A Preliminary Study Towards an Innovative Diesel HCCI Combustion

Author(s):  
D. Tamagna ◽  
E. Musu ◽  
R. Gentili

Homogeneous-charge, compression-ignition (HCCI) combustion is triggered by spontaneous ignition in diluted homogeneous mixtures and has a gradual trend thanks to suitable solutions. It is considered a very effective way to reduce engine pollutant emissions, however only experimental prototypes have been based on this concept, except for a few small two-stroke engines. HCCI combustion is feasible with fuels both for S.I. and for C.I. engines, but currently it does not cover the whole engine operating field, thus the engine must be built to operate also as a conventional engine. In order to obtain a gradual combustion and not a simultaneous reaction (as it would be in spontaneously ignited homogeneous mixture), lean mixture is used and appropriate solutions, as Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), are necessary. However, the admission of exhaust gas into the cylinder goes to detriment of engine maximum mean effective pressure. This paper concerns a preliminary study of an innovative concept to control HCCI combustion in Diesel-fuelled engines, apart from exhaust gas presence, the function of which is limited to NOx emission control. The main purpose of the research is the obtaining of Diesel HCCI combustion also with high mean effective pressures rendering the combustion behaviour more controllable as well. The concept consists in forming a pre-compressed homogenous charge outside the cylinder and in gradually admitting it into the cylinder during the combustion process. In this way, combustion can be controlled by the flow rate transfer and high pressure gradients, typical of common HCCI combustion, can be limited as well. A first analysis has been done, considering a cylinder filled with a perfectly stirred mixture of air and diesel fuel through a transfer duct, only to test the validity of the concept, regardless of which effective solution will be adopted. Both Two and Four Stroke operations have been considered to realize the concept. Results in terms of pressure, heat release rate, temperature and emission production have pointed out the validity of the concept. Especially the Two Stroke solution produces more soot than the conventional Diesel, pointing out that the air-fuel mixing is probably not optimized. Regarding NOx emissions, both the proposed solutions give better results than the conventional Diesel engine.

Author(s):  
E. Musu ◽  
R. Rossi ◽  
R. Gentili

Homogeneous-charge, compression-ignition (HCCI) combustion is triggered by spontaneous ignition in dilute homogeneous mixtures. The combustion rate must be reduced by suitable solutions such as high rates of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) and/or lean mixtures. HCCI is considered to be a very effective way to reduce engine pollutant emissions, however only a few production engines have been built. HCCI combustion currently cannot be extended to the whole engine operating range, especially to high loads, since the use of EGR displaces air from the cylinder, limiting engine mean effective pressure, thus the engine must be able to operate also in conventional mode. This paper concerns a study of an innovative concept to control HCCI combustion in diesel-fueled engines. The concept consists in forming a pre-compressed homogeneous charge outside the cylinder and in gradually admitting it into the cylinder during the combustion process. In this way, combustion can be controlled by the transfer flow rate, and high pressure rise rates, typical of standard HCCI combustion, can be avoided. This new combustion concept has been called Homogenous Charge Progressive Combustion (HCPC). This paper concerns CFD analysis focused on improving efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions considering a new HCPC engine configuration. Results show an indicated efficiency around 45% and a consistent reduction of soot emission compared to conventional diesel engine.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1651
Author(s):  
Deqing Mei ◽  
Qisong Yu ◽  
Zhengjun Zhang ◽  
Shan Yue ◽  
Lizhi Tu

The effects of two pilot injections on combustion and emissions were evaluated in a single−cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, which operated in premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) modes with multiple injections and heavy exhaust gas recirculation under the low load by experiments and simulation. It was revealed that with the delay of the start of the first pilot injection (SOI−P1) or the advance of the start of second pilot injection (SOI−P2), respectively, the pressure, heat release rate (HRR), and temperature peak were all increased. Analysis of the combustion process indicates that, during the two pilot injection periods, the ignition timing was mainly determined by the SOI−P2 while the first released heat peak was influenced by SOI−P1. With the delay of SOI−P1 or the advance of SOI−P2, nitrogen oxide (NOx) generation increased significantly while soot generation varied a little. In addition, increasing Q1 and decreasing the second pilot injection quantity (Q2) can manipulate the NOx and soot at a low level. The advance in SOI−P2 of 5 °CA couple with increasing Q1 and reducing Q2 was proposed, which can mitigate the compromise between emissions and thermal efficiency under the low load in the present PCCI mode.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-144
Author(s):  
Saliha Mohammed Belkebir ◽  
Benyoucef Khelidj ◽  
Miloud Tahar Abbes

We present in this article an analysis of the impacts of the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and alternative fuels on HCCI combustion mode. The objective is to reduce the pollutant emissions below the levels of established pollution standards. The ANSYS CHEMKIN-Pro software and the combined chemical kinetics mechanism were used to perform simulations for a closed homogeneous reactor under conditions relevant to HCCI engines. The calculation process is based on one single-zone in the combustion chamber. Numerical simulation has proven the ability of the models adopted, which use the essential mechanisms of the fuel combustion process, to reproduce, among other things, the evolution of the formation of chemical species. This study showed that adding hydrogen (H2) to methane (CH4) is an interesting alternative fuel because it reduces ignition time. It was concluded that an increase of EGR rate conducts to a slower combustion process, lower temperatures, and the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions.


Author(s):  
P G Aleiferis ◽  
A G Charalambides ◽  
Y Hardalupas ◽  
A M K P Taylor ◽  
Y Urata

A high-swirl low-compression-ratio, optically accessed engine that was able to produce a stratified charge was used to investigate the differences in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion and in the propagation of the autoignition front between a non-stratified and a stratified charge. Natural-light images were acquired using a fast camera to visualize HCCI combustion and to quantify the location of autoignition, the apparent ‘propagation speed’ of the autoignition front, and its variations between closed-valve injection timing (leading to a nearly homogeneous charge) and open-valve injection timing (leading to a strongly axially stratified charge), owing to temperature inhomogeneities that were introduced by utilizing a camshaft which allowed 40 per cent internal exhaust gas recirculation (iEGR). Experimental results show that, in the case without exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and with closed-valve injection timing, autoignition started under the primary intake valve near the cylinder wall, while, in the case without EGR and with open-valve injection timing, autoignition started between the exhaust valve and the secondary intake valve, closer to the centre of the piston. With 40 per cent iEGR and closed-valve injection timing, autoignition started between the exhaust valve and the primary intake valve near the cylinder wall. These differences can be explained by the difference in the location of hot gases due to the injection timing or due to iEGR. Finally, without EGR, a ‘uniform’ autoignition front of HCCI combustion from the original sites of autoignition was observed compared with a more ‘random development’ of the autoignition front with 40 per cent iEGR. Strong local inhomogeneities (possibly a very rich mixture at a low temperature) could be present with 40 per cent iEGR.


Author(s):  
Joseph Ranalli ◽  
Don Ferguson

Exhaust gas recirculation has been proposed as a potential strategy for reducing the cost and efficiency penalty associated with postcombustion carbon capture. However, this approach may cause as-yet unresolved effects on the combustion process, including additional potential for the occurrence of thermoacoustic instabilities. Flame dynamics, characterized by the flame transfer function, were measured in traditional swirl stabilized and low-swirl injector combustor configurations, subject to exhaust gas circulation simulated by N2 and CO2 dilution. The flame transfer functions exhibited behavior consistent with a low-pass filter and showed phase dominated by delay. Flame transfer function frequencies were nondimensionalized using Strouhal number to highlight the convective nature of this delay. Dilution was observed to influence the dynamics primarily through its role in changing the size of the flame, indicating that it plays a similar role in determining the dynamics as changes in the equivalence ratio. Notchlike features in the flame transfer function were shown to be related to interference behaviors associated with the convective nature of the flame response. Some similarities between the two stabilization configurations proved limiting and generalization of the physical behaviors will require additional investigation.


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