Abstract
Prechamber jet ignition can significantly enhance the progress of combustion and improve fuel consumption. Based on a single-cylinder gasoline engine and a small-volume prechamber, the prechamber local air-fuel equivalence ratio, ignition type, and compression ratio were examined under lean burn conditions. The results show that spray wetting the wall of the prechamber is inevitable. As the quality of the fuel injection increases in the prechamber, the quality of the spray wetting the wall also increases, and the particle number (PN) emissions increase significantly. A rich mixture in the prechamber can improve ignition and enhance the main chamber combustion process. However, an air-fuel equivalence ratio near 1 in the prechamber has a greater fuel saving potential and lower PN emissions. When the excess air coefficient in the main chamber is below 1.4, the gross indicated thermal efficiency (GITE) of the prechamber is lower than that of the spark plug ignition. When the excess air coefficient in the main chamber is above 1.4, the prechamber significantly improves the thermal efficiency of the lean burn. The prechamber achieves a maximum GITE of 48.5% when the excess air coefficient in the main chamber is 1.8. Moreover, a prechamber combined with a high compression ratio can further improve combustion and reduce fuel consumption in the lean burn engine. Prechamber ignition extends the lean burn limit to the excess air coefficient value of 2.1 in main chamber, and nitrogen oxides emissions are as low as 58 ppm. Furthermore, the higher the compression ratio, the more the mixture gas is pushed into the prechamber, which increases the prechamber ignition energy and enhances the combustion process of the main chamber.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
All of the data, models, or codes that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFB0103300).
References
Allison, P. M., M. de Oliveira, A. Giusti, and E. Mastorakos. 2018. “Pre-chamber ignition mechanism: Experiments and simulations on turbulent jet flame structure.” Fuel 230 (Oct): 274–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2018.05.005.
Alrbai, M., S. Al-Dahidi, B. R. Qawasmeh, and J. Al Asfar. 2021. “Combustion characteristics of biogas fuel using particularly simplified reaction mechanism for HCCI engines.” J. Energy Eng. 147 (3): 04021012. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000766.
Alvarez, C. E. C., G. E. Couto, V. R. Roso, A. B. Thiriet, and R. M. Valle. 2018. “A review of prechamber ignition systems as lean combustion technology for SI engines.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 128 (Jan): 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.08.118.
Attard, W. P., and H. Blaxill. 2012. A lean burn gasoline fueled pre-chamber jet ignition combustion system achieving high efficiency and low NOx at part load. Warrendale, PA: SAE.
Benajes, J., R. Novella, J. Gomez-Soriano, P. J. Martinez-Hernandiz, C. Libert, and M. Dabiri. 2019. “Evaluation of the passive pre-chamber ignition concept for future high compression ratio turbocharged spark-ignition engines.” Appl. Energy 248 (Aug): 576–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.131.
Biswas, S., and L. Qiao. 2017. “Ignition of ultra-lean premixed using multiple hot turbulent jets generated by pre-chamber combustion.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 132 (Mar): 102–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.11.073.
Blankmeister, M., M. Alp, and E. Shimizu. 2018. “Passive pre-chamber spark plug for future gasoline combustion systems with direct injection.” In Proc., Ignition Systems for Gasoline Engines Conf., 149–174. Tübingen, Germany: Expert Verlag. https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000088324.
Boretti, A. A. 2010. “Modelling auto ignition of hydrogen in a jet ignition pre-chamber.” Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 35 (8): 3881–3890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.01.114.
Bunce, M., and H. Blaxill. 2016. Sub-200 g/kWh BSFC on a light duty gasoline engine. Warrendale, PA: SAE.
Bunce, M., H. Blaxill, W. Kulatilaka, and N. Jiang. 2014. The effects of turbulent jet characteristics on engine performance using a pre-chamber combustor. Warrendale, PA: SAE.
Hua, J. X., L. Zhou, Q. Gao, Z. H. Feng, and H. Q. Wei. 2020. Effects on cycle-to-cycle variations and knocking combustion of turbulent jet ignition (TJI) with a small volume pre-chamber. Warrendale, PA: SAE.
Ju, D. H., Z. Huang, X. Li, T. Zhang, and W. W. Cai. 2020. “Comparison of open chamber and pre-chamber ignition of methane/air mixtures in a large bore constant volume chamber: Effect of excess air ratio and pre-mixed pressure.” Appl. Energy 260 (Feb): 114319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.114319.
Korb, B., K. Kuppa, H. D. Nguyen, F. Dinkelacker, and G. Wachtmeister. 2020. “Experimental and numerical investigations of charge motion and combustion in lean-burn natural gas engines.” Combust. Flame 212 (Feb): 309–322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2019.11.005.
Kosmadakis, G. M., D. C. Rakopoulos, and C. D. Rakopoulos. 2016. “Methane/hydrogen fueling a spark-ignition engine for studying NO, CO and HC emissions with a research CFD code.” Fuel 185 (Aug): 903–915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.08.040.
Kosmadakis, G. M., D. C. Rakopoulos, and C. D. Rakopoulos. 2019. “Performance and emissions of a methane-fueled spark-ignition engine under consideration of its cyclic variability by using a computational fluid dynamics code.” Fuel 258 (Dec): 116154.
Koyama, R., L.-J. Chen, S. Alavi, and R. Ohmura. 2020. “Improving thermal efficiency of hydrate-based heat engine generating renewable energy from low-grade heat sources using a crystal engineering approach.” Energy 198 (May): 117403. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117403.
Liu, Z., L. Zhou, B. Liu, W. H. Zhao, and H. Q. Wei. 2019. “Effects of equivalence ratio and pilot fuel mass on ignition/extinction and pressure oscillation in a methane/diesel engine with pre-chamber.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 158 (Jul): 113777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.113777.
Mao G., K. Shi, C. Zhang, J. H. Li, S. Chen, and P. Wang. 2020. “Biodiesel fuel from chlorella vulgaris and effects of its low-level blends on the performance, emissions, and combustion characteristics of a nonroad diesel engine.” J. Energy Eng. 146 (3): 04020016. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000668.
Mastorakos, E., P. Allison, A. Giusti, P. D. Oliveira, S. Benekos, Y. Wright, and C. Frouzakis. 2017. “Fundamental aspects of jet ignition for natural gas engines.” SAE Int. J. Engines 10 (5): 2429–2438. https://doi.org/10.4271/2017-24-0097.
Nada, Y., Y. Kidoguchi, Y. Yamashita, R. Furukawa, R. Kaya, H. Nakano, and S. Kobayashi. 2020. “Effects of sub-chamber configuration on heat release rate in a constant volume chamber simulating lean-burn natural gas engines.” SAE Int. J. Adv. Curr. Pract. Mobility 2 (2): 1032–1040.
Nakata K., S. Nogawa, D. Takahashi, Y. Yoshihara, A. Kumagai, and T. Suzuki. 2016 “Engine technologies for achieving 45% thermal efficiency of S.I. engine.” SAE Int. J. Engines 9 (1): 179–192. https://doi.org/10.4271/2015-01-1896.
Rakopoulos, C. D., D. C. Rakopoulos, G. C. Mavropoulos, and G. M. Kosmadakis. 2018. “Investigating the EGR rate and temperature impact on diesel engine combustion and emissions under various injection timings and loads by comprehensive two-zone modeling.” Energy 157 (Aug): 990–1014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.05.178.
Rakopoulos, D. C., C. D. Rakopoulos, E. G. Giakoumis, and G. M. Kosmadakis. 2021. “Numerical and experimental study by quasi-dimensional modeling of combustion and emissions in variable compression ratio high-speed spark-ignition engine.” J. Energy Eng. 147 (5): 04021032. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000780.
SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers). 2007. Gasoline fuel injector spray measurement and characterization. SAE J2715. Warrendale, PA: SAE International.
Takahashi D., K. Nakata, Y. Yoshihara, and T. Omura. 2016. “Combustion development to realize high thermal efficiency engines.” SAE Int. J. Engines 9 (3): 1486–1493. https://doi.org/10.4271/2016-01-0693.
Tanoue, K., T. Kimura, T. Jimoto, J. Hashimoto, and Y. Moriyoshi. 2017. “Study of prechamber combustion characteristics in a rapid compression and expansion machine.” Appl. Therm. Eng. 115 (Mar): 64–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.12.079.
Toulson, E., A. Huisjen, X. Chen, C. Squibb, G. Zhu, and H. Schock. 2012. “Visualization of propane and natural gas spark ignition and turbulent jet ignition combustion.” SAE Int. J. Engines 5 (4): 1821–1835. https://doi.org/10.4271/2012-32-0002.
Toulson, E., H. Schock, and W. P. Attard. 2010. “A review of pre-chamber initiated jet ignition combustion systems.” Paper 2010-01-2263, In Proc., SAE 2010 Powertrains Fuels & Lubricants Meeting. Warrendale, PA: SAE International. https://doi.org/10.4271/2010-01-2263.
Turkish, M. 1974. “3—Valve stratified charge engines: Evolvement, analysis and progression.” In Proc., Int. Stratified Charge Engine Conf. Warrendale, PA: SAE International. https://doi.org/10.4271/741163.
Validi, A., H. Schock, and F. Jaberi. 2017. “Turbulent jet ignition assisted combustion in a rapid compression machine.” Combust. Flame 186 (Dec): 65–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2017.07.032.
Wu, J., J. Du, H. Chen, Y. H. Li, W. Zhan, G. Wu, and L. Ye. 2020. “Experimental study on flash-boiling spray structure of multi-hole gasoline direct injection injector in a constant volume chamber.” Int. J. Spray Combust. Dyn. 12 (1): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1756827720932431.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 4 • August 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 19, 2021
Accepted: Dec 16, 2021
Published online: Apr 26, 2022
Published in print: Aug 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Sep 26, 2022
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- Wenfeng Zhan, Hong Chen, Jiakun Du, Bin Wang, Fangxi Xie, Yuhuai Li, High Compression Ratio Active Pre-chamber Single-Cylinder Gasoline Engine with 50% Gross Indicated Thermal Efficiency, ACS Omega, 10.1021/acsomega.2c06810, 8, 5, (4756-4766), (2023).
- Bin Wang, Fangxi Xie, Wei Hong, Jiakun Du, Hong Chen, Yan Su, The effect of structural parameters of pre-chamber with turbulent jet ignition system on combustion characteristics of methanol-air pre-mixture, Energy Conversion and Management, 10.1016/j.enconman.2022.116473, 274, (116473), (2022).