameters. The theoretical study has been extended by investigating in the same spark-ignition

Report from the Integrated Modeling Panel at the Workshop on the Science of Ignition on NIF

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marinak, M; Lamb, D

2012-07-03

This section deals with multiphysics radiation hydrodynamics codes used to design and simulate targets in the ignition campaign. These topics encompass all the physical processes they model, and include consideration of any approximations necessary due to finite computer resources. The section focuses on what developments would have the highest impact on reducing uncertainties in modeling most relevant to experimental observations. It considers how the ICF codes should be employed in the ignition campaign. This includes a consideration of how the experiments can be best structured to test the physical models the codes employ.

Modelling of hot surface ignition within gas turbines subject to flammable gas in the intake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Lea Duedahl; Nielsen, Kenny Krogh; Yin, Chungen

2017-01-01

Controlling risks associated with fires and explosions from leaks of flammable fluids at oil and gas facilities is paramount to ensuring safe operations. The gas turbine is a significant potential source of ignition; however, the residual risk is still not adequately understood. A model has been...... but decreases with increase in initial mixture temperature and pressure. The model shows a great potential in reliable prediction of the risk of hot surface ignition within gas turbines in the oil and gas industry. In the future, a dedicated experimental study will be performed not only to improve...

DeepSpark: A Spark-Based Distributed Deep Learning Framework for Commodity Clusters

OpenAIRE

Kim, Hanjoo; Park, Jaehong; Jang, Jaehee; Yoon, Sungroh

2016-01-01

The increasing complexity of deep neural networks (DNNs) has made it challenging to exploit existing large-scale data processing pipelines for handling massive data and parameters involved in DNN training. Distributed computing platforms and GPGPU-based acceleration provide a mainstream solution to this computational challenge. In this paper, we propose DeepSpark, a distributed and parallel deep learning framework that exploits Apache Spark on commodity clusters. To support parallel operation...

Analysis of Combustion Process in Industrial Gas Engine with Prechamber-Based Ignition System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafał Ślefarski

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Application of a pre-combustion chamber (PCC ignition system is one of the methods to improve combustion stability and reduce toxic compounds emission, especially NOx. Using PCC allows the operation of the engine at lean combustion conditions or the utilization of low calorific gaseous fuels such as syngas or biogas. The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the combustion process in two stroke, large bore, stationary gas engine GMVH 12 equipped with two spark plugs (2-SP and a PCC ignition system. The experimental research has been performed during the normal operation of the engine in an industrial compression station. It was observed that application of PCC provides less cycle-to-cycle combustion variation (more than 10% and nitric oxide and carbon monoxide emissions decreased to 60% and 26% respectively. The total hydrocarbon (THC emission rate is 25% higher for the engine equipped with PCC, which results in roughly two percent engine efficiency decrease. Another important criterion of engine retrofitting was the PCC location in the engine head. The experimental results show that improvement of engine operating parameters was recorded only for a configuration with one port offset by 45° from the axis of the main chamber. The study of the ignition delay angle and equivalence ratio in PCC did not demonstrate explicit influence on engine performance.

Exhaust Composition in a Small Internal Combustion Engine Using FTIR Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-18

consumption of intake charge by mass xv CAD crank angle degrees CI compression ignition COTS commercial o↵ the shelf CoV coecient of variance C... ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI). A spark ignition engine ignites the fuel-air mixture via an electric arc across a spark plug located in...two-stroke engines that operate at very high speeds. The heat of combustion is transferred to a fine wire that remains hot enough to auto - ignite the

Optical Propagation Modeling for the National Ignition Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, W H; Auerbach, J M; Henesian, M A; Jancaitis, K S; Manes, K R; Mehta, N C; Orth, C D; Sacks, R A; Shaw, M J; Widmayer, C C

2004-01-12

Optical propagation modeling of the National Ignition Facility has been utilized extensively from conceptual design several years ago through to early operations today. In practice we routinely (for every shot) model beam propagation starting from the waveform generator through to the target. This includes the regenerative amplifier, the 4-pass rod amplifier, and the large slab amplifiers. Such models have been improved over time to include details such as distances between components, gain profiles in the laser slabs and rods, transient optical distortions due to the flashlamp heating of laser slabs, measured transmitted and reflected wavefronts for all large optics, the adaptive optic feedback loop, and the frequency converter. These calculations allow nearfield and farfield predictions in good agreement with measurements.

A polar-drive shock-ignition design for the National Ignition Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, K. S.; McKenty, P. W.; Collins, T. J. B.; Craxton, R. S.; Delettrez, J. A.; Marozas, J. A.; Skupsky, S.; Shvydky, A. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Betti, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Physics, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627 (United States); Hohenberger, M.; Theobald, W.; Lafon, M.; Nora, R. [Laboratory for Laser Energetics, University of Rochester, 250 East River Road, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States); Fusion Science Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14623 (United States)

2013-05-15

Shock ignition [R. Betti et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 155001 (2007)] is being pursued as a viable option to achieve ignition on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Shock-ignition target designs use a high-intensity laser spike at the end of a low-adiabat assembly pulse to launch a spherically convergent strong shock to ignite the hot spot of an imploding capsule. A shock-ignition target design for the NIF is presented. One-dimensional simulations indicate an ignition threshold factor of 4.1 with a gain of 58. A polar-drive beam-pointing configuration for shock-ignition experiments on the NIF at 750 kJ is proposed. The capsule design is shown to be robust to the various one- and two-dimensional effects and nonuniformities anticipated on the NIF. The target is predicted to ignite with a gain of 38 when including all anticipated levels of nonuniformity and system uncertainty.

The Ignition Target for the National Ignition Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atherton, L J; Moses, E I; Carlisle, K; Kilkenny, J

2007-01-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a 192 beam Nd-glass laser facility presently under construction at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for performing inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and experiments studying high energy density (HED) science. When completed in 2009, NIF will be able to produce 1.8 MJ, 500 TW of ultraviolet light for target experiments that will create conditions of extreme temperatures (>10 8 K), pressures (10-GBar) and matter densities (> 100 g/cm 3 ). A detailed program called the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) has been developed to enable ignition experiments in 2010, with the goal of producing fusion ignition and burn of a deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel mixture in millimeter-scale target capsules. The first of the target experiments leading up to these ignition shots will begin in 2008. Targets for the National Ignition Campaign are both complex and precise, and are extraordinarily demanding in materials fabrication, machining, assembly, cryogenics and characterization. An overview of the campaign for ignition will be presented, along with technologies for target fabrication, assembly and metrology and advances in growth and x-ray imaging of DT ice layers. The sum of these efforts represents a quantum leap in target precision, characterization, manufacturing rate and flexibility over current state-of-the-art

The volume ignition for ICF ignition target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y. S.; He, X. T.; Yu, M.

1997-01-01

Compared with central model, volume ignition has no hot spot, avoids the mixing at the hot-cold interface, the α-particle escaping, and the high convergence, greatly reduces the sharp demanding for uniformity. In laser indirect driving, from theoretical estimation and computational simulation, we have proved that using a tamper with good heat resistance, the DT fuel can be ignited in LTE at ∼3 KeV and then evolves to the non-LTE ignition at >5 KeV. In this case, 1 MJ radiation energy in the hohlraum could cause near 10 MJ output for a pellet with 0.2 mg DT fuel. We have compared results with and without α-particle transport, it shows that in the condition of ρR>0.5 g/cm 2 of DT fuel, both have the same results. For the system with ρR≅0.5 g/cm 2 we can use α-particle local deposition scheme. The non-uniformly doped tamper with density ρ≅1-5 g/cc can reduce mixing due to the small convergence ratio. The input energy is deposited in DT and tamper during the implosion, we try to reduce the tamper energy by changing the ratio of CH and doped Au and the thickness of the tamper

Mechanochemical synthesis and spark plasma sintering of the cerium silicides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alanko, Gordon A.; Jaques, Brian; Bateman, Allyssa [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Butt, Darryl P., E-mail: darrylbutt@boisestate.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, ID 83725 (United States); Center for Advanced Energy Studies, 995 University Boulevard, Idaho Falls, ID 83401 (United States)

2014-12-15

Highlights: • Ce{sub 5}Si{sub 3}, Ce{sub 3}Si{sub 2}, CeSi, CeSi{sub 2−x} and CeSi{sub 2} were mechanochemically synthesized. • Temperature and pressure were monitored to investigate reaction progress. • All syntheses proceeded through a MSR event followed by rapid solid-state diffusion. • Milling time before MSR correlates well with effective heat of formation. • Some synthesized material was densified by spark plasma sintering. - Abstract: The cerium silicides, Ce{sub 5}Si{sub 3}, Ce{sub 3}Si{sub 2}, CeSi, CeSi{sub 2−y}, and CeSi{sub 2−x}, have been prepared from the elements by mechanochemical processing in a planetary ball mill. Preparation of the cerium silicide Ce{sub 5}Si{sub 4} was unsuccessfully attempted and potential reasons for this are discussed. Temperature and pressure of the milling vial were monitored in situ to gain insight into the mechanochemical reaction kinetics, which include a mechanically-induced self-propagating reaction (MSR). Some prepared powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering to high density. Starting materials, as-milled powders, and consolidated samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results obtained help elucidate key questions in mechanochemical processing of intermetallics, showing first phase formation similar to thin films, MSR ignition times that are composition- and milling speed-dependent, and sensitivity of stable compound formation on the impact pressure. The results demonstrate mechanochemical synthesis as a viable technique for rare earth silicides.

Physical studies of fast ignition in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He, X T; Cai, Hong-bo; Wu, Si-zhong; Cao, Li-hua; Zhang, Hua; He, Ming-qing; Chen, Mo; Wu, Jun-feng; Zhou, Cang-tao; Zhou, Wei-Min; Shan, Lian-qiang; Wang, Wei-wu; Zhang, Feng; Bi, Bi; Zhao, Zong-qing; Gu, Yu-qiu; Zhang, Bao-han; Wang, Wei; Fang, Zhi-heng; Lei, An-le

2015-01-01

Fast ignition approach to inertial confinement fusion is one of the important goals today, in addition to central hot spot ignition in China. The SG-IIU and PW laser facilities are coupled to investigate the hot spot formation for fast ignition. The SG-III laser facility is almost completed and will be coupled with tens kJ PW lasers for the demonstration of fast ignition. In recent years, for physical studies of fast ignition, we have been focusing on the experimental study of implosion symmetry, M-band radiation preheating and mixing, advanced fast ignition target design, and so on. In addition, the modeling capabilities and code developments enhanced our ability to perform the hydro-simulation of the compression implosion, and the particle-in-cell (PIC) and hybrid-PIC simulation of the generation, transport and deposition of relativistic electron beams. Considerable progress has been achieved in understanding the critical issues of fast ignition. (paper)

Spark channel propagation in a microbubble liquid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panov, V. A.; Vasilyak, L. M., E-mail: vasilyak@ihed.ras.ru; Vetchinin, S. P.; Pecherkin, V. Ya.; Son, E. E. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Joint Institute for High Temperatures (Russian Federation)

2016-11-15

Experimental study on the development of the spark channel from the anode needle under pulsed electrical breakdown of isopropyl alcohol solution in water with air microbubbles has been performed. The presence of the microbubbles increases the velocity of the spark channel propagation and increases the current in the discharge gap circuit. The observed rate of spark channel propagation in microbubble liquid ranges from 4 to 12 m/s, indicating the thermal mechanism of the spark channel development in a microbubble liquid.

Evaluation of Butanol–Gasoline Blends in a Port Fuel-injection, Spark-Ignition Engine Évaluation de mélange butanol-essence dans un moteur à allumage commandé à injection indirecte

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dernotte J.

2009-11-01

Full Text Available This paper assesses different butanol–gasoline blends used in a port fuel-injection, spark-ignition engine to quantify the influence of butanol addition on the emission of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide. Furthermore, in-cylinder pressure was measured to quantify combustion stability and to compare the ignition delay and fully developed turbulent combustion phases as given by 0%–10% and 10%–90% Mass Fraction Burned (MFB. The main findings are: 1 a 40% butanol/60% gasoline blend by volume (B40 minimizes HC emissions; 2 no significant change in NOx emissions were observed, with the exception of the 80% butanol/20% gasoline blend; 3 the addition of butanol improves combustion stability as measured by the COV of IMEP; 4 butanol added to gasoline reduces ignition delay (0%–10% MFB; and 5 the specific fuel consumption of B40 blend is within 10% of that of pure gasoline for stoichiometric mixture. Cet article évalue le potentiel de l’utilisation de différents mélanges butanolessence dans un moteur à allumage commandé à injection indirecte afin de quantifier l’influence de l’ajout de butanol sur les émissions des hydrocarbures imbrûlés (HC, le monoxyde de carbone (CO et les oxydes d’azote (NOx. De plus, l’influence sur la stabilité de combustion, le délai d’inflammation et sur la durée de la phase de combustion turbulente développée y sont également présentés. Les principaux résultats: 1 un mélange de 40% butanol et 60% essence (B40 par volume diminue les émissions de HC; 2 aucun effet significatif sur les émissions de NOx n’a été observé à l’exception du mélange 80% butanol/20% essence; 3 l’ajout de butanol améliore la stabilité de combustion ; 4 l’ajout de butanol réduit le délai d’inflammation, quantifié par la durée pour consommer 10% de masse de gaz frais; et 5 la consommation spécifique de carburant pour un mélange stoechiométrique de B40 est 10% sup

Bright Sparks of Our Future!

Science.gov (United States)

Riordan, Naoimh

2016-04-01

My name is Naoimh Riordan and I am the Vice Principal of Rockboro Primary School in Cork City, South of Ireland. I am a full time class primary teacher and I teach 4th class, my students are aged between 9-10 years. My passion for education has developed over the years and grown towards STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. I believe these subjects are the way forward for our future. My passion and beliefs are driven by the unique after school programme that I have developed. It is titled "Sparks" coming from the term Bright Sparks. "Sparks" is an after school programme with a difference where the STEM subjects are concentrated on through lessons such as Science, Veterinary Science Computer Animation /Coding, Eco engineering, Robotics, Magical Maths, Chess and Creative Writing. All these subjects are taught through activity based learning and are one-hour long each week for a ten-week term. "Sparks" is fully inclusive and non-selective which gives all students of any level of ability an opportunity to engage into these subjects. "Sparks" is open to all primary students in County Cork. The "Sparks" after school programme is taught by tutors from the different Universities and Colleges in Cork City. It works very well because the tutor brings their knowledge, skills and specialised equipment from their respective universities and in turn the tutor gains invaluable teaching practise, can trial a pilot programme in a chosen STEM subject and gain an insight into what works in the physical classroom.

Space Launch System Scale Model Acoustic Test Ignition Overpressure Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Nance, Donald; Liever, Peter; Nielsen, Tanner

2015-01-01

The overpressure phenomenon is a transient fluid dynamic event occurring during rocket propulsion system ignition. This phenomenon results from fluid compression of the accelerating plume gas, subsequent rarefaction, and subsequent propagation from the exhaust trench and duct holes. The high-amplitude unsteady fluid-dynamic perturbations can adversely affect the vehicle and surrounding structure. Commonly known as ignition overpressure (IOP), this is an important design-to environment for the Space Launch System (SLS) that NASA is currently developing. Subscale testing is useful in validating and verifying the IOP environment. This was one of the objectives of the Scale Model Acoustic Test, conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center. The test data quantifies the effectiveness of the SLS IOP suppression system and improves the analytical models used to predict the SLS IOP environments. The reduction and analysis of the data gathered during the SMAT IOP test series requires identification and characterization of multiple dynamic events and scaling of the event waveforms to provide the most accurate comparisons to determine the effectiveness of the IOP suppression systems. The identification and characterization of the overpressure events, the waveform scaling, the computation of the IOP suppression system knockdown factors, and preliminary comparisons to the analytical models are discussed.

Space Launch System Scale Model Acoustic Test Ignition Overpressure Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Nance, Donald K.; Liever, Peter A.

2015-01-01

The overpressure phenomenon is a transient fluid dynamic event occurring during rocket propulsion system ignition. This phenomenon results from fluid compression of the accelerating plume gas, subsequent rarefaction, and subsequent propagation from the exhaust trench and duct holes. The high-amplitude unsteady fluid-dynamic perturbations can adversely affect the vehicle and surrounding structure. Commonly known as ignition overpressure (IOP), this is an important design-to environment for the Space Launch System (SLS) that NASA is currently developing. Subscale testing is useful in validating and verifying the IOP environment. This was one of the objectives of the Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT), conducted at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The test data quantifies the effectiveness of the SLS IOP suppression system and improves the analytical models used to predict the SLS IOP environments. The reduction and analysis of the data gathered during the SMAT IOP test series requires identification and characterization of multiple dynamic events and scaling of the event waveforms to provide the most accurate comparisons to determine the effectiveness of the IOP suppression systems. The identification and characterization of the overpressure events, the waveform scaling, the computation of the IOP suppression system knockdown factors, and preliminary comparisons to the analytical models are discussed.

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.

Ultra Fast, High Rep Rate, High Voltage Spark Gap Pulser

Science.gov (United States)

1995-07-01

current rise time. The spark gap was designed to have a coaxial geometry reducing its inductance. Provisions were made to pass flowing gas between the...ULTRA FAST, HIGH REP RATE, HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK GAP PULSER Robert A. Pastore Jr., Lawrence E. Kingsley, Kevin Fonda, Erik Lenzing Electrophysics and...Modeling Branch AMSRL-PS-EA Tel.: (908)-532-0271 FAX: (908)-542-3348 U.S. Army Research Laboratory Physical Sciences Directorate Ft. Monmouth

Effect of Hydrogen Addition on Methane HCCI Engine Ignition Timing and Emissions Using a Multi-zone Model

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zi-han; Wang, Chun-mei; Tang, Hua-xin; Zuo, Cheng-ji; Xu, Hong-ming

2009-06-01

Ignition timing control is of great importance in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines. The effect of hydrogen addition on methane combustion was investigated using a CHEMKIN multi-zone model. Results show that hydrogen addition advances ignition timing and enhances peak pressure and temperature. A brief analysis of chemical kinetics of methane blending hydrogen is also performed in order to investigate the scope of its application, and the analysis suggests that OH radical plays an important role in the oxidation. Hydrogen addition increases NOx while decreasing HC and CO emissions. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) also advances ignition timing; however, its effects on emissions are generally the opposite. By adjusting the hydrogen addition and EGR rate, the ignition timing can be regulated with a low emission level. Investigation into zones suggests that NOx is mostly formed in core zones while HC and CO mostly originate in the crevice and the quench layer.

A New Family of Nonlinear Observers for SI Engine Air/Fuel Ratio Control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, P. B.; Olsen, M. B.; Poulsen, J.

1997-01-01

The paper treats a newly developed set of nonlinear observers for advanced spark ignition engine control.......The paper treats a newly developed set of nonlinear observers for advanced spark ignition engine control....

The influence of beam energy, mode and focal length on the control of laser ignition in an internal combustion engine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mullett, J D [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Dodd, R [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Williams, C J [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Triantos, G [Powertrain Control Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Dearden, G [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Shenton, A T [Powertrain Control Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Watkins, K G [Laser Group, Department of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Brownlow Street, Liverpool, L69 3GH (United Kingdom); Carroll, S D [Ford Motor Company, Dunton Research and Engineering Centre, Laindon, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6EE (United Kingdom); Scarisbrick, A D [Ford Motor Company, Dunton Research and Engineering Centre, Laindon, Basildon, Essex, SS15 6EE (United Kingdom); Keen, S [GSI Group, Cosford Lane, Swift Valley, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1QN (United Kingdom)

2007-08-07

This work involves a study on laser ignition (LI) in an internal combustion (IC) engine and investigates the effects on control of engine combustion performance and stability of varying specific laser parameters (beam energy, beam quality, minimum beam waist size, focal point volume and focal length). A Q-switched Nd : YAG laser operating at the fundamental wavelength 1064 nm was successfully used to ignite homogeneous stoichiometric gasoline and air mixtures in one cylinder of a 1.6 litre IC test engine, where the remaining three cylinders used conventional electrical spark ignition (SI). A direct comparison between LI and conventional SI is presented in terms of changes in coefficient of variability in indicated mean effective pressure (COV{sub IMEP}) and the variance in the peak cylinder pressure position (Var{sub PPP}). The laser was individually operated in three different modes by changing the diameter of the cavity aperture, where the results show that for specific parameters, LI performed better than SI in terms of combustion performance and stability. Minimum ignition energies for misfire free combustion ranging from 4 to 28 mJ were obtained for various optical and laser configurations and were compared with the equivalent minimum optical breakdown energies in air.

Fast-shock ignition: a new approach to inertial confinement fusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AH Farahbod

2013-03-01

Full Text Available  A new concept for inertial confinement fusion called fast-shock ignition (FSI is introduced as a credible scheme in order to obtain high target gain. In the proposed model, the separation of fuel ignition into two successive steps, under the suitable conditions, reduces required ignitor energy for the fuel ignition. The main procedure in FSI concept is compressing the fuel up to stagnation. Then, two high intensity short pulse laser spikes with energy and power lower than those required for shock ignition (SI and fast ignition (FI with a proper delay time are launched at the fuel which increases the central hot-spot temperature and completes the ignition of the precompressed fuel. The introduced semi-analytical model indicates that with fast-shock ignition, the total required energy for compressing and igniting the fuel can be slightly reduced in comparison to pure shock ignition. Furthermore, for fuel mass greater than , the target energy gain increases up to 15 percent and the contribution of fast ignitor under the proper conditions could be decreased about 20 percent compared with pure fast ignition. The FSI scheme is beneficial from technological considerations for the construction of short pulse high power laser drivers. The general advantages of fast-shock ignition over pure shock ignition in terms of figure of merit can be more than 1.3.

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.

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.

Practice and Exploration of New Rural Construction in West Bank of Taiwan Strait Led by Spark Science and Technology

OpenAIRE

Li, Chaocan

2013-01-01

According to practice and exploration of spark program for 26 years in Quanzhou, the main model and their effects of new rural construction in west bank of Taiwan Strait led by spark science and technology were expounded. Six spark program systems were established, consisting of policy support guide, science and technology project lead, experts’ intelligence support, spark science and technology training, sci-tech information service and spark program demonstration. Five spark projects were...

Primary Science Interview: Science Sparks

Science.gov (United States)

Bianchi, Lynne

2016-01-01

In this "Primary Science" interview, Lynne Bianchi talks with Emma Vanstone about "Science Sparks," which is a website full of creative, fun, and exciting science activity ideas for children of primary-school age. "Science Sparks" started with the aim of inspiring more parents to do science at home with their…

Experimental and modeling study on effects of N2 and CO2 on ignition characteristics of methane/air mixture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen Zeng

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The ignition delay times of methane/air mixture diluted by N2 and CO2 were experimentally measured in a chemical shock tube. The experiments were performed over the temperature range of 1300–2100 K, pressure range of 0.1–1.0 MPa, equivalence ratio range of 0.5–2.0 and for the dilution coefficients of 0%, 20% and 50%. The results suggest that a linear relationship exists between the reciprocal of temperature and the logarithm of the ignition delay times. Meanwhile, with ignition temperature and pressure increasing, the measured ignition delay times of methane/air mixture are decreasing. Furthermore, an increase in the dilution coefficient of N2 or CO2 results in increasing ignition delays and the inhibition effect of CO2 on methane/air mixture ignition is stronger than that of N2. Simulated ignition delays of methane/air mixture using three kinetic models were compared to the experimental data. Results show that GRI_3.0 mechanism gives the best prediction on ignition delays of methane/air mixture and it was selected to identify the effects of N2 and CO2 on ignition delays and the key elementary reactions in the ignition chemistry of methane/air mixture. Comparisons of the calculated ignition delays with the experimental data of methane/air mixture diluted by N2 and CO2 show excellent agreement, and sensitivity coefficients of chain branching reactions which promote mixture ignition decrease with increasing dilution coefficient of N2 or CO2.

Big Data Analytics with Datalog Queries on Spark.

Science.gov (United States)

Shkapsky, Alexander; Yang, Mohan; Interlandi, Matteo; Chiu, Hsuan; Condie, Tyson; Zaniolo, Carlo

2016-01-01

There is great interest in exploiting the opportunity provided by cloud computing platforms for large-scale analytics. Among these platforms, Apache Spark is growing in popularity for machine learning and graph analytics. Developing efficient complex analytics in Spark requires deep understanding of both the algorithm at hand and the Spark API or subsystem APIs (e.g., Spark SQL, GraphX). Our BigDatalog system addresses the problem by providing concise declarative specification of complex queries amenable to efficient evaluation. Towards this goal, we propose compilation and optimization techniques that tackle the important problem of efficiently supporting recursion in Spark. We perform an experimental comparison with other state-of-the-art large-scale Datalog systems and verify the efficacy of our techniques and effectiveness of Spark in supporting Datalog-based analytics.

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

Bubbles, sparks, and the postwar laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galison, P.

1989-01-01

The development and use of bubble chambers and spark chambers in the 1950s form the main thrust of this article, the bubble chamber as an example of ''image-producing'' instruments and the spark chamber as a ''logic'' device. Work on a cloud chamber by Glaser led to the development of the bubble chamber detector using liquid hydrogen, which was later linked to a computer for accurate automatic track analysis. It made possible demonstrations of the existence of a particle or interaction. Spark chambers were easier to build and so soon became common, various types being developed across the world. The development of spark chambers originated in the need for timing devices for the Manhattan Project, but work on their design occurred in a number of units worldwide. (UK)

Ignition and Inertial Confinement Fusion at The National Ignition Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moses, E.

2009-01-01

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), the world's largest and most powerful laser system for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and for studying high-energy-density (HED) science, is now operational at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NIF is now conducting experiments to commission the laser drive, the hohlraum and the capsule and to develop the infrastructure needed to begin the first ignition experiments in FY 2010. Demonstration of ignition and thermonuclear burn in the laboratory is a major NIF goal. NIF will achieve this by concentrating the energy from the 192 beams into a mm 3 -sized target and igniting a deuterium-tritium mix, liberating more energy than is required to initiate the fusion reaction. NIF's ignition program is a national effort managed via the National Ignition Campaign (NIC). The NIC has two major goals: execution of DT ignition experiments starting in FY2010 with the goal of demonstrating ignition and a reliable, repeatable ignition platform by the conclusion of the NIC at the end of FY2012. The NIC will also develop the infrastructure and the processes required to operate NIF as a national user facility. The achievement of ignition at NIF will demonstrate the scientific feasibility of ICF and focus worldwide attention on laser fusion as a viable energy option. A laser fusion-based energy concept that builds on NIF, known as LIFE (Laser Inertial Fusion Energy), is currently under development. LIFE is inherently safe and can provide a global carbon-free energy generation solution in the 21st century. This paper describes recent progress on NIF, NIC, and the LIFE concept.

Capsule Performance Optimization in the National Ignition Campaign

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landen, O L; MacGowan, B J; Haan, S W; Edwards, J

2009-10-13

A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.

Capsule performance optimization in the national ignition campaign

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landen, O L; MacGowan, B J; Haan, S W; Edwards, J

2010-01-01

A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [1] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.

Capsule performance optimization in the national ignition campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Landen, O. L.; MacGowan, B. J.; Haan, S. W.; Edwards, J.

2010-08-01

A capsule performance optimization campaign will be conducted at the National Ignition Facility [1] to substantially increase the probability of ignition. The campaign will experimentally correct for residual uncertainties in the implosion and hohlraum physics used in our radiation-hydrodynamic computational models before proceeding to cryogenic-layered implosions and ignition attempts. The required tuning techniques using a variety of ignition capsule surrogates have been demonstrated at the Omega facility under scaled hohlraum and capsule conditions relevant to the ignition design and shown to meet the required sensitivity and accuracy. In addition, a roll-up of all expected random and systematic uncertainties in setting the key ignition laser and target parameters due to residual measurement, calibration, cross-coupling, surrogacy, and scale-up errors has been derived that meets the required budget.

Recent progress in ignition fusion research on the National Ignition Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leeper, Ramon J.

2011-01-01

This paper will review the ignition fusion research program that is currently being carried out on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This work is being conducted under the auspices of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC) that is a broad collaboration of national laboratories and universities that together have developed a detailed research plan whose goal is ignition in the laboratory. The paper will begin with a description of the NIF facility and associated experimental facilities. The paper will then focus on the ignition target and hohlraum designs that will be tested in the first ignition attempts on NIF. The next topic to be introduced will be a description of the diagnostic suite that has been developed for the initial ignition experiments on NIF. The paper will then describe the experimental results that were obtained in experiments conducted during the fall of 2009 on NIF. Finally, the paper will end with a description of the detailed experimental plans that have been developed for the first ignition campaign that will begin later this year. (author)