Hot surface assisted compression ignition in a direct injection natural gas engine

摘要

This study investigates the problem of ignition in a direct injection natural gas engine. Due to poor auto-ignition properties of natural gas compared to regular diesel engine fuels, a special arrangement to assist and secure ignition is required. The objective was to investigate the feasibility of using a hot surface as ignition assistance, primarily for application in medium and large size engines, and further study the main mechanisms involved in the ignition process. A constant volume combustion bomb and a test engine are used for experiments, supported by theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Variable composition of natural gas depending on the gas source and over time, is a important problem causing significant variation in ignition properties. It is shown that even small quantities of non-methane components, which are normally present in natural gases, strongly influence ignition. Actions to handle the ignition problem caused by variable natural composition, are also discussed. In order to estimate the ignition properties of natural gas, a simple correlation to gas composition is proposed, showing good correlation to the experimental data. Mathematical models for simulation of the processes are developed based on fundamental physical relations and experimental results. They are mainly used in this study to support and analyze the physical experiments, but can also be useful in future design and optimization processes. 71 refs., 80 figs., 6 tabs.