Analysis of the Influence of Dual Spark Plugs on the Combustion Stability of a Shale-Gas Engine
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 148, Issue 1
Abstract
To improve the thermal efficiency of a shale-gas engine and reduce the cycle variations in the engine, this study adopts the experimental method and simulation to examine the engine’s combustion process and cycle variations under different ignition modes. Nonlinear dynamics are employed to explore the dynamic characteristics of the combustion process. The influence of the number of spark plugs on flame propagation in the cylinder is evaluated. The results indicate that when dual spark plugs are used for ignition, the turbulence intensity increases, and the flame propagation speed increases. This approach is conducive to improving the power of the shale-gas engine. Synchronous dual ignition positively affects engine power and combustion stability. The cycle variation coefficient, correlation dimension, and maximum Lyapunov exponent of synchronous dual ignition reach their lowest values, which are 1.56%, 1.73%, and 0.073%, respectively. The phase space trajectory distribution area of the synchronous dual ignition is small. The dense distribution of Poincaré map scatter points and return map points indicate that the combustion process tends to be stable. This study pays particular attention to the significance of reducing the cycle variations of a shale-gas engine and improving its stability.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request (Figs. 2–15).
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant (No. 51776089), Natural Science Research Projects in Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (18KJB470006), Zhenjiang Key R&D Program-Social Development (SH2020006), and Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province (SJCX21_1711).
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Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 148 • Issue 1 • February 2022
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© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 28, 2021
Accepted: Oct 20, 2021
Published online: Nov 30, 2021
Published in print: Feb 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Apr 30, 2022
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