Monitoring the combustion quality in internal combustion engines using the spark plug as a plasma probe

This article describes a study involving new spark plug technology, referred to as pulsed energy spark plug, for use in igniting fuel-air mixtures in a spark ignition internal combustion engine. The study involves precisely controlled constant volume combustion bomb tests. The major defining difference between the pulsed energy spark plug and a conventional spark plug is a peaking capacitor that improves the electrical-to-plasma energy transfer efficiency from a conventional plug’s 1% to the pulsed energy plug’s 50%. Such an increase in transfer efficiency is believed to improve spark energy and subsequently the ignition time and burn rate of a homogeneous, or potentially stratified, fuel-air mixture. The study observes the pulsed energy plug to shorten the ignition delay of both stoichiometric and lean mixtures (with equivalence ratio of 0.8), relative to a conventional spark plug, without increasing the burn rate. Additionally, the pulsed energy plug demonstrates a decreased lean flammability limit that is about 14% lower (0.76 for conventional plug and 0.65 for pulsed energy plug) than that of the conventional spark plug. These features — advanced ignition of stoichiometric and lean mixtures and decreased lean flammability limits — might qualify the pulsed energy plugs as an enabling technology to effect the mainstream deployment of advanced, ultra-clean and ultra-efficient, spark ignition internal combustion engines. For example, the pulsed energy plug may improve ignition of stratified-GDI engines. Further, the pulsed energy plug technology may improve the attainability of lean-burn homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion by improving the capabilities of spark-assist. Finally, the pulsed energy plug could improve natural gas spark ignition engine development by improving the ignition system. Future work could center efforts on evaluating this spark plug technology in the context of advanced internal combustion engines, to transition the state of the art to the next level.

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Effect of Compression Ratio on Performance and Emission Characteristics of Dual Spark Plug Ignition Engine Fueled With n-Butanol as Additive Fuel

International Journal of Renewable Energy Development ◽

10.14710/ijred.2021.32364 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 37-45

Author(s):

Ravikumar Ramegouda ◽

Antony Alappath Joseph

Keyword(s):

Energy Source ◽

Compression Ratio ◽

Internal Combustion Engines ◽

Internal Combustion ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Emission Characteristics ◽

Combustion Engines ◽

Performance And Emission ◽

Full Load ◽

Spark Plug

Renewable energy called normal-butanol is a possible alternative fuel for automobile vehicles like some other possible fuel such as compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid petroleum gas (LPG), ethanol, and methanol. Bio-butanol or normal-butanol is also a meritable energy source to substitute for regular fossil fuels. The normal-butanol has recently started to use as a possible substitute fuel to regular fuels for internal combustion engines to attain eco-friendly and capital benefits. As compared to regular energy sources in internal combustion engines, normal-butanol has some benefits, so it shows the potential to decrease tailpipe emission andan increase in positive network delivery. The current work carried out to investigate the performance and emission characteristics of dual spark plug ignition engine fuelled with normal-butanol as additive fuel by adopting 10:1 and 10.5:1compression ratios. The experimental results reveal that when compared between 10:1 and 10.5:1 compression ratios, brake power (BP) is increased by 3.5% and 3.2% for normal-Butanol 35 (nB35) blend and energy efficiency increased by 2.72% and 2.14% for nB35 blend at a part and full load for 10.5:1 compression ratio. The n-butanol create a greater impact on tailpipe emissions that the carbon monoxide (CO) decreased by 32%, 29%, and hydrocarbon (HC) reduced by 2.38% and 2.22% for nB35 blend at a part and full load condition respectively. The experimental results on dual spark ignition engine using n-butanol as additive fuel by varying compression ratioreveals that n-butanol can be a suitable replacement energy source for the automobile sector in the nearest future.

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