Improved internal combustion engine simulations of natural gas (NG) combustion under conventional and advanced combustion strategies have the potential to increase the use of NG in the transportation sector in the U.S. This study focused on the physics of turbulent flame propagation. The experiments were performed in a single-cylinder heavy-duty compression-ignition (CI) optical engine with a bowl-in piston that was converted to spark ignition (SI) NG operation. The size and growth rate of the early flame from the start of combustion (SOC) until the flame filled the camera field-of-view were correlated to combustion parameters determined from in-cylinder pressure data, under low-speed, lean-mixture, and medium-load conditions. Individual cycles showed evidence of turbulent flame wrinkling, but the cycle-averaged flame edge propagated almost circular in the two-dimensional (2D) images recorded from below. More, the flame-speed data suggested different flame propagation inside a bowl-in piston geometry compared to a typical SI engine chamber. For example, while the flame front propagated very fast inside the piston bowl, the corresponding mass fraction burn was small, which suggested a thick flame region. In addition, combustion images showed flame activity after the end of combustion (EOC) inferred from the pressure trace. All these findings support the need for further investigations of flame propagation under conditions representative of CI engine geometries, such as those in this study.
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August 2018
Research-Article
An Experimental Investigation of Early Flame Development in an Optical Spark Ignition Engine Fueled With Natural Gas
Cosmin E. Dumitrescu,
Cosmin E. Dumitrescu
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines
and Emissions (CAFEE),
Center for Innovation in Gas Research and
Utilization (CIGRU),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: cosmin.dumitrescu@mail.wvu.edu
and Emissions (CAFEE),
Center for Innovation in Gas Research and
Utilization (CIGRU),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: cosmin.dumitrescu@mail.wvu.edu
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Vishnu Padmanaban,
Vishnu Padmanaban
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: vipadmanaban@mix.wvu.edu
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: vipadmanaban@mix.wvu.edu
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Jinlong Liu
Jinlong Liu
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: jlliu@mix.wvu.edu
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: jlliu@mix.wvu.edu
Search for other works by this author on:
Cosmin E. Dumitrescu
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines
and Emissions (CAFEE),
Center for Innovation in Gas Research and
Utilization (CIGRU),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: cosmin.dumitrescu@mail.wvu.edu
and Emissions (CAFEE),
Center for Innovation in Gas Research and
Utilization (CIGRU),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: cosmin.dumitrescu@mail.wvu.edu
Vishnu Padmanaban
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: vipadmanaban@mix.wvu.edu
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: vipadmanaban@mix.wvu.edu
Jinlong Liu
Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: jlliu@mix.wvu.edu
Emissions (CAFEE),
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV 26506
e-mail: jlliu@mix.wvu.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the IC Engine Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER. Manuscript received February 19, 2018; final manuscript received February 26, 2018; published online May 29, 2018. Editor: David Wisler.
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Aug 2018, 140(8): 082802 (9 pages)
Published Online: May 29, 2018
Article history
Received:
February 19, 2018
Revised:
February 26, 2018
Citation
Dumitrescu, C. E., Padmanaban, V., and Liu, J. (May 29, 2018). "An Experimental Investigation of Early Flame Development in an Optical Spark Ignition Engine Fueled With Natural Gas." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. August 2018; 140(8): 082802. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4039616
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