Experimental and Modeling Study of Wall Film Effect on Combustion Characteristics of Premixed Flame in a Constant Volume Combustion Bomb

The primary objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of wall film on the combustion characteristics of premixed flames in internal combustion engines through the joint experimental and numerical techniques. The interaction between the premixed methane-air flame and n-dodecane film attached to the wall of a constant volume combustion bomb was experimentally examined. The flame propagation processes, as well as pressure evolution were quantitatively characterized. Then, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation was performed incorporating the combustion chemistry model. To enable efficient simulation of the chemically reacting flow in engine chambers, a simplified modeling approach based on a two-step reaction scheme was developed. A compact reaction model for the selected model fuel n-dodecane was constructed and reduced to include 35 chemical species and 180 reactions. The flame propagation process of the premixed flame and its interaction with dry and wet walls was studied. The results showed that the propagation of the premixed flame could be divided into four stages, and the existence of the slit structure increased the instability of the flame structure in the near-wall region. The wall film tended to promote emissions, producing more unburned hydrocarbons, soot precursors and aldehydes.

A study on the influence of ignition energy on ignition delay time and laminar burning velocity of lean methane/air mixture in a constant volume combustion chamber

This study presents the effect of ignition energy (Eig) on ignition delay time (tdelay) and uncertainty of laminar burning velocity (Su0) measurement of lean methane/air mixture in a constant volume combustion chamber. The mixture at an equivalence ratio of 0.6 is ignited using a pair of electrodes at the 2-mm spark gap. Eig is measured by integrating the product of voltage V(t) and current I(t) signals during a discharge period. The in-chamber pressure profiles are analyzed using the pressure-rise method to obtain tdelay and Su0. Su0 approximates 8.0 cm/s. Furthermore, the increasing Eig could shorten tdelay, leading to a faster combustion process. However, when Eig is greater than a critical value, called minimum reliable ignition energy (MRIE), the additional elevating Eig has the marginal effect on tdelay and Su0. The existence of MRIE supports to optimize the ignition systems and partly explains why extreme-high Eig>> MRIE has less contribution to engine performance.

Electrode Design for Thermal and Non-Thermal Plasma Discharge Inside a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber

Previous methods of achieving ignition in the Plasma, Combustion and Fluid imaging (PCFi) Laboratory's Constant Volume Combustion Chamber (CVCC) utilizes either a standard or modified spark plug. The standard spark plug achieves a representation of side wall ignition (similar to a combustion engine) while modified spark plug has an extended electrode to allow for a center camber ignition used for laminar burning speed (LBS) measurements. The creation of the modified spark plug required welding a stainless-steel wire to the electrode of the plug. The creation of these electrodes is time consuming and requires a large quantity to effectively test a wide range of parameters such as gap size or electrode geometry. Two custom-design electrodes are presented in this paper which extend the experimental range of the PCFi's CVCC system. Electrode Design A, gives the ability to test thin wire electrode with adjustability of gap size and different diameters through use of a compression fitting. This electrode design (i.e., tip-to-tip) is utilized with a traditional style of automotive ignition system (i.e., capacitive discharge) to study ignition process (i.e., thermal plasma) and spherical flame propagation. Electrode Design B, adds the ability to change tip geometry (i.e., plate-to-plate, tip-to-plate, tip-to-sphere, plate-to-sphere, etc). In this paper the plate-to-plate configuration is demonstrated to study uniform low-temperature nanosecond plasma discharge. Both electrode designs reduce structural weakness by removing the welded joint and allow for linear gap size adjustment. The electrode utilizes high-temperature epoxy, ceramic and grafoil seals to make parameter adjustments easy and precise. The design was analyzed, prior to building and testing, based on the stress induced from the sealant, the total rated voltage, the rated temperature and the fracture stress of the ceramic material. The stress induced in the electrodes was analyzed with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the results were found to be within the limits of the material in terms of the compressive and fracture strengths. The maximum voltage was found to be around 30 kV. Design A is presented with 3 different electrode diameters of 1.3, 1 and 0.5 mm and Design B which utilizes a threaded connection for adjustable tip geometry. A sample of data, visual and electrical, is presented for the newly created electrode with a 0.5 mm diameter as well as combustion images for up to 10 atm of initial pressure for methane-air mixture. The new electrode design was able to survive several months of experimental use with few issues compared with the previous welded design.