Optical study on characteristics of non-reacting and reacting diesel spray with different strategies of split injection

[EN] 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 backgroundillumination 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 onedimensional 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.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in the frame of the advanced spray combustion models for efficient powertrains (COMEFF) (TRA2014-59483-R) project. Funding for Tiemin Xuan's PhD studies was granted by Universitat Politecnica de Valencia through the Programa de Apoyo para la Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID) (grant reference FPI-2015-S2-1068)Desantes, J.; García-Oliver, JM.; García Martínez, A.; Xuan, T. (2019). Optical study on characteristics of non-reacting and reacting diesel spray with different strategies of split injection. International Journal of Engine Research. 20(6):606-623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087418773012S606623206Arrègle, J., Pastor, J. 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Modeling Split Injections of ECN «Spray A» Using a Conditional Moment Closure Combustion Model with RANS and LES. SAE International Journal of Engines, 9(4), 2107-2119. doi:10.4271/2016-01-2237Cung, K., Moiz, A., Johnson, J., Lee, S.-Y., Kweon, C.-B., & Montanaro, A. (2015). Spray–combustion interaction mechanism of multiple-injection under diesel engine conditions. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 35(3), 3061-3068. doi:10.1016/j.proci.2014.07.054Moiz, A. A., Cung, K. D., & Lee, S.-Y. (2017). Simultaneous Schlieren–PLIF Studies for Ignition and Soot Luminosity Visualization With Close-Coupled High-Pressure Double Injections of n-Dodecane. Journal of Energy Resources Technology, 139(1). doi:10.1115/1.4035071Maes, N., Bakker, P. C., Dam, N., & Somers, B. (2017). Transient Flame Development in a Constant-Volume Vessel Using a Split-Scheme Injection Strategy. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 10(2), 318-327. doi:10.4271/2017-01-0815Moiz, A. A., Ameen, M. 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Two-Color Diffused Back-Illumination Imaging as a Diagnostic for Time-Resolved Soot Measurements in Reacting Sprays. SAE International Journal of Engines, 6(4), 1908-1921. doi:10.4271/2013-01-2548Choi, M. Y., Mulholland, G. W., Hamins, A., & Kashiwagi, T. (1995). Comparisons of the soot volume fraction using gravimetric and light extinction techniques. Combustion and Flame, 102(1-2), 161-169. doi:10.1016/0010-2180(94)00282-wKnox, B. W., & Genzale, C. L. (2015). Reduced-order numerical model for transient reacting diesel sprays with detailed kinetics. International Journal of Engine Research, 17(3), 261-279. doi:10.1177/1468087415570765Burke, S. P., & Schumann, T. E. W. (1928). Diffusion Flames. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 20(10), 998-1004. doi:10.1021/ie50226a005Desantes, J. M., García-Oliver, J. M., Xuan, T., & Vera-Tudela, W. (2017). A study on tip penetration velocity and radial expansion of reacting diesel sprays with different fuels. 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The initiation and development of combustion under cold idling conditions using a glow plug in diesel engines

Factors determining the success or failure of combustion initiation using a glow plug have been investigated through experimental work on a single cylinder, common rail diesel engine with a geometric compression ratio of 15.5, and a quiescent combustion bomb with optical access. A glow plug was required to avoid engine misfires when bulk gas temperature at the start of injection was less than 413 C. The distance between the glow plug and the spray edge, the glow plug temperature, and the bulk gas temperature were important factors in meeting two requirements for successful ignition: a minimum local temperature of 413 C and a minimum air/fuel vapour equivalence ratio of 0.15–0.35

Optimisation of the vehicle transmission and the gear-shifting strategy for the minimum fuel consumption and the minimum nitrogen oxide emissions

The paper outlines a computationally efficient analytical method for evaluating the fuel consumption and the nitrogen oxide emissions during manoeuvres pertaining to the New European Driving Cycle. An integrated optimisation procedure is also included in the analyses with minimisation of the brake specific fuel consumption and minimisation of the nitrogen oxide emissions as objective functions. A set of optimum gear ratios are determined for a four-speed transmission, a five-speed transmission and six-speed transmission as the governing parameters in the optimisation process. The analysis highlights the determination of gear-shifting objective-driven strategies based on the minimisation of either of the declared objective functions. A reduction of 7.5% in the brake specific fuel consumption and a reduction of 6.75% in nitrogen oxide emissions are attainable in the best-case scenario for a six-speed transmission and a gear-shifting strategy based on the lowest brake specific fuel consumption for the case of an engine. The novel integrated analytical simulations and multi-objective optimisation have not been hitherto reported in literature. It provides the opportunity for an objective intelligent-based approach to the use of gear shift indicator technology. The results of this study also show that transmission optimisation can act as an effective and inexpensive mean to enhance the fuel efficiency and to reduce the emissions

Cycle-to-cycle combustion variability modelling in spark ignited engines for control purposes

This is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Engine Research. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published as https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087419885754.[EN] A control-oriented model of spark ignition combustion is presented. The model makes use of avaliable signals, such as spark advance, air mass, intake pressure, and lambda, to characterize not only the average combustion evolution but also the cycle-to-cycle variability. The conventional turbulent flame propagation model with two states, namely entrained mass and burnt mass, is improved by look-up tables at some parameters, and the cycle-to-cycle variability is estimated by propagation of an exogenous noise with a normal probabilistic distribution at the turbulent and laminar flame speed, which intends to simulate the unknowns at turbulent flow, temperature distribution, or initial kernel distribution. The model is able to estimate which is the expected variability during the combustion evolution and might be used online for characterizing the time response of closed-loop control actions or it can be used offline to improve the control strategies without large experimental test campaigns. Experimental data from a four-stroke commercial engine was used for calibration and validation purposes, demonstrating the capabilities of the model in steady and transient conditions.The authors appreciate the technical support and the clues given by J. Israel Sanchez for the model development and also acknowledge the support of Spanish Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad through project TRA2016-78717-R.Pla Moreno, B.; De La Morena, J.; Bares-Moreno, P.; Jimenez, IA. (2020). Cycle-to-cycle combustion variability modelling in spark ignited engines for control purposes. International Journal of Engine Research. 21(8):1398-1411. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468087419885754S13981411218Wang, S., Prucka, R., Zhu, Q., Prucka, M., & Dourra, H. (2016). A Real-Time Model for Spark Ignition Engine Combustion Phasing Prediction. SAE International Journal of Engines, 9(2), 1180-1190. doi:10.4271/2016-01-0819Kim, N., Ko, I., & Min, K. (2018). Development of a zero-dimensional turbulence model for a spark ignition engine. International Journal of Engine Research, 20(4), 441-451. doi:10.1177/1468087418760406Wang, S., Zhu, Q., Prucka, R., Prucka, M., & Dourra, H. (2015). Input Adaptation for Control Oriented Physics-Based SI Engine Combustion Models Based on Cylinder Pressure Feedback. SAE International Journal of Engines, 8(4), 1463-1471. doi:10.4271/2015-01-0877Zhen, X., Wang, Y., Xu, S., Zhu, Y., Tao, C., Xu, T., & Song, M. (2012). The engine knock analysis – An overview. Applied Energy, 92, 628-636. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2011.11.079Bares, P., Selmanaj, D., Guardiola, C., & Onder, C. (2018). Knock probability estimation through an in-cylinder temperature model with exogenous noise. Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 98, 756-769. doi:10.1016/j.ymssp.2017.05.033Zhang, Y., Shen, X., Wu, Y., & Shen, T. (2019). On-board knock probability map learning–based spark advance control for combustion engines. International Journal of Engine Research, 20(10), 1073-1088. doi:10.1177/1468087419858026Spelina, J. M., Peyton Jones, J. C., & Frey, J. (2014). Stochastic simulation and analysis of a classical knock controller. 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Investigating in-service failures of water pipes from a multiaxial notch fatigue point of view: A conceptual study

Many mechanisms and processes can cause deterioration and ultimately failure of water distribution pipes during in-service operation, amongst these is damage caused by metal fatigue. This paper summarises an attempt at formalising a novel methodology suitable for estimating the number of years taken for a through thickness fatigue crack to form in this complex scenario. The devised method is based on the so-called modified Wo¨hler curve method and can be applied to estimate fatigue damage of water pipes independently from the degree of multiaxiality and non-proportionality of the load history. The computational approach of the proposed fatigue life estimation technique makes full use of an incremental procedure: fatigue damage is evaluated year by year by assuming that all variable involved in the process can change over time. The detrimental effect of corrosion pits is directly accounted for by treating them as conventional notches whose size increases with time. Finally, by taking as reference information the number of years for a blowout hole to form, the proposed approach is used to show how the lifetime of grey cast iron pipes can be remarkably shortened by fatigue

Effects of advanced injection strategies on the in-cylinder air-fuel homogeneity of diesel engines

This document is an Accepted Manuscript. The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering, Vol. 228 (3), February 2015, published by SAGE Publishing, All rights reserved.The air–fuel mixing quality in the combustion chamber of a diesel engine is very critical for controlling the ignition and the combustion quality of direct-injection diesel engines. With a view to understanding the air–fuel mixing behaviour and the effect of the mixture quality on the emissions formation, an innovative approach with a new quantitative factor of the in-cylinder air–fuel homogeneity, called the homogeneity factor, was used, and its characteristics under various injection conditions were analysed with computational fluid dynamics simulations. By investigating the effect of advanced injection strategies on the homogeneity of the mixture and the emissions production, the study suggested that the homogeneity factor is greatly affected by the pulse number of injections, the injection timing and the dwell angle between two injections. The more advanced the injection taking place in the cylinder, the earlier the air–fuel mixing quality reaches a high level. Although the homogeneity factor is not sufficiently precise by itself to reflect the emissions formation, the results demonstrated that most often, the higher the homogeneity available in the cylinder, the more nitrogen oxides and the less soot were formedPeer reviewe

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty