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.

Effects of lubricant-fuel mixing on particle emissions in a single cylinder direct injection spark ignition engine

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines emit less carbon dioxide (CO2) than port fuel injection (PFI) engines when fossil fuel conditions are the same. However, GDI engines emit more ultrafine particulate matter, which can have negative health effects, leading to particulate emission regulations. To satisfy these regulations, various studies have been done to reduce particulate matter, and several studies focused on lubricants. This study focuses on the influence of lubricant on the formation of particulate matter and its effect on particulate emissions in GDI engines. An instrumented, combustion and optical singe-cylinder GDI engine fueled by four different lubricant-gasoline blends was used with various injection conditions. Combustion experiments were used to determine combustion characteristics, and gaseous emissions indicated that the lubricant did not influence mixture homogeneity but had an impact on unburned fuels. Optical experiments showed that the lubricant did not influence spray but did influence wall film formation during the injection period, which is a major factor affecting particulate matter generation. Particulate emissions indicated that lubricant included in the wall film significantly affected PN emissions depending on injection conditions. Additionally, the wall film influenced by the lubricant affected the overall particle size and its distribution.

Numerical investigation on optimization of wall jet to reduce high temperature corrosion in 660 MW opposed wall fired boiler

For an air staged combustion boiler, the rational organization of jets to form closing-to-wall film using as little air as possible plays a key role in resolving the high temperature corrosion problems. In this work, a comprehensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model including hydrodynamics and coal combustion is established for a 660 MW opposed wall fired boiler. Based on the grid independence and model validation, the flow field, temperature profile, and species concentration are predicted, and the influences of the structure of nozzles and the operation parameter of jets are further evaluated. The results show that the corrosion area of the side wall is dependent on the jet projection velocity and nozzle structures. The increase of the jet velocity does not always have an active influence on the reduction of corrosive area. Only increasing the nozzle diameter does not always have a positive impact on the improvement of the corrosion. The increase of the jet inclination angle can extend the jet trajectory, contributing to increase the oxygen coverage area. Reasonably adjusting the jet inclination angle of each layer can obtain the lower corrosion area. The increase of jet row number leads to a decrease in the spacing between rows, which enables the downstream jet to penetrate deeper into the cross stream. By increasing the number of jet layers and reducing the jet velocity of each layer, the lowest corrosion area can be obtained.

A conceptual design and numerical analysis of the mixerless urea-SCR system

In the present study, an innovative design of the urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system without conventional mixing elements was developed. The aim was to obtain a high degree of urea decomposition, and uniform ammonia distribution at the inlet to the catalyst, while minimising the liquid film deposition and keeping the compact design. The concept of the design was based on creating high turbulences and elongating the flow paths of the droplets. The design was verified through a series of numerical simulations based on the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach and a discrete droplet model (DDM) spray representation. The analysis included various operating conditions as well as subcooled and superheated sprays. A uniform ammonia distribution was achieved regardless of the operating points and spray properties. Additionally, in the case of the flash-boiling injection, a further reduction of the wall film was observed.

Liquid Film Translocation Significantly Enhances Nasal Spray Delivery to Olfactory Region: A Numerical Simulation Study

Previous in vivo and ex vivo studies have tested nasal sprays with varying head positions to enhance the olfactory delivery; however, such studies often suffered from a lack of quantitative dosimetry in the target region, which relied on the observer’s subjective perception of color changes in the endoscopy images. The objective of this study is to test the feasibility of gravitationally driven droplet translocation numerically to enhance the nasal spray dosages in the olfactory region and quantify the intranasal dose distribution in the regions of interest. A computational nasal spray testing platform was developed that included a nasal spray releasing model, an airflow-droplet transport model, and an Eulerian wall film formation/translocation model. The effects of both device-related and administration-related variables on the initial olfactory deposition were studied, including droplet size, velocity, plume angle, spray release position, and orientation. The liquid film formation and translocation after nasal spray applications were simulated for both a standard and a newly proposed delivery system. Results show that the initial droplet deposition in the olfactory region is highly sensitive to the spray plume angle. For the given nasal cavity with a vertex-to-floor head position, a plume angle of 10° with a device orientation of 45° to the nostril delivered the optimal dose to the olfactory region. Liquid wall film translocation enhanced the olfactory dosage by ninefold, compared to the initial olfactory dose, for both the baseline and optimized delivery systems. The optimized delivery system delivered 6.2% of applied sprays to the olfactory region and significantly reduced drug losses in the vestibule. Rheological properties of spray formulations can be explored to harness further the benefits of liquid film translocation in targeted intranasal deliveries.

A study on the high-efficiency mixer of the SCR system

A new mixer for a diesel engine after-treatment system is developed to meet the requirements of China VI emission regulation. As for the structure of the mixer, it is surrounded by spiral blades, and the center is staggered with small blades, which is conducive to the crushing of urea droplets and can make the droplets fully mixed with air, improve the conversion efficiency of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and reduce ammonia leakage. The numerical analysis, engine bench test, and vehicle road test were carried out on the after-treatment system equipped with the new mixer. The numerical calculation results show that the velocity uniformity index of the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) carrier can reach 0.98, as well as the ammonia uniformity can reach 0.95, meanwhile, the low wall film height shows excellent anti-crystallization properties. engine bench test results are consistent with numerical results. The crystallization status of the mixer after the vehicle durability test is acceptable and well performed.