Development of a Numerical Model for Ignition Phenomena in a Micro Pilot Ignited Dual Fuel Engine With External Mixture Formation

Author(s):  
Michael Schiffner ◽  
Marcus Grochowina ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer

In this paper, a numerical investigation of the ignition process of dual fuel engines is presented. Optical measurements revealed that a homogeneous natural gas charge ignited by a small diesel pilot comprises the combustion phenomena of compression ignition of the pilot fuel as well as premixed flame propagation. The 3-Zones Extended Coherent Flame Model (ECFM3Z) was selected, since it can treat auto-ignition, pre-mixed flame propagation and diffusion flame aspects. Usually combustion models in multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software packages are designed to handle only one reactive species representing the fuel concentration. In the context of the ECFM3Z model the concept of a multi-component fuel is applied to dual fuel operation. Since the available ignition models were not able to accurately describe the ignition characteristics of the investigated setup, a new dual fuel auto-ignition model was developed. Ignition delay times of the fuel blend are tabulated using a detailed reaction mechanism for n-heptane. Thereby, the local progress of pre-ignition reactions in the CFD simulation can be calculated. The ignition model is validated against experiments conducted with a periodically chargeable constant volume combustion chamber. The proposed model is capable to reproduce the ignition delay as well as the location of the flame kernels. The CFD simulations show the effect of temperature stratification and variations in the injection pressure on the apparent ignition delay of the micro pilot.

Author(s):  
Kazi Mostafijur Rahman ◽  
Md. Habibur Rahaman

Recently, considerable efforts are made by the engine researches all over the world, focusing primarily on achieving ultra-low emissions of NOx (nitrogen oxides) and soot without any compromise to high thermal efficiency from dual-fuel engine. In this study, combustion performance and engine-out emission of a single cylinder gasoline-diesel dual-fuel engine are numerically investigated by employing a commercial computation fluid dynamics (CFD) software, especially developed for internal combustion engines modeling. Here, gasoline-diesel relative ratio has been varied to find its impacts on performance of a dual-fuel engine. The results show that, in-cylinder pressure, in-cylinder temperature and rate of heat release (ROHR) are increased with gradual increment in diesel relative to gasoline. Injecting higher amount of diesel directly inside the combustion chamber as pilot fuel might have facilitated the auto-ignition process by reducing the ignition delay and accelerated the premixed gasoline-air flame propagation. These led to shorter main combustion duration which is quite desirable to suppress the knock in dual-fuel engines. In addition, NOx emission is found to decrease with relatively higher percentage of diesel. On the other hand, with increasing gasoline ratio relative to diesel, combustion duration is prolonged significantly and led to incomplete combustion, thereby increasing unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO).


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyungwook Min ◽  
Daniel Valco ◽  
Anna Oldani ◽  
Tonghun Lee

Ignition delay of category A and C alternative aviation fuels have been investigated using a rapid compression machine (RCM). Newly introduced alternative jet fuels are not yet comprehensively understood in their combustion characteristics. Two of the category C fuels that will be primarily investigated in this study are Amyris Farnesane and Gevo Jet Fuel Blend. Amyris direct sugar to hydrocarbon (DSHC) fuel (POSF 10370) come from direct fermentation of bio feedstock sugar. Amyris DSHC is mainly composed of 2,6,10-trymethly dodecane, or farnesane. Gevo jet blend stock fuel is alcohol to jet (ATJ) fuel (POSF 10262) produced from bio derived butanol. Gevo jet blend stock is composed with iso-dodecane and iso-cetane, and has significantly low derived cetane number of 15. The experimental results are compared to combustion characteristics of conventional jet A fuels, including JP-8. Ignition delay, the important factor of auto ignition characteristic, is evaluated from pressure trace measured from the RCM at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The measurements are made at compressed pressure 20bar, intermediate and low compressed temperature, and equivalence ratio of unity and below. Direct test chamber charge method is used due to its reliable reproducibility of results. Compared to category A fuels, different combustion characteristics has been observed from category C fuels due to their irregular chemical composition.


Author(s):  
Adam KUPCZYK ◽  
Karol TUCKI

The paper presents results of investigations into diesel engine fuelled with high erucic acid rapeseed oil and its mixture with diesel, petrol and ethanol at different proportions. The study was performed in a chamber with constant volume depending on temperature and air pressure and the coefficient of excess air. The main purpose of performed tests was to determine the effect of various parameters on processes of spontaneous combustion and combustion of fuels. During the study basic parameters of combustion, e.g. auto-ignition delay, greatest pressure and contractual time were compared. Studies show that increased pressure injection improves combustion process for all test fuels, and injection pressure most strongly affect the combustion process of rapeseed oil and its mixtures with ethanol.


Author(s):  
W. S. Cheung ◽  
J. R. Tilston

A thorough understanding of the auto-ignition process is critical to the success of lean premixed prevapourised (LPP) combustors for future ultra-low NOx emissions gas turbines. A considerable amount of work has been done in the past on auto-ignition delay time (ADT) measurements for various aviation fuels and hydrocarbons. However, little was known about the influence of various possible fuel additives on ADT. A test rig was designed and built by DERA specifically for ADT measurements. It consisted of an injector housing and an instrumented duct where the ignition location could be monitored by fibre optic sensors. It was intended to acquire ADT measurements at 875K, 16bar and 40m/s of mean flow. The test rig and instrumentation were commissioned in January and February 2000. However, instrumentation inside the injector housing was damaged soon after the initial hot run as a result of overheating. Attempts were made to repair the damaged components and to identify the cause of overheating. Unfortunately, the damage to the components was extensive and the cause of overheating could not be diagnosed. In view of the technical risks involved, it was decided to stop further testing with this rig. Although ADT measurements could not be undertaken as planned, useful operating experience was gained from the tests conducted.


Author(s):  
Marcus Grochowina ◽  
Michael Schiffner ◽  
Simon Tartsch ◽  
Thomas Sattelmayer

Dual-fuel (DF) engines offer great fuel flexibility since they can either run on gaseous or liquid fuels. In the case of diesel pilot-ignited DF engines, the main source of energy is provided by gaseous fuel, whereas the diesel fuel acts only as an ignition source. Therefore, a proper auto-ignition of the pilot fuel is of utmost importance for combustion in DF engines. However, auto-ignition of the pilot fuel suffers from lower compression temperatures of Miller or Atkinson valve timings. These valve timings are applied to increase efficiency and lower nitrogen oxide (NOx) engine emissions. In order to improve the ignition, it is necessary to understand which parameters influence the ignition in DF engines. For this purpose, experiments were conducted and the influence of parameters, such as injection pressure, pilot fuel quantity, compression temperature, and air–fuel (A/F) equivalence ratio of the homogenous natural gas–air mixture were investigated. The experiments were performed on a periodically chargeable combustion cell using optical high-speed recordings and thermodynamic measurement techniques for pressure and temperature. The study reveals that the quality of the diesel pilot ignition in terms of short ignition delay and a high number of ignited sprays significantly depends on the injection parameters and operating conditions. In most cases, the pilot fuel suffers from too high dilution due to its small quantity and long ignition delays. This results in a small number of ignited sprays and consequently leads to longer combustion durations. Furthermore, the experiments confirm that the natural gas of the background mixture influences the auto-ignition of the diesel pilot oil.


In the present scenario owing to the depletion of fossil fuel and at the same time increase in demand averts the researchers towards the alternative fuel. Various investigation is being carried out to find the most suitable alternate for the fossil fuel in IC engine, which satisfies the demand, improves the performance and decreases the emission. This paper deals with the dual fuel mode. Tests were performed at single cylinder fore stroke dual fuel diesel engine with blends of acetylene in different proportions (0.199 kg/hr,0.394 kg/hr and 0.588 kg/hr) with 20% waste cooking oil at a rated injection pressure of 200bar.The result shows the increased in BTE and decreased BSFC and exhaust gas temperature, furtherance the decrease in NOx and CO are observed as the amount of acetylene increases. BTE increases because of lower auto ignition temperature and high calorific value of acetylene. Graphs were obtained based on the performance of the engine and B20 with 0.394 kg/hr of acetylene is concluded to be optimum, B20 with 0.199 kg/hr shows the result similar to diesel operation, at B20 with 0.588 kg/hr the increase in the knocking effect was observed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Weijian Zhou ◽  
Song Zhou ◽  
Hongyuan Xi ◽  
Majed Shreka ◽  
Zhao Zhang

The natural gas (NG)/diesel dual-fuel engine has attracted extensive attention in recent years, and the influence of ignition delay on the engine is very important. Therefore, the research on the ignition delay of NG/diesel dual fuel is of great significance. In this work, a simplified n-dodecane mechanism was used to study the effect of methane mixture ratio on the n-dodecane ignition process. The results showed that the ignition delay time increased with the increase of methane content by changing the mixing ratio of methane and n-dodecane. However, the effect of methane on the ignition delay time gradually decreases when the content of the n-dodecane mixing ratio is greater than 50%. It was also found that with the increase of n-dodecane content, the reduction degree of the ignition delay time of the whole reaction system decreased and the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior increased. Moreover, when the initial pressure increased from 20 bar to 60 bar, the thermal effect of methane also increases from 7.03% to 9.55%. The relationship between ignition characteristics of methane-n-dodecane and temperature was studied by changing the initial temperature. Furthermore, the evolution of species in the ignition process of the whole reaction system was analyzed, and the decomposition of n-dodecane first occurs in the reaction n-C12H26 + O2 = R + HO2 to form R and free radicals; however, the reaction CH4 + OH = CH3 + H2O dominates with the increase of the methane mixing ratio and inhibits the ignition process. Through the analysis of reaction paths, sensitivity, and rates of production and consumption of methane/n-dodecane, it was explained how n-dodecane accelerates methane ignition through the rapidly formed free radicals.


Author(s):  
Chandrasekharan Jayakumar ◽  
Ziliang Zheng ◽  
Umashankar M. Joshi ◽  
Walter Bryzik ◽  
Naeim A. Henein ◽  
...  

This paper investigates the effect of air inlet temperature on the auto-ignition of fuels that have different CN and volatility in a single cylinder diesel engine. The inlet air temperature is varied over a range of 30°C to 110°C. The fuels used are ultra-low-sulfur-diesel (ULSD), JP-8 (two blends with CN 44.1 & 31) and F-T SPK. Detailed analysis is made of the rate of heat release during the ignition delay period, to determine the effect of fuel volatility and CN on the auto-ignition process. A STAR-CD CFD model is applied to simulate the spray behavior and gain more insight into the processes that immediately follow the fuel injection including evaporation, start of exothermic reactions and the early stages of combustion. The mole fractions of different species are determined during the ignition delay period and their contribution in the auto-ignition process is examined. Arrhenius plots are developed to calculate the global activation energy for the auto-ignition reactions of these fuels. Correlations are developed for the ID and the mean air temperature and pressure.


Author(s):  
Xuan Zheng ◽  
Shirin Jouzdani ◽  
Benjamin Akih-Kumgeh

Abstract Methane (CH4) and bio alcohols have different ignition properties. These have been extensively studied and the resulting experimental data have been used to validate chemical kinetic models. Methane is the main component of natural gas, which is of interest because of its relative availability and lower emissions compared to other hydrocarbon fuels. Given growing interest in fuel-flexible systems, there can be situations in which the combustion properties of natural gas need to be modified by adding biofuels such as bio alcohols. This can occur in dual-fuel internal combustion engines or gas turbines with dual-fuel capabilities. The combustion behavior of such blends can be understood by studying the auto ignition properties in fundamental combustion experiments. Studies of the ignition of such blends are very limited in the literature. In this work, the auto ignition of methane and bio alcohol fuel blends is investigated using a shock tube facility. The chosen bio alcohols are ethanol (C2H5OH) and n-propanol (NC3H7OH). Experiments are carried out at 3 atm and 10 atm for stoichiometric and lean mixtures of fuel, oxygen, and argon. The ignition delay times of the pure fuels are first established at conditions of constant oxygen concentration and comparable pressures. The ignition delay times of blends with 50% methane are then measured. The pyrolysis kinetics of the blends is further explored by measuring CO formation during pyrolysis of the alcohol and methane–alcohol blends. The resulting experimental data are compared with the predictions of selected chemical kinetic models to establish the ability of these models to predict the disproportionate enhancement of methane ignition by the added alcohol.


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