Combustion and Emission Characteristics of a CI Engine Operating in Diesel-1-Butanol/CNG Dual Fuel Mode With Low and High CNG Substitution Rates in Light Load Operation

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Yuanxu Li ◽  
Karthik Nithyanandan ◽  
Wuqiang Long ◽  
Chia-Fon F. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Combustion Mode ◽  
Substitution Rates ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Pilot Fuel ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion

Dual-fuel combustion mode with direct injection of diesel as the pilot fuel and port injection of compressed natural gas (CNG) in compression ignition (CI) engines has been widely investigated to comply with the latest emission regulations. The diesel-CNG dual-fuel combustion mode shows some potential to decrease NOx and soot emissions simultaneously, while it reveals a lower thermal efficiency compared to the pure diesel combustion mode under low load condition. The purpose of the current study is to investigate the possibility of using diesel blended with 1-butanol as the pilot fuel to enhance the engine performance and reduce emissions. Three pilot fuels — B0 (pure diesel), B10 (90% diesel and 10% 1-butanol by volume) and B20 (80% diesel and 20% 1-butanol) with the CNG substitution rates of 50% and 80% were compared at an engine speed of 1200 rpm. The experiments were conducted by sweeping the pilot fuel injection timing from −3 to −18 ° CA ATDC with an equivalent total energy (∼5 bar IMEP). The results illustrated that, for the 50% CNG substitution rate, the dual-fuel operation mode revealed a higher indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) under low load conditions, and B10 can significantly improve the ITE due to the shorter combustion duration. The emission results of B10 showed that it obtained lower THC and CO emissions, but a slightly higher NOx emission. For the 80% CNG substitution rate, the results presented lower ITE, higher THC and lower NOx emissions, comparatively.

Effects of N-Butanol Content on the Dual-Fuel Combustion Mode With CNG at Two Engine Speeds

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Wuqiang Long ◽  
Yihui Zhou ◽  
Mingshu Bi ◽  
Chia-Fon F. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Engine Speed ◽  
Direct Injection ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Combustion Mode ◽  
Start Of Injection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pilot Fuel ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion

Because of the potential to reduce NOx and PM emissions simultaneously and the utilization of biofuel, diesel/compressed natural gas (CNG) dual-fuel combustion mode with port injection of CNG and direct injection of diesel has been widely studied. While in comparison with conventional diesel combustion mode, the dual-fuel combustion mode generally leads lower thermal efficiency, especially at low and medium load, and higher carbon monoxide (CO) and total hydrocarbons (THC) emissions. In this work, n-butanol was blended with diesel as the pilot fuel to explore the possibility to improve the performance and emissions of dual-fuel combustion mode with CNG. Various pilot fuels of B0 (pure diesel), B10 (90% diesel/10% n-butanol by volume basis), B20 (80% diesel/20% n-butanol) and B30 (70% diesel/30% n-butanol) were compared at the CNG substitution rate of 70% by energy basis under the engine speeds of 1400 and 1800 rpm. The experiments were carried out by sweeping a wide range of pilot fuel start of injection timings based on the same total input energy including pilot fuel and CNG. As n-butanol was added into the pilot fuel, the pilot fuel/CNG/air mixture tends to be more homogeneous. The results showed that for the engine speed of 1400 rpm, pilot fuel with n-butanol addition leads to a slightly lower indicated thermal efficiency (ITE). B30 reveals much lower NOx emission and slightly higher THC emissions. For the engine speed of 1800 rpm, B20 can improve ITE and decrease the NOx and THC emissions simultaneously relative to B0.

Diesel-Like Efficiency Using Compressed Natural Gas/Diesel Dual-Fuel Combustion

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik Nithyanandan ◽  
Jiaxiang Zhang ◽  
Yuqiang Li ◽  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Robert Donahue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Diesel Combustion ◽  
Compressed Natural Gas ◽  
Diesel Injection ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion ◽  
Ci Engines

The use of natural gas in compression ignition (CI) engines as a supplement to diesel under dual-fuel combustion mode is a promising technique to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. In this study, the effect of dual-fuel operating mode on combustion characteristics, engine performance and pollutant emissions of a diesel engine using natural gas as primary fuel and neat diesel as pilot fuel, has been examined. Natural gas (99% methane) was port injected into an AVL 5402 single cylinder diesel research engine under various engine operating conditions and up to 90% substitution was achieved. In addition, neat diesel was also tested as a baseline for comparison. The experiments were conducted at three different speeds—1200, 1500, and 2000 rpm, and at different diesel-equivalent loads (injection quantity)—15, 20 (7 bar IMEP), and 25 mg/cycle. Both performance and emissions data are presented and discussed. The performance was evaluated through measurements of in-cylinder pressure, power output and various exhaust emissions including unburned hydrocarbons (UHCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and soot. The goal of these experiments was to maximize the efficiency. This was done as follows—the compressed natural gas (CNG) substitution rate (based on energy) was increased from 30% to 90% at fixed engine conditions, to identify the optimum CNG substitution rate. Then using that rate, a main injection timing sweep was performed. Under these optimized conditions, combustion behavior was also compared between single, double, and triple injections. Finally, a load and speed sweep at the optimum CNG rate and timings were performed. It was found that a 70% CNG substitution provided the highest indicated thermal efficiency (ITE). It appears that dual-fuel combustion has a maximum brake torque (MBT) diesel injection timing for different conditions which provides the highest torque. Based on multiple diesel injection tests, it was found that the conditions that favor pure diesel combustion, also favor dual-fuel combustion because better diesel combustion provides better ignition and combustion for the CNG-air mixture. For 70% CNG dual-fuel combustion, multiple diesel injections showed an increase in the efficiency. Based on the experiments conducted, diesel-CNG dual-fuel combustion is able to achieve similar efficiency and reduced emissions relative to pure diesel combustion. As such, CNG can be effectively used to substitute for diesel fuel in CI engines.

Influence of Swirl Ratio on Diesel-Methane Dual Fuel Combustion: A CFD Investigation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Jha ◽  
K. K. Srinivasan ◽  
S. R. Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Monoxide ◽  
Heat Release ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Cylinder Pressure ◽  
Swirl Ratio ◽  
Cycle Simulation ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion

Dual fuel combustion has garnered attention in recent years because of its potential for reducing emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) while sustaining diesel-like fuel conversion efficiencies. However, most dual fuel combustion strategies suffer from higher engine-out hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, leading to poor combustion efficiencies, especially at low loads. The present work examined computationally the effect of in-cylinder swirl on diesel-ignited methane dual fuel combustion with a focus on devising strategies for improving part-load combustion efficiencies. For this purpose, diesel-methane dual fuel combustion was studied on a heavy-duty single cylinder research engine (SCRE) platform using CONVERGE computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. A typical low load condition (IMEP = 5.1 bar) was selected at an engine speed of 1500 rpm and a relatively high methane percentage energy substitution (PES) of 80 percent (because experiments show poorer combustion efficiencies at high methane PES) at a nominal diesel injection timing of 2 degrees BTDC (358 CAD). The closed cycle simulation was first validated with experimental results (cylinder pressure and heat release histories as well as engine-out exhaust emissions) for neat diesel and diesel-methane dual fuel combustion, respectively. Subsequently, the influence of increasing swirl ratio from 0 to 1.5 on diesel-methane dual fuel combustion was characterized. Analysis of the computational results showed that peak cylinder pressure and heat release rate increased with increasing swirl ratio while the combustion duration (as determined by CA10-80) decreases from 25 CAD at a swirl ratio of 0.05 to nearly 15 CAD at a swirl ratio of 1.5. Indicated-specific hydrocarbon (ISHC) and indicated-specific carbon monoxide (ISCO) emissions decreased by about 60 percent and 50 percent, respectively, when swirl ratio was increased from 0.05 to 1.2; however, these reductions were accompanied by a 26 percent increase in indicated-specific NOx (ISNOx) emissions under these conditions. Therefore, the present study indicates that swirl optimization is a potentially viable strategy for reducing engine-out HC and CO emissions and for improving low-load combustion efficiencies in dual fuel engines, assuming additional NOx mitigation strategies are also employed simultaneously.

Diesel-Like Efficiency Using CNG/Diesel Dual-Fuel Combustion

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik Nithyanandan ◽  
Jiaxiang Zhang ◽  
Yuqiang Li ◽  
Xiangyu Meng ◽  
Robert Donahue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Pollutant Emissions ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Diesel Combustion ◽  
Diesel Injection ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion

The use of natural gas in compression ignition engines as a supplement to diesel under dual-fuel combustion mode is a promising technique to increase efficiency and reduce emissions. In this study, the effect of dual-fuel operating mode on combustion characteristics, engine performance and pollutant emissions of a diesel engine using natural gas as primary fuel and neat diesel as pilot fuel, has been examined. Natural Gas (99% Methane) was port injected into an AVL 5402 single cylinder diesel research engine under various engine operating conditions and up to 90% substitution was achieved. In addition, neat diesel was also tested as a baseline for comparison. The experiments were conducted at three different speeds — 1200, 1500 and 2000 RPM, and at different diesel-equivalent loads (injection quantity) — 15, 20, and 25 mg/cycle. Both performance and emissions data are presented and discussed. The performance was evaluated through measurements of in-cylinder pressure, power output and various exhaust emissions including unburned hydrocarbons (UHC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot. The goal of these experiments was to maximize the efficiency. This was done as follows — the CNG substitution rate (based on energy) was increased from 30% to 90% at fixed engine conditions, to identify the optimum CNG substitution rate. Then using that rate, a main injection timing sweep was performed. Under these optimized conditions, combustion behavior was also compared between single, double and triple injections. Finally, a load and speed sweep at the optimum CNG rate and timings were performed. It was found that a 70 % CNG substitution provided the highest indicated thermal efficiency. It appears that dual-fuel combustion has a Maximum Brake Torque (MBT) diesel injection timing for different conditions which provides the highest torque. Based on multiple diesel injection tests, it was found that the conditions that favor pure diesel combustion, also favor dual-fuel combustion because better diesel combustion provides better ignition and combustion for the CNG-air mixture. For 70% CNG dual-fuel combustion, multiple diesel injection showed an increase in the efficiency. Based on the experiments conducted, diesel-CNG dual-fuel combustion is able to achieve similar efficiency and reduced emissions relative to pure diesel combustion. As such, CNG can be effectively used to substitute for diesel fuel in CI engines.

scholarly journals Assessment of late pilot injection effect in dual-fuel combustion

2020 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 06010
Author(s):  
Antonio Caricato ◽  
Antonio Paolo Carlucci ◽  
Antonio Ficarella ◽  
Luciano Strafella
Keyword(s):  
Injection Pressure ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Injection Timing ◽  
Pilot Injection ◽  
Compression Ignition Engine ◽  
Engine Load ◽  
Pilot Fuel ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion ◽  
Cylinder Compression ◽  
Injection Effect

In this paper, the effect of late injection on combustion and emission levels has been investigated on a single cylinder compression ignition engine operated in dual-fuel mode injecting methane along the intake duct and igniting it through a pilot fuel injected directly into the combustion chamber. During the tests, the amount of pilot fuel injected per cycle has been kept constant, while the amount of methane has been varied on three levels. Therefore, three levels of engine load have been tested, while speed has been kept constant equal to 1500rpm. Pilot injection pressure has been varied on three set points, namely 500, 1000 and 1500 bar. For each engine load and injection pressure, pilot injection timing has been swept on a very broad range of values, spanning from very advanced to very late values. The analysis of heat release rate indicates that MK-like conditions are established in dual-fuel mode with late pilot injection. In these conditions, pollutant species, and NOx levels in particular, are significantly reduced without penalization – and in several conditions with improvement – on fuel conversion efficiency.

Impact of low reactivity fuel type on low load combustion, emissions, and cyclic variations of diesel-ignited dual fuel combustion

2021 ◽  
pp. 146808742110419
Author(s):  
Prabhat R Jha ◽  
Kendyl R Partridge ◽  
Sundar R Krishnan ◽  
Kalyan K Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Combustion ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Dual Fuel ◽  
Boost Pressure ◽  
Brake Mean Effective Pressure ◽  
Start Of Injection ◽  
Crank Angle ◽  
Low Load ◽  
Cyclic Variations ◽  
Dual Fuel Combustion

In this study, cyclic variations in dual fuel combustion with diesel ignition of three different low reactivity fuels (methane, propane, and gasoline) are examined under identical operating conditions. Experiments were performed on a single cylinder research engine (SCRE) at a low load of 3.3 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The start of injection (SOI) of diesel was varied from 280 to 330 absolute crank angle degrees (CAD). Engine speed, rail pressure, and boost pressure were held constant at 1500 rpm, 500 bar, and 1.5 bar, respectively. The energy substituted by the low reactivity fuel was fixed at 80% of the total energy input. It was found that diesel-methane (DM) and diesel-propane (DP) combustion were affected by diesel mixing to a greater extent than diesel-gasoline (DG) combustion due to the higher reactivity of gasoline. The magnitude of low temperature heat release was greatest for DG combustion followed by DM and DP combustion for all SOIs. The ignition delay for DG combustion was the shortest, followed by DM and DP combustion. DM and DP combustion exhibited more cyclic variations than DG combustion. Cyclic variations decreased for DM and DP combustion when SOI was advanced; however, DG combustion cyclic variations remained essentially constant for all SOIs. Earlier SOIs (280, 290, 300, and 310 CAD) for DM and (280, 290, and 300 CAD) for DP combustion indicated some prior-cycle effects on the combustion and IMEP (i.e. some level of determinism).

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