A Study on the Effect of a Calcium-Based Engine Oil Additive on Abnormal SI Engine Combustion

摘要

Supercharged direct-injection engines are known to have a tendency toward abnormal combustion such as spontaneous low-speed pre-ignition and strong knock because they operate under low-speed, high-load conditions conducive to the occurrence of irregular combustion. It has been hypothesized that one cause of such abnormal combustion is the intrusion of engine oil droplets into the combustion chamber where they become a source of ignition. It has also been reported that varying the composition of engine oil additives can change susceptibility to abnormal combustion. However, the mechanisms involved are not well understood, and it is not clear how the individual components of engine oil additives affect autoignition. In this study, abnormal combustion experiments were conducted to investigate the effect on autoignition of a calcium-based additive that is typically mixed into engine oil to act as a detergent. The experiments were performed with a single-cylinder 4-cycle gasoline engine using a primary reference fuel (PRF 50) into which the calcium salicylate (CaSa)-based detergent was mixed at various ratios. The experimental results showed that autoignition occurred increasingly earlier with a higher concentration of the CaSa-based engine oil additive, giving rise to severe abnormal combustion. This indicates that the addition of a CaSa-based detergent to engine oil tends to promote autoignition and abnormal combustion.