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Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "J: Thermal Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 19 June 2024 | Viewed by 7152

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Dr. Massimo Masi

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Department of Management and Engineering, University of Padova, DTG. Stradella S.Nicola, 3 36100 Vicenza, Italy
Interests: turbomachines; fluid dynamics; internal combustion engines

Dr. Cinzia Tornatore

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Guest Editor

Institute of Science and Technology for Sustainable Energy and Mobility, CNR (Italian National Research Council), Napoli, Italy
Interests: alternative fuels; internal combustion engines; optical diagnostics; marine engines
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Internal combustion engines and turbomachines are the basis of systems that, for the last century, have created affordable energy and auxiliary services, allowing the technological development and continuous improvement of human society and living conditions. At the basis of their operation, these fluid machines share thermo-fluid dynamics and thermo-chemical reaction processes in the case of reciprocating and gas turbine engines. The complexity of the involved physics phenomena led to the development of sophisticated experimental and numerical techniques, continuously embedded in the various design stages towards the achievement of excellent levels of performance and efficiency from these mechanical engineering products, well distinguished for their incomparable reliability.

This Special Issue focuses on experimental and numerical methods of different levels of complexity, either conceived for or adapted to the design and analysis of components and systems from the concept design to the optimisation, anticipated and/or developed in parallel with prototype testing. Accordingly, examples include, but are not limited to:

classic design calculations to establish dimensions without computationally intensive methods;
concept-level analyses to investigate and compare ideas by means of comparable data on alternative designs; experiments and flow calculations for aero-, hydro- and gas-dynamic performance;
noise and pollutant emissions;
abnormal operations related to fluid dynamics and combustion systems and their components;
other design issues related to specific applications involving the use of non-conventional/alternative fluids and fuels.

Dr. Massimo Masi
Dr. Cinzia Tornatore
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

internal combustion engines
turbomachines
design
experimental methods
numerical methods

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 20600 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of Sinusoidal Leading Edge for Low-Speed Axial Fans Operating under Inflow Distortion

by Lorenzo Tieghi, Giovanni Delibra, Johan Van der Spuy and Alessandro Corsini

Energies 2024, 17(5), 1150; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17051150 - 28 Feb 2024

Viewed by 539

Abstract

Axial fans may be equipped with passive flow control devices to enhance rotor efficiency or minimize noise emissions. In this regard, blade designs influenced by biomimicry, such as rotors with sinusoidal leading edges (LEs), have gained popularity in recent years. However, their design is predominantly driven by a trial-and-error approach, with limited systematic studies on the influence of rotor performance. Furthermore, their effectiveness is typically evaluated under controlled conditions that may significantly differ from operations in real installation layouts. In this work, a systematic review of the design process for sinusoidal LE axial fan rotors is provided, aiming to summarize previous design experiences. Then, a modified sinusoidal LE is designed and fitted to a 7.3 m low-speed axial fan for air-cooled condensers (ACCs). These fans operate at environmental conditions, providing a quasi-zero static pressure rise, often with inflow non-uniformities. A series of RANS computations were run to simulate the performance of the baseline fan and that of the sinusoidal leading edge, considering a real installation setup at Stellenbosh University, where the ACC is constrained between buildings and has a channel running on the ground below the fan inlet. The aim is to explore the nonbalanced inflow condition effects in both rotor geometries and to test the effect of the installation layout on fan performance. The results show that the modification to the rotor allows for a more even distribution of flow in the blade-to-blade passages with respect to the baseline geometry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines)

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24 pages, 6984 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Custom-Designed Pre-Chamber: Investigating the Effects on Small SI Engine in Active and Passive Modes

by Paolo Sementa, Cinzia Tornatore, Francesco Catapano, Silvana Di Iorio and Bianca Maria Vaglieco

Energies 2023, 16(13), 5097; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16135097 - 1 Jul 2023

Viewed by 1246

Abstract

This work shows the results of an experimental campaign carried out in two spark ignition engines, a small optical research engine and its commercial counterpart, using a turbulent ignition system (pre-chamber) specifically designed for small engines. Advanced optical techniques and conventional methods were used to study the combustion process under various operating conditions. The pre-chamber operated actively in the research engine and passively in the commercial engine. Results showed that the pre-chamber configuration resulted in an increase in indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and a decrease in the coefficient of variation (CoV) of IMEP. These improvements compensated for challenges such as slow methane combustion rate, poor lean burn capability, and air displacement. In addition, the pre-chamber configuration exhibited lower fuel consumption and specific exhaust emissions compared to the standard ignition system. The novelty of this work lies in the successful implementation of the turbulent ignition system as a retrofit solution for SI engines, showing improved combustion efficiency and lower emissions. The study goes beyond previous efforts by demonstrating the benefits of the pre-chamber configuration in small engines without requiring extensive modifications. The results provide valuable insights into the automotive industry’s pursuit of engine optimization and highlight the significance of innovative approaches for spark ignition engines in contributing to sustainable mobility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines)

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20 pages, 4805 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

A Hybrid Experimental-Numerical Method to Support the Design of Multistage Pumps

by Federico Fontana and Massimo Masi

Energies 2023, 16(12), 4637; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124637 - 11 Jun 2023

Viewed by 876

Abstract

The paper uses a hydraulic performance analysis method to support the design of stock production multistage pumps. The method relies on a hybrid numerical–experimental approach conceived as a trade-off between accuracy and cost. It is based on CFD analyses incorporating experimental data of leakage flows across the sealing elements to obtain accurate predictions without the need of inclusion in the CFD model of small-scale features, which strongly increase the model complexity and computational effort. The aim of the paper is to present and validate this method. To this end, a 6-stage vertical pump manufactured by the stainless-steel metal-sheets-forming technique was considered as the benchmark. A series of experimental tests were performed to hydraulically characterize the impeller and return-channels-sealing elements by means of an “ad hoc” designed test rig. The characteristic curves of the sealing elements were embedded on the CFD model implemented in accordance with the strategy proposed in a previous authors’ work to obtain satisfactory predictions of multistage pumps’ hydraulic performance with minimum computational effort with the analytical correction of single-stage single-channel computations to account for the interaction between adjacent stages. To further explore the capabilities of the hybrid model, axial thrust measurements were performed by means of another “ad hoc” designed experimental apparatus. The application of the method to the benchmark pump shows that the hybrid model predicts the static head and efficiency with an error value lower than 1% at its best efficiency operation, and estimates the axial thrust with a 5% average error in the operating range from approximately 70% to 120% of the best efficiency duty. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines)

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18 pages, 1732 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preliminary Design of a Mini Gas Turbine via 1D Methodology

by Ramon Francesconi, Matteo Luzzi, Dario Barsi, Francesca Satta, Fabrizio Stefani and Pietro Zunino

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8293; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15218293 - 6 Nov 2022

Viewed by 2397

Abstract

To address the increasing interest towards more environmentally friendly naval transportation and the introduction of IMO2020 restrictions on pollutant emissions onboard ships, the present work details the preliminary design of a mini gas turbine engine, i.e., a gas turbine engine with an output power up to 5 MW, for onboard energy generation. In comparison to conventional propulsion systems, gas turbine units benefit from known compactness, which can be further enhanced by employing single-stage uncooled radial machines, according to similar works in the field. As such, the present paper aims to set up a complete procedure that allows a reliable and fast (i.e., requiring a limited computational effort) preliminary design of one-stage centrifugal compressors and radial turbines operating at a high pressure ratio via the use of classical one-dimensional theory. The aerodynamic design outputs in terms of forces and torques are then used to perform a preliminary mechanical design of the shaft by means of a one-dimensional finite element model with commercial software to estimate the corresponding shaft line stress. Despite some necessary geometrical and modeling simplification of the design problem, which results in the unavailability of detailed information on individual components, the employed procedure nevertheless allows a comprehensive overview of the possibilities in terms of maximum machine performance achievable at an early design stage with the associated limited computational requirements. The design procedure and the geometry achieved for the application are presented along with aerodynamic and structural results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines)

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21 pages, 3676 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study and Optimisation of a Non-Conventional Ignition System for Reciprocating Engines Operation with Hydrogen–Methane Blends, Syngas, and Biogas

by Luigi De Simio, Sabato Iannaccone, Massimo Masi and Paolo Gobbato

Energies 2022, 15(21), 8270; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15218270 - 5 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1223

Abstract

The paper deals with the experimental study of a medium-load spark ignition engine under operation with different fuel mixtures among those deemed as promising for the transition towards carbon-free energy systems. In particular, the performance of a non-conventional ignition system, which permits the variation of the ignition energy, the spark intensity and duration, was studied fuelling the engine with 60–40% hydrogen–methane blends, three real syngas mixtures and one biogas. The paper is aimed to find the optimal ignition timing for minimum specific fuel consumption and the best setup of the ignition system for each of the fuel mixtures considered. To this end, a series of steady-state tests were performed at the dynamometer by varying the parameters of the ignition system and running the engine with surrogate hydrogen–methane–nitrogen mixtures that permit the simulation of hydrogen–methane blends, real syngas, and biogas. The results quantify the increase of spark advance associated with the decrease of the fuel quality and discuss the risk of knock onset during methane–hydrogen operation. It was demonstrated that the change of the ignition system parameters does not affect the value of optimum spark advance and, except for the ignition duration, all the parameters’ values are generally not very relevant at full load operation. In contrast, at partial load operation with low-quality syngas or high exhaust gas recirculation rate, it was found that an increase of the maximum ignition energy (to 300 mJ) allows for operation down to approximately 66% of the maximum load before combustion becomes incomplete. Further reductions, down to 25% of the maximum load, can be achieved by increasing the gap between the spark plug electrodes (from 0.25 to 0.5 mm). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Experimental and Numerical Methods for the Design of Internal Combustion Engines and Turbomachines)

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