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Oxymethylene dimethyl ethers (OMEx), having a chemical formula of CH3O-(CH2O)x-CH3 where x varies from 1 to 5, have been widely considered as a promising fuel to partially replace diesel in CI engines in terms of reducing soot emissions. This work is focused on developing a reduced primary reference fuel (PRF)-OMEx chemical mechanism to better describe the combustion and emission characteristics of gasoline/diesel blends with OMEx. The novelty of this work lies in the fact that the OMEx part of the mechanism is represented not only by OME3 as done in most studies found in literature, but also with other OME chain lengths that is, OME2-4 which are considered to be optimum and better represent the commercial OMEx blends. For this purpose, a detailed OMEx mechanism is reduced by applying different reduction techniques considering a wide range of operating conditions including pressure, temperatures, equivalence ratios and fuel compositions. The result is merged with an already validated PRF mechanism to form a reduced PRF-OMEx mechanism consisting of 213 species and 840 reactions. The newly formed mechanism is validated against a wide set of experimental data including ignition delay times, laminar flame speeds and species concentration profiles. Furthermore, a rigorous set of numerical simulations for various diesel-OMEx blends in a compression ignition engine are carried out at two different operating points to validate the developed mechanism. Simulation results highlight that the developed mechanism not only replicates the experimental behavior in terms of in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate but exhibits a better combustion phasing closer to experimental data when compared with other mechanisms where only OME3 is utilized to represent OMEx. Overall, the developed PRF-OMEx mechanism proves to be realistic and suitable for application in engine combustion simulations involving gasoline/diesel and OMEx blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution to the dilemma of carbon footprint of internal combustion engines and pollutant emissions is necessary for the survival of this technology. In this context, alternative fuels have shown great potential in terms of achieving cleaner combustion and compliance with ever increasing pollutant emissions regulations. This work is focused on the study of two promising alternative fuels as Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which is a biofuel and Dimethoxymethane also termed as OME1, which is an e-fuel. A comprehensive numerical approach has been followed to study these fuels. Primarily a compact reaction mechanism having 121 species and 678 reactions has been developed which can be utilized to perform 3D CFD simulations of blends of these fuels. Secondly, a detailed numerical investigation including combustion and emissions analysis has been carried out. Results show that the developed mechanism is able to offer predictions, which match the experimental behavior observed in various combustion parameters and thus can be utilized for compression ignition engine applications involving these promising fuels. In addition, the numerical analysis also highlights that a reduction of 50% and 37% in terms soot and NOx emissions respectively can be achieved by addition of 30% OME1 in the blend containing HVO, suggesting that these blends can be utilized in unmodified CI engines to break the soot-NOx tradeoff without significantly penalizing the energy loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mitigation of the carbon footprint of internal combustion engines is mandatory to ensure a future for this technology. Within this scope, e-fuels are considered a potential solution to replace conventional fossil fuels. However, in some cases, their physical and chemical properties are so different that its application in conventional engines is complex. For this reason, this work focuses on the study of oxymethylene ethers (OMEX) as a potential low-carbon fuel alternative. The aim is to improve the understanding of the combustion process of these e-fuels when they replace fossil Diesel in internal combustion engines under equivalent operating conditions. To achieve this objective, a computational fluid dynamics model of an optical compression ignition engine has been developed. The operating conditions chosen are representative of a medium load point of the engine, which coincide with experimental work previously done on this platform. n-Heptane was used as surrogate of fossil Diesel while OMEX was simulated as a simpler mixture of oxymethylene ether molecules. Results show remarkable differences between Diesel and OMEX. This fuel provides lower equivalence ratio fields. Thus, oxidation reactions are promoted in wider areas within the combustion chamber, leading to a faster combustion process. Besides, the soot formation is also drastically decreased in comparison to the other fuel. These results have been corroborated with experimental information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting with two well-tested, one-dimensional models of non-evaporating, mixing-limited sprays, governing equations for liquid mass and two-phase momentum for each model can be manipulated to reveal the formal similarity between momentum and liquid volume fraction. The consequence of this similarity is that momentum, when properly non-dimensionalized, is equal to the liquid volume fraction at any time and at any axial location within a non-evaporating, mixing-limited spray with a constant rate of injection. An alternative, the more well-known similarity between mass fraction and velocity, is also mathematically evident. We compare predictions of this mathematical analysis to high-fidelity, first-principles simulation results of a non-evaporating spray to assess the validity of the theoretical similarity. The analysis of the simulation not only confirms the mathematical derivations but also points to subtlety in the definition of the spray velocity. In particular, the density-weighted velocity is required to observe similarity. The requirement of density-weighted velocity means that similarity tests require knowledge of both phase velocities. The agreement also works to confirm that the first-principles simulations are indeed mixing-limited, despite the finite nature of domain size and resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decarbonization process of the automotive industry and the road transport sector has raised the interest on the development of cleaner fuels. A proper characterization of their properties and behavior under different operating conditions is mandatory to achieve an effective implementation in commercial engines. With this objective, the current work presents a comparison of two injectors from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN), namely Spray A and Spray D injectors, in terms of spray characteristics and combustion behavior for different fuels: diesel, dodecane, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), and two types of oxymethylene ethers (OME1 and OME x ). The aim is to analyze how differences in nozzle geometry affect the behavior of different types of fuels. The experiments were carried out in a High Temperature and High Pressure test rig and operating conditions were chosen following ECN guidelines. Visualization techniques such as high speed schlieren imaging, OH* chemiluminescence and diffused back illumination were implemented to analyze the differences in liquid length, vapor penetration, auto ignition, flame lift-off length, and soot formation for both nozzles. In general, results showed the same trend for all the fuels tested: longer liquid length and faster vapor penetration for Spray D, as well as higher ignition delay and longer lift-off length. However, it was found that these parameters were less sensitive to the nozzle diameter for the oxygenated fuels tested. Furthermore, a different trend was observed for OME1, in terms of ignition behavior, in comparison to the other fuels. In terms of soot production, the Spray D nozzle increases its formation with the non-oxygenated fuels. In contrast, no soot was observed with the oxygenated ones under any operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI) remains one of the challenges of Direct Injection (DI) Spark Ignition (SI) engines due to its potential to induce a heavy knock. Several mechanisms have been identified in the literature as plausible causes for LSPI. The physical and chemical properties of lubricant oils play a role on some of these causes. The present work aims at getting an independent procedure to determine the proneness of lubricant oils to ignite. To this end, the ignition delay (ID) of different oil formulations is experimentally determined in a constant-pressure flow facility through two different optical techniques: Schlieren and OH* chemiluminescence imaging. The investigation explores the effect of base-stock formulation, oil specification quality level, different additive types content, aging, and oxidation on oil reactivity for several thermodynamic conditions. Differences in ignition delay were found among base stocks, correlating with the American Petroleum Institute (API) group classification. However, no significant differences were found among additive packages previously reported to yield different LSPI occurrences. Hence, differences in reactivity among lubricating oil formulations are not the determining factor explaining their different LSPI occurrences in an engine. Similarly, specific lubricant additive content, aging, and oxidation do not importantly modify the measured ignition delay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes an experimental installation for the investigation of the combustion and injection processes. This installation is based on a two-stroke direct injection diesel engine with a total displacement of 3 L and a cylinder head equipped with three quartz windows. The windows are optical accesses that allow studying the process of injection, the atomization and evaporation of the fuel jet in an inert atmosphere (nitrogen), and the combustion process in a reactive atmosphere (ambient air). Additionally, the application of a two-color pyrometry technique to measure soot formation in this facility is presented. A methodological study is carried out regarding the influence of the dynamic range of the detectors and the wavelengths used. Maps of KL 2 C , flame temperature, and error probability are presented. The use of cameras with high dynamic range provides better results since the system seems to be less sensitive to measurement noise, and fewer points are obtained with a non-physical solution. Moreover, an appropriate combination of interference filters can improve the reliability of the solution. The greater the difference between the wavelengths of both interference filters, the fewer points with a non-physical solution, which improves the reliability of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This work contributes to the understanding of the macroscopic characteristics of the spray as well as to the evolution of the combustion process for alternative fuels. All these fuels have been studied under the same operating conditions than diesel therefore the comparison can be made directly, leaving in evidence that some fuels can achieve a similar behavior to diesel in terms of auto ignition but avoiding one of the biggest disadvantages of diesel such as the soot formation. Moreover, the quantification of characteristic parameters such as ignition delay, liquid length, vapor penetration and flame lift-off length represent the most important data to adjust and subsequently validate the computational models that simulate the spray evolution and combustion development of these alternative fuels inside the combustion chamber. The stringent emission regulations have motivated the development of cleaner fuels as diesel surrogates. However, their different physical-chemical properties make the study of their behavior in compression ignition engines essential. In this sense, optical techniques are a very effective tool for determining the spray evolution and combustion characteristics occurring in the combustion chamber. In this work, quantitative parameters describing the evolution of diesel-like sprays such as liquid length, spray penetration, ignition delay, lift-off length and flame penetration as well as the soot formation were tested in a constant high pressure and high temperature installation using schlieren, OH∗ chemiluminescence and diffused back-illumination extinction imaging techniques. Boundary conditions such as rail pressure, chamber density and temperature were defined using guidelines from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN). Two paraffinic fuels (dodecane and a renewable hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)) and two oxygenated fuels (methylal identified as OME1 and a blend of oxymethylene ethers, identified as OMEx) were tested and compared to a conventional diesel fuel used as reference. Results showed that paraffinic fuels and OMEx sprays have similar behavior in terms of global combustion metrics. In the case of OME1, a shorter liquid length, but longer ignition delay time and flame lift-off length were observed. However, in terms of soot formation, a big difference between paraffinic and oxygenated fuels could be appreciated. While paraffinic fuels did not show any significant decrease of soot formation when compared to diesel fuel, soot formed by OME1 and OMEx was below the detection threshold in all tested conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the application of an existing interactive application for teaching spray dynamics in engineering degrees. The model is based on spray momentum conservation and can be used to evaluate both fuel‐air mixing characteristics in inert conditions as well as diffusion flame performance once combustion takes place. During a dedicated computer‐lab session, the students perform parametric studies regarding the influence of the nozzle outlet diameter, the combustion chamber density and the spray cone opening angle on the mixing process, characterized by the maximum stoichiometric length. Later on, the effect of the combustion reaction on the mixing field is evaluated. The results are analyzed taking as a reference to the theoretical development made by Spalding and Schlichting for diffusion gas jets. The outcomes of several years using this technique are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though studies on split-injection strategies have been published in recent years, there are still many remaining questions about how the first injection affects the mixing and combustion processes of the second one by changing the dwell time between both injection events or by the first injection quantity. In this article, split-injection diesel sprays with different injection strategies are investigated. Visualization of n-dodecane sprays was carried out under both non-reacting and reacting operating conditions in an optically accessible two-stroke engine equipped with a single-hole diesel injector. High-speed Schlieren imaging was applied to visualize the spray geometry development, while diffused background-illumination extinction imaging was applied to quantify the instantaneous soot production (net result of soot formation and oxidation). For non-reacting conditions, it was found that the vapor phase of second injection penetrates faster with a shorter dwell time and independently of the duration of the first injection. This could be explained in terms of one-dimensional spray model results, which provided information on the local mixing and momentum state within the flow. Under reacting conditions, interaction between the second injection and combustion recession of the first injection is observed, resulting in shorter ignition delay and lift-off compared to the first injection. However, soot production behaves differently with different injection strategies. The maximum instantaneous soot mass produced by the second injection increases with a shorter dwell time and with longer first injection duration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, 10 premixed diesel low-temperature combustion engine operating conditions were chosen based on engine intake pressure (1.2–1.6 bar), intake oxygen concentration (10%, 11%, and 12%), and injection timing (−24° after top dead centre in all test conditions). At each intake oxygen concentration, the effects of intake pressure on combustion parameters and emission measurements (carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter mass concentration, and particle size distributions) were analyzed. Although increased intake pressure resulted in higher in-cylinder charge air density that improved fuel/air premixing and late-cycle oxidation quality, higher intake pressure also advanced the start of combustion and thereby decreased the time available for fuel and air premixing. But even with the decrease in premixing time available before start of combustion, increased intake pressure caused significant decreases in carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, particulate matter mass, and particle number emissions. Particle size distribution measurements allowed greater understanding of how higher intake pressure decreased the particulate matter mass concentrations with respect to particle size. To further investigate the experimental results, a zero-dimensional engine heat release code was used to analyze combustion temperatures, and a one-dimensional free spray model was used to estimate the relative levels of liquid fuel spray impingement on the piston surface and maximum local equivalence ratio at start of combustion for each test case. Therefore, though the premixing time was shortened by higher intake pressures, the decreased emissions were understood by combined effects of enhanced fuel and air premixing quality and improved late-cycle oxidation near the end of combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although biodiesel has begun to penetrate the fuel market, its effect on injection processes, combustion and emission formation under diesel engine conditions remains somewhat unclear. Typical exhaust measurements from engines running biodiesel indicate that particulate matter, carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons are decreased, whereas nitrogen oxide emissions tend to be increased. However, these observations are the result of complex interactions between physical and chemical processes occurring in the combustion chamber, for which understanding is still needed.To characterize and decouple the physical and chemical influences of biodiesel on spray mixing, ignition, combustion and soot formation, a soy methyl-ester (SME) biodiesel is injected into a constant-volume combustion facility under diesel-like operating conditions. A range of optical diagnostics is performed, comparing biodiesel to a conventional #2 diesel at the same injection and ambient conditions.Schlieren high-speed imaging shows virtually the same vapour-phase penetration for the two fuels, while simultaneous Mie-scatter imaging shows that the maximum liquid-phase penetration of biodiesel is higher than diesel. Differences in the liquid-phase penetration are expected because of the different boiling-point temperatures of the two fuels. However, the different liquid-phase penetration does not affect overall mixing rate and downstream vapour-phase penetration because each fuel spray has similar momentum and spreading angle. For the biodiesel and diesel samples used in this study, the ignition delay and lift-off length are only slightly less for biodiesel compared to diesel, consistent with the fuel cetane number (51 for biodiesel, 46 for diesel). Because of the similarity in lift-off length, the differences in equivalence ratio distribution at the lift-off length are mainly affected by the oxygen content of the fuels. For biodiesel, the equivalence ratio is reduced, which, along with the fuel molecular structure and oxygen content, significantly affects soot formation downstream. Spatially resolved soot volume fraction measurements obtained by combining line-of-sight laser extinction measurements with planar laser-induced incandescence imaging show that the soot concentration can be reduced by an order of magnitude for biodiesel. These integrated measurements of spray mixing, combustion and quantitative soot concentration provide new validation data for the development of computational fluid dynamics spray, combustion and soot formation models suitable for the latest biofuels. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Multiple injection strategies have increased their capabilities along with the evolution of injection system technologies up to the point that nowadays it is possible to inject eight different pulses, permitting to improve the engine performance, and consequently, emissions. The present work was realized for two simplified strategies: a pilot-main and a main-post, in order to analyze the influence of an auxiliary pulse on the main and otherwise, in reactive conditions for two pilot/post quantities and four hydraulic dwell times. The study was carried out by employing two optical techniques: diffused back-illumination with flame bandpass chemiluminescence for measuring soot, represented by soot-maps distribution, and single-pass schlieren for ignition delay (ID). Furthermore, a novel methodology for decoupling the start of combustion (SOC) of the second pulse was developed and successfully validated. From the ignition delay results, it was found for all test points that the pilot injection enhanced conditions, which promote a faster ignition of the main pulse, also at higher chamber temperatures, all conditions presented a separate combustion event for each injection. In emission terms, soot increased in the pilot-main strategies compared to its single injection case, as well as, in conditions that promote faster-premixed combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]