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Knock in dual-fuel diesel combustion with an E85 ethanol/gasoline blend by multi-dimensional simulation

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Abstract

In this paper, knocking combustion in dual-fuel diesel engine is modeled and investigated using the CFD code coupled with detailed chemical kinetics. The ethanol/gasoline blend E85 is used as the primary fuel in a dual-fuel combustion concept based on a light-duty diesel engine equipped with a common-rail injection system. The E85 blend is injected and well mixed with intake air in the intake manifold and is ignited by the direct injection diesel fuel. A 46-species, 187-reaction Multicomponent mechanism is adopted to model the auto-ignition process of the E85/air/diesel mixture ahead of the flame front. Based on the model validation, knocking combustion under boost and full load operating condition for 0 %, 20 %, 50 %, as well as 70 % E85 substitute energy is simulated. The effects of E85 substitute rate and two stage injection strategies on knock intensity, power output, as well as location of the auto-ignition initiation is clearly reproduced by the model. The calculation result shows that, for a high E85 rate of 50 % and 70 % with single injection strategies, the most serious knock and the origin of auto-ignition always occurs far away from where the flame of diesel spray is first generated, at the center of combustion chamber, due to higher pressure wave, relatively richer E85 mixture and longer distances of flame propagation. The two stage injection strategies with a small amount of diesel pilot injection ahead of the main injection primarily influence the ignition behavior of the directly injected fuel, leads to a lower pressure rise rate and a reduced propagation distance, both of which contribute to the attenuation of knock intensity for a higher E85 rate.

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Abbreviations

ABDC:

after bottom-dead center

ATDC:

after top-dead center

BTDC:

before top-dead center

CA:

crank angle

CFD:

computational fluid dynamics

CO:

carbon monoxide

DISI:

direct injection spark-ignition

DF:

dual-fuel

DME:

dimethylether

EGR:

exhaust gas recirculation

ECFM:

extended coherent flamelet model

EVO:

exhaust valve opening

HC:

hydrocarbon

HRR:

heat-release rate

IVC:

intake-valve closing

KI :

knock index

LNG:

liquefied natural gas

MultiChem:

multi-surrogate fuel chemistry

NG:

natural gas

PDF:

probability density function

PI :

power index

PPmax :

maximum amplitude of pressure oscillations

PRF:

primary reference fuel

PRR:

pressure rise rate

RON:

research octane number

SOI:

start of injection

TDC:

top-dead center

THC:

total unburned hydro-carbon

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Mechanical Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China

    C. B. Yin, Z. D. Zhang, N. L. Xie, Y. D. Sun & T. Sun

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  1. C. B. Yin
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  2. Z. D. Zhang
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  3. N. L. Xie
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  4. Y. D. Sun
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  5. T. Sun
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Correspondence to Z. D. Zhang.

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Yin, C.B., Zhang, Z.D., Xie, N.L. et al. Knock in dual-fuel diesel combustion with an E85 ethanol/gasoline blend by multi-dimensional simulation. Int.J Automot. Technol. 17, 591–604 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-016-0059-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12239-016-0059-0

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