Climate change concerns have forced the automotive industry to develop more efficient powertrain technologies, including the potential for fuel cell systems. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) demonstrate exceptional fuel flexibility and can operate on conventional, widely available hydrocarbon fuels with limited requirements for fuel reformation. Current hybrid powertrains combining fuel cell systems with internal combustion engines (ICEs) fail to mitigate the disadvantages of requiring fuel reformation by placing the engine downstream of the fuel cell system. This work, thus investigates the upstream placement of the engine, eliminating the need for fuel processing catalysts and the heating of complex fuel reformers. The ICE burns a fuel-rich mixture through rapid compression ignition, performing partial oxidation fuel reformation. To test the feasibility of a fuel cell system operating on such ICE exhaust, chemical kinetic model simulations were performed, creating model exhaust containing ∼43.0% syngas. A micro-tubular SOFC (μT-SOFC) was tested for power output with this exhaust, and generated ∼730 mW/cm2 (∼86% of its maximum output obtained with pure hydrogen fuel). Combustion testing was subsequently performed in a test chamber, and despite insufficient equipment limiting the maximum pressure of the combustion chamber, began to validate the model. The exhaust from these tests contained all of the predicted chemical species and, on average, ∼21.8% syngas, but would have resembled the model more closely given higher pressures. This work examines the viability of a novel combined ICE and fuel cell hybrid system, displaying potential for a more cost-effective/efficient solution than current fuel cell systems.

This paper investigates the effects of the inlet turbulence intensity (ITI) on the dynamics of a bluff-body stabilized flame operating very close to its blow-off condition. This work is motivated by the understanding that more stringent regulations on combustion-generated emission have forced the industry to design combustion systems that operate at very fuel-lean conditions. Combustion at very lean conditions, however, induces flame instability that can ultimately lead to flame extinction. The dynamics of the flame at lean conditions can therefore be very sensitive to boundary conditions. Here, a numerical investigation is conducted using Large Eddy Simulation method to understand the flame sensitivity to inlet turbulence intensity. Combustion is accounted for through the transport of chemical species. The sensitivity to inlet turbulence is assessed by carrying out simulations in which the inlet turbulence is varied in increments of 5%. It is observed that while the inlet intensity of 5% causes blow-off, further increased to 10% preserves a healthy flame on account of greater heat release arising from greater and balanced entrainment of combustible mixtures into the flame zone just behind the bluff-body. This balanced stabilization is again lost as the inlet turbulence intensity is further increased to 15%. Since experimental data pertaining to the topic of this paper are rare, the reasonableness of the combination of models is first checked by validating Volvo propane bluff-body flame, whereby reasonable agreement is observed. This study will advance our understanding of the sensitivity of bluff-body flames to boundary conditions specifically to the inlet turbulent boundary condition at near critical blow-off flame conditions.

Byproducts of fossil fuel combustion contribute to negative changes in the global climate. Specifically, emissions from automobiles are a major source of greenhouse gas pollution. Efforts to minimize these harmful emissions have led to the development and sustained improvement of hybrid drivetrains in automobiles. Despite many advancements, however, hybrid systems still face substantial challenges which bear on their practicality, performance, and competitive disadvantage in view of the low cost of today’s traditional internal combustion engines. These imperfections notwithstanding, hybrid electric vehicles have the potential to play significant roles in the future as cleaner transportation solutions. Actualization of this potential will depend on the ability of hybrid-electric vehicles to minimize their disadvantages while increasing their positive features relative to traditional combustion engines. This research investigates current hybrid electric architectures in automobiles with the aim of suggesting an alternative, more efficient hybrid configuration that utilizes current technology. This is completed by utilizing an iterative design process to compare how various components of existing hybrids can be combined and/or improved to develop a single, efficient and cohesive system that performs comparably to or surpasses existing ones in fuel efficiency and low emissions in all driving conditions. A critical and comparative analysis is provided based on current hybrid-electric vehicle architectures as well as a plausible alternative.

Methane (CH 4 ) and bio alcohols have different ignition properties. These have been extensively studied and the resulting experimental data have been used to validate chemical kinetic models. Methane is the main component of natural gas, which is of interest because of its relative availability and lower emissions compared to other hydrocarbon fuels. Given growing interest in fuel-flexible systems, there can be situations in which the combustion properties of natural gas need to be modified by adding biofuels, such as bio alcohols. This can occur in dual fuel internal combustion engines or gas turbines with dual fuel capabilities. The combustion behavior of such blends can be understood by studying the auto ignition properties in fundamental combustion experiments. Studies of the ignition of such blends are very limited in the literature. In this work, the auto ignition of methane and bio alcohol fuel blends is investigated using a shock tube facility. The chosen bio alcohols are ethanol (C 2 H 5 OH) and n-propanol (NC 3 H 7 OH). Experiments are carried out at 3 atm and 10 atm for stoichiometric and lean mixtures of fuel, oxygen, and argon. The ignition delay times of the pure fuels are first established at conditions of constant oxygen concentration and comparable pressures. The ignition delay times of blends with 50% methane are then measured. The pyrolysis kinetics of the blends is further explored by measuring CO formation during pyrolysis of the alcohol and methane-alcohol blends. The resulting experimental data are compared with the predictions of selected chemical kinetic models to establish the ability of these models to predict the disproportionate enhancement of methane ignition by the added alcohol.

For the purposes of combustion analysis, n-dodecane is used as the surrogate or a surrogate component for biodiesel and jet fuel. In order to capture kinetic effects in computational combustion, detailed and reduced models of n-dodecane are therefore used. This paper presents a comparative analysis of selected detailed chemical kinetic models of n-dodecane as well as reduction of these detailed models to more compact skeletal versions. The selected models are compared based on their ability to predict ignition phenomena. Measured ignition delay times from the literature are used as references. Both low- and high-temperature ignition simulations are considered. To further facilitate future computational combustion analysis, the detailed models are reduced using the Alternative Species Elimination (ASE) approach reported by Akih-Kumgeh and Bergthorson (Energy & Fuels, 2316–2326, 2013). The resulting skeletal models are compared in terms of their retained species, ranked species sensitivities, and kinetic parameters of the key reactions. Furthermore, within the framework of this paper, another model reduction technique is explored. The aim of this method is to further decrease model reduction time since this is often considered as a weakness of the otherwise effective ASE method. The resulting models from this exploratory reduction approach are compared with those obtained from the ASE method in terms of species retained and the accuracy with which combustion properties from the detailed models are predicted. Further chemical kinetic analysis of the reduced models is carried out with the aim of explaining observed similarities and differences.

This work extends the species sensitivity method of model reduction known as Alternate Species Elimination (ASE) to a stochastic version. The new Stochastic Species Elimination (SSE) approach allows for a linear reduction in the number of species retained in the course of reduction. It improves the computational cost and offers flexibility to the user in terminating the reduction process when an acceptable model size is attained. Larger chemical kinetic models, such as the recent literature model of n-octanol, are approached with the SSE method coupled with multiple species sampling. This further allows for a faster model reduction process. These modified approaches are applied to the reduction of selected chemical kinetic models based on ignition simulations: the n-heptane model by Mehl et al. (654 species, 5258 reactions), reduced using the SSE method (293 species, 2792 reactions) and the ASE method (245 species, 2405 reactions); the iso-octane model by Mehl et al. (874 species, 7522 reactions), reduced to an SSE version (315 species, 3037 reactions) and an ASE version (306 species, 2732 reactions); and the n-octanol model by Cai et al. (1281 species, 5537 reactions), with a reduced SSE version (450 species, 2532 reactions). Resulting skeletal models are shown to adequately predict ignition delay times as well as flame propagation when compared to the predictions of the detailed models. Burning velocity predictions are well-captured even though the reduction is based on ignition delay simulations.

The goal of this study was to select and test some analysis tools to identify and characterize precursors to the onset of thermo-acoustic pulsation in a gas turbine combustor. The target flame was a turbulent, swirl-stability ethylene-air flame operated at ϕ = 0.91, and 5 bars pressure. 3-component stereo-particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements, acquired at 9.3 kHz over periods of approximately 4 seconds were used to characterize the flow-field near the exit plane of the combustor. Acoustic measurements and OH*-chemiluminescence images were acquired synchronously, with OH* images acquired at every third cycle of the PIV measurement system. Analysis revealed the presence of two characteristic frequencies in the data for the stable flame; a 475 Hz oscillation associated with the shear-layer dynamics and a weak thermo-acoustic oscillation 610 Hz. In the excited state, a 720 Hz self-excited thermo-acoustic oscillation dominated combustor dynamics. A possible precursor event was identified in the form of a 635 Hz oscillation that appeared in the data 0.15s prior to transition. Bandpass filtering of the velocity data at this frequency showed this oscillation originates in the outer recirculation zone of the combustor.

An emerging goal within the aviation industry is to replace conventional jet fuel with biologically-derived alternative fuel sources. However, the combustion properties of these potential fuels must be thoroughly characterized before they can be considered as replacements in turbomachinery applications. In this study, seven candidate alternative fuel blends, derived from two biological feedstocks and blended in different quantities with Jet A-1, are considered. For each blend, the laminar flame speed, non-premixed extinction stretch rate, and vapor pressure are experimentally determined and compared to numerical simulations and to Jet A-1 data. Hydrodynamically-stretched flame speeds are determined by applying particle image velocimetry (PIV) to an atmospheric pressure, preheated jet-wall stagnation flame, and the unstretched laminar flame speed is inferred using a direct comparison method in conjunction with a binary jet-fuel surrogate, with results spanning a wide equivalence ratio range. Extinction stretch rates were measured using particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) in a non-premixed counterflow diffusion flame, over a range of fuel mass fractions diluted in nitrogen carrier gas. Finally, the vapor pressure of the seven biojet/Jet A-1 fuel blends was measured using an isoteniscope over a wide temperature range. The results of this study indicate that moderate blends of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) fuel with Jet A-1 have similar combustion properties to conventional jet fuel, highlighting their suitability as drop-in replacements, while higher blend levels of HRJ fuel, regardless of the crop source, lead to definitive changes in the combustion parameters investigated here.

A large eddy simulation (LES) of a turbulent swirl stabilized jet-A1 flame is presented. The scope of the study is to incorporate a reduced chemistry model, as well as, coupling the turbulent flow characteristics to the chemical reactions and at the same time model the local chemical non-equilibrium due to the turbulent strain. Standard Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches are used to describe both gas and liquid phases, respectively. A joint presumed probability density function (PDF) is used to model turbulent-chemistry interactions in swirling jet-A1 spray flames. A one-component fuel, n-decane, is used as a surrogate for jet-A1. The combustion chemistry of the one component is represented through a reduced chemical kinetic mechanism (CKM) which comprises 139 species and 1 045 reactions, derived from the detailed jet fuel surrogate model, JetSurf 2.0. Numerical results of the gas velocity, the gas temperature and the species mole fractions are compared with a set of published experimental data of a steady flame. In addition to the overall reasonable agreement obtained with the experimental data, it is observed that, by combining a sufficiently realistic chemistry model with LES to simulate a jet-A1 spray flame, the prediction of major species is significantly improved while pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and other species involved in slow reactions, are under predicted for reasons discussed in the paper.