Effect of spark ignition location on the turbulent jet ignition characteristics in a lean burning natural gas engine

The Turbulent Jet Ignition is an effective concept to achieve stable lean burning for natural gas engines due to the multiple ignition sources, high ignition energy, and fast combustion rate. A variation of the ignition location has a non-negligible effect on the ignition performance of the TJI system. The present work aims to provide more details on this effect by numerical simulations. Both factors of the additional fuel supply to the pre-chamber and the in-cylinder flow field are taken into consideration in this study. A numerical model is built based on a lean burning natural gas engine and validated by experimental results. Five different spark ignition sources are equally arranged on the vertical axis of the pre-chamber, with different distances from the connecting orifices. Simulations are carried out under the same initial and boundary conditions except for the location of the ignition source. Combustion pressure, in-cylinder flow field, fuel mass fraction distribution, and heat release rate are analyzed to study the in-cylinder ignition and combustion process. The results show that a rotational flow and a non-uniform fuel distribution are formed in the pre-chamber during the compression stroke. The turbulent jet characteristics are significantly influenced by the coupling of two factors: the combustion rate inside the pre-chamber as well as the flame propagation distance from the ignition source to the connecting orifices. Rapid combustion rate and shorter flame propagation distance both lead to the earlier ejection of cold jets and hot jets. Among five ignition sources, the one located closest to the connecting orifices generates earlier hot jets with the highest mean velocity. The jets are more effective to ignite the lean mixture and could decrease the combustion duration of the main chamber.

Assessment of the efficiency of the use of activating turbulent jets to eliminate the risk of the formation of unventilated zones in large premises

Strict requirements for microclimate parameters are imposed on food storage premises, which are equipped with artificial cooling systems. The experience of operating the refrigerated premises revealed the following disadvantages: uneven distribution and significant fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity; periodic precipitation of condensate in low-temperature sections. Elimination of the noted disadvantages is effectively achieved by using axial fans that form a swirling air stream that induces the ambient air. Swirling jets used to intensify the process of air circulation in a room in order to eliminate unventilated zones will be called activating jets. To assess the efficiency of the application of activating turbulent jets, an integral method based on the energy balance was used. Using the example of a representative object, it is shown that the distance of the effective application of an activating turbulent jet should be calculated taking into account the influence of environmental turbulence, which is determined by the amount of energy introduced and dissipated in the room.