An experiment of the combustion characteristics with laser-induced spark ignition

The combustion characteristics and minimum ignition energies using laser-induced spark ignition were demonstrated for quiescent methane-air mixtures in an optically-accessible, constant volume combustion chamber. Initial pressure and equivalence ratio as well as spark energy were varied in order to explore the flame behavior with laser-induced spark ignition. Shadowgraphs for the early stages of combustion process showed that the flame kernel becomes separated into two, one of which grows back towards the laser source. Eventually after a short period, the two flame kernels developed into two flame fronts propagating individually, which is unique in laser-induced spark ignition. For a given mixture, lower initial mixture pressure and higher spark energy resulted in shorter flame initiation period and faster flame propagation. The results of minimum ignition energies for laser ignition shows higher values than electric discharge results, however, the difference decreases toward lean and rich flammability limits.     

Large-scale Experimental System for Multiphase Fuel/Air Explosions

A large-scale experimental system for multiphase combustion and explosion study was developed and manufactured.The explosion tank consists of a 2 m diameter,3.5 m long tube and ellipsoidal domes on both ends.The volume of the experimental tank is 10 m3.Pressure histories of the explosion pressure can be measured at different locations in the tank.High pressure glass windows of 200～300 mm were used to have access to the visualization of the explosion process.The explosion process of methane/air mixture and methane/coal dust/air mixture initiated by a 40 J electric spark at the center of the tank was studied in the large-scale experimental system.Five pressure sensors were arranged in the tank with different distances from the ignition point.Ten dust dispersion units were equipped to eject dust into the tank.A high-speed camera system was used to visualize the flame propagation during the explosion process.The characteristics of the pressure wave and flame propagated in methane/air mixtures and methane/coal dust/air mixtures have been studied and analyzed.     

An experimental and mathematical study on the effects of ignition energy and system on the flame kernel development

A constant volume combustion chamber is used to investigate the flame kernel development of gasoline air mixtures under various ignition systems, ignition energies and spark plugs. Three kinds of ignition systems are designed and assembled, and the ignition energy is controlled by the variation of the dwell time. Several kinds of spark plugs are also tested. The velocity of flame propagation is measured by a laser deflection method, and the combustion pressure is analyzed by the heat release rate and the mass fraction burnt. The results represent that as the ignition energy is increased by enlarging either dwell time or spark plug gap, the heat release rate and the mass fraction burnt are increased. The electrodes materials and shapes influence the flame kernel development by changing he transfer efficiency of electrical energy to chemical energy. The diameter of electrodes also influences the heat release rate and the burnt mass fraction.     

一种研究柴油甲醇双燃料的定容燃烧弹试验装置

设计并研制了一种定容燃烧弹试验装置,用于对柴油在甲醇/空气预混均质混合气中燃烧特性的基础研究。介绍了该试验装置的各子系统的原理、结构及特点。定容燃烧弹试验结果表明:甲醇抑制了柴油的着火燃烧,随着甲醇/空气混合气浓度的增大,燃烧火焰变暗,碳烟生成受到抑制。与空气热氛围相比,甲醇/空气混合气氛围延长了柴油的滞燃期,加长了火焰的浮起长度。火焰稳定后,甲醇氛围中火焰的浮起长度随时间的变化比在纯空气氛围中大。     

An experimental study on the effects of impingement-walls on the spray and combustion characteristics of SIDI CNG

Compressed natural gas (CNG) is regarded as one of the most promising alternative fuels, and maybe the cleanest fuel for the sparkignition (SI) engine. In the SI engine, direct injection (DI) technology can significantly increase the engine volumetric efficiency and decrease the need of throttle valve. During low load and speed conditions, DI allows engine operation with the stratified charge, and the use of extremely lean fuel-air mixture enables relatively higher combustion efficiency. In this study, a combustion chamber with a visualization system is designed. The spray development and combustion propagation processes SIDI CNG were digital recorded. It was found that high injection pressure reduced the ignition probability significantly because of quenching of flame kernel. To improve the ignition probability, three kinds of impingement-walls were designed to help the mixture preparation. It was found that the CNG-air mixture can be easily formed after spray-wall impingement and the ignition probability was also improved. The results of this study can contribute important data for the design and optimization of spark-ignition direct injection (SIDI) CNG engine.     

含气油液有效体积弹性模量理论模型研究

为准确预测含气油液在空气分离压下有效体积弹性模量的值,基于油液体积弹性模量定义和质量守恒定律,依据含气油液中气相成分随压力的变化过程,推导出含气油液有效体积弹性模量理论模型。数值计算结果表明：含气油液有效体积弹性模量理论模型B-p曲线与现有理论模型及实验数据拟合曲线基本吻合,验证了理论模型的正确性,特别是在低于大气压的极低压区,有效体积弹性模量预测值更加接近实际情况。分析了初始含气量、压力、升压时间对有效体积弹性模量的影响,结果表明：在低于空气分离压范围内,初始含气量增大,有效体积弹性模量减小;在一定范围内,升压时间增大,有效体积弹性模量小幅度增大。     

Effects of equivalence ratio and carbon dioxide concentration on premixed charge compression ignition of gasoline and diesel-like fuel blends

The effects of fuel/air equivalence ratio and CO₂ concentration in fuel/air charge on the ignition process of gasoline and diesel-like fuel (n-heptane) blends on a rapid compression machine are investigated in this study. Results showed that the effects of equivalence ratio on ignition delays of two ignition stages are varied. As equivalence ratio increases from 0.3 to 0.5, the first stage ignition delay slightly increases because the increased equivalence ratio improves the mixture heat capacity, reducing the in-cylinder temperature and weakening the low-temperature heat release process of the fuel. The second stage ignition delay is shortened with the increased equivalence ratio because increased fuel concentration facilitates mixture reactivity. CO₂ addition to the cylinder charge can effectively reduce the peak cylinder pressure and the two stage pressure rise rates, as well as extend the durations of ignition delays of two ignition stages.     

小型航空二冲程煤油发动机小负荷试验研究

将1台点燃式二冲程气道喷射汽油机改造为缸内直喷煤油发动机,在3000r/min小负荷工况下进行了点火提前角、喷气结束角、过量空气系数对性能影响的试验研究。结果表明,喷气结束角为50°和80°（上止点前）时,适当增大点火提前角,能使功率增加、油耗降低,但点火提前角不宜过大,否则会造成HC和CO排放量的增加;点火提前角为15°和30°（上止点前）时,适度提前喷气结束时刻,可以使功率增加、油耗和排放降低;另外,偏浓混合气有利于提高功率输出,偏稀混合气有利于降低排放。     

Spatial charge cloud size of microchannel plates

We examine the spatial evolution of charge clouds emitted by microchannel plates (MCPs). A model of this evolution is presented, along with a comparison to experimental results. We also present an experimental method to measure the charge cloud radius in which the radial charge cloud distribution is assumed to be Gaussian. When a charge cloud is released from the MCP, its initial size is determined by the number and distribution of excited channels. The size of the charge cloud is examined as a function acceleration voltage, distance between MCP and anode, and MCP bias voltage. Since electrons released from the MCP have various initial energies and angular divergence, the charge cloud size increases as it travels away from the MCP. Space charge effects also contribute to the growth of the charge cloud. The experimental results are in close agreement with our model, which includes these effects. From experiment, we also derive an approximate expression for charge cloud radius as a function of acceleration voltage and distance between MCP and anode. This expression can be used for the practical design and optimization of a position sensing system comprised of multiple anodes.     

Effects of pressure and carbon dioxide,hydrogen and nitrogen concentration on laminar burning velocities and NO formation of methane-air mixtures

We studied the effects of increasing pressure and adding carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen to Methane-air mixture on premixed laminar burning velocity and NO formation in experimentally and numerically methods. Equivalence ratio was considered within 0.7 to 1.3 for initial pressure between 0.1 to 0.5 MPa and initial temperature was separately considered 298 K. Mole fractions of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and nitrogen were regarded in mixture from 0 to 0.2. Heat flux method was used for measurement of burning velocities of Methane-air mixtures diluted with CO₂ and N₂. Experimental results were compared to the calculations using a detailed chemical kinetic scheme (GRI-MECH 3.0). The results in atmosphere pressure for Methane-air mixture were calculated and compared with the results of literature. Results were in good agreement with published data in the literature. Then, by adding carbon dioxide and nitrogen to Methaneair mixture, we witnessed that laminar burning velocity was decreased, whereas by increasing hydrogen, the laminar burning velocity was increased. Finally, the results showed that by increasing the pressure, the premixed laminar burning velocity decreased for all mixtures, and NO formation indicates considerable increase, whereas the laminar flame thickness decreases.     

Measurements of Flow Rate and Force Coefficients in a Short-Length Annular Seal Supplied with a Liquid/Gas Mixture (Stationary Journal)

Deep sea compression systems must work under strenuous conditions with either gas in liquid or liquid in gas mixtures, mostly inhomogeneous. Off-design operation affects the mechanical system's overall efficiency and reliability, with penalties in leakage and rotordynamic performance of secondary flow components, namely, seals. This article introduces a test rig to characterize the leakage and dynamic force coefficients of a short-length annular seal (L/D = 0.36, clearance = 0.127 mm) operating under various flow regimes ranging from pure gas, to bubbly (liquid in gas), to foamy (gas in liquid), to pure liquid. The test rig includes of rotating journal and a softy supported cartridge that make a clearance annular seal that is supplied with a liquid/gas mixture. Flowmeters record the fluid's passage, and with manual control of the streams, the mixture has a known liquid (or gas) volume fraction at the seal inlet plane. Two orthogonally mounted electromagnetic shakers excite the cartridge with periodic (single-frequency) forces spanning a wide frequency range. Eddy current sensors and accelerometers record the seal cartridge motions and a frequency domain parameter identification method delivers the seal dynamic force coefficients.

For tests with a pressure supply/pressure discharge ratio = 3.0 and 3.5 and a nonrotating journal, the article reports the flow rate for an ISO VG10 oil in air mixture with liquid volume fraction (LVF) at the inlet plane increasing from pure gas to pure liquid. Wet seal stiffness and mass and damping force coefficients follow for a seal operating with a pressure supply/pressure discharge ratio = 2.0 and operating with air (only) and also with an oil-in-air mixture with inlet LVF = 2% and 4%. The experimental results, the first reported, reveal that a small amount of liquid increases the damping coefficients of the wet seal 10-fold (or more). Predictions from a computational bulk flow model also demonstrate that the seal damping coefficient varies greatly with small contents of liquid in the oil/gas mixture, although agreement with the experimental force coefficients is not compelling due to the likely inhomogeneity of the mixture flowing though the seal.     

A note on spark bubble drop-on-demand droplet generation: simulation and experiment

The fluid dynamics of the spark bubble-generated droplet is studied both experimentally and numerically. The emphasis is especially on the droplet behavior after pinch-off. Commercial inkjet printers often produce satellite droplets along with parent droplets which are not desirable from the viewpoint of printing efficiency. Furthermore, standard drop-on-demand droplet generators are normally restricted to the generation of droplets with the same size as the nozzle diameter. In the spark bubble droplet generation method, a spark-generated bubble induces droplet formation through a hole in a solid surface separating the liquid and air interfaces. Immediately after ignition occurs, a bubble forms and creates pressure waves as it expands and contracts in a nonsymmetrical fashion. These pressure waves, depending on the geometries of the bubble location, plate, and hole may cause a single droplet smaller than the plate aperture to form and break up. In this article, a combined numerical and experimental study has been conducted to investigate the droplet behavior created in this manner. A high-speed camera is utilized to capture the droplet formation process. The numerical simulations have been carried out using the boundary integral spatial solution coupled with the time integration, i.e., a mixed Eulerian–Lagrangian approach. There is reasonable agreement between the simulations and experiment.     

On-line measurement of oil/gas/water mixtures,using a capacitance sensor

This paper describes the use of a non-intrusive capacitance transducer for the simultaneous on-line measurement of water and undissolved gas in crude oil. The water concentration of the flow is determined from the mean capacitance of the flowing mixture. The same transducer can be used simultaneously to determine the void fraction of the flow by measuring the instantaneous variation in the permittivity of the mixture created by fluctuations of the gas component. There is an interaction between these two measurements but this can be decoupled. This measurement principle was investigated experimentally, using process oil/water/air mixtures. Results are reported for mixtures with water contents up to 40% v/v and void fractions up to 15% v/v.A three-component volumetric flowrate measurement system, based on the capacitance transducer discussed in this paper was proposed. The work reported and the conclusions drawn relate to tests using mixtures of lubricating oil/fresh clean water/air. No work has so far been carried out in mixtures of crude oil/saline waters/hydrocarbon gases typical of the intended applications, nor have estimates been made of the effects that the variable nature of these actual components might have on the performance of the technique. Also, the tests were made on a Perspex section of pipe at nominal pressure whereas the real-life application would require measurements on a high-pressure/high-integrity stell pipeline; the practical problems of adapting the technique to the latter situation have not been examined though they are considered to be resolvable.     

Improvement and experimental validation of a multi-zone model for combustion and NO emissions in CNG fueled spark ignition engine

This article reports the experimental and theoretical results for a spark ignition engine working with compressed natural gas as a fuel. The theoretical part of this work uses a zero-dimensional, multi-zone combustion model in order to predict nitric oxide (NO) emission in a spark ignition (SI) engine. The basic concept of the model is the division of the burned gas into several distinct zones for taking into account the temperature stratification of the burned mixture during combustion. This is especially important for accurate NO emissions predictions, since NO formation is strongly temperature dependent. During combustion, 12 products are obtained by chemical equilibrium via Gibbs energy minimization method and nitric oxide formation is calculated from chemical kinetic by the extended Zeldovich mechanism. The burning rate required as input to the model is expressed as a Wiebe function, fitted to experimentally derived burn rates. The model is validated against experimental data from a four-cylinder, four-stroke, SI gas engine (EF7) running with CNG fuel. The calculated values for pressure and nitric oxide emissions show good agreement with the experimental data. The superiority of the multizone model over its two-zone counterpart is demonstrated in view of its more realistic in-cylinder NO emissions predictions when compared to the available experimental data.     

Laminar flame speeds for n-butanol/air mixtures at elevated pressures and temperatures: An experimental and numerical study

Laminar flame speeds of n-butanol/air premixed flames were measured experimentally and numerically at elevated pressures and temperatures for a wide range of equivalence ratios. Laminar flame speeds were obtained experimentally from the temporal evaluation of the flame front of spherically outwardly propagating flames at zero stress rate. The shadowgraph technique was employed to gain optical access to the constant volume combustion chamber. Flame propagation images were captured by a high-speed camera and MATLAB codes were used to process the images and calculate laminar flame speeds. Flame speeds have been calculated numerically using CHEMKIN-Pro based on a short reaction mechanism for n-butanol oxidation, which was derived from a previously published full reaction mechanism. Numerical predictions were in qualitative agreement with experimental data. The effects of initial pressure and temperature elevation were analyzed. Also, the effect of simultaneous elevation of initial pressures and temperatures is documented. For all experimental conditions, the maximum flame speed was found at around equivalence ratio 1.1. In general, flame speeds decreased with the elevation of initial pressure and increased with initial temperature elevation.

     

Comparisons of predicted and measured results on performance and emission of engine effected by intake air dilution and supercharging

An experimental study was conducted on a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine to investigate the effects of diluting intake air, with different gases and increasing intake pressure on combustion process and exhaust emissions. The intake O₂ concentration is changed from 15% to 21% by diluting intake air with different gases (CO₂, Ar, N₂), and the intake pressure is changed from one to two bar by a screw compressor. A modified program for calculating heat release rate, is used to study the characteristics of combustion and exhaust emissions in detail. The main results show that the addition of either CO₂ or Ar to the intake air increases the ignition delay. The variations of ignition delay with CO₂ are much larger than those of ignition delay with Ar for the same O₂ concentration. The emission of NOx decreases with the decrease of O₂ concentration and the smoke level is lower with the addition of the CO₂ than with that of Ar. As the intake pressure is increased, the ignition delay is shortened. Furthermore the high intake air pressure enhances the air-fuel mixing and diffusion combustion, and reduces the premixed combustion, so that NOx emission is decreased without increasing smoke emissions. The addition of CO₂ at high intake pressure, drastically reduces NOx emissions and smoke emission simultaneously at a high load condition, and the addition of CO₂ reduces NOx emissions without affecting the smoke emissions substantially at a low load condition. A zero-dimensional combustion simulation program incorporated with the present heat release correlation and ignition delay correlation is used to predict ignition delay, cylinder pressure and engine power. The results show that the correlations are likely to be adequate for the engine operating under diluted intake air and various intake pressure.     

纯净空气来流的超音速燃烧室试验与数值模拟研究

超音速燃烧室试验设备需要加热空气达到所模拟的飞行状态的总焓,采用电阻加热器可以提供纯净的来流空气。西北工业大学建立了采用连续式电阻加热器的超音速燃烧室直连式试验平台。设备的初步调试结果显示:该电阻加热器最高可将流量0.73 kg/s的来流空气加热至1000 K,可以利用该平台进行低飞行马赫数的超音速燃烧室试验研究。本文利用该试验平台进行了超音速来流条件下的氢气燃烧试验研究,并在此基础上开展了氢气燃烧的数值模拟研究,数值模拟结果和试验结果吻合较好。     

多点电喷天然气汽车发动机进气干涉现象的数值解析

首先采用多维数值模拟的方法解析了从天然气喷射阀喷出的突发天然气喷流的发展过程,并由纹影试验验证了这个数值解析方法的可行性。在此基础上,解析了单进气阀和双进气阀发动机进气歧管内天然气的喷射和反射过程。结果表明,大量天然气与进气阀冲突后向进气歧管入口方向反射并造成进气阀附近气体压力升高;若进气歧管较短时,天然气-空气混合气反射到歧管入口并造成各缸混合气分配不均匀是完全可能的;即使较长的进气歧管时,由于发火顺序不同,各缸间的进气干涉程度也不一样,这将引起各缸实际的进气充量发生变化。     

氢气-空气预混火焰传播特性的数值模拟研究

应用Fluent流体计算软件,基于标准湍流κ-ε模型和EDC燃烧模型,采用SIMPLE格式算法对常温常压下对常温常压下氢气／空气预混火焰在光滑管道中的传播特性进行二维数值模拟,获得火焰传播速度、火焰结构、表面积、火焰到达位置和时刻沿管道变化情况。结果表明：火焰传播速度先增加后逐渐减小。在离点火端105mm处到达最大值,之后逐渐降低。在t=9．1ms时,火焰开始逐渐呈现典型的郁金香结构。火焰在初始加速阶段的主要物理机理是前方未燃气体受到前驱压缩波作用而被加热和压缩的正反馈微分加速机制,此后在管右端的反射压缩波影响下火焰传播速度略有降低。     

Ignition and combustion characteristics of the gas turbine slinger combustor

This paper describes the ignition and combustion characteristics of a gas turbine slinger combustor with rotating fuel injection system. An ignition test was performed under various airflow, temperature and pressure conditions with fuel nozzle rotational speed. From the test, there are two major factors influencing the ignition limits: the rotational speed of the fuel nozzle, and the mass flow parameter. Better ignition capability could be attained through increasing the rotational speed and air mass flow. From the spray visualization and drop size measurement, it was verified that there is a strong correlation between ignition performance and drop size distribution. Also, we performed a combustion test to determine the effects of rotational speed by measuring gas temperature and emission. The combustion efficiency was smoothly enhanced from 99% to 99.6% with increasing rotational speed. The measured pattern factor was 15% and profile factor was 3%.