Energies

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12673 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaporation and Ignition Characteristics of Water Emulsified Diesel under Conventional and Low Temperature Combustion Conditions

by Zhaowen Wang, Shang Wu, Yuhan Huang, Yulin Chen, Shuguo Shi, Xiaobei Cheng and Ronghua Huang

Energies 2017, 10(8), 1109; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10081109 - 31 Jul 2017

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5014

Abstract

The combination of emulsified diesel and low temperature combustion (LTC) technology has great potential in reducing engine emissions. A visualization study on the spray and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel was conducted experimentally in a constant volume chamber under conventional and LTC [...] Read more.

The combination of emulsified diesel and low temperature combustion (LTC) technology has great potential in reducing engine emissions. A visualization study on the spray and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel was conducted experimentally in a constant volume chamber under conventional and LTC conditions. The effects of ambient temperature on the evaporation, ignition and combustion characteristics of water emulsified diesel were studied under cold, evaporating and combustion conditions. Experimental results showed that the ambient temperature had little effect on the spray structures, in terms of the liquid core length, the spray shape and the spray area. However, higher ambient temperature slightly reduced the Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) of the spray droplets. The auto-ignition delay time increased significantly with the decrease of the ambient temperature. The ignition process always occurred at the entrainment region near the front periphery of the liquid core. This entrainment region was evolved from the early injected fuel droplets which were heated and mixed by the continuous entrainment until the local temperature and equivalence ratio reached the ignition condition. The maximum value of integrated natural flame luminosity (INFL) reduced by 60% when the ambient temperature dropped from 1000 to 800 K, indicating a significant decrease of the soot emissions could be achieved by LTC combustion mode than the conventional diesel engines. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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5434 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of a Diesel Engine Thermal Overload Monitoring System with Applications and Test Results

by Sangram Kishore Nanda, Boru Jia, Andrew Smallbone and Anthony Paul Roskilly

Energies 2017, 10(7), 830; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10070830 - 22 Jun 2017

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5183

Abstract

In this research, the development of a diesel engine thermal overload monitoring system is presented with applications and test results. The designed diesel engine thermal overload monitoring system consists of two set of sensors, i.e., a lambda sensor to measure the oxygen concentration [...] Read more.

In this research, the development of a diesel engine thermal overload monitoring system is presented with applications and test results. The designed diesel engine thermal overload monitoring system consists of two set of sensors, i.e., a lambda sensor to measure the oxygen concentration and a fast response thermocouple to measure the temperature of the gas leaving the cylinder. A medium speed Ruston diesel engine is instrumented to measure the required engine process parameters, measurements are taken at constant load and variable fuel delivery i.e., normal and excessive injection. It is indicated that with excessive injection, the test engine is of high risk to be operated at thermal overload condition. Further tests were carried out on a Sulzer 7RTA84T engine to explore the influence of engine operating at thermal overload condition on exhaust gas temperature and oxygen concentration in the blow down gas. It is established that a lower oxygen concentration in the blow down gas corresponds to a higher exhaust gas temperature. The piston crown wear rate will then be much higher due to the high rate of heat transfer from a voluminous flame. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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3305 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigation on the Effect of the Gas Exchange Process on the Diesel Engine Thermal Overload with Experimental Results

by Sangram Kishore Nanda, Boru Jia, Andrew Smallbone and Anthony Paul Roskilly

Energies 2017, 10(6), 766; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10060766 - 31 May 2017

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5333

Abstract

In this paper, the influence of the gas exchange process on the diesel engine thermal overload is provided. Main components involved in the gas exchange process are discussed. The ambient conditions, the turbocharger performance, and the valve timing that affect the gas exchange [...] Read more.

In this paper, the influence of the gas exchange process on the diesel engine thermal overload is provided. Main components involved in the gas exchange process are discussed. The ambient conditions, the turbocharger performance, and the valve timing that affect the gas exchange process have been investigated. Experiments were conducted to simulate ambient conditions at different geographical locations and demonstrated a decrease in oxygen concentration in the exhaust as the humidity level in the air increased. Additionally, the effect of an inefficient turbocharger on an engine operating at part-load was also investigated. It was observed that an overly lean air/fuel mixture caused inefficient scavenging and the corresponding level of residual gas trapped in the cylinder increased. This resulted in partial combustion which could be observed as white smoke from the engine exhaust stack, therefore indicating the presence of unburnt fuel. Exhaust valve timing measurements showed that the cylinder with the highest wear rate had its valve closure timing 10 crank angle degrees after the cylinder with least wear rate. The exhaust valves were closed earlier than the designed condition which impaired the scavenging process and increased the level of residual gas trapped in the cylinder. This resulted in a reduction of the actual air-to-fuel ratio and high exhaust gas temperatures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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3125 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling the Performance of a New Speed Adjustable Compound Supercharging Diesel Engine Working under Plateau Conditions

by Meng Xia, Changlu Zhao, Fujun Zhang and Ying Huang

Energies 2017, 10(5), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10050689 - 17 May 2017

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4626

Abstract

In order to improve the diesel engine performance under plateau (high altitude) conditions, a new Speed Adjustable Compound (SAC) supercharging method is proposed. A simulation model based on a six-cylinder V-type turbocharged intercooler diesel engine is built on the GT-POWER platform, and then [...] Read more.

In order to improve the diesel engine performance under plateau (high altitude) conditions, a new Speed Adjustable Compound (SAC) supercharging method is proposed. A simulation model based on a six-cylinder V-type turbocharged intercooler diesel engine is built on the GT-POWER platform, and then simulation-based research is carried out. A genetic algorithm (GA) is used to identify the best operation parameters, including the supercharger speed and fuel injection quantity under steady state conditions. Transient performance is obtained through starting process simulation of a vehicle with SAC engine on the MATLAB/Simulink GT-POWER co-simulation platform. Both the steady and transient performance of the SAC engine are compared with those of the original engine. Results show that the torque of the SAC engine at full load is significantly increased when the engine speed n < 1600 r/min. The increment of the maximum torque can reach up to 31% at 1000 r/min compared to that of the original engine, while the peak torque is increased by 9%. The fuel consumption deterioration is restricted within 5%. What’s more, the SAC engine can help reducing the acceleration time by 20% during tip-in pedal events during the vehicle starting process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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3668 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling and Validation of a Diesel Engine with Turbocharger for Hardware-in-the-Loop Applications

by Jinguan Yin, Tiexiong Su, Zhuowei Guan, Quanhong Chu, Changjiang Meng, Li Jia, Jun Wang and Yangang Zhang

Energies 2017, 10(5), 685; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10050685 - 13 May 2017

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5576

Abstract

This paper presents a simulator model of a diesel engine with a turbocharger for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) applications, which is used to obtain engine performance data to study the engine performance under faulty conditions, to assist engineers in diagnosis and estimation, and to assist [...] Read more.

This paper presents a simulator model of a diesel engine with a turbocharger for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) applications, which is used to obtain engine performance data to study the engine performance under faulty conditions, to assist engineers in diagnosis and estimation, and to assist engineers in model-based calibration (MBC). The whole diesel engine system is divided into several functional blocks: air block, injection block, cylinder block, crankshaft block, cooling block, lubrication block, and accessory block. The diesel engine model is based on physical level, semi-physical level and mathematical level concepts, and developed by Matlab/Simulink. All the model parameters are estimated using weighted least-squares optimization and the tuning process details are presented. Since the sub-model coupling may cause errors, the validation process is then given to make the model more accurate. The results show that the tuning process is important for the functional blocks and the validation process is useful for the accuracy of the whole engine model. Subsequently, this program could be used as a plant model for MBC, to develop and test engine control units (ECUs) on HIL equipment for the purpose of improving ECU performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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1490 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fundamental Analysis of Thermal Overload in Diesel Engines: Hypothesis and Validation

by Sangram Kishore Nanda, Boru Jia, Andrew Smallbone and Anthony Paul Roskilly

Energies 2017, 10(3), 329; https://doi.org/10.3390/en10030329 - 8 Mar 2017

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4546

Abstract

‘Thermal Overload’ can be defined as a condition under which design threshold values such as the surface temperature of combustion chamber components is exceeded [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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7215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Optimization and Fuel Economy Investigation of a Series Hybrid Electric Vehicle Integrated with Diesel/RCCI Engines

by Ali Solouk and Mahdi Shahbakhti

Energies 2016, 9(12), 1020; https://doi.org/10.3390/en9121020 - 4 Dec 2016

Cited by 40 | Viewed by 9627

Abstract

Among different types of low temperature combustion (LTC) regimes, eactively controlled compression ignition (RCCI) has received a lot of attention as a promising advanced combustion engine technology with high indicated thermal efficiency and low nitrogen oxides (

{NO}_{x}

) and particulate matter [...] Read more.

Among different types of low temperature combustion (LTC) regimes, eactively controlled compression ignition (RCCI) has received a lot of attention as a promising advanced combustion engine technology with high indicated thermal efficiency and low nitrogen oxides (

{NO}_{x}

) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. In this study, an RCCI engine for the purpose of fuel economy investigation is incorporated in series hybrid electric vehicle (SHEV) architecture, which allows the engine to run completely in the narrow RCCI mode for common driving cycles. Three different types of energy management control (EMC) strategies are designed and implemented to achieve the best fuel economy. The EMC strategies encompass rule-based control (RBC), offline, and online optimal controllers, including dynamic programing (DP) and model predictive control (MPC), respectively. The simulation results show a 13.1% to 14.2% fuel economy saving by using an RCCI engine over a modern spark ignition (SI) engine in SHEV for different driving cycles. This fuel economy saving is reduced to 3% in comparison with a modern compression ignition (CI) engine, while

{NO}_{x}

emissions are significantly lower. Simulation results show that the RCCI engine offers more fuel economy improvement in more aggressive driving cycles (e.g., US06), compared to less aggressive driving cycles (e.g., UDDS). In addition, the MPC results show that sub-optimal fuel economy is achieved by predicting the vehicle speed profile for a time horizon of 70 s. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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Review

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2266 KiB

Open AccessReview

Spark Ignition Engine Combustion, Performance and Emission Products from Hydrous Ethanol and Its Blends with Gasoline

by Musaab O. El-Faroug, Fuwu Yan, Maji Luo and Richard Fiifi Turkson

Energies 2016, 9(12), 984; https://doi.org/10.3390/en9120984 - 25 Nov 2016

Cited by 54 | Viewed by 10305

Abstract

This paper reviews the serviceability of hydrous ethanol as a clean, cheap and green renewable substitute fuel for spark ignition engines and discusses the comparative chemical and physical properties of hydrous ethanol and gasoline fuels. The significant differences in the properties of hydrous [...] Read more.

This paper reviews the serviceability of hydrous ethanol as a clean, cheap and green renewable substitute fuel for spark ignition engines and discusses the comparative chemical and physical properties of hydrous ethanol and gasoline fuels. The significant differences in the properties of hydrous ethanol and gasoline fuels are sufficient to create a significant change during the combustion phase of engine operation and consequently affect the performance of spark-ignition (SI) engines. The stability of ethanol-gasoline-water blends is also discussed. Furthermore, the effects of hydrous ethanol, and its blends with gasoline fuel on SI engine combustion characteristics, cycle-to-cycle variations, engine performance parameters, and emission characteristics have been highlighted. Higher water solubility in ethanol‑gasoline blends may be obviously useful and suitable; nevertheless, the continuous ability of water to remain soluble in the blend is significantly affected by temperature. Nearly all published engine experimental results showed a significant improvement in combustion characteristics and enhanced engine performance for the use of hydrous ethanol as fuel. Moreover, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen emissions were also significantly decreased. It is also worth pointing out that unburned hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide emissions were also reduced for the use of hydrous ethanol. However, unregulated emissions such as acetaldehyde and formaldehyde were significantly increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engines 2017)

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