Minimum ignition energy of hydrogen-air and methane-air mixtures at temperatures as low as 200 K

The primary objective of this study is to measure the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of methane-air and hydrogen-air mixtures at low temperatures and atmospheric pressure. Initial fuel-air mixture temperatures as low as 200 K were considered, for a constant equivalence ratio of 1.0 for methane-air and 0.16 for hydrogen-air. The ignition source was a spark, generated by a high-voltage pulse of 100 μs duration, applied on two pin electrodes of 0.1-mm diameter, separated by a gap distance of 1 mm. The experimental methodology was validated by comparing the results obtained with those from previous studies available in the literature. First, for methane-air mixtures, the MIE as a function of the equivalence ratio followed the same trend at 295 K and 255 K, i.e., its lowest value was obtained for a stoichiometric mixture. Second, when the temperature of the mixture was decreased, the MIE increased linearly for both fuels. The rate at which the MIE changed was higher for hydrogen-air (?7.9 μJ/K) than for methane-air (?3.4 μJ/K). Overall, this study provides valuable information on the MIE of methane-air and hydrogen-air mixtures at low temperatures, which can be useful for the design of cryogenic fuel storage systems.     

Numerical study on the spark ignition characteristics of hydrogen-air mixture using detailed chemical kinetics

Hydrogen is a promising fuel and is expected to replace hydrocarbon fuels for its significant potentials to reduce the pollutants and greenhouse gases. It is very important to investigate Minimum ignition energy (MIE) on safety standards and ignition process of hydrogen-air mixtures. Even though the formation of flame kernels in quiescent hydrogen-air mixtures has been researched numerically and experimentally, the details of ignition mechanism have never been satisfactorily explained. In this study, the spark ignition of hydrogen-air mixture is investigated by using detailed chemical kinetics and considering the heat loss to the electrode. The purpose of this study is emphasized in the effects of the energy supply procedure, the radius of the spark channel, electrode size and electrode gap distance on the MIE. In addition, the effects of mixture temperature, electrode gap distance and electrode size on relationship between the equivalence ratio and the MIE are examined.     

Minimum ignition energy of hydrogen-air mixtures at ambient and cryogenic temperatures

The ignition and combustion of hydrogen in air is considered more hazardous compared to other fuels due to the lower minimum ignition energy (MIE) and the wider flammability range. Spark discharge is the most common type of electrostatic ignition hazard. There is a need in validated safety engineering tools to accurately calculate MIE in a wide range of temperatures from atmospheric to cryogenic which are characteristic for hydrogen systems and infrastructure. Current MIE assessment methodologies rely on the availability of experimental data on quenching distance and/or laminar burning velocity and thus are mostly empirical correlations. This prevents their application beyond the limited number of experimental data, i.e. to arbitrary composition of the hydrogen-air mixture at arbitrary temperatures including cryogenic. This work aims at the development of a model able to accurately predict MIE for hydrogen-air mixtures with arbitrary initial composition and temperature. Cantera and Chemkin software are used to calculate the properties and unstretched laminar burning velocity of hydrogen-air mixtures. The flame thickness is found to well represent the critical flame kernel in the suggested model. The model is validated against experimental data on MIE for mixtures at ambient and cryogenic (down to 123 K) temperatures. Results show that the effect of flame stretch and preferential diffusion shall be considered to accurately predict MIE for lean hydrogen-air mixtures, which was not possible for previous models.     

Statistical analysis of electrostatic spark ignition of lean H2/O2/Ar mixtures

The concept of minimum ignition energy (MIE) has traditionally formed the basis for studying ignition hazards of fuels. However, the viewpoint of ignition as a statistical phenomenon appears to be more consistent with the inherent variability in engineering test data. We have developed a very low-energy capacitive spark ignition system to produce short sparks with fixed lengths of 1-2 mm, and the ignition system is used to perform spark ignition tests using a range of spark energies in lean hydrogen-oxygen-argon test mixtures used in aviation safety testing. The test results are analyzed using statistical tools to obtain probability distributions for ignition versus spark energy. A second low-energy spark ignition system was also developed to generate longer sparks with varying lengths up to 10 mm. A second set of ignition tests is performed in one of the test mixtures using a range of spark energies and spark lengths. The results are analyzed to obtain a probability distribution for ignition versus the spark energy per unit spark length. Preliminary results show that a single threshold MIE value does not exist, but rather that ignition is statistical in nature and highly dependent on mixture composition and spark length.     

Effects of diluents on the ignition of premixed H2/air mixtures

A computational study is performed to investigate the effects of diluents on the ignition of premixed H₂/air mixtures. The ignition processes for fuel lean, stoichiometric, and fuel rich H₂/air mixed with different diluents (He, Ar, N₂, and CO₂) are simulated with detailed chemistry and variable thermodynamic and transport properties. The minimum ignition energies (MIE) for different diluents at different dilution ratios are obtained. It is found that the change of the MIE with the dilution ratio consists of two regimes: in the first regime with a small value of dilution ratio, diluent addition has little effect on the MIE and in the second regime with dilution ratio above a certain value, the MIE increases exponentially with the dilution ratio. The kinetic and radiation effects of dilution are assessed by conducting sensitivity analysis and using the optically thin model, respectively. The thermal and flame-dynamic effects of dilution, characterized by the adiabatic flame temperature and Markstein length, respectively, are also discussed. Moreover, the dilution limits for H₂/air mixtures at different equivalence ratios are obtained. The dilution limits predicted by present ignition calculation are found to agree well with those based on laminar flame speed measurements at micro-gravity conditions. The ranking in terms of the effectiveness on ignition inhibition for stoichiometric H₂/air is shown to be in the order of Ar, N₂, He, and CO₂. The dilution limit is of practical interest since it is a measure of the efficiency of the diluent in fire prevention and suppression.     

Evaluation of acetylene as a spark ignition engine fuel

In spite of its known shortcomings as a fuel for spark ignition engines, acetylene has been suggested as a possible alternative to petroleum-based fuels since it can be produced from non-petroleum resources (coal, limestone and water). Therefore, acetylene was evaluated in a single-cylinder engine to investigate performance and emission characteristics with special emphasis on lean operation for NO_x control. Testing was carried out at constant speed, constant airflow and MBT spark timing. Equivalence ratio and compression ratio were the primary variables. The engine operated much leaner when fuelled with acetylene than with gasoline. With acetylene, the engine operated at equivalence ratios as lean as 0·53 and 0·43 for compression ratios of 4 and 6, respectively. However, the operating range was very limited. Knock-induced preignition occurred either with compression ratios above 6 or with mixtures richer than 0·69 equivalence ratio. Both the indicated thermal efficiency and power output were less for acetylene fuelling than for gasoline. Acetylene combustion occurred at sufficiently lean equivalence ratios to produce very low NO_x and CO emissions. However, when the low NO_x levels were achieved hydrocarbon control was not improved over that with gasoline. Despite the potential for NO_x control demonstrated in this study of acetylene fuelling, difficulties encountered with engine knock and preignition plus well-known safety problems (wide flammability limits and explosive decomposition) associated with acetylene render this fuel impractical for spark ignition engines.     

A computational study and correlation of premixed isooctane–air laminar reaction front properties under spark ignited and spark assisted compression ignition engine conditions

To address the need for reliable premixed laminar burning velocity and thickness information within the spark assisted compression ignition (SACI) combustion regime, a large dataset of simulated reaction fronts has been generated in this work. A transient one dimensional premixed laminar flame simulation was applied to isooctane–air mixtures using a 215 species chemical kinetic mechanism. The simulation was exercised over fuel–air equivalence ratios, unburned gas temperatures and pressures ranging from 0.1 to 1.0, 298 to 1000 K and 1 to 250 bar, respectively, a range that extends beyond that of previous researchers. Steady reaction fronts with burning velocities in excess of 5 cm/s could not be established under all of these conditions, especially when burned gas temperatures were below 1500 K and/or when characteristic reaction front times were on the order of the unburned gas ignition delay. Steady premixed laminar burning velocities were correlated using a modified two-equation form based upon the asymptotic structure of a laminar flame, which produced an average error of 2.5% between the simulated and correlated laminar burning velocities, with a standard deviation of 3.0%. Additional correlations were constructed for reaction front thickness and adiabatic flame temperature. The resulting premixed laminar burning velocity correlation showed good agreement with experiments and existing correlations within the spark-ignited (SI) regime. Analysis of the simulated characteristic reaction front times and ignition delays suggests that homogeneous SACI combustion is most useful under medium and high load operating conditions.     

On cycle-to-cycle heat release variations in a simulated spark ignition heat engine

The cycle-by-cycle variations in heat release are analyzed by means of a quasi-dimensional computer simulation and a turbulent combustion model. The influence of some basic combustion parameters with a clear physical meaning is investigated: the characteristic length of the unburned eddies entrained within the flame front, a characteristic turbulent speed, and the location of the ignition kernel. The evolution of the simulated time series with the fuel–air equivalence ratio, ?, from lean mixtures to over stoichiometric conditions, is examined and compared with previous experiments. Fluctuations on the characteristic length of unburned eddies are found to be essential to simulate the cycle-to-cycle heat release variations and recover experimental results. A non-linear analysis of the system is performed. It is remarkable that at equivalence ratios around ? ? 0.65, embedding and surrogate procedures show that the dimensionality of the system is small.     

Experimental study on spark ignition of non-premixed hydrogen jets

The leaks of pressurized hydrogen can be ignited if an ignition source is within a certain distance from the source of the leaks, and jet fires or explosions may take place. In this paper, a high speed camera was used to investigate the ignition kernel development, ignition probability and flame propagation along the axis of hydrogen jets, which leaked from a 3-mm-internal-diameter nozzle and were ignited by an electric spark. Experimental results indicate that for successful ignition events, the ignition delay time increases with an increase of the distance between the nozzle and the electrode. Ignitable zone of the hydrogen jets is underestimated if using the predicted hydrogen concentration along the jets centerline. The average rate of downstream flame decreases but that of the upstream flame increases with the electrode going far from the nozzle.     

Measurements of minimum ignition energy in premixed laminar methane/air flow by using laser induced spark

Reducing engine pollutant emissions and fuel consumption is an important challenge. Lean-burning engines are a promising development; however, such engines require high-energy ignition systems for typical working conditions (equivalence ratio, Φ < 0.7). Laser-induced ignition is envisaged as a way to obtain high-energy ignition as a result of progress that has been made in laser beam technology in terms of stability, size, and energy. This study investigated the minimum energy necessary to ignite a laminar premixed methane air mixture experimentally. A parametrical study was performed to characterize the effects of the flow velocity, equivalence ratio, and lens focal length on the minimum energy required for ignition. Experiments were conducted using a premixed laminar CH₄/air burner. Laser-induced breakdown was achieved by focusing a 532-nm nanosecond pulse from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with an anti-reflection-coated lens. Mixture ignition and the early stages of flame propagation were studied using a high speed Schlieren technique. Despite the stochastic characteristic of the laser breakdown phenomena, good reproducibility in the minimum energy required for the ignition measurements was observed. The cases in which the CH₄/Air mixture flow ignites are defined as those with a laminar flame front propagation visible in the Schlieren images 10 ms after the energy deposition. The same minimum ignition energy (MIE) versus equivalence ratio (Φ) type of curves were obtained with a laser-induced spark and with a spark plug. Due to the threshold of energy required to obtain breakdown and the stochastic character of the energy absorption by the spark, a constant value was obtained (corresponding to the breakdown threshold) when the minimum ignition energy was lower than the breakdown threshold. As already noticed by several authors, MIE values higher than those observed using spark plugs were obtained. However, these differences tended to disappear at the lean and rich fuel limits.     

Shock tube studies on ignition delay and combustion characteristics of oxygenated fuels under high temperature

A comparative study on ignition delay time and combustion characteristics of four typical oxygenated fuel/air mixtures of dimethyl ether (DME), diethyl ether (DEE), ethanol and E92 ethanol gasoline was conducted through the chemical shock tube. The fuel/air mixtures were measured under the ignition temperature of 1100 to 1800 K, initial pressure of 0.3 MPa and the equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5. The experimental results show that the ignition delay time of these four oxygenated fuels satisfies the Arrhenius relation. The reaction H + O₂ = OH + O has a high sensitivity in four fuel/air mixtures during high-temperature ignition, which makes the ignition delay lengthen with the increase of the equivalence ratios. By comparing the ignition delay of four fuels, ether fuels have excellent ignition performance and ether functional group has better ignition promotion than hydroxyl group. Moreover, the carbon chain length also significantly promotes the ignition. Due to the accumulation of a large number of active intermediates and free radicals during the long ignition delay time before ignition, the four fuels all have intense deflagration and generate the highest combustion peak pressure at the relatively low ignition temperature (1150-1300 K). For DME, DEE and ethanol, due to the high content of oxygen in their molecules, the combustion peak pressure and luminous intensity increased with the equivalence ratio, and the combustion is intense after ignition. E92 ethanol gasoline with low oxygen content has a lower combustion peak pressure and a longer combustion duration than the other three fuels, and its highest combustion peak pressure appears in the stoichiometric ratio. The combustion process of E92 ethanol gasoline is more oxygen-dependent than the other three fuels.     

High-pressure low-temperature ignition behavior of syngas mixtures

Ignition properties of simulated syngas mixtures were systematically investigated at high-pressure low-temperature conditions relevant to gas turbine combustor operation using the University of Michigan Rapid Compression Facility. Pressure time history measurements and high-speed imaging of the ignition process in this facility were used to determine auto-ignition delay times and observe and characterize ignition behaviors. The simulated syngas mixtures were composed of H₂ and CO with a molar ratio of 0.7, for equivalence ratios (φ) of 0.1 and 0.5, near air dilution (i.e. molar O₂ to inert gas ratio of 1:3.76), with N₂ as the primary diluent gas. The pressures and temperatures after compression ranged from 3–15 atm and 870–1150 K respectively. The comprehensive results of the present work combined with those from previous shocktube studies in the literature clearly illustrate the existence of both homogeneous and inhomogeneous auto-ignition behaviors at these conditions. Analysis of patterns in the ignition behaviors revealed a dependence on temperature, pressure, and equivalence ratio with distinct thermodynamic regions in which the ignition behavior is consistent and repeatable. Predicted locations of the strong ignition limit made using a criterion which compares laminar flame speed to a thermal gradient driven front propagation speed have excellent agreement with the experimental findings for each φ and an assumed gradient of 5 K/mm. Experimental validation of this unique and powerful criterion means that it can be used for a priori prediction of the strong ignition limit using basic computational simulations. The validity of this criterion is fundamentally important, quantitatively describing the roles of chemical kinetics, thermo-physical properties, and device dependent thermal characteristics in determining auto-ignition behavior. Additionally, a comparison of the measured auto-ignition delay times to predictions made using zero-dimensional homogeneous reactor modeling revealed that agreement was dependent on φ, with excellent agreement for φ = 0.1 and large discrepancies for φ = 0.5. These results indicate that while inhomogeneous ignition phenomena are not entirely avoidable by reducing equivalence ratio, the subsequent effects on the accuracy of typical auto-ignition delay time predictions may be reduced or eliminated.     

Experimental investigation on effects of knocking on backfire and its control in a hydrogen fueled spark ignition engine

The experimental study was carried out on a multi-cylinder spark ignition engine fueled with hydrogen for analyzing the effect of knocking on backfire and its control by varying operating parameters. The experimental tests were conducted with constant speed at varied equivalence ratio. The equivalence ratio of 0.82 was identified as backfire occurring equivalence ratio (BOER). The backfire was identified by high pitched sound and rise in in-cylinder pressure during suction stroke. In order to analyze backfire at equivalence ratio of 0.82, the combustion analysis was carried out on cyclic basis. Based on the severity of in-cylinder pressure during suction stroke, the backfire can be divided into two categories namely low intensity backfire (LIB) and high intensity backfire (HIB). From this study, it is observed that there is frequent LIB in hydrogen fueled spark ignition engine during suction stroke, which promotes instable combustion and thus knocking at the end of compression stroke. This knocking creates high temperature sources in the combustion chamber and thus causes HIB to occur in the subsequent cycle. A notable salient point emerged from this study is that combustion with knocking can be linked with backfire as probability of backfire occurrence decreases with reduction in chances of knocking. Retarding spark timing and delaying injection timing of hydrogen were found to reduce the chances of backfire occurrence. The backfire limiting spark timing (BLST) and backfire limiting injection timing (BLIT) were found as 12 ⁰bTDC and 40 ⁰aTDC respectively.     

Experimental and modeling study on ignition delay of ammonia/methane fuels

Ammonia mixed with methane is a potential clean fuel for engine applications toward a low carbon economy. Studies are scarce on ignition phenomenon for ammonia/methane fuels in literature. In the present study, the ignition characteristics for ammonia–methane–air mixtures have been investigated by both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. Ignition processes of a 60%ammonia/40%methane (mol%) fuel blend were investigated with shock-tube experiments. Measurements of the ignition delay times were performed behind reflected shock waves for such fuel/air mixtures with different equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1, and 2, at pressures around 2 and 5 atm within the temperature range of 1369 to 1804 K. Experimental results were then compared with numerical prediction results employing detailed kinetic mechanism, which showed satisfactory agreement within most of the range of the temperatures, equivalence ratios, and pressures investigated. Within the temperature range of 1300 to 1900 K, pressure range of 1 to 10 atm, equivalence ratio range of 0.5 to 2, and methane proportion range of 0% to 50% in fuel blends, the impacts of temperature, pressure, equivalence ratio, and methane additive were simulated on the ignition delay times of the fuel blends based upon the numerical model. It was found that the improvement of ammonia/methane ignition is significant with the increase of temperature, pressure, and methane additive while it is relatively not sensitive to equivalence ratio within the studied conditions. This suggests a promising potential of such fuel blends in real engine application. In addition to the calculations, reaction sensitivity analyses were also performed to have a deep insight into the observed differences between ammonia/methane/air ignition delay times with variation of conditions.     

Laminar burning characteristics of ammonia/hydrogen/air mixtures with laser ignition

Ammonia, as a zero-carbon fuel, is drawing more and more attention. The major challenge of using ammonia as a fuel for the combustion engines lies in its low chemical reactivity, and therefore more fundamental researches on the combustion characteristics of ammonia are required to explore effective ways to burn ammonia in engines. In this study, the laminar burning characteristics of the premixed ammonia/hydrogen/air mixtures are investigated. In the experiment, the laser ignition was used to achieve stable ignition of the ammonia/air mixtures with an equivalence ratio range from 0.7 to 1.4. The propagating flame was recorded with the high-speed shadowgraphy. Three different processing methods were introduced to calculate the laminar burning velocity with a consideration of the flame structure characteristics induced by the laser ignition. The effects of initial pressure (0.1 MPa–0.5 MPa), equivalence ratio (0.7–1.4), hydrogen fraction (0–20%) on the laminar burning velocity were investigated under the initial ambient temperature of 360 K. The state-of-the-art kinetic models were used to calculate the laminar burning velocities in the CHEMKIN-pro software. Both the simulation and experimental results show that the laminar burning velocity of the ammonia mixtures increases at first, reaches the peak around ϕ of 1.1, and then decreases with the equivalence ratio increasing from 0.7 to 1.4. The peak laminar burning velocities of the ammonia mixture are lower than 9 cm/s and are remarkably lower than those of hydrocarbon fuels. The laminar burning velocity of the ammonia mixture decreases with the increase of the initial ambient pressure, and it can be drastically speeded up with the addition of hydrogen. While the models except for those by Miller and Bian can give reasonable predictions compared to the experimental results for the equivalence ratio from 0.7 to 1.1 in the ammonia (80%)/hydrogen (20%)/air mixtures, all the kinetic models overpredict the experiments for the richer mixtures, indicating further work necessary in this respect.     

Engine knock and combustion characteristics of a spark ignition engine operating with varying hydrogen and carbon monoxide proportions

Varying proportions of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (synthesis gas) have been investigated as a spark ignition (SI) engine fuel in this paper. It is important to understand how various synthesis gas compositions effect important SI combustion fundamentals, such as knock and burn duration, because in synthesis gas production applications, the compositions can vary significantly depending on the feedstock and production method.A single cylinder cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine was used to investigate the knock and combustion characteristics of three blends of synthesis gas (H₂/CO ratio); 1) 100/0, 2) 75/25, and 3) 50/50, by volume. These blends were tested at three compression ratios (6:1, 8:1, and 10:1), and three equivalence ratios (0.6, 0.7, and 0.8).It was revealed that the knock limited compression ratio (KLCR) of a H₂/CO mixture increases with increasing CO fraction, for a given spark timing. For a given equivalence ratio and spark timing, a 50%/50% H₂/CO mixture produced a KLCR of 8:1 compared to a 100% H₂ condition, which produced a KLCR of 6:1. The burn duration and ignition lag is also increased with increasing CO fraction. The results from this work are important for those considering using synthesis gas as a fuel in SI engines. It reveals that although CO is a slow burning fuel, higher CO fractions in synthesis gas can be beneficial, because of its increased resistance to knock, which gives it the potential of producing higher indicated efficiencies through the utilization of an engine with a higher compression ratio.     

Simulation of hydrogen and hydrogen-assisted propane ignition in pt catalyzed microchannel

This paper deals with self-ignition of catalytic microburners from ambient cold-start conditions. First, reaction kinetics for hydrogen combustion is validated with experimental results from the literature, followed by validation of a simplified pseudo-2D microburner model. The model is then used to study the self-ignition behavior of lean hydrogen/air mixtures in a Platinum-catalyzed microburner. Hydrogen combustion on Pt is a very fast reaction. During cold start ignition, hydrogen conversion reaches 100% within the first few seconds and the reactor dynamics are governed by the “thermal inertia” of the microburner wall structure. The self-ignition property of hydrogen can be used to provide the energy required for propane ignition. Two different modes of hydrogen-assisted propane ignition are considered: co-feed mode, where the microburner inlet consists of premixed hydrogen/propane/air mixtures; and sequential feed mode, where the inlet feed is switched from hydrogen/air to propane/air mixtures after the microburner reaches propane ignition temperature. We show that hydrogen-assisted ignition is equivalent to selectively preheating the inlet section of the microburner. The time to reach steady state is lower at higher equivalence ratio, lower wall thermal conductivity, and higher inlet velocity for both the ignition modes. The ignition times and propane emissions are compared. Although the sequential feed mode requires slightly higher amount of hydrogen, the propane emissions are at least an order of magnitude lower than the other ignition modes.     

Conversion of a commercial spark ignition engine to run on hydrogen: Performance comparison using hydrogen and gasoline

The modifications performed to convert the spark ignition gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine of a Volkswagen Polo 1.4 to run with hydrogen are described. The car is representative of small vehicles widely used for both city and interurban traffic. Main changes included the inlet manifold, gas injectors, oil radiator and the electronic management unit. Injection and ignition advance timing maps were developed for lean mixtures with values of the air to hydrogen equivalence ratio (λ) between 1.6 and 3. The established engine control parameters allowed the safe operation of the hydrogen-fueled engine (H₂ICE) free of knock, backfire and pre-ignition as well with reasonably low NO_x emissions. The H₂ICE reached best brake torque of 63 Nm at 3800 rpm and maximum brake power of 32 kW at 5000 rpm. In general, the brake thermal efficiency of the H₂ICE is greater than that of gasoline-fueled engine except for the H₂ICE working at very lean conditions (λ = 2.5) and high speeds (above 4000 rpm). A significant effect of the spark advance on the NO_x emissions has been found, specially for relatively rich mixtures (λ < 2). Small changes of spark advance with respect to the optimum value for maximum brake torque give rise to an increase of pollutant emissions. It has been estimated that the hydrogen-fueled Volkswagen Polo could reach a maximum speed of 140 km/h with the adapted engine. Moreover, there is enough reserve of power for the vehicle moving on typical urban routes and routes with slopes up to 10%.     

Influence of laser ignition on characteristics of an engine for hydrogen enriched CNG and iso-octane usage

The study has focused on determining the laser plug effects on engine characteristics and the laser plug usage results have compared with spark plug usage. The laser ignition technique is a type of new ignition technique and an important solution that can make combustion systems more efficient. The testing of an engine with a laser plug is the novelty of the study and the tests were carried out with reference to equivalence ratio and plug power ranges. The behaviors of the engine at full load were examined so experimentally for both ignition techniques at hydrogen enriched CNG and iso-octane mixture usage. The tests were carried out for variations of 0.4–2.0 equivalence ratio and 20–120 W plug power. A mixture that 90% iso-octane and 10% HCNG in mass was used at two ignition modes in tests for 3300 rpm maximum engine torque speed. Also, the flame formation and propagation for both ignition techniques were detected via a high-speed camera. The tests have shown the laser ignition leads to more energy consumption in the rich mixture conditions and also, less energy is required in the lean conditions. The laser ignition discharge has extended the engine's lean combustion limits via a small energy input at the tests. The high-speed camera images have shown that the laser ignition reduces the Kernel flame formation and propagation time. The laser ignition technique was produced less NO_x than the conventional spark ignition method.     

Effect of distributions of fuel concentration and temperature on ignition processes in a diesel PCCI combustion

The distributions of fuel concentration and temperature have significant effect on the ignition processes of diesel premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) combustion. It was found in this study that the ignition process of PCCI combustion organized by multi-pulse injection was strongly influenced by conditions of fuel stratification. The start of low temperature reactions occurred in the leaner area of the combustion chamber in the test engine because the temperature here first reached the point of low temperature reactions. Ignition always occurred in the position where the mixture featured with equivalence ratios close to the mean equivalence ratio of the overall mixture, while the neighboring area of the initial ignition area accumulate heat with a finite speed until finally autoigniting. Moreover, the appearance of highest combustion temperature occurred in the same area at the combustion chamber. For more homogeneous mixture, a higher amount of mixture reached ignition simultaneously, resulting in a larger initial ignition area and a higher temperature at the ignition area. Furthermore, V-type distribution of equivalence ratio was found to be beneficial to retarding high temperature reaction.