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Volume 19
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10.3390/en19010083
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Interplay Between Combustion and Component Thermal Loading in Next-Generation Marine Engines Employing Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition

by
Alireza Kakoee
1,*,
Kian Golbaghi
1,
Alberto Cafari
2,
Aneesh Vasudev
1,
Sadegh Mehranfar
3,
Amin Mahmoudzadeh Andwari
3,
Ben Smulter
2,
Jari Hyvönen
2 and
Maciej Mikulski
1,*
1
Efficient Powertrain Solutions (EPS), School of Technology and Innovation, University of Vaasa, Yliopistonranta 10, P.O.Box 700, 65200 Vaasa, Finland
2
Engine Research and Technology Development at Wärtsila Marine Solutions, P.O.Box 1434, 65200 Vaasa, Finland
3
Machine and Vehicle Design (MVD), Materials and Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Oulu, P.O.Box 8000, 90014 Oulu, Finland
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2026, 19(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010083
Submission received: 17 November 2025 / Revised: 8 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 23 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Research on Internal Combustion Engines and Engine Fuels—2nd Edition)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Energy transition demands cleaner and more efficient marine engines, accelerating the development of reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) concepts with multi-fuel capability. However, the coupling between combustion behavior and thermal loading in RCCI engines remains insufficiently understood due to limited experimental capabilities and the absence of integrated modeling tools. This study develops a rapid predictive framework that dynamically couples an in-house chemical-kinetics solver with a GT-Suite engine model and a finite-element wall thermal solver. The framework was calibrated against measurements from a single-cylinder research engine representative of the Wärtsilä 31DF medium-speed NG/LFO RCCI engine. It accurately captured component temperatures and combustion/performance parameters with RMS errors below 5% and cycle times under four minutes. The results show that RCCI operation introduces pronounced component temperature variations across the load range, creating challenges for thermal management and combustion control. Low-load combustion inefficiencies were linked to cylinder head thermal design rather than the conventional flame-quenching explanation. At high load, excessive pressure-rise rates amplified heat transfer demands, with exhaust-valve temperatures exceeding 780 K and posing pre-ignition risks. Increasing coolant temperature by 40 K reduced methane slip by 10% and advanced combustion by nearly 2 CAD, improving efficiency at low load, while coordinated lambda/fuel-blend control lowered peak combustion temperature by ~200 K at high load, mitigating thermal-induced pre-ignition without compromising performance or emissions.
Keywords: combustion; emission; thermal management; RCCI; low temperature combustion; 1D modeling; multi-zone model; MZM; UVATZ combustion; emission; thermal management; RCCI; low temperature combustion; 1D modeling; multi-zone model; MZM; UVATZ

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kakoee, A.; Golbaghi, K.; Cafari, A.; Vasudev, A.; Mehranfar, S.; Andwari, A.M.; Smulter, B.; Hyvönen, J.; Mikulski, M. The Interplay Between Combustion and Component Thermal Loading in Next-Generation Marine Engines Employing Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition. Energies 2026, 19, 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010083

AMA Style

Kakoee A, Golbaghi K, Cafari A, Vasudev A, Mehranfar S, Andwari AM, Smulter B, Hyvönen J, Mikulski M. The Interplay Between Combustion and Component Thermal Loading in Next-Generation Marine Engines Employing Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition. Energies. 2026; 19(1):83. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010083

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kakoee, Alireza, Kian Golbaghi, Alberto Cafari, Aneesh Vasudev, Sadegh Mehranfar, Amin Mahmoudzadeh Andwari, Ben Smulter, Jari Hyvönen, and Maciej Mikulski. 2026. "The Interplay Between Combustion and Component Thermal Loading in Next-Generation Marine Engines Employing Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition" Energies 19, no. 1: 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010083

APA Style

Kakoee, A., Golbaghi, K., Cafari, A., Vasudev, A., Mehranfar, S., Andwari, A. M., Smulter, B., Hyvönen, J., & Mikulski, M. (2026). The Interplay Between Combustion and Component Thermal Loading in Next-Generation Marine Engines Employing Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition. Energies, 19(1), 83. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19010083

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