Submit to Energies Review for Energies Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Internal Combustion Engine Performance

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I: Energy Fundamentals and Conversion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 23438

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Georgios Mavropoulos

E-Mail
Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical Engineering Educators, School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (ASPETE), 14121 Heraklion, Greece
Interests: I.C. engine performance modelling; I.C. engine pollutant emissions; I.C. engine heat transfer; I.C. engine exhaust heat recuperation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. E.C. Andritsakis

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

American Bureau of Shipping Hellenic Single Member Limited Liability Company, Houston, TX 77389, USA
Interests: I.C. engine performance modeling; I.C. engine gas exchange systems; I.C. engine second law analyses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Roussos G. Papagiannakis

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Thermodynamics and Internal Combustion Engines, Propulsion and Thermal Systems Laboratory, Aeronautical Sciences Department, Hellenic Air Force Academy, Acharnes Attikis, 13671 Tatoi, Greece
Interests: I.C. engine performance modeling; I.C. engine gas exchange systems; applicaton of alternative fuels and new combustion systems in I.C. engines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The internal combustion (I.C.) engine is one of the most important and successful technological developments of the last century. Its application throughout all these years to today has essentially influenced almost every aspect of human life used either as the prime mover in land, sea, and air transportation, as the source of electrical power production or as an emergency safety installation in hospitals or in factories.

The main reasons for this enormous distribution and success is the high energy density of liquid hydrocarbon fuels combined with the ability of the I.C. engine to efficiently cover the whole area of energy demand from a fraction of a W up to several dozen MW.

The world energy crisis and the environmental impact have played a major role in the development of the internal combustion engine during the last few decades. At this time, it has become obvious that a closer understanding of the thermodynamic processes occurring within the engine is necessary. As a result, research on I.C. engines has expanded enormously, both on simulation and experimental bases. Today, the main objectives are the improvement of engine performance, the minimization of fuel consumption/CO2 emissions, and the reduction of the level of exhaust pollutants. To this aim, various alternative combustion techniques have been developed or are under development (e.g., direct injection SI engines, HCCI operation), and in parallel, various internal and after-treatment exhaust measures are also being examined.

The present Special Issue of Energies aims to gather innovative research and include some of the latest developments on internal combustion engines. More specifically, topics of interest for the Special Issue include (but are not limited to):

Combustion mechanisms in spark and compression ignition engines;
Fuel injection and spray formation;
Pollutants formation (particulate matter, NO_x, CO, HC, noise);
Exhaust after-treatment systems (three-way catalysts, oxidation catalysts, diesel and gasoline particulate filters, SCR, NO_x adsorbers);
Internal measures for emission control (EGR, water injection, etc.);
Exhaust heat Recuperation Systems (Rankine cycle, turbocompound, etc.);
Engine downsizing;
Effects on engine structure and design due to increased performance demands;
Special problems associated with large scale two-stroke engines performance and emission reduction;
Alternative fuels and biofuels effects on engine performance and emissions (ethanol, butanol, biodiesel, etc.);
Recent advances in internal combustion engines experimentation;
Novel combustion systems (HCCI, PCCI and RCCI).

Prof. Georgios Mavropoulos
Dr. E.C. Andritsakis
Dr. Roussos G. Papagiannakis
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

I.C. engine performance
I.C. engine emissions reduction
I.C. engine fuel consumption improvement
I.C. engine exhaust heat recuperation

Published Papers (9 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

18 pages, 4685 KiB

Open AccessArticle

ANN Prediction of Performance and Emissions of CI Engine Using Biogas Flow Variation

by Adhirath Mandal, Haengmuk Cho and Bhupendra Singh Chauhan

Energies 2021, 14(10), 2910; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14102910 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2202

Abstract

Compression ignition (CI) engines are popular in the transport sector because of their high compression ratio. However, in recent years, it has become a major concern from an environmental point of view because of the emission and depleting fossil fuel. The advanced combustion concept has been a popular research topic in the CI engine. Low-temperature combustion with alternate fuel has helped in reducing the oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and soot emission of the engine. Biogas is a popular substitute of energy especially deduced from biomass because of its clean combustion properties, as well it being a renewable energy source compared to non-renewable diesel resources. In experiments with dual fuel, i.e., conventional diesel and alternate fuel (biogas) were carried out through them. In the present study, an artificial neural network model was used to estimate emissions and check the attributes of performance. Different algorithms and training functions were used to train the models. However, the best training algorithm was Levenberge Marquardt and the training function was Tansig (Hyperbolic tangent sigmoid) and Logsig (logarithmic sigmoid), which showed the best result with regression coefficient (R > 0.98) and Mean square error (MSE < 0.001). The best model was trained by evaluating MSE and regression coefficient. Experimental results and artificial neural network (ANN) prediction showed that the experimental results were similar to each other and lie at the same intervals. The ANN model helped in predicting experimental data that were earlier difficult to experimentally perform using interpolation and extrapolations. It was observed that there was an increase in Brake Specific Energy Consumption (BSEC) and a decrease in Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) with improved biogas flow rate and reduced NO_x emission in the combustion chamber. Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions increase linearly with the increase in biogas flow rate, whereas smoke opacity decreases. It could be concluded that this study helps in understanding the effect of dual fuel (diesel-biogas) combustion under different load conditions of the engine with the help of ANN, which could be a substitute fuel and help to protect the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2751 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Practical Aspects of Cylinder Deactivation and Reactivation

by Norbert Zsiga, Johannes Ritzmann and Patrik Soltic

Energies 2021, 14(9), 2540; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14092540 - 28 Apr 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1932

Abstract

Cylinder deactivation is an effective measure to reduce the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines. This paper deals with several practical aspects of switching from conventional operation to operation with deactivated cylinders, i.e., gas spring operation with closed intake and exhaust valves. The focus of this paper lies on one particular quantity-controlled stoichiometrically-operated engine where the load is controlled using the valve timing. Nevertheless, the main results are transferable to other engines and engine types, including quality-controlled engines. The first aspect of this paper is an analysis of the transition from fired to gas spring operation, and vice versa, as well as the gas spring operation itself. This is essential for mode changes, such as cylinder deactivation or skip-firing operation. Simulation results show that optimizing the valve timing in the last cycle before deactivating/first cycle after reactivating a cylinder, respectively, is advantageous. We further show that steady-state gas spring operation is reached after approximately 6 s regardless of the initial conditions and the engine speed. The second aspect of this paper experimentally verifies the advantage of optimized valve timings. Furthermore, we show measurements that demonstrate the occurrence of an unavoidable torque ripple, especially when the transition to and from the deactivated cylinder operation is performed too quickly. We also confirm with our experiments that a more gradual mode transition reduces the torque drop. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 5654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of the Fourier Series to Analyze the Shaping of Thermodynamic Processes in Heat Engines

by Michał Głogowski, Przemysław Kubiak, Szymon Szufa, Piotr Piersa, Łukasz Adrian and Mateusz Krukowski

Energies 2021, 14(8), 2316; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14082316 - 20 Apr 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1987

Abstract

The article presents the application of the Fourier series to theoretical considerations on the method of maximum temperature control in thermodynamic cycles of internal combustion engines equipped with an additional independent kinematic system. The analysis assumes that the processes are zero-dimensional and the gases consumed in the engine cycles are perfect, simplifying the considerations for temperature control as a function of the two variables, pressure and volume, of which the volume as a geometric quantity can be completely controlled. In view of this fact, a predetermined temperature curve was assumed, ultimately reducing the considerations of specific volume changes, that is to say a kinematic system that could implement these changes. Moreover, in the analysis of volume changes, a cycle not used so far in the description of internal combustion engines was used. In the next step, the cycle was modified using the popular Vibe function, which was replaced in the theoretical cycle by two isochoric and isothermal transformations. Heat exchange was completely omitted in the considerations, in that it is of secondary importance, ultimately bringing the temperature function to the function of one variable, the angle of rotation of the crankshaft. Then, the kinematics was divided into the kinematics of the crank-piston system and the additional system, which was approximated with five words from the Fourier series, which in the technique correspond, for example, to the system of oscillators. At the end of the article we have explained one of the ways of actual technical implementation using a single nonlinear oscillator, the so-called ACC system equivalent to a few words from the mentioned Fourier series. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 9730 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monte Carlo Simulation Methodology to Assess the Impact of Ambient Wind on Emissions from a Light-Commercial Vehicle Running on the Worldwide-Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC)

by Alexandros T. Zachiotis and Evangelos G. Giakoumis

Energies 2021, 14(3), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030661 - 28 Jan 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2049

Abstract

A Monte Carlo simulation methodology is suggested in order to assess the impact of ambient wind on a vehicle’s performance and emissions. A large number of random wind profiles is generated by implementing the Weibull and uniform statistical distributions for wind speed and direction, respectively. Wind speed data are drawn from eight cities across Europe. The vehicle considered is a diesel-powered, turbocharged, light-commercial vehicle and the baseline trip is the worldwide harmonized light-duty vehicles WLTC cycle. A detailed engine-mapping approach is used as the basis for the results, complemented with experimentally derived correction coefficients to account for engine transients. The properties of interest are (engine-out) NO and soot emissions, as well as fuel and energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Results from this study show that there is an aggregate increase in all properties, vis-à-vis the reference case (i.e., zero wind), if ambient wind is to be accounted for in road load calculation. Mean wind speeds for the different sites examined range from 14.6 km/h to 24.2 km/h. The average increase in the properties studied, across all sites, ranges from 0.22% up to 2.52% depending on the trip and the property (CO₂, soot, NO, energy consumption) examined. Based on individual trip assessment, it was found that especially at high vehicle speeds where wind drag becomes the major road load force, CO₂ emissions may increase by 28%, NO emissions by 22%, and soot emissions by 13% in the presence of strong headwinds. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the adverse effect of headwinds far exceeds the positive effect of tailwinds, thus explaining the overall increase in fuel/energy consumption as well as emissions, while also highlighting the shortcomings of the current certification procedure, which neglects ambient wind effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 10913 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Creating a Virtual Test Bed Using a Dynamic Engine Model with Integrated Controls to Support in-the-Loop Hardware and Software Optimization and Calibration

by Mohsen Mirzaeian and Simon Langridge

Energies 2021, 14(3), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14030652 - 28 Jan 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2267

Abstract

In the current study, a 0D/1D engine model built in the commercial code GT-Suite was coupled with the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) model created in the Simulink environment, aiming to more accurately predict the interaction of the engine and aftertreatment system (ATS) operating parameters, both during steady-state and transient maneuvers. After a detailed validation based on extensive experimental data from a heavy-duty commercial diesel Internal Combustion Engine (ICE), the engine model was fine-tuned and the 0D predictive diesel combustion model, DIPulse, was calibrated to best predict the combustion process, including engine-out NOx emissions. For correct prediction of the engine’s behavior in transient operations, the complete control strategy of the air path, including boost, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), main and pilot Start of Injection (SOI), injection pressure, and exhaust flap, was implemented in the Simulink environment. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the model, a hot World Harmonized Transient Cycle (WHTC) was simulated, obtaining good agreement with the experimental data both in terms of emissions and performance parameters, confirming the reliability of the proposed approach. Finally, a case study on possible fuel consumption improvement through thermal insulation of the exhaust manifold, exhaust ports, and turbocharger was carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 6026 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential for Shock-Wave Generation at Diesel Engine Conditions and Its Influence on Spray Characteristics

by Weidi Huang, Huifeng Gong, Raditya Hendra Pratama, Seoksu Moon, Keiji Takagi and Zhili Chen

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6465; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236465 - 7 Dec 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2003

Abstract

Increasing the fuel injection pressure is currently the most effective way to achieve a better fuel–air mixing quality in modern engines. Systems capable of delivering fuels at a pressure of over 250 MPa have been widely adopted in diesel engines. At such high injection pressures, the shock-wave generation during fuel injection has been noticed. Investigations can be found widely discussing on how the shock-wave generation during fuel injection would affect the spray dynamics. However, the argument remains whether the shock wave can occur at diesel engine conditions since the diesel engine is operated at very high ambient temperature and density. Even if it could occur, how significantly the spray-induced shock wave affects the spray characteristics is rarely known. To address these concerns, this study was proposed. First, experiments were conducted to obtain the detailed spray dynamics from the nozzle exit to spray downstream field by taking advantage of the X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) and schlieren imaging techniques. It is found that supersonic and subsonic ligaments coexist in one spray. Increasing the injection pressure or reducing the ambient density would extend the supersonic part in the spray. Multiple shock waves occur subsequently from the nozzle exit, where the spray has the highest local velocity. Shock-wave generation during fuel injection could enhance spray penetration, whereas this effect depends on the length of the supersonic part in the spray. Finally, a diagram was proposed to predict the potential for the shock-wave generation and discuss the possible effect on spray characteristics at diesel engine conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 5862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Emulsifier-Free Water-in-Biodiesel Emulsion Fuel via Steam Emulsification: Its Physical Properties, Combustion Performance, and Exhaust Emission

by Dhani Avianto Sugeng, Ahmad Muhsin Ithnin, Wira Jazair Yahya and Hasannuddin Abd Kadir

Energies 2020, 13(20), 5406; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205406 - 16 Oct 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2629

Abstract

The focus of this work is to investigate the effect of emulsifier-free emulsion fuel via steam emulsification (SD) to the diesel engine through physical properties, combustion performance, and exhaust analysis, and compare with conventional emulsion fuel with water percentages of 5% and 10% (E5 and E10) and biodiesel blend (B5). The SD was prepared using a custom 200 mL glass mixing column. The B5 fuel quantitatively was filled in the column, and then the steam was injected from the bottom of the mixing column through the porous frit glass with the pores ranging from 40 to 100 µm. The average water droplet size of SD is 0.375 µm with the average water percentage of 6.18%. The brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of SD improved 4.19% and 3.92%, respectively, as compared to B5. The in-cylinder pressure (ICP) was lower than B5, however, yielding close to the B5 at 4 kW engine load. As for the exhaust emission test, NO_x and PM for SD were reduced significantly with a percentage reduction of 25.22% and 10.68%, respectively, as compared to neat B5. The steam emulsification method offers a huge potential to be explored further as the concept offers the alternative method of making emulsion fuel without the use of conventional mechanical mixers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2740 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nonlinear Active Disturbance Rejection Control of VGT-EGR System in Diesel Engines

by Pingyue Zhang, Jingyu Zhang, Yingshun Li and Yuhu Wu

Energies 2020, 13(20), 5331; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13205331 - 13 Oct 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1920

Abstract

In this paper, a nonlinear active disturbance rejection control (NLADRC) strategy based on nonlinear extended state observer (NLESO) is proposed to solve the unmodeled dynamics, coupling and disturbance due to change of working point in the variable geometry turbine (VGT) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, so as to achieve accurate control of intake manifold pressure and mass air flow in a diesel engine. To achieve decoupling, the double-input double-output (DIDO) VGT-EGR system is decomposed into two single-input single-output (SISO) subsystems, and each subsystem has a separate nonlinear active disturbance rejection controller. At the same time, the convergence proof of the designed NLESO is also given theoretically. Finally, the NLADRC controller is compared with linear active disturbance rejection controller and proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. Through simulation, it is indicated that the proposed NLADRC controller has better transient response performance, resistance to external disturbance and robustness to the change of engine operating point. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 11123 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Evaluation of the Effect of Vehicle Parameters on Fuel Consumption under NEDC and WLTP

by Hyeonjik Lee and Kihyung Lee

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4245; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164245 - 17 Aug 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3868

Abstract

Higher speeds, faster acceleration and longer duration need a more realistic driving cycle. As a result, a new test procedure that reflects real-world driving conditions has been applied since 2017, and the previous development environment optimized for NEDC has also changed. In this study, several factors and technologies relating to fuel consumption, such as vehicle weight, tire rolling resistance, drag of aerodynamic, stop–start, and 48 V mild hybrid system, are evaluated as per the new worldwide harmonized light vehicles test procedure (WLTP) and compared with that of the previous European driving cycle (NEDC). The impact of the vehicle weight is increased in case of the WLTP due to faster acceleration compared to that under NEDC. The influence of aerodynamic force is very important as the average and maximum speed are increased. Meanwhile, the impact of idle stop–start technology is lower compared to that under NEDC due to the reduction in idle operation time. The 48-V mild hybrid system is still expected to play a role as a powerful fuel consumption reduction technology under new WLTP by applying energy regeneration, minor torque assist, and extended idle stop–start. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internal Combustion Engine Performance)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Internal Combustion Engine Performance

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (9 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI