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Advances in Sustainable Propulsion Systems

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 8028

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: internal combustion engines; turbocharging; fluid machines; powertrain electrification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Claudio, 21, 80125 Naples, NA, Italy
Interests: internal combustion engines; advanced combustion modes; pollutant emissions; powertrain electrification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Public opinion and national and international legislators are pushing the transport sector towards solutions aiming to mitigate its impact on atmospheric air pollution and climate change. Nowadays, the most practical route is the hybridization of internal combustion engines (ICEs) with one or more electric machines and battery devices, allowing to overcome the major disadvantages of powertrain components, merging the related benefits. In this scenario, ICEs are expected to remain one of the main components of propulsion systems in years to come, especially if supplied with alternative carbon-neutral or carbon-free fuels. For this reason, further efforts for the improvement of energy efficiency and the abatement of pollutants and CO2 emissions are encouraged. This Special Issue aims to focus on the study and application of the most advanced techniques for the advancement of propulsion systems for sustainable mobility. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • The control and design of hybrid electric powertrains;
  • Energy management strategies of hybrid electric powertrains;
  • Advanced boosting systems;
  • Advanced knock mitigation techniques;
  • Alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, ammonia, bio-fuels, and e-fuels;
  • Lean, ultralean, and unconventional combustion concepts;
  • Advanced ignition and injection systems.

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo De Bellis
Dr. Enrica Malfi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • hybrid powertrains
  • energy management strategies
  • boosting
  • knock
  • alternative fuels
  • efficiency improvement
  • pollutant emissions
  • CO2 emission
  • LTC
  • RCCI
  • HCCI
  • PCCI
  • ultralean
  • prechamber

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 7992 KiB  
Article
Influence of Pre-Chamber Volume, Orifice Diameter and Orifice Number on Performance of Pre-Chamber SI Engine—An Experimental and Numerical Study
by Rudolf Tomić, Momir Sjerić, Josip Krajnović and Sara Ugrinić
Energies 2023, 16(6), 2884; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16062884 - 21 Mar 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1815
Abstract
This paper presented an experimental and numerical study of pre-chamber volume, number of orifices and orifice diameter influence on engine performance and emissions. All the measurements were performed on a single cylinder test engine at fixed engine speed of 1600 rpm, while engine [...] Read more.
This paper presented an experimental and numerical study of pre-chamber volume, number of orifices and orifice diameter influence on engine performance and emissions. All the measurements were performed on a single cylinder test engine at fixed engine speed of 1600 rpm, while engine load was varied by a change of the excess air ratio in the main chamber from a stochiometric mixture to a lean limit. The total of nine pre-chamber variants comprised three different pre-chamber volumes, two orifice number combinations (six and four orifices) and nine different orifice diameters. It was observed that the pre-chamber volume affects the indicated efficiency in a trend which is mostly independent of excess air ratio, with the efficiency gain between the best and worst results ranging from 1 to 4.4%. While keeping the same pre-chamber volume and the total cross-sectional area of the orifices, the larger number of orifices show better performance on two out of three investigated pre-chamber volumes, with the efficiency gains more pronounced at higher excess air ratios. Finally, on a fixed pre-chamber volume and number of orifices, the variation of orifice diameter leads to a trend in efficiency gains which favor larger orifice diameter. The comparison of the obtained efficiencies between all pre-chamber variants identified two pre-chambers, differing in each of the varied geometrical parameters, that show the best performance depending on excess air ratio range. On the other hand, a single variant which showed the worst performance on each excess ratio was identified. An additional investigation was performed by the application of the cycle-simulation model to quantify the share of emissions which are formed in the pre-chamber. The presented results showed that when PC volume is lowered, PC emission shares of NOX and CO grow larger. The influence of orifice number and size has a minor effect on the pre-chamber emissions shares. The maximum PC emission shares of 54.8% and 80.6% are achieved at lean limit (λ = 2.2) for NOX and CO, respectively. THC emission share, on the other hand, is not affected in a significant manner by either the pre-chamber geometry or operating conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Propulsion Systems)
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21 pages, 15309 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Fuel Injection Timing and Charge Dilution Rate on Low Temperature Combustion in a Compression Ignition Engine
by Asish K. Sarangi, Gordon P. McTaggart-Cowan and Colin P. Garner
Energies 2023, 16(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16010139 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2046
Abstract
Using high charge dilution low temperature combustion (LTC) strategies in a diesel engine offers low emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). These strategies are limited to part-load conditions and involve high levels of charge dilution, typically achieved through the use of recirculated exhaust gases [...] Read more.
Using high charge dilution low temperature combustion (LTC) strategies in a diesel engine offers low emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). These strategies are limited to part-load conditions and involve high levels of charge dilution, typically achieved through the use of recirculated exhaust gases (EGR). The slow response of the gas handling system, compared to load demand and fuelling, can lead to conditions where dilution levels are higher or lower than expected, impacting emissions and combustion stability. This article reports on the sensitivity of high-dilution LTC to variations in EGR rate and fuel injection timing. Impacts on engine efficiency, combustion stability and emissions are assessed in a single-cylinder engine and compared to in-cylinder flame temperatures measured using a borescope-based two-colour pyrometer. The work focuses on low-load conditions (300 kPa gross indicated mean effective pressure) and includes an EGR sweep from conventional diesel mode to high-dilution LTC, and sensitivity studies investigating the effects of variations in charge dilution and fuel injection timing at the high-dilution LTC condition. Key findings from the study include that the peak flame temperature decreased from ~2580 K in conventional diesel combustion with no EGR to 1800 K in LTC with low-NOx, low-soot operation and an EGR rate of 57%. Increasing the EGR to 64% reduced flame temperatures to 1400 K but increased total hydrocarbon (THC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by 30–50% and increased fuel consumption by 5–7%. Charge dilution was found to have a stronger effect on the combustion process than the diesel injection timing under these LTC conditions. Advancing fuel injection timings at increasing dilution kept combustion instability below 2.5%. Peak in-cylinder temperatures were maintained in the 2000–2100 K range, while THC and CO emissions were controlled by delaying the onset of bulk quenching. Very early injection (earlier than 24 °CA before top-dead-centre) resulted in spray impingement on the piston crown, resulting in degraded efficiency and higher emissions. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of fuel injection timing modification to accommodate variations in charge dilution rates while maintaining low NOx and PM emissions in a diesel engine using low-temperature combustion strategies at part loads. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Propulsion Systems)
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14 pages, 6345 KiB  
Article
The Influence of LPG and DME Mixtures on Passenger Car Performance
by Paweł Fabiś and Marek Flekiewicz
Energies 2022, 15(19), 7144; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15197144 - 28 Sep 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1915
Abstract
The paper presented the dynamics of a vehicle fueled by hybrid fuel, i.e., LPG–DME mixture. The basis for the assessment was the T-ω characteristics of the SI engine with a capacity of 1.6 dm3, determined by the authors for several selected [...] Read more.
The paper presented the dynamics of a vehicle fueled by hybrid fuel, i.e., LPG–DME mixture. The basis for the assessment was the T-ω characteristics of the SI engine with a capacity of 1.6 dm3, determined by the authors for several selected loads and DME mass shares in the engine supply mixture. The analysis and comparison of the impact of the composition of the LPG–DME mixture on the dynamic properties were carried out for the passenger car OPEL Astra, powered by an engine for which T- ω characteristics were determined earlier on the test bench. It has been shown that the mass share of DME in the LPG–DME mixture does not significantly reduce the dynamic index of the car. In addition, the scope of changes in the mass fraction of DME in the mixture was also determined, which will ensure the vehicle performance similar to the power and torque parameters obtained for an engine powered solely by LPG. The received results have made it possible to determine changes in the value of the maximum dynamic coefficient, maximum acceleration, and car acceleration time for selected engine loads and various DME shares in the mixture. The thesis that DME can be considered as an activator of the combustion process and may have an impact on the vehicle dynamics is confirmed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Propulsion Systems)
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20 pages, 4954 KiB  
Article
Assessment of an Adaptive Efficient Thermal/Electric Skipping Control Strategy for the Management of a Parallel Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
by Vincenzo De Bellis, Marco Piras and Enrica Malfi
Energies 2022, 15(19), 7122; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15197122 - 28 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1335
Abstract
In the current scenario, where environmental concern determines the evolution of passenger cars, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) represent a hub in the automotive sector to reach net-zero CO2 emissions. To fully exploit the energy conversion potential of advanced powertrains, proper energy management [...] Read more.
In the current scenario, where environmental concern determines the evolution of passenger cars, hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) represent a hub in the automotive sector to reach net-zero CO2 emissions. To fully exploit the energy conversion potential of advanced powertrains, proper energy management strategies are mandatory. In this work, a simulation study is presented, aiming at developing a new control strategy for a P3 parallel plug-in HEV (PHEV). The simulation model is built on MATLAB/Simulink. The proposed strategy is based on an alternative utilization of the thermal engine and electric motor to provide the vehicle power demand (efficient thermal/electric skipping strategy (ETESS)). An adaptive function is then introduced to develop a charge-blended control strategy. Fuel consumption along different driving cycles is evaluated by applying the novel adaptive-ETESS (A-ETESS). To have a proper comparison, the same adaptive function is built on the equivalent consumption minimization strategy (ECMS). Processor-in-the-loop (PIL) simulations are performed to benchmark the A-ETESS. Simulation results highlighted that the proposed strategy provides for a fuel economy similar to ECMS (worse of about 2.5% on average) and a computational effort reduced by 99% on average, opening the possibility of real-time on-vehicle applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sustainable Propulsion Systems)
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