Combustion characteristics of SI engine fueled with methanol-gasoline blends during cold start

A 3-cylinder port fuel injection (PFI) engine fueled with methanol-gasoline blends was used to study combustion and emission characteristics. Cylinder pressure analysis indicates that engine combustion is improved when methanol is added to gasoline. With the increase of methanol, the flame developing period and the rapid combustion period are shortened, and the indicated mean effective pressure increases during the first 50 cycles. Meanwhile, a novel quasi-instantaneous sampling system was designed to measure engine emissions during cold start and warm-up. The results at 5°C show that unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) decrease remarkably. Hydrocarbon (HC) reduces by 40% and CO by 70% when fueled with M30 (30% methanol in volume). The exhaust gas temperature is about 140°C higher at 200 s after operation compared with that of gasoline. __________ Translated from Transactions of CSICE, 2007, 25(3): 235–240 [译自: 内燃机学报]     

Investigation of hydrogen addition to methanol-gasoline blends in an SI engine

In this study, effects of hydrogen-addition on the performance and emission characteristics of Methanol-Gasoline blends in a spark ignition (SI) engine were investigated. Experiments were conducted with a four-cylinder and four stroke spark ignition engine. Performance tests were performed via measuring brake thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, cylinder pressure and exhaust emissions (CO, CO₂, HC, NOx). These performance metrics were analyzed under three engine load conditions (no load, 50% and 100%) with a constant speed of 2000 rpm. Methanol was added to the gasoline up to 15% by volume (5%, 10% and 15%). Besides, hydrogen was added to methanol-gasoline mixtures up to 15% by volume (3%, 6%, 9% and 15%). Results of this study showed that methanol addition increases BSFC by 26% and decreases thermal efficiency by 10.5% compared to the gasoline. By adding hydrogen to the methanol - gasoline mixtures, the BSFC decreased by 4% and the thermal efficiency increased by 2% compared to the gasoline. Hydrogen addition to methanol – gasoline mixtures reduces exhaust emissions by about 16%, 75% and 15% of the mean average values of HC, CO and CO2 emissions, respectively. Lastly, ?t was concluded that hydrogen addition improves combustion process; CO and HC emissions reduce as a result of the leaning effect caused by the methanol addition; and CO2 and NOx emission increases because of the improved combustion.     

Idle characteristics of a hydrogen fueled SI engine

This paper investigates the effect of the equivalence ratio Φ and ignition advance angle θ_i on idle characteristics of a turbocharged hydrogen fueled SI engine. The experimental data was conducted under various operating conditions including different Φ and θ_i. It is found that, the ignition advance angle at MBT point decreases gradually with the equivalence ratio increasing from 0.4 to 0.9. Indicated thermal efficiency decreases as Φ increases. Emissions of NOx increase as Φ increases. When Φ is kept constant, the stated emissions increase as θ_i increases. During idle conditions of a hydrogen fueled engine, a lean mixture with an Φ less than 0.4 is suitable, and the θ_i should be increased appropriately. The maximum cylinder pressure rises with an increase of Φ and θ_i. The trend of the maximum rate of pressure rise is similar at different Φ. Only under the conditions of Φ = 0.4 and θ_i < 10 °CA, the maximum pressure rise rate remains almost unchanged.     

Effects of intake air temperature on SI engine emissions during a cold start

This paper presents the concept of preheating the intake air to reduce cold-start emissions from gasoline engines. The effects of intake air temperature on emissions from a gasoline engine were studied by using an air heater based on spark ignition. A light-duty vehicle test of cold-start emissions was carried out at an ambient temperature of?7°C according to New European Driving Cycle for Euro 3 and Euro 4 exhaust emission legislations. The results showed that preheating the intake air could effectively reduce both hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions and improve fuel economy during a cold start. During idling conditions, the key phase of the HC and CO emissions was the first 40 s. With the aid of the air heater, cold-start HC and CO emissions from the vehicle were lower than the limit values in the Euro 3 and Euro 4 regulations.     

Combustion and emission characteristics of a spray guided direct-injection spark-ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends

Combustion and emission characteristics of a spray guided direct-injection spark-ignition engine fueled with natural gas-hydrogen blends were investigated. Results show that the brake thermal efficiency increases with the increase of hydrogen fraction and it shows an increasing and then decreasing trend with advancing fuel-injection timing. For later injection timings, the beginning of heat release is advanced with increasing hydrogen fraction, while the beginning of heat release is advanced and then retarded with the increase of hydrogen fraction at earlier injection timings. The flame development duration, rapid combustion duration and total combustion duration decrease with increasing hydrogen fraction. Maximum cylinder gas pressure, maximum mean gas temperature, maximum rate of pressure rise and maximum heat release rate show an increasing and then decreasing trend with the increase of hydrogen fraction. Brake NOx emission is increased and then decreased, while brake HC, CO and CO₂ emissions decrease with the increase of hydrogen fraction.     

Combustion analysis of a spark ignition engine fueled with gaseous blends containing hydrogen

This paper presents the combustion characteristics of a naturally aspirated spark ignition engine, intended for installation in vehicles, fueled with different hydrogen and methane blends. The experimental tests were carried out in a wide range of speeds at equivalence ratios of 1, 0.8 and 0.7 and at full load. The ignition timing was maintained for each speed, independently of the equivalence ratio and blend used as fuel. Four methane-hydrogen blends were used. In-cylinder pressure, mass fraction burned, heat released and cycle-by-cycle variations were analyzed as representative indicators of the combustion quality. It was observed that hydrogen enrichment of the blend improve combustion for the ignition timing chosen. This improvement is more appreciable at low speeds, because at high speeds hydrogen effect is attenuated by the high turbulence. Also, hydrogen addition allowed the extension of the LOL, enabling the engine to run stable in points where methane could not be tested. The main inconvenience detected was the high NO_x emissions measured, especially at stoichiometric conditions, due mainly to the increment in the combustion temperature that hydrogen produces.     

Combustion characteristics of CI engine fueled with WCO biodiesel/diesel blends at different compression ratios and EGR

The present study investigated the effect of compression ratio (CR) with the use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology on the performance of combustion characteristics at different CRs and engine loads; the brake thermal efficiency (BTE), specific fuel consumption (SFC), volumetric efficiency (VOL.EFF), exhaust gas temperature, carbon dioxide emission (CO₂), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and oxygen content (O₂). The single-cylinder, four-stroke compression ignition engine was run on a mixture of diesel and biodiesel prepared from Iraqi waste cooking oil at (B0, B10, B20, and B30). A comparison has been achieved for these combustion characteristics at different blends, load, and CRs (14.5, 15.5, and 16.5) at 1500 rpm constant engine speed. The transesterification process is used to produce biodiesel and ASTM standards have been used to determine the physical and chemical properties of biodiesel and compare them to net diesel fuel. The preliminary conducting tests indicated that engine performance and emissions improved with the B20 mixture. Experimental test results showed an increase in BTE when CR increased by 17% and SFC increased by 23%. It also found a higher VOL.EFF by 6% at higher pressure ratios. A continuous decrease in BTE values and an increase in SFC were sustained when the percentage of biodiesel in the mixture was increased. Emissions of carbon dioxide, HC, and NOx increased by 12%, 50%, and 40%, respectively, as CR reached high values. NOx increased with the addition of biodiesel to 35%, which necessitated the use of EGR technology at rates of 5% and 10%. The results indicated that the best results were obtained in the case of running the engine with a mixing ratio of B20 with the addition of 10% EGR, NOx decreased by 47% against a slight increase in other emissions.     

Combustion characteristics of a direct-injection diesel engine fueled with Fischer-Tropsch diesel

Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) diesel fuel is characterized by a high cetane number, a near-zero sulphur content and a very low aromatic level. On the basis of the recorded incylinder pressures and injector needle lifts, the combustion characteristics of an unmodified single-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine operating on F-T diesel fuel are analyzed and compared with those of conventional diesel fuel operation. The results show that F-T diesel fuel exhibits a slightly longer injection delay and injection duration, an average of 18.7% shorter ignition delay, and a comparable total combustion duration when compared to those of conventional diesel fuel. Meanwhile, F-T diesel fuel displays an average of 26.8% lower peak value of premixed burning rate and a higher peak value of diffusive burning rate. In addition, the F-T diesel engine has a slightly lower peak combustion pressure, a far lower rate of pressure rise, and a lower mechanical load and combustion noise than the conventional diesel engine. The brake specific fuel consumption is lower and the effective thermal efficiency is higher for F-T diesel fuel operation. Translated from Journal of Xi’an Jiaotong University, 2006, 40(1): 5–9 [译自: 西安交通大学学报]     

高原地区柴油机燃用生物柴油混合燃料排放特性研究

在高原环境（81kPa）下,对4100QBZL型柴油机燃用不同配比生物柴油混合燃料后的排放特性进行了实验研究。实验结果表明：与燃用柴油相比,各工况下,HC、CO和碳烟的排放均有不同程度的降低（分别平均下降4．5％～38．4％、15．4％～43．9％和12．5％～65．5％）,高负荷低转速工况下效果尤为明显;NOx的排放也得到明显改善,只有纯生物柴油的NO。排放较柴油上升了0％～2．1％,其他指标均下降（平均下降4．4％～4．9％）。综合考虑,燃用掺混比为30％以内的生物柴油混合燃料,能同时有效地降低HC、CO、NOx和碳烟的排放。     

Performance and emission characteristics of a SI engine fueled by low calorific biogas blended with hydrogen

In this study, an experimental investigation on a naturally aspirated (NA), 8-L spark ignition engine fueled by biogas with various methane concentrations - which we called the N₂ dilution test - was performed in terms of its thermal efficiency, combustion characteristics and emissions. The engine was operated at a constant engine rotational speed of 1800 rpm under a 60 kW power output condition and simulated biogas was employed to realize a wide range of changes in heating value and gas composition. The N₂ dilution test results show that an increase of inert gas in biogas was beneficial to thermal efficiency enhancement and NO_x emission reduction, while exacerbating THC emissions and cyclic variations. Then, as a way to achieve stable combustion for the lowest quality biogas, H₂ addition tests were carried out in various excess air ratios. H₂ fractions ranging from 5 to 30% were blended to the biogas and the effects of hydrogen addition on engine behavior were evaluated. The engine test results indicated that the addition of hydrogen improved in-cylinder combustion characteristics, extending lean operating limit as well as reducing THC emissions while elevating NO_x generation. In terms of efficiency, however, a competition between enhanced combustion stability and increased cooling energy loss was observed with a rise in H₂ concentration, maximizing engine efficiency at 5-10% H₂ concentration. Moreover, based on the peak efficiency operating point, a set of optimum operating conditions for minimum emissions with the least amount of efficiency loss was suggested in terms of excess air ratio, spark ignition timing, and hydrogen addition rate as one of the main results.     

Combustion improvement in a hydrogen fueled engine

Experimental testing of hydrogen-fueled engines has verified that hydrogen can be used safely and easily and is a promising fuel for automobiles. However, there are problems with abnormal combustion and NO_x formation. This paper discusses the phenomena of abnormal combustion and presents a correlation between the abnormal combustion and No_x formation. Elimination of these problems was accomplished after several engine modifications and by an experimentally-developed “combined combustion process.” The characteristics of a hydrogen-oxygen engine with a hydrogen rich fuel mixture were also studied. This engine was found to have an unexpectedly narrower range of operation than a hydrogen-air engine.     

电喷汽油机燃用乙醇汽油的仿真研究

对吉利MR479Q型发动机建立一维仿真模型,并利用该模型进行了电喷汽油机燃用乙醇汽油的仿真研究。研究发现,在不改变发动机的前提下,燃用含适当比例乙醇的乙醇汽油对发动机的动力性有少量的提升,但由于乙醇的低位热值远小于汽油,发动机的比油耗也随着掺醇比例的提高而提高。     

柴油机燃用乙醇-生物柴油的性能试验研究

对乙醇和生物柴油的互溶性和抗水性进行了研究,在ZS195型柴油机上进行了燃用生物柴油、乙醇-生物柴油、含水乙醇-生物柴油与纯柴油的经济性与排放特性对比试验研究。试验结果表明:B90E10和B90A10混合燃料能在20℃环境温度下保持良好的物理稳定性;B90E10,B90A10和生物柴油有效燃油消耗率高于纯柴油;CO排放量,在小负荷时趋于纯柴油的排放水平,大负荷时下降;生物柴油NOx排放量在小负荷时高于纯柴油水平,而B90E10和B90A10较生物柴油依次下降,其中B90A10的NOx排放量低于纯柴油水平,大负荷时3种燃料的NOx排放量接近,均高于纯柴油水平;THC排放量均低于纯柴油水平,其中生物柴油下降幅度最大,B90E10下降幅度最小;碳烟排放较纯柴油大幅度下降,且随着燃料中含氧量的增加依次下降。     

Investigation on the cold start characteristics of a hydrogen-enriched methanol engine

This paper experimentally investigated the effect of hydrogen addition on the cold start performance of a methanol engine. The test was conducted on a modified four-cylinder gasoline engine. An electronically controlled hydrogen injection system was applied to realize the hydrogen port injection. The engine was started at an ambient temperature of 25 °C with two hydrogen flow rates of 0 and 189 dm³/s, respectively. The results demonstrated that hydrogen addition availed elevating the peak engine speed and cylinder pressure during the cold start. Both flame development and propagation periods are shortened after the hydrogen addition. When the hydrogen volume flow rate was raised from 0 to 189 dm³/s, HC, CO and total number of particulate emissions within 19 s from the onset of cold start were reduced by 68.7%, 75.2% and 72.4%, respectively. However, because of the enhanced in-cylinder temperature, NO_x emissions were increased after the addition of hydrogen.     

Study of spark ignition engine fueled with methanol/gasoline fuel blends

A 3-cylinder port fuel injection engine was adopted to study engine power, torque, fuel economy, emissions including regulated and non-regulated pollutants and cold start performance with the fuel of low fraction methanol in gasoline. Without any retrofit of the engine, experiments show that the engine power and torque will decrease with the increase fraction of methanol in the fuel blends under wide open throttle (WOT) conditions. However, if spark ignition timing is advanced, the engine power and torque can be improved under WOT operating conditions. Engine thermal efficiency is thus improved in almost all operating conditions. Engine combustion analyses show that the fast burning phase becomes shorter, however, the flame development phase is a little delay.When methanol/gasoline fuel blends being used, the engine emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) decrease, nitrogen oxides (NO_x) changes little prior to three-way catalytic converter (TWC). After TWC, the conversion efficiencies of HC, CO and NO_x are better. The non-regulated emissions, unburned methanol and formaldehyde, increase with the fraction of methanol, engine speed and load, and generally the maximum concentrations are less than 200 ppm. Experimental tests further prove that methanol and formaldehyde can be oxidized effectively by TWC. During the cold start and warming-up process at 5 °C, with methanol addition into gasoline, HC and CO emissions decrease obviously. HC emission reduces more than 50% in the first few seconds (cold start period) and nearly 30% in the following warming-up period, CO reduces nearly 25% when the engine is fueled with M30. Meanwhile, the temperature of exhaust increases, which is good to activate TWC.     

压燃式发动机燃用F-T柴油/生物柴油混合燃料的燃烧及振动特性研究

为实现F-T柴油与生物柴油性能互补,构建高品质清洁替代燃料,文章将F-T柴油掺混10%,20%,30%的生物柴油配制成混合燃料,利用四缸增压柴油发动机台架进行转速为2 000 r/min的负荷特性试验,并与0号柴油进行对比。试验结果表明:随着生物柴油添加量的逐渐增大,混合燃料的滞燃期小幅度增大,燃烧始点提前,燃烧持续期增加;混合燃料的压力升高率随着生物柴油添加量的增大而增大,但均低于0号柴油;混合燃料振动信号的有效值及平均幅值随生物柴油含量的增加而增加,但均小于0号柴油;随着生物柴油添加量的增大,混合燃料的振动信号的峭度随之增加,燃烧冲击随之增大,其中,负荷为150 N·m时,混合燃料B30FT的峭度最大,比0号柴油高17.3%。     

On the modeling of a SI 4-stroke cycle engine fueled with hydrogen-enriched gasoline

A detailed model to simulate a four-stroke cycle of a SI engine fueled with hydrogen-enriched gasoline is presented. The model includes calculations of the mass flow rates of the inflow and outflow through the valves, an empirical expression for the combustion process which has been modified to include the effect of the hydrogen enrichment on the combustion rate, a model for the ignition delay, a practical approach for the heat transfer through the cylinder wall, and an SAE recommended expression for the mechanical efficiency. The model has been used to predict the optimal amount of hydrogen supplement, and the required spark advance for best engine performances. Dynamometer test results, in which a 2310 cc passenger vehicle was fueled with hydrogen-enriched gasoline, was used to calibrate the proposed model. The hydrogen was supplied from a bottled storage of gaseous hydrogen. In general, very good agreement between predictions and experimental results was obtained in the entire experimental range.     

Emission analysis of diesel engine fueled with soybean biodiesel and its water blends

The present study is carried out to formulate stable water-in-soybean biodiesel emulsion fuel and investigate its emission characteristics in a single cylinder diesel engine. Four types of emulsion fuels, which consist of a different percentage of water (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) in soybean biodiesel, were prepared with suitable surfactant and properties were measured. The physicochemical properties are on par with EN 14214 standards. The experimental result of test fuels indicates that the soybean biodiesel promotes a lower level of hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and smoke emissions compared to base diesel except for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emission. Increase in water concentration with soybean biodiesel significantly reduces the NOx emission and smoke opacity. The HC and CO emissions are further reduced with emulsified biodiesel up to 10% water concentration and beyond that limit, marginal increases are recorded. Overall, it is observed that inclusion of water with soybean biodiesel reduces the HC, CO, NOx and smoke emissions when compared to base diesel and soybean biodiesel, and 10% water in soybean biodiesel is an appropriate solution to reduce the overall emissions in the soybean-fuelled diesel engine.     

Combustion and emission characteristics of a turbo-charged common rail diesel engine fuelled with diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends

The combustion and emission characteristics of a turbo-charged, common rail diesel engine fuelled with diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends were investigated. The study reports that the brake-specific fuel consumption of diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends increases with increase of oxygenated fuel fractions in the blends. Brake thermal efficiency shows little variation when operating on different diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends. At a low load, the NO_x emission of the diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends exhibits little variation in comparison with the biodiesel fraction. The NO_x emission slightly increases with increase in the biodiesel fraction in diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends at medium load. However, the NO_x emission increases remarkably with increase of the biodiesel fraction at high load. Particle mass concentration decreases significantly with increase of the oxygenated-fuels fraction at all engine speeds and loads; particle number concentration decreases remarkably with increase of the oxygenated-fuels fraction. HC and CO emissions decrease with increasing oxygenated-fuels fraction in these blends.     

Emission characteristics of a turbocharged diesel engine fueled with gas-to-liquids

Emission characteristics of a turbocharged, intercooled, heavy-duty diesel engine operating on neat gas-to-liquids (GTL) and blends of GTL with conventional diesel were investigated and a comparison was made with those of diesel fuel. The results show that nitrogen oxides (NO _x ), smoke, and particulate matter (PM) emissions can be decreased when operating on GTL and diesel-GTL blends. Engine emissions decrease with an increase of GTL fraction in the blends. Compared with diesel fuel, an engine operating on GTL can reduce NO _x , PM, carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbon (HC) by 23.7%, 27.6%, 16.6% and 12.9% in ECE R49 13-mode procedure, respectively. Engine speed and load have great influences on emissions when operating on diesel-GTL blends and diesel fuel in the turbocharged diesel engine. The study indicates that GTL is a promising alternative fuel for diesel engines to reduce emissions. Translated from Transactions of CSICE, 2006, 24(6): 489–493 [译自: 内燃机学报]