Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI)

Dual fuel HCCI combustion

- High octane and high cetane number fuels -

Eiji Tomita, Okayama University (Japan)

tomita@mech.okayama-u.ac.jp
1) Previous study ---- HCCI

a) HCCI combustion of DME: Spectrum analysis of

chemiluminescence was performed in an HCCI engine.
(SAE Paper, No.2003-01-1828)
Nobuyuki Kawahara, Eiji Tomita, Hisashi Kagajo

b) Ion Current Measurement in a Homogeneous Charge

Compression Ignition Engine,
International Journal of Engine Research, Vol.6, (2005),
pp.453-463.
Tatsuya Tanaka, Kazuaki Narahara, Michihiko Tabata,
Sadami Yoshiyama and Eiji Tomita
----- gasoline based HCCI
c) Dual fuel HCCI:
* Hydrogen is induced from intake port and gas oil is injected
into the cylinder and combustion characteristics and exhaust
emissions were investigated.
(SAE Paper, No.2001-01-3503)

* Methane is induced from intake port and gas oil is injected

into the cylinder and combustion characteristics and exhaust
emissions were investigated. The effect of diluted gas was
also investigated. The high dilution condition enables
stoichiometric combustion with no smoke and very low NOx.
(SAE Paper, No.2002-01-2723)
(HCCI symposium in Berkeley, 2004)
Demand from the society
- Increasing thermal efficiency (reducing CO2)
- Reducing pollutant emissions

HCCI : low NOx, no smoke : new Diesel

EGR

Lean Slow speed, Diluted

low temperature
combustion stoichiometric

Three-way

catalyst
Background
 Unburned Burned

Time
-No smoke, Low NOx

-Problems to be solved
* Ignition control under transient operation
Temperature, pressure and concentration of fuel, EGR
Variable valve timing
* Higher load without knock
Degree of stratification * how to supply the fuel
* in-cylinder flow

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition combustion

 Time
Homogeneous
charge
spark-ignition

Stratified charge Flame

spark-ignition propagation

Dual fuel
(normal injection)

Dual Fuel
(Early injection)

PREDIC Auto
PCCI ignition
SCCI

HCCI
 Fuel injected is dispersed widely without
ignition because of early injection.
High cetane number fuel for ignition source
High octane number fuel

No fuel-rich region leads to no smoke.

No high temperature region leads to less NOx.

The lean fuel surrounded with burned gas of

high cetane number fuel is expected to be burned.

Concept of this study

-Dual fuel engine (methane + diesel fuel)
combination of high octane number fuel & high cetane
number fuel using a DI diesel engine

- Early injection (40-50 deg.BTDC) : HCCI concept

low NOx, no smoke
but rapid combustion with high NOx in high load

- EGR (N2-dilution)
achieving mild combustion in high load

- Stoichiometric combustion

- ROHR and Exhaust emissions

Experimental method
 Single cylinder,
4 stroke cycle
Direct injection (diesel fuel)
+ induction from intake port
(methane)

Bore x stroke: 92 x 96 mm
Displacement: 638 cm3
Engine speed: n =1000rpm
Injection timing:
Compression ratio: 17.7:1
θinj=TDC~50 deg.BTDC
Injector: 4 holes (φ 0.26mm),
Equivalence ratio:
Spray angle: 150°
φt =0.4~1.1
Combustion chamber: Deep dish
N2 dilution ratio: α=0~37.5%

Engine specifications and combustion chamber

 Normal injection
(θinj=0~20deg.BTDC)
Early injection
(θinj=30~50deg.BTDC)

Low temperature reaction due to diesel fuel

One large peak with retarded combustion

Pressure and ROHR without N2-dilution (α=0%)

 Early injection

Normal injection

φt=0.5
Early injection
- Low NOx, low HC, Low CO
Smoke=0 - Low cycle-to-cycle fluctuation
- High thermal efficiency

Exhaust emissions and thermal efficiency w/o N2-dilution (α=0%)

 Increase in load
--> - increase
in Pmax and (dQ/dθ)max
and advance in the timing
of Pmax and (dQ/dq)max
- decrease in effective work

θinj=50 deg.BTDC
(mgo=4 mg/cycle, α=0 %)

Pressure and ROHR with increasing load w/o N2-dilution

 Smoke=0
In φt <0.5, combustion is incomplete and bad.
In φt>0.5, NOx increases while HC and CO are lower, and
combustion becomes stable.
mgo=4mg/cycle
Exhaust emissions and thermal efficiency w/o N2-dilution
 100
10
n = 1000rpm n = 1000rpm
mgo =4mg/cycle 80 mgo =4mg/cycle α =0%
8 θ inj = 50° BTDC θ inj = 50° BTDC
α =0% φ t = 0.6
φ t = 0.6

dQ/dθ , J/deg
60 α = 9.1 %
6
P, MPa

α = 9.1 % 40
α = 16.7 %
4
20
2 α = 16.7 %
0
0
-60 0 60 -60 0 60
θ , ° ATDC θ , ° ATDC

N2 dilution ratio, α=0, 9.1%, 16.7%

When dilution ratio becomes larger,
the combustion becomes milder.

Pressure and ROHR

 α 0 9.1 16.7 23.1 25.9 28.6 33.3 α 0 9.1 16.7 23.1 25.9 28.6 33.3
Methane
+ Methane
+
5000 nozzle : 150°
Decrease
NOx, ppm

4000 n : 1000 rpm 20 nozzle : 150°

CV(Pi), %
3000 θinj : 40° 15
n : 1000 rpm
2000 Oil : 4mg/cycl θinj : 40°
10
1000 Oil : 4mg/cycle
0 5
0
HC, ppmC1*

10000
40
5000 30

ηi, %
0
Increase 20
10
0
0.4
0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
0.3 Increase
CO, %

φ t
0.2
0.1
0
Ratio of N2-dilution was
changed according to
α=33%
20
Smoke, %

15 equivalence ratio.
10
5
Almost zero level
0 θinj=40°BTDC
0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
φ t (early injection)
Exhaust emissions, thermal efficiency and CV(Pi) with N2-dilution
 φ t 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 The same data are used.
Methane
NOx, ppm
10000
Abscissa: Ratio of N2 dilution
1000 (Å Equivalence ratio)
100
10 NOx : log scale
1
φ t
0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
10000
HC, ppmC1*

Methane

800
5000

Pi, KPa
600
400
0
nozzle : 150° 200
0.4 n : 1000 rpm 0
0.3 θinj : 40° BTDC
CO, %

nozzle : 150°
0.2 Oil : 4mg/cycle 20

CV(Pi), %
n : 1000 rpm
0.1 15
θinj : 40° BTDC
0 10 Oil : 4mg/cycle
5
10
8 0
CO2, %

6
4 40
2 30
0
ηi , %
20
20 10
Smoke, %

15 0
10 0 10 20 30 40
5 α
0
0 10
α
20 30 40
Exhaust emissions with N2-dilution
 θ inj
φ t 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0
20 ( ° BTDC)
Trade off of
40
HC and NOx
50
15000
θ inj = 20° BTDC Early injection
(20Æ40Æ50
deg.BTDC)
HC, ppmC 1*

10000
40° BTDC -Lower HC

5000

50° BTDC

0
10 100 1000
NOx, ppm

Relation between HC and NOx

 θinj (°BTDC) 10 20 40 50 40
mgo (4mg/cycle) 4 4 4 4 8
Methane
40 Smoke could be seen due to
0
fuel-rich region in normal
Smoke=0 0
3 5
injection .
30 0
0 0 6
0 0
10 In early injection,
α，%

20 smoke level is almost zero

Smoke, %
9 and operating range becomes
narrow.
10
n = 1000 rpm
φ t = 1.0 When diesel fuel increases,
0 13 the operating range in φt=1.0
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
becomes wider.
θinj, ° BTDC

Operating range of stoichiometric conditions

 θinj (°BTDC) 10 20 40 50 40 θinj (°BTDC) 10 20 40 50 40
mgo (4mg/cycle) 4 4 4 4 8 mgo (4mg/cycle) 4 4 4 4 8
Methane Methane

n = 1000 rpm α,% 20

10000 n = 1000 rpm

CV(Pi), %
NOx, ppm

φ t = 1.0 27.1 15 φ t = 1.0

1000 28.6
33.3
23.1 10
28.6
100
37.5 5
10
0
1
HC, ppmC1*

10000 33.3 28.6 40

23.1 16.7

η i, %
30
5000 20
10
0 0

Exhaust T, ℃
0.8 600
0.6
CO, %

0.4 28.6
25.9
400
350 C
33.3 200
0.2
0
0
500 550 600 650 700
20
Smoke, %

Pi
15
10
5
0
500 550 600 650 700 Stoichiometric conditions
Pi
(1) When the injection timing of diesel fuel is advanced, the
range of equivalence ratio for the engine operation becomes
narrow.
However, the engine can operates even in stoichiometric
mixture owing to N2-dilution.
Under the condition of stoichiometric mixture, smoke can
be seen when the injection timing is 20 degrees BTDC
though smoke is not seen when the injection timing is 40 and
50 degrees BTDC.
This is because there is no rich region of fuel due to the
diffusion of the diesel fuel in the early injection.

Conclusions (1)
(2) The peak of the rate of heat release is retarded in the
early injection timing. The exhaust emissions of NOx are
very low and HC and CO are almost the same while thermal
efficiency increases slightly.

(3) In the early injection timing without N2-dilution, when the

equivalence ratio increases, the effective work decreases
because the maximum value of the heat release is
advanced and thermal efficiency decreases.

(4) The value of the hydrocarbons in the early injection is

smaller than those in the normal injection timing though the
absolute value seems to be large.

Conclusions (2)
3) Recent research and tools

a) Spectroscopic analysis of burned gas

Small fiber optics is used for local spectroscopic analysis.
OH, CH and C2 radicals are detected and combustion
characteristics such as heat release rate, flame developing
speed.

b) Local gas temperature measurement using interferometry

system
Interferomerty technique is applied to measure temperature
history of the gas with a small sensor that is developed in my
laboratory. The degree of homogeneity of the temperature in
the cylinder can be obtained.