Showing papers by "Bengt Johansson published in 2012"

Gasoline Partially Premixed Combustion in a Light Duty Engine at Low Load and Idle Operating Conditions

Abstract: Partially premixed combustion (PPC) has the potential of high efficiency and simultaneous low soot and NOx emissions. Running the engine in PPC mode with high octane number fuels has the advantage of a longer premix period of fuel and air which reduces soot emissions, even at higher loads. The problem is the ignitability at low load and idle operating conditions. The objective of this study is investigation of the low load limitations with gasoline fuels with octane numbers RON 69 and 87. Measurements with diesel fuel were also taken as reference. The experimental engine is a light duty diesel engine equipped with a fully flexible valve train system. Trapped hot residual gases using negative valve overlap (NVO) is the main parameter of interest to potentially increase the attainable operating region of high octane number gasoline fuels. Much lower soot is emitted with 69 and 87 RON gasoline compared to diesel at engine loads 1 bar IMEPgross to 3 bar IMEPgross but the combustion efficiency is significantly lower with gasoline at low load compared to diesel. Combustion efficiency increases with NVO for both diesel and gasoline. The 69 RON gasoline fuel can be run at idle (1 bar IMEPgross) operating conditions without a significant fraction of trapped hot residual gases. The 87 RON gasoline fuel could be run at 2 bar IMEPgross but with a high setting of NVO. There is a clear decrease of net indicated efficiency with NVO because of the decrease in gas-exchange efficiency. To achieve highest possible efficiency for a given fuel, at low load, as low as possible NVO should be used. (Less)

Investigation of Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Heavy Duty Natural Gas Engine Operated with Pre-Chamber Spark Plug and Dilution with Excess Air and EGR

Abstract: This article deals with application of turbulent jet ignition technique to heavy duty multi-cylinder natural gas engine for mobile application. Pre-chamber spark plugs are identified as a promising means of achieving turbulent jet ignition as they require minimal engine modification with respect to component packaging in cylinder head and the ignition system. Detailed experiments were performed with a 6 cylinder 9.4 liter turbo-charged engine equipped with multi-point gas injection system to compare performance and emissions characteristics of operation with pre-chamber and conventional spark plug. The results indicate that ignition capability is significantly enhanced as flame development angle and combustion duration are reduced by upto 30 % compared to those with conventional spark plugs at certain operating points. Maximum possible dilution (limited by combustion stability index, Coefficient of Variation (COV) of Gross Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEPg)) with excess air and EGR were investigated experimentally at engine speed of 1500 rpm and 5, 12 and 18 bar IMEPg operating load and results indicate that the lean limit is extended by 0.8-1 Lambda unit and 5-8% EGR rate units. It was also observed that pre-chamber spark plugs cause charge pre-ignition at loads exceeding 10-12 bar IMEPg. To avoid this, the minimum amount of dilution, with excess air and then EGR, which is required to operate above 10 bar IMEPg was estimated experimentally. Finally, to compare performance and emission characteristics of operation with these two ignition techniques, the engine was tested on an ESC-like (European Stationary Cycle) 12 mode cycle. Results indicated marginal reduction in cycle averaged NOx emissions with maximum excess air dilution and about 50% reduction with maximum EGR dilution, whereas CO and HC emissions increased. Other operating characteristics like the flame development angle, combustion duration, brake efficiency etc. are also compared for the tested operating range of the test engine. (Less)

Abnormal mitochondria organization and oxidative activity in the palate muscles of long-term snorers with obstructive sleep apnea.

Abstract: Background: Histopathological alterations and a reduced number of capillaries have been observed in the palate muscles of snorers with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). These changes may cre ...

Gasoline partially premixed combustion : high efficiency, low nox and low soot by using an advanced combustion strategy and a compression ignition engine

Abstract: A light-duty engine Volvo D5 was run with gasoline to demonstrate that high-octane number fuels, in compression ignition engines, are able to achieve high effi ciency, low NOx and soot simultaneously. An advanced three stage injection strategy was developed. A load sweep was performed between 6 and 17 bar IMEP and 2000 rpm. Gross indicated effi ciency stays fairly constant at 47% with very low NOx and soot. In the second section of the paper, diesel was compared with gasoline, while in the fi nal part the commercial 140°UA nozzle was compared with the narrower one, 120°, used in the above-mentioned experiments.

The Usefulness of Negative Valve Overlap for Gasoline Partially Premixed Combustion, PPC

Abstract: Partially premixed combustion has the potential of high efficiency and simultaneous low soot and NOx emissions. Running the engine in PPC mode with high octane number fuels has the advantage of a longer premix period of fuel and air which reduces soot emissions, even at higher loads. The problem is the ignitability at low load and idle operating conditions. The objective is to investigate the usefulness of negative valve overlap on a light duty diesel engine running with gasoline partially premixed combustion at low load operating conditions. The idea is to use negative valve overlap to trap hot residual gases to elevate the global in-cylinder temperature to promote auto-ignition of the high octane number fuel. This is of practical interest at low engine speed and load operating conditions because it can be assumed that the available boost is limited. The problem with NVO at low load operating conditions is that the exhaust gas temperature is low. While an increase of NVO potentially increases the in-cylinder temperature at intake valve closing, increasing NVO also increases the EGR fraction which lowers the global in-cylinder temperature. The question is to what extent NVO can be used to extend the low load operating region. Investigations on the effect of the glow plug are also included. The experimental engine is modeled with the engine simulation tool AVL Boost to retrieve information about trapped residual gas fraction and in-cylinder temperature with varying NVO and load at low engine speed and load operating conditions. Measured experimental data is used as input to the engine simulation model at all operating conditions. Measured model inputs include valve lift curves, in-cylinder pressure trace and calculated heat-release profiles. (Less)

The Low Load Limit of Gasoline Partially Premixed Combustion Using Negative Valve Overlap

Abstract: Partially premixed combustion has the potential of high efficiency and simultaneous low soot and NOx emissions. Running the engine in partially premixed combustion mode with high octane number fuels has the advantage of a longer premix period of fuel and air which reduces soot emissions, even at higher loads. The problem is the ignitability at low load and idle operating conditions. The objective is to investigate different multiple-injection strategies in order to further expand the low load limit and reduce the dependency on negative valve overlap in order to increase efficiency. The question is, what is the minimum attainable load for a given setting of negative valve overlap and fuel injection strategy. The experimental engine is a light duty diesel engine equipped with a fully flexible valve train system. The engine is run without boost at engine speed 800 rpm. The fuel is 87 RON gasoline. A turbocharger is typically used to increase the boost pressure, but at low engine speed and load the available boost is expected to be limited. The in-cylinder pressure and temperature around top-dead-center will then be too low to ignite high octane number fuels. A negative valve overlap can be used to extend the low engine speed and load operating region. But one of the problems with negative valve overlap is the decrease in gas-exchange efficiency due to heat-losses from recompression of the residual gases. Also, the potential temperature increase from the trapped hot residual gases is limited at low load due to the low exhaust gas temperature. In order to expand the low load operating region further, more advanced injection strategies are investigated. (Less)

Steady state fuel consumption optimization through feedback control of estimated cylinder individual efficiency

Abstract: Engine efficiency is often controlled in an indirect way through combustion timing control. This requires a priori knowledge of where to phase the combustion for different operating points and conditions. With cylinder individual efficiency estimation, control strategies aiming directly at fuel consumption optimization can be developed. It has previously been shown that indicated efficiency can be estimated using the cylinder pressure trace. This paper presents a method to use the estimated efficiency as a feedback variable in an extremum seeking control strategy for online steady state fuel consumption optimization. The experimental results show that the controller manages to find the maximum brake torque region at the given operating point both with and without external excitation.

Combustion Phasing Controllability with Dual Fuel Injection Timings

Abstract: Reactivity controlled compression ignition through in-cylinder blending gasoline and diesel to a desired reactivity has previously been shown to give low emission levels and a clear simultaneous efficiency advantage. To determine the possible viability of the concept for on-road application, the control space of injection parameters with respect to combustion phasing is presented. Four injection strategies have been investigated, and for each the respective combustion phasing response is presented. Combustion efficiency is shown to be greatly affected by both the injection-timing and injection-strategy. All injection strategies are shown to break with the common soot-NOx trade-off, with both smoke and NOx emissions being near or even below upcoming legislated levels. Lastly, pressure rise rates are comparable with conventional combustion regimes with the same phasing. The pressure rise rates are effectively suppressed by the high dilution rates used.

Pressure Sensitivity of HCCI Auto-Ignition Temperature for Oxygenated Reference Fuels

Abstract: The current research focuses on creating a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) fuel index suitable for comparing different fuels for HCCI operation. One way to characterize a fuel is to use the auto-ignition temperature (AIT). The AIT can be extracted from the pressure trace. Another potentially interesting parameter is the amount of low temperature heat release (LTHR) that is closely connected to the ignition properties of the fuel. The purpose of this study was to map the AIT and the amount of LTHR of different oxygenated reference fuels in HCCI combustion at different cylinder pressures. Blends of n-heptane, iso-octane, and ethanol were tested in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine with a variable compression ratio. Five different inlet air temperatures ranging from 50 degrees C to 150 degrees C were used to achieve different cylinder pressures and the compression ratio was changed accordingly to keep a constant combustion phasing, CA50, of 3 +/- 1 deg after top dead center (TDC). The experiments were carried out in lean operation with a constant equivalence ratio of 0.33 and with a constant engine speed of 600 rpm. The amount of ethanol needed to suppress the LTHR from different primary reference fuels (PRFs) was evaluated. The AIT and the amount of LTHR for different combinations of n-heptane, iso-octane, and ethanol were charted.

Methodologies for characterising and valuing energy security — A short critical review

Abstract: Security of supply is widely addressed in the academia. In this paper we conduct a review of methodologies, discuss strengths and weaknesses and identify areas that would benefit from further research and methodology development. A distinction is made between methodologies used to assess general vulnerability and those that value the outcome of insecurity by testing how energy systems respond to disturbances. The former group contains methods that value scarcity of primary fuels, reliable infrastructure, import dependence, economic factors, diversity and those that are used to simultaneously analyse several of these aspects. Disturbances that are analysed are shortage of primary fuel, system failure (caused deliberately or accidently), the end users' cost of a power outage and price spikes.

Air-Entrainment in Wall-Jets Using SLIPI in a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine

Abstract: Mixing in wall-jets was investigated in an optical heavy-duty diesel engine with several injector configurations and injection pressures. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) was employed in non-reacting conditions in order to quantitatively measure local equivalence ratios in colliding wall-jets. A novel laser diagnostic technique, Structured Laser Illumination Planar Imaging (SLIPI), was successfully implemented in an optical engine and permits to differentiate LIF signal from multiply scattered light. It was used to quantitatively measure local equivalence ratio in colliding wall-jets under non-reacting conditions. Mixing phenomena in wall-jets were analyzed by comparing the equivalence ratio in the free part of the jet with that in the recirculation zone where two wall-jets collide. These results were then compared to φ predictions for free-jets. It was found that under the conditions tested, increased injection pressure did not increase mixing in the wall-jets. Comparisons with free-jet predictions further indicated that mixing in wall-jets is less effective than in free-jets for identical conditions and downstream distances. The confined nature of the wall-jet in the optical engine is suspected to be the reason for these observations. A rapid leaning-out of the jet after end of injection was observed for all cases, but this enhanced mixing was not transmitted to the wall-jet. (Less)

Air-Entrainment in Wall-Jets Using SLIPI in a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine

Abstract: Mixing in wall-jets was investigated in an optical heavy-duty diesel engine with several injector configurations and injection pressures. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) was employed in non-reacting conditions in order to quantitatively measure local equivalence ratios in colliding wall-jets. A novel laser diagnostic technique, Structured Laser Illumination Planar Imaging (SLIPI), was successfully implemented in an optical engine and permits to differentiate LIF signal from multiply scattered light. It was used to quantitatively measure local equivalence ratio in colliding wall-jets under non-reacting conditions. Mixing phenomena in wall-jets were analyzed by comparing the equivalence ratio in the free part of the jet with that in the recirculation zone where two wall-jets collide. These results were then compared to φ predictions for free-jets. It was found that under the conditions tested, increased injection pressure did not increase mixing in the wall-jets. Comparisons with free-jet predictions further indicated that mixing in wall-jets is less effective than in free-jets for identical conditions and downstream distances. The confined nature of the wall-jet in the optical engine is suspected to be the reason for these observations. A rapid leaning-out of the jet after end of injection was observed for all cases, but this enhanced mixing was not transmitted to the wall-jet. (Less)

Investigation on the Impact of Fuel Properties on Partially Premixed Combustion Characteristics in a Light Duty Diesel Engine

Abstract: The impact of fuel composition on the emission performance and combustion characteristics for partially premixed combustion (PPC) were examined for four fuels in the gasoline boiling range together with Swedish diesel MK1. Experiments were carried out at 8 bar IMEPg and 1500 rpm with 53±1% EGR and λ = 1.5. This relation gave inlet mole fractions of approximately 5% CO2 and 13% O2. The combustion phasing was adjusted by means of start of injection (SOI), for all fuels, over the range with stable combustion and acceptable pressure rise rate combined with maintained λ, EGR ratio, inlet pressure, and load. The operating range was limited by combustion instability for the high RON fuels, while MK1 and the low RON fuels could be operated over the whole MBT plateau. The largest difference in engine-out emissions between the fuels was the filtered smoke number (FSN), as the gasoline fuels produced a much lower FSN value than MK1. Higher RON value gave higher levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (HC) for the gasoline fuels, while MK1 had the lowest levels of these emissions.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Hyaluronan and collagen in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: a morphological analysis.

Abstract: Introduction. The hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) disease process is not only limited to cardiomyocyte abnormalities but also engages the extracellular matrix. Hyaluronan (HA) and its receptor CD44 are involved in cellular growth and tissue proliferation but have so far been less studied in myocardial hypertrophy. In HCM, collagens are abundant but their histological distribution and relation to hyaluronan have not been described. Material and Methods. Myocardial specimens from 5 patients with symptomatic left ventricular tract obstruction undergoing myectomy due to HCM were processed for histochemistry and immunohistochemistry. Results. HA staining was more intense in HCM patients. The histological distribution of HA was the same in patients and controls, that is, interstitial staining including the space between cardiomyocytes, in fibrous septa, and in the adventitia of intramyocardial blood vessels. CD44 was not detected in the myocardium of patients or controls. Collagen I showed the same general localisation as HA but detailed distribution differed. Conclusions. This is the first study that describes the distribution of hyaluronan in human HCM. HA staining is more intense in HCM patients but without coexpression of its receptor CD44, at least not in the chronic phase of HCM. HA and collagen I have the same localisation.

Quantitative in-cylinder fuel measurements in a heavy duty diesel engine using structured laser illumination planar imaging (SLIPI)

Abstract: Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) for quantitative fuel concentration measurements in a combustion engine is a challenging task. Measuring close to the walls of the combustion chamber is even more challenging as both the incident laser light and the signal are strongly reflected on the walls of the combustion chamber. By using a new technique called Structured Laser Illumination Planar Imaging (SLIPI) such background effects, as well as unwanted multiply scattered light, can be suppressed allowing for higher measurement accuracy. In this article we demonstrate, for the first time, the feasibility of the SLIPI technique for gas phase LIF and in-cylinder measurements. Results from regular LIF and SLIPI measurements are also compared. The measurements were made on a non-reacting fuel-jet with acetone as a fuel tracer in a heavy duty diesel engine (Scania D12). It is observed that the equivalence ratio measured by SLIPI in the free part of the jet is only two thirds of that measured by regular LIF during the early jet development. (Less)

Applicability of Ionization Current Sensing Technique with Plasma Jet Ignition Using PreChamber Spark Plug in a Heavy Duty Natural Gas Engine

Abstract: This article deals with study of ionization current sensing technique's signal characteristics while operating with pre-chamber spark plug to achieve plasma jet ignition in a 6 cylinder 9 liter turbo-charged natural gas engine under EGR and excess air dilution. Unlike the signal with conventional spark plug which can be divided into distinct chemical and thermal ionization peaks, the signal with pre-chamber spark plug shows a much larger first peak and a negligible second peak thereafter. Many studies in past have found the time of second peak coinciding with the time of maximum cylinder pressure and this correlation has been used as an input to combustion control systems but the absence of second peak makes application of this concept difficult with pre-chamber spark plug. However, it has been observed that the first peak is very strong and does not deteriorate much even under lean operation and hence ion current signal integral can be used to calculate real time combustion stability parameters for combustion control systems. The correlation between the coefficient of variation (COV) of indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and ion current integral for operation at 5, 12 and 18 bar IMEP load under stoichiometric and diluted operation with EGR and excess air is presented in this article. (Less)

In-cylinder Surface Thermometry using Laser Induced Phosphorescence

Abstract: Surface temperature in internal combustion engines is of high interest when studying heat losses. Two approaches for retrieving the surface temperatures are thermocouples and Laser Induced Phosphorescence, LIP. This study aims to analyze LIP as a technique for measuring surface temperature in internal combustion engines. The motivation for this study is the need for accurate surface temperatures which can be used by predictive models and increase knowledge about heat transfer. In this work LIP measurements have been carried out in two optical engines. In the first engine a thermographic phosphor was applied on top of a metal piston. The second engine was fitted with a quartz liner which was coated with phosphor material. Several coating thicknesses have been tested and the LIP temperature was extracted from both opposing sides of the phosphor. Both engines were run in HCCI mode with reference fuels and electrically heated air. In a previous publication, the authors showed that a layer of phosphor can show different temperatures i.e. a higher temperature on the side facing the cylinder gas than on the side facing the wall. In this study it is shown which thickness is needed to accurately present the temperature for typical engine combustion. With an increasing thickness of the phosphor material, the surface gets gradually insulated and the phosphor temperature reading becomes inaccurate. LIP measurements from a quartz ring and a metal piston have been compared and the temperature increase during combustion is similar although the heat conductivity of quartz is 40-200 times smaller than the metal piston. Measurements with thermocouples often show a lower temperature increase than what is seen in the LIP results. The difference in heat conductivity between the phosphor coating and the underlying surface is of importance for understanding what temperature is actually measured. (Less)

Imaging of hydrogen peroxide in an HCCI engine using photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence

Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is for the first time measured and imaged in two-dimensions in an HCCI engine using photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence (PF-LIF). Qualitatively, the experimental data agree with simulations.

Klimatomställningens förenlighet med de svenska miljömålen

Abstract: In this report potential synergies and conflicts between greenhouse gas mitigation and other environmental objectives (EOs) are studied. A starting point is taken in energy scenarios developed within the research programme LETS (www.lets2050.se). Environmental impacts appear in all steps of the energy chain, from land-use effects (both direct and indirect) of renewable energy extraction to emissions at end-use energy conversion. Of the studied energy alternatives, the greatest potential conflicts with other environmental objectives come from the utilisation of bioenergy. The conflict depends, however, on both the magnitude of the future expansion and the methods used for biomass production. Therefore, to allow a large scale expansion of biomass, the development of adequate policy instruments that govern land-use both nationally and globally will be essential. For wind power on the other hand, there seem to be no fundamental obstacles from the EO perspective to allow the amounts assumed in the studied scenarios although conflicts may be significant locally. Strategies for reducing energy use and transportation demand generally leads to less conflict with other EOs and give improved conditions for achieving all of them. It is not possible today to guarantee that the presented mitigation scenarios are compatible with reaching other EOs as it depends on what methods and technologies that are used, the successful development of new technologies and the development in other sectors of society such as the food sector. It seems important that systems of governance are implemented on the adequate level (as close to the environmental impact as possible) in order to keep the development of the transport and energy systems within sustainable borders. These systems of governance have to be flexible enough to be able to react on new knowledge and new priorities within society.