Search Results (54)

Recent advances in ozone-assisted combustion for both compression ignition and spark ignition engines are discussed. Ozone, which can be produced by an electrical discharge in air or pure oxygen, decomposes at high temperature to yield highly oxidizing oxygen atoms, which enhance fuel/air reactions. As a result, flames are faster and more stable, ignition is enhanced and low-temperature chemistry is promoted. In the literature, the beneficial influence of ozone on standard and innovative fuels, including low-carbon (syngas) and zero-carbon (hydrogen and ammonia) fuels, has been assessed. In addition, the impact of ozone seeding on new combustion strategies has also been discussed. Ozone enables better control of ignition in Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engines, and improves the combustion stability in low-load Gasoline Compression Ignition (GCI) engines, as well as in lean Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition (SACI) and spark ignition (SI) engines, thus broadening the operating range of these engines. Full article

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion has been widely reported to offer high efficiency and ultra-low nitrogen oxide emissions compared to conventional spark-ignited (SI) combustion. However, reported efficiency benefits strongly depend on boundary conditions, engine hardware, and the chosen reference concept. This study presents a systematic experimental comparison between HCCI and SI combustion using gasoline and ethanol on the same single-cylinder research engine under unthrottled and otherwise identical operating conditions. Combustion stability, indicated efficiency, combustion phasing, and gaseous emissions are evaluated. The results show that HCCI combustion provides substantially reduced CO (ethanol: −61.1%; gasoline: −80.6%) and NO_x (ethanol: −96.1%; gasoline: −86.3%) emissions and superior combustion stability for both fuels. Ethanol further improves efficiency and emissions compared to gasoline. Contrary to common expectations reported in the literature, no universal efficiency advantage of HCCI combustion over SI operation is observed under the specific boundary conditions and with the investigated engine configuration of this study. A detailed loss analysis shows that, for the present setup, increased gas exchange and heat transfer losses offset the higher working cycle efficiency (without gas exchange) of HCCI combustion. Full article

In-cylinder pressure is a key parameter for evaluating combustion processes and engine performance in spark-ignition engines. However, acquiring high-resolution pressure data over a wide range of operating conditions, particularly under varying spark advance (SA), is costly and technically challenging, which limits its practical application. To address this issue, this study proposes two artificial neural network (ANN)-based methods for in-cylinder pressure reconstruction using data from a three-cylinder gasoline engine under different spark advance conditions. Both methods employ crank angle and spark advance as input features. The first method (ANN-P) directly predicts the in-cylinder pressure profile, achieving a coefficient of determination (R²) exceeding 0.99 on both training and validation datasets, with a root mean square error (RMSE) below 0.13 bar. The model accurately reproduces the pressure evolution throughout the compression, combustion, and expansion processes and enables reliable estimation of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP). The second method (ANN-HRR) adopts an indirect strategy by first predicting the heat release rate (HRR) and subsequently reconstructing the pressure trace through thermodynamic integration based on a single-zone model. This approach avoids error amplification associated with numerical differentiation and demonstrates improved accuracy in predicting combustion phasing metrics, such as CA10 and CA50. The results indicate that both methods effectively capture the influence of spark timing on combustion characteristics and peak pressure. While ANN-P provides higher accuracy in pressure reconstruction, ANN-HRR offers superior performance in characterizing combustion features. Overall, this study presents a cost-effective and accurate framework for combustion diagnostics, performance calibration, and control optimization of gasoline engines. Full article

In the European context of a planned transition to a zero-carbon future, the initial question at the origin of this study was to assess the energy and environmental performance of a retrofitted diesel engine converted to stoichiometric spark ignition (SI) operation using two gaseous and sustainable fuels: natural gas (NG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Further to a parametric study regarding the spark advance and injection timing, this paper delivers experimental results obtained at the engine test bed for different operating points, which are compared with the results of a baseline commercial gasoline engine. The results showed a clear improvement in terms of CO₂ for the NG (especially) and LPG with a knock-free operation with respect to gasoline. Cyclic variability also improved. As for the engine-out pollutants, in the case of carbon monoxide (CO) and particle number (PN), the results are in favor of gaseous fuels. Concerning the nitrogen oxides (NOx), as expected, a higher emission was obtained with the retrofitted engine due to its higher compression ratio. Full article

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) frequently cycle their internal combustion engines (ICE), potentially cooling the three-way catalyst (TWC). This challenges the use of compressed natural gas (CNG), as methane (CH₄) requires high temperatures for TWC oxidation. This study experimentally investigates the performance, engine-out emissions (CO, NO_x, CH₄, NMHC, CO₂), and catalyst temperatures of a Toyota RAV4 hybrid vehicle on gasoline (G), CNG, and dual fuel (MIX) during the WLTC. Engine-out emissions were measured upstream of the TWC. Results showed similar engine work output (~17.8 kWh/100 km), while CNG significantly reduced fuel mass consumption (−18.7%) and CO₂ emissions (−27.5%) compared to gasoline, driven by both its higher LHV and higher average BTE. CO (−32.3%) and NO_x (−34.0%) emissions were lower with CNG, linked to leaner operation and significantly retarded ignition timing for NO_x control. However, CH₄ emissions drastically increased with CNG. This study reveals a synergy between the same retarded ignition timing strategy used to successfully control engine-out NO_x (−34.0%) and created a positive secondary effect, raising pre-TWC temperatures by 4.5%. Higher thermal condition is essential for the aftertreatment of chemically stable methane, highlighting a direct link between the engine’s NO_x control logic and the potential to mitigate methane slip. Full article

Engine knock remains a critical limitation in spark-ignition engine design. Future hybrid powertrains employ downsized engines operating on Atkinson cycles, creating different knock conditions compared to modern naturally aspirated or turbocharged engines. At the same time, petroleum-based gasoline is increasingly being replaced by biofuels and electrofuels. This study evaluates knock behavior in projected hybrid engine architectures and examines the chemical composition of emerging fuel blends. The analysis shows that hybrid engines benefit from fuels with lower sensitivity, defined as the difference between the Research and Motor Octane Numbers. This is because the higher end-gas temperatures associated with the Atkinson cycle shift the value of K, which is an interpolation factor used to capture the relationship between fuel sensitivity and anti-knock performance. In conventional engines, K is negative, favoring fuels with higher sensitivity. In hybrid engines, the increased engine temperatures result in K becoming positive, favoring low-sensitivity fuels. Using low-sensitivity fuels allows hybrid engines to operate with higher geometric compression ratios and advanced thermodynamic cycles while reducing knock constraints. Biofuels and electrofuels can meet these requirements by producing paraffinic and naphthenic hydrocarbons with high octane quality and low sensitivity. These findings emphasize the need to align renewable fuel development with hybrid engine requirements to improve thermal efficiency, reduce emissions, and reduce reliance on energy-intensive refinery processes for octane enhancement. Full article

This paper investigates the effects of using 10% v/v (E10) and 30% v/v (E30) ethanol–gasoline blends on spark ignition (SI) engine fuel consumption, brake-specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency, combustion parameters and exhaust gas temperature. The 30% v/v ethanol–gasoline blend was designed not to exceed the octane number (RON and MON) of the regular commercially available reference fuel (E10); therefore, the knock resistance of the reference and research fuel does not differ significantly. The tests were conducted on an AVL internal combustion engine test cell using a four-stroke, four-cylinder, turbocharged SI engine with direct injection and a compression ratio of 12.2:1. The engine was manufactured in 2022, and it is the latest commercially available version currently in production. Engine tests were conducted under stoichiometric conditions (when possible) at loads ranging from 2–20 bar brake mean effective pressure and engine speeds ranging from 1000–6000 rpm, and the fuel consumption, brake-specific fuel consumption, combustion parameters, exhaust gas temperature and brake thermal efficiency were measured using the two different ethanol–gasoline blends. Test results showed that the higher concentration ethanol–gasoline blend—due to its lower density, lower heating value and higher latent heat of vaporization—had increased fuel consumption, brake-specific fuel consumption and decreased brake thermal efficiency, while exhaust gas temperature also decreased (at 2500 rpm 12 bar BMEP, the differences were 11%, 6.6%, −0.78% and −3.7%, respectively). Peak combustion pressures were identical under the same operating conditions, but the peak combustion temperature of E30 was on average 3% lower. Full article

Currently, green hydrogen, generated through renewable energy sources, stands out as one of the best substitutes for fossil fuels in mitigating pollutant emissions and consequent global warming. Particularly, the utilization of hydrogen in spark ignition engines has undergone extensive study in recent years. Many aspects have been analyzed: the conversion of gasoline engines to hydrogen operation, the combustion duration, the heat transfer, and, in general, the engine thermal efficiency. Hydrogen combustion is characterized by a smaller quenching distance compared to traditional hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline or natural gas and this produces a smaller thermal boundary layer and consequently higher heat transfer. This paper presents findings from experimental trials and numerical simulations conducted on a hydrogen-powered CFR (cooperative fuel research) engine, focusing specifically on heat transfer with combustion chamber walls. The engine has also been fueled with methane and isooctane (two reference fuels); both the engine compression ratio and the air/fuel ratio have been changed in a wide range in order to compare the three fuels in terms of heat transfer, combustion duration, and engine thermal efficiency in different operating conditions. A numerical model has been calibrated with experimental data in order to predict the amount of heat transfer under the best thermal efficiency operating conditions. The results show that, when operated with hydrogen, the best engine efficiency is obtained with a compression ratio of 11.9 and an excess air ratio (λ) of 2. Full article

The need for a cleaner and more efficient transportation sector emphasizes the development of new technologies aimed at the integrated reduction of pollutant emissions and increases in efficiency. Among these, promising technologies such as low-temperature combustion (LTC) systems operate in the field of the combustion physics, combining the attributes of both spark-ignited (SI) and compression-ignited (CI) engines. In particular, in a gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine, gasoline is injected in closely spaced multiple pulses near the top dead center (TDC), creating a highly stratified charge which locally auto-ignites based on the thermodynamic conditions. In this work, a sectorial mesh of the combustion chamber was built. Initial and boundary conditions were set according to a one-dimensional model of the engine from a GT-suite platform. Then, a dedicated Matlab R2023b code was used to capture the effect of the pressure wave propagation on the shape of the fuel mass rate in closely spaced multiple injection events. Finally, a 3D-CFD code was validated comparing pressure trace, rate of heat release (RoHR) and emissions with experimental data provided by the test bench. The results highlight the robustness of the tabulated combustion model, which is able to capture the auto-ignition delay with a considerably low amount of computational time compared to common detailed kinetic solvers. Full article

Gasoline compression ignition (GCI) combustion was demonstrated to be an effective combustion concept to achieve high brake thermal efficiency with low-reactivity fuels while offering improved NOx–soot trade-off. Nevertheless, future greenhouse gas regulations still challenge the heavy-duty transportation sector on both engine and vehicle basis. Hybridization is a possible solution in this scenario, allowing the avoidance of low-efficiency conditions and energy recovery during regenerative braking, improving overall vehicle efficiency. In this sense, this investigation proposes a detailed analysis to understand the optimum hybridization strategy to be used together with GCI to simultaneously harness low pollutant and CO₂ emissions. For that, different hybrid architectures were defined in GT Drive (Mild hybrid 48 V P0 and P2 and full Hybrid P2 500 V) and submitted to 15 different use cases, constituted by five normative and real-driving conditions from the US, China, India, and Europe and three different payloads. Results showed that all hybridization strategies could provide fuel savings benefits to some extent. Nonetheless, usage profile is a dominant factor to be accounted for, benefiting specific hybrid powertrains. For instance, P0 and P2 48 V could provide similar savings as P2 500 V, where regenerative braking is limited. Nonetheless, P2 500 V is a superior powertrain if more demanding cycles are considered, allowing it to drive and recuperate energy without exceeding the Crate limitations of the battery. Full article

This study investigates the impact of different biofuels, such as pure hydrogenated vegetable oil, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and biobutanol, as well as their blends, on the non-energetic operational characteristics of a compression ignition internal combustion engine. The research investigations were conducted using a turbocharged direct injection compression ignition engine that was put within a Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI automobile. Throughout the investigation, the primary emphasis was placed on analyzing energy characteristics such as power, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), and other related factors. The analysis involved the utilization of multiple combinations of bio-based fuels, namely four mixes of HVO with biobutanol (HVO100, HVOB5, HVOB10, and HVOB20), which were subsequently compared to fossil diesel (D100). The findings of the study indicate that the utilization of HVO100 fuel results in notable reductions in power output and mass fraction when compared to D100 gasoline. HVO100 fuel demonstrates superior performance to D100 gasoline, exhibiting a range of 1.7% to 28% improvement in brake-specific fuel consumption. Additionally, at an engine speed of 4500 rpm, the use of HVO100 fuel leads to a decrease in brake thermal efficiency of 4.4%. Full article

In the context of the energy crisis and global warming, improving thermal efficiency is the most important issue in research on gasoline engines, and lean mixture combustion strategy is becoming the most promising method. Thus, a high compression ratio, a high-power interval ignition system, and a stratified combustion scheme achieved via dual injection were novelly adopted in a single cylinder gasoline engine in this study. The results show that the lean combustion limit could be literally extended and improved thermal efficiency was observed under the ultra-lean condition. Meanwhile, reverse combustion performance trends were observed by altering the second injection proportion from 30% to 45% under the lean condition ($\lambda$ = 1.6) and ultra-lean condition ($\lambda$ = 1.9). This was related to a combustion velocity change caused by great concentration gradient at the middle and end combustion stage. Finally, according to research on the effects of altering the timing of the second injection, it is clear that the dual injection strategy is an ideal method for realizing operation under the lean condition ($\lambda$ = 1.6). But for the operation under the ultra-lean condition ($\lambda$ = 1.9), more injection times and suitable air flow organization are needed to enhance the robustness of mixture distribution. Full article

In this numerical study, the effects of the premixed ratio, intake manifold pressure and intake air temperature on a four-cylinder, four-stroke, direct injection, low-compression-ratio gasoline engine, operated in reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion mode at a constant engine speed of 1000 rpm, were investigated using Converge CFD software. The results of numerical analyses showed that the maximum in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate (HRR) increased and the combustion phase advanced depending on the rise in both intake manifold pressure and intake air temperature. The CA50 shifted by 18.5 °CA with an increment in the intake air temperature from 60 °C to 100 °C. It was observed that the combustion duration dropped from 44 °CA to 38 °CA upon boosting the intake manifold pressure from 103 kPa to 140 kPa. Moreover, a delay in the combustion phase occurred at a constant intake air temperature with an increasing premixed ratio. The maximum value of in-cylinder pressure was recorded as 36.15 bar (at 11 °CA aTDC) with the use of PRF20. Additionally, as the content of iso-octane in the fuel mixture was increased, combustion delay occurred, and the maximum value of in-cylinder temperature obtained was 11 °CA aTDC using PRF20 fuel at the earliest point. While HC and CO emissions reached the highest values at a 60 °C intake air temperature, NO_x and soot emission values were detected at quite low levels at this temperature. The values of all these emissions increased with rising intake manifold pressure and reached their highest values at 140 kPa. In addition, while the highest HC and CO emission values were observed with the use of PRF60 fuel, the results revealed that the control of the combustion phase in the RCCI strategy is notably affected by the premixed ratio, intake manifold pressure and intake air temperature. Full article

The article discusses the possibility of using glycerol as an additive to the engine fuel in order to reduce the tendency of combustion knock, and thus to increase the octane number of a given fuel. Experimental tests were carried out on the UIT-85 research engine with a variable compression ratio from eight to eleven to test the intensity of the knock. The completely renewable fuel—the blend of glycerol with butanol in the ratio of 25 and 75%, respectively—was tested. A comparative analysis of the knock intensity was conducted with gasoline 95 and N-butanol tested as reference fuels. The developed method for knock analysis using the proposed knock indicator was also presented. The experimental results proved the proposed blend of N-butanol and glycerol reduces the knock intensity by more than 50% in the spark-ignition engine at a compression ratio of 10, maintaining engine performance at a similar level as it was for a gasoline-fueled engine. The results confirmed the thesis on the reduction of knock intensity when adding glycerol to N-butanol. Full article

Gasoline engines employing the spatially distributed auto-ignition combustion mode, known as controlled auto-ignition (CAI), are a prospective technology for significantly improving engine efficiency and reducing emissions. This review paper provides an overview of developments in various gasoline CAI technologies and discusses their attendant strengths and weaknesses. Hybrid propulsion systems powered by high-efficiency gasoline CAI engines can provide a low-carbon pathway for mobility sector decarbonisation. Therefore, this paper focuses on the challenges and opportunities of CAI implementation, especially for electrified powertrains. Different control actuators that can extend the CAI operating range are discussed, and opportunities for synergistic operation between thermal and electric components of hybridised powertrains are identified. Such synergies can remove impediments in the way of CAI system adoption and can, thus, support CAI adoption and maximise efficiency gains from its implementation. The prospects of supporting CAI combustion for different powertrain electrification levels, hybrid architectures, engine size, and energy management systems are discussed. Load levelling offered by electrified powertrains through CAI-favouring energy management strategies has the potential to substantially relax the operating point requirements for CAI-based thermal propulsion units and to remove the need for expensive actuators. The highly flexible spark-assisted partially premixed compression ignition hybrid mode (SACI-PPCI) emerges as a promising CAI strategy for conventional powertrains, and the moderately flexible spark-assisted compression ignition (SACI) configuration can be a cost-effective thermal propulsion mode for electrified powertrains. Full article