Numerical Studies of Glow Plug Shield on Natural Gas Ignition Characteristics in a CI Engine

Author(s):  
Kang Pan ◽  
James S. Wallace

This paper presents a numerical study on fuel injection, ignition and combustion in a direct-injection natural gas (DING) engine with ignition assisted by a shielded glow plug (GP). The shield geometry is investigated by employing different sizes of elliptical shield opening and changing the position of the shield opening. The results simulated by KIVA-3V indicated that fuel ignition and combustion is very sensitive to the relative angle between the fuel injection and the shield opening, and the use of an elliptical opening for the glow plug shield can reduce ignition delay by 0.1∼0.2ms for several specific combinations of the injection angle and shield opening size, compared to a circular shield opening. In addition, the numerical results also revealed that the natural gas ignition and flame propagation will be delayed by lowering a circular shield opening from the fuel jet center plane, due to the blocking effect of the shield to the fuel mixture, and hence it will reduce the DING performance by causing a longer ignition delay.

Author(s):  
Kang Pan ◽  
James S. Wallace

This paper presents a numerical study on fuel injection, ignition, and combustion in a direct-injection natural gas (DING) engine with ignition assisted by a shielded glow plug (GP). The shield geometry is investigated by employing different sizes of elliptical shield opening and changing the position of the shield opening. The results simulated by KIVA-3V indicated that fuel ignition and combustion is very sensitive to the relative angle between the fuel injection and the shield opening, and the use of an elliptical opening for the glow plug shield can reduce ignition delay by 0.1–0.2 ms for several specific combinations of the injection angle and shield opening size, compared to a circular shield opening. In addition, the numerical results also revealed that the natural gas ignition and flame propagation will be delayed by lowering a circular shield opening from the fuel jet center plane, due to the blocking effect of the shield to the fuel mixture, and hence, it will reduce the DING engine performance by causing a longer ignition delay.


Author(s):  
Kang Pan ◽  
James S. Wallace

A numerical study of ignition and combustion in a glow plug (GP) assisted direct-injection natural gas (DING) engine is presented in this paper. The glow plug is shielded and the shield design is an important part of the combustion system development. The results simulated by KIVA-3V indicated that the ignition delay (ID) predicted by an in-cylinder pressure rise was different from that based on a temperature rise, attributed to the additional time required to burn more fuel to obtain a detectable pressure rise in the combustion chamber. This time difference for the ignition delay estimation can be 0.5 ms, which is significant relative to an ignition delay value of less than 2 ms. To further evaluate the time difference between the two different methods of ignition delay determination, sensitivity studies were conducted by changing the glow plug temperature, and rotating the glow plug shield opening angle towards the fuel jets. The results indicated that the ID method time difference varied from 0.3 to 0.8 ms for different combustion chamber configurations. In addition, this study also investigated the influences of different glow plug shield parameters on the natural gas ignition and combustion characteristics, by modifying the air gap between the glow plug and its shield, and by changing the shield opening size. The computational results indicated that a bigger air gap inside the shield can delay gas ignition, and a smaller shield opening can block the flame propagation for some specific fuel injection angles.


Author(s):  
Stewart Xu Cheng ◽  
James S. Wallace

Direct injection natural gas (DING) engines offer the advantages of high thermal efficiency and high power output compared to spark ignition natural gas engines. Injected natural gas requires some form of ignition assist in order to ignite in the time available in a diesel engine combustion chamber. A glow plug — a heated surface — is one form of ignition assist. Simple experiments show that the thickness of the heat penetration layer of a glow plug is very small (≈10−5 m) within the time scale of the ignition preparation period (1–2 ms). Meanwhile, the theoretical analyses reveal that only a very thin layer of the surrounding gases (in micrometer scale) can be heated to high temperature to achieve spontaneous ignition. A discretized glow plug model and virtual gas sub-layer model have been developed for CFD modeling of glow plug ignition and combustion for DING diesel engines. In this paper, CFD modeling results are presented. The results were obtained using a KIVA3 code modified to include the above mentioned new developed models. Natural gas ignition over a bare glow plug was simulated. The results were validated against experiments. Simulation of natural gas ignition over a shielded glow plug was also carried out and the results illustrate the necessity of using a shield. This paper shows the success of the discretized glow plug model working together with the virtual gas sub-layer model for modeling glow plug assisted natural gas direct injection engines. The modeling can aid in the design of injection and ignition systems for glow plug assisted DING engines.


Author(s):  
Guowei Li ◽  
Tim Lennox ◽  
Dale Goudie ◽  
Mark Dunn

CFD Modeling of the injection, the mixing, the combustion and the emission formation processes in a high pressure direct injection (HPDI) natural gas engine is presented in this paper. KIVA3V was used together with an injector model. Two sub-models had been developed that the concurrent injection, ignition and combustion of natural gas and diesel could be simulated. The gas injection was simulated with the injector model. In the injector model, the electromagnetism, the hydraulics and the mechanics were computed by solving a set of ordinary differential equations. Based on the engine experimental data, a combustion model was built in which premixed combustion of natural gas was excluded and the natural gas ignition was initiated by the pilot diesel combustion rather than a spontaneous process. The model calibration and validation are discussed. The model parameters were tuned against one set of engine test data. For the model validation, 30 engine test data were applied. The data were from HPDI engine tests at varied engine speeds, loads and injection timings with and without EGR. The model gave good agreement with the engine tests having no EGR. However, the model, in general, under-predicted the burning rate. With EGR, the model prediction errors were large and the NOx were under-predicted, though the trends were still captured.


2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 443-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Ishiyama ◽  
H Kawanabe ◽  
K Ohashi ◽  
M Shioji ◽  
S Nakai

In order to extend the available load range and obtain higher thermal efficiency in natural gas premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) engines, a strategy for controlling direct injection combustion is discussed. Experimental results from single-cylinder engine tests demonstrate the possibility to extend load range by direct fuel injection. Reduced nozzle orifice size and reduced injection angle provide higher combustion efficiency; however, this promotes the tendency to knock because of the formation of a locally rich mixture. Arising from discussions based on prediction by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, considering mixture heterogeneity, it is suggested that controlling probability density functions (PDFs) of fuel concentration could be a means to control the rate of pressure rise. Restricted air utilization is useful to activate combustion at low overall equivalence ratios; on the other hand, full utilization of in-cylinder air and formation of a quantity of lean mixture can provide mild combustion.


Author(s):  
Ivan M. Gogolev ◽  
James S. Wallace

Natural gas direct injection (DI) and glow plug ignition assist technologies were implemented in a single-cylinder, compression-ignition optical research engine. Initial experiments studied the effects of injector and glow plug shield geometry on ignition quality. Injector and shield geometric effects were found to be significant, with only two of 20 tested geometric combinations resulting in reproducible ignition. Of the two successful combinations, the combination with 0 deg injector angle and 60 deg shield angle was found to result in shorter ignition delay and was selected for further testing. Further experiments explored the effects of the overall equivalence ratio (controlled by injection duration) and intake pressure on ignition delay and combustion performance. Ignition delay was measured to be in the range of 1.6–2.0 ms. Equivalence ratio was found to have little to no effect on the ignition delay. Higher intake pressure was shown to increase ignition delay due to the effect of swirl momentum on fuel jet development, air entrainment, and jet deflection away from optimal contact with the glow plug ignition source. Analysis of combustion was carried out by examination of the rate of heat release (ROHR) profiles. ROHR profiles were consistent with two distinct modes of combustion: premixed mode at all test conditions, and a mixing-controlled mode that only appeared at higher equivalence ratios following premixed combustion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-42
Author(s):  
Hernando Alexander Yepes-Tumay ◽  
Arley Cardona-Vargas

The effect of ethane on combustion and natural gas autoignition was studied in the present paper. Two fuel mixture of natural gas with high ethane content were considered, 75% CH4 – 25% C2H6 (mixture 1), and 50% CH4 – 50% C2H6 (mixture 2). Natural gas combustion incidence was analyzed through the calculation of energy properties and the ignition delay time numerical calculations along with an ignition mode analysis. Specifically, the strong ignition limit was calculated to determine the effect of ethane on natural gas autoignition. According to the results, ignition delay time decreases for both mixtures in comparison with pure methane. The strong ignition limit shifts to lower temperatures when ethane is present in natural gas chemical composition.  


2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dzevad Bibic ◽  
Ivan Filipovic ◽  
Ales Hribernik ◽  
Boran Pikula

An ignition delay is a very complex process which depends on a great number of parameters. In practice, definition of the ignition delay is based on the use of correlation expressions. However, the correlation expressions have very often limited application field. This paper presents a new correlation which has been developed during the research project on the direct injection M-type diesel engine using both the diesel and biodiesel fuel, as well as different values of a static injection timing. A dynamic start of injection, as well as the ignition delay, is defined in two ways. The first approach is based on measurement of a needle lift, while the second is based on measurement of a fuel pressure before the injector. The latter approach requires calculation of pressure signals delay through the fuel injection system and the variation of a static advance injection angle changing. The start of a combustion and the end of the ignition delay is defined on the basis of measurements of an in-cylinder pressure and its point of separation from a skip-fire pressure trace. The developed correlation gives better prediction of the ignition delay definition for the M-type direct injection diesel engine in the case of diesel and biodiesel fuel use when compared with the classic expression by the other authors available in the literature.


Energy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 117173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeongwoo Lee ◽  
Cheolwoong Park ◽  
Jongwon Bae ◽  
Yongrae Kim ◽  
Sunyoup Lee ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Stewart Xu Cheng ◽  
James S. Wallace

Glow plugs are a possible ignition source for direct injected natural gas engines. This ignition assistance application is much different than the cold start assist function for which most glow plugs have been designed. In the cold start application, the glow plug is simply heating the air in the cylinder. In the cycle-by-cycle ignition assist application, the glow plug needs to achieve high surface temperatures at specific times in the engine cycle to provide a localized source of ignition. Whereas a simple lumped heat capacitance model is a satisfactory representation of the glow plug for the air heating situation, a much more complex situation exists for hot surface ignition. Simple measurements and theoretical analysis show that the thickness of the heat penetration layer is small within the time scale of the ignition preparation period (1–2 ms). The experiments and analysis were used to develop a discretized representation of the glow plug domain. A simplified heat transfer model, incorporating both convection and radiation losses, was developed for the discretized representation to compute heat transfer to and from the surrounding gas. A scheme for coupling the glow plug model to the surrounding gas computational domain in the KIVA-3V engine simulation code was also developed. The glow plug model successfully simulates the natural gas ignition process for a direct-injection natural gas engine. As well, it can provide detailed information on the local glow plug surface temperature distribution, which can aid in the design of more reliable glow plugs.


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