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The hydrogen-fueled Wanke rotary engine is a promising power system that has both high power and eco-friendly properties. This work investigated the effect of ignition timing on a dual-spark plugs synchronous-ignition hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine under low speed, part load and lean combustion. The results show that with delaying the ignition timing, CA0-10 is shortened first and then lengthened and CA10-90 is consistently shortened. When the CA50 is located between 35 and 40°CA ATDC, the maximum brake torque can be realized. Besides, the selection of ignition timing needs to consider the "trade-off" relationship between the combustion phase and corresponding in-cylinder pressure. The maximum brake torque ignition timing is between 5 and 10°CA ATDC. And there is also a "trade-off" relationship between stability and thermal load when ignition timing is selected. In addition, HC and NO emissions will not become the problem limiting the power performance of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine under this operating condition. • A modified synchronous ignition hydrogen Wankel rotary engine was used. • The effect of ignition timing on performance of rotary engine was studied. • The power depends mainly on the in-cylinder pressure near 135°CA ATDC. • Selecting ignition timing needs to weigh the stability and thermal load. • Suitable ignition timing makes CA50 located between 35 and 40°CA ATDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A CFD model of H 2 -gasoline fueled rotary engine was established and validated. • The CFD model was modified by installing the compound intake ports. • The mean in-cylinder pressure and indicated thermal efficiency were increased. • Combining compound intake with HDI obtained a better engine performance. • CO emission was decreased, but NOx emissions were increased. Abstract The compound intake possesses large port area. Applying it in Wankel rotary engine (WRE) could increase volumetric efficiency and reduce pumping loss. To investigate the effect of the compound intake on the mixture formation and combustion process in gasoline WREs with hydrogen port and direct injected (HPI and HDI) enrichment, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was established and validated. Investigation results showed that the peripheral-ported intake flow plays a leading role in the compound-ported WRE. Because the peripheral-ported intake flow has the same direction with the rotor movement, the formation time of mainstream flow field is shortened and the mean flow speed is increased, the flame propagation in the same direction with mainstream flow field is accelerated. Meanwhile, the improvements in volumetric efficiency and quality of in-charged mixtures result in the rise of temperature and pressure at spark timing, which could also improve the initial thermal conditions. Therefore, the compound intake effectively accelerates the combustion process in WRE. In HPI conditions, compared with the side-ported WRE, the peak in-cylinder pressure and indicated thermal efficiency in compound-ported WRE are respectively increased by 4.5% and 3.9%. In HDI conditions, the flame could propagate to the rear combustion chamber and eliminate the unburned zone, the maximum in-cylinder pressure and indicated thermal efficiency in side-ported WRE with HDI are 84.7% and 6.6% higher than those of in side-ported WRE with HPI. At the same time, the compound intake could further increase the in-cylinder pressure and indicated thermal efficiency by 6.8% and 2.5%, respectively. However, the improved combustion performance increases the in-cylinder temperature, which provides a suitable thermal-atmosphere for nitrogen oxide (NO x) formation. The compound intake increases mass fractions of NO x emissions from 0.111% to 0.141% in HPI conditions and those from 0.268% to 0.284% in HDI conditions. Considering the compound intake promotes the combustion characteristics and effectively decreases carbon monoxide (CO) emission from 0.043% to 0.033% in HPI conditions, and from 0.008% to 0.003% in HDI conditions, it is a feasible way to improve the performance of WREs. Especially, combining it with HDI could obtain a better engine performance under low engine speed and part load conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A CFD model of H 2 -gasoline fueled rotary engine was established and validated. • H 2 was direct injected in the combustion chamber under different strategies. • In-cylinder pressure increased with retarded HIT and extended HID. • The lowest CO emission was achieved in HIT of 110 °CA BTDC, HID of 40 °CA. • Higher NO x emissions were acquired in retarded HIT and extended HID. Abstract In Wankel rotary engine (WRE), high mainstream velocity in combustion chamber blocks flame propagating to the end of combustion chamber, which causes high emissions and low combustion efficiency due to unburned mixtures. To solve this problem, a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model of a hydrogen-gasoline blends fueled WRE is built and validated. The in-cylinder mixture formation and combustion process are investigated under different hydrogen injection timing (HIT) and duration (HID) conditions. The study results show that the concentration of hydrogen distributed between the spark plug region and rear combustion chamber increases with retarded HIT and extended HID. Faster flame speeds are obtained for HIT of 110 °CA BTDC and HID of 40 °CA. At a fixed HID of 20 °CA, compared with HITs of 210 and 160 °CA BTDC, the peak in-cylinder pressures for HIT of 110 °CA BTDC are increased by 14.3% and 6.8%, respectively. At a fixed HIT of 110 °CA BTDC, the peak in-cylinder pressure in HID of 40 °CA is 52.3% and 9.21% higher than HIDs of 20 and 30 °CA. The highest in-cylinder pressure is achieved with the hydrogen injection strategy that HIT of 110 °CA BTDC, HID of 40 °CA. However, as the temperature increases with pressure, nitrogen oxide emissions are also increased with retarded HIT and extended HID obviously. Considering the lowest carbon monoxide is achieved and the unburned zone in the rear region of combustion chamber is eliminated in HIT of 110 °CA BTDC, HID of 40 °CA. The hydrogen direct injection strategy that HIT of 110 °CA BTDC, HID of 40 °CA acquires the best engine performance in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CFD model of hydrogen-enriched gasoline Wankel rotary engine is established and validated. The mixture formation and combustion processes are investigated under both hydrogen port and direct injection enrichment conditions with different hydrogen addition levels. It was found that, under hydrogen port injection enrichment conditions, the peak in-cylinder pressure of 6% is 8.4% higher that of 3%. Meanwhile, under hydrogen direct injection enrichment conditions, the peak in-cylinder pressure of 3% hydrogen direct injection enrichment is 15.3% higher than that of 3% hydrogen port injection enrichment. It was also found that the mainstream field with same direction of rotor rotation is formed during the compression stroke and a vortex with high vorticity existed in the combustion chamber. With the effects of mainstream field and vortex, the hydrogen fills more than half volume of the entire combustion chamber under 4%, 5% and 6% HDIE conditions. At the same time, a local low velocity zone is formed around the vortex because the hydrogen direct injection flow slows down the dissipation of vortex. According to the analysis by PREMIX, the fastest flame speed is achieved at equivalence ratios around 1.4. The proper rich hydrogen region distribution is obtained under 4%, 5% and 6% hydrogen direct injection enrichment conditions. Both the enhanced flame propagation by proper equivalence ratio distribution and the reduced local mainstream flow velocity by vortex existence contribute to solving the unburned zone problem. Compared with 6% hydrogen port injection enrichment, the maximum value of in-cylinder pressure of 4%, 5% and 6% hydrogen direct injection enrichment is improved by 59.6%, 88.4% and 91.6%, respectively. However, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide emissions are increased obviously. As a relatively low carbon monoxide emission is obtained with 4% case under hydrogen direct injection enrichment conditions and the problem of unburned zone in the rear region of combustion chamber is solved. The hydrogen volume fraction of 4% with direct injection enrichment achieves the best engine performance in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to reveal the effect of intake closing timing, and engine speed on the flow field, flame propagation, combustion characteristics, and emissions formations of a small-scaled side ported hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine. For this reason, a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model was established using a reasonable turbulent model coupled with a kinetic reaction mechanism and validated by the experimental data. Simulation results show that an earlier intake closing timing increases the volumetric efficiency and increases intake loss. The increasing speed improves the volumetric efficiency while causing a higher intake loss. There are two peaks of the turbulence kinetic energy during the intake stroke. The first one is caused by the airflow hitting the wall, and the other is due to the backflow. During the flame development period, due to the strong unidirectional flow in the combustion chamber, which is not conducive to flame propagation backward. This phenomenon is more pronounced at higher engine speeds, resulting in a merged flame front not exceeding the trailing spark plug. The lean combustion leads to a lower in-cylinder combustion temperature, deteriorating the NOx generation environment. This paper provides a feasible method for matching the operating conditions and intake system. • The shape and area of the intake port varies with the intake closing timing. • Dual-spark plug flame propagation pattern is proposed. • The leakage of gas to adjacent cylinder is reduced at 8000 rpm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of carbon neutral, hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (WRE) with high power density and compact layout has the potential to become a substitute for current fossil engines. Ammonia as a carbon-free renewable energy is considered alternative energy used in vehicles, however, its application on WRE is lacking. Therefore, the present work aims to investigate the performance of ammonia-enriched hydrogen-fueled WRE to analyze the feasibility of ammonia applied in hydrogen-fueled WRE. The main conclusions are as follows: Under test conditions, the maximum brake torque and thermal efficiency are obtained at about 30% and 40% volume fraction of ammonia in fuel, and compared with pure hydrogen conditions, achieving relative improvements of 21% and 29%, respectively. Slightly rich combustion is recommended to increase power and decrease NO emissions with an acceptable economic loss. In addition, ammonia enrichment can prevent the occurrence of abnormal combustion. [Display omitted] • Performance analysis of NH3-enriched hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine. • NH3 enrichment can improve dynamics and economy with penalties for NO emission. • Slightly rich combustion is recommended for NH3-enriched hydrogen-fueled WRE. • NH3 enrichment is an effective way to prevent abnormal combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine with excellent power and emission characteristic is under spotlight, while the leakage is still the major problem for Wankel rotary engine, especially the leading spark plug leakage. The peak pressure is increased from 3.34 MPa to 3.52 MPa and the indicated thermal efficiency reaches maximum value of 38.29% when the moving distance of leading spark plug is −6.5 mm, and the mass of leakage fresh mixture is reduced from 0.00311 g to 0 g. When leading spark plug is moved to minor axis, the flow field structure of working chamber is enhanced. However, the peak pressure and indicated thermal efficiency decrease when the moving distance of leading spark plug exceeds −6.5 mm. The excess leakage residual gas has negative effects on combustion. The optimum moving distance of leading spark plug is −6.5 mm at 3000 rpm with λ of 1.6. • The leakage mechanisms of spark plugs are analyzed. • The influence of leading spark plug location on gas leakage is analyzed. • The influence of leading spark plug location on combustion is analyzed. • The influence of leading spark plug location on flow field is analyzed. • The optimum location of leading spark plug is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine is proposed to resist the threat of global warming. Wankel rotary engine (WRE) has been proven to be an excellent hydrogen-fueled power device, which can overcome the shortcomings of hydrogen, such as poor power, serious backfire and large storage volume, to some extent when it is used as fuel in the internal combustion engine. However, due to its unique structure, WRE suffers from severe knock. Therefore, the goal of this work is to investigate the impacts of knock type on the heat release process in hydrogen-fueled WRE. This present work is conducted at 2000 r/min and wide-open throttle. The main results are as follows: In hydrogen-fueled WRE, the peak knock pressure of knock caused by rapid and unstable combustion of hydrogen is usually earlier than CA50 and that of knock caused by spontaneous combustion of end gas is usually later than CA50. The sequence between the crank angle of peak knock pressure and CA50 combined with knock intensity can be used to determine the knock type in hydrogen-fueled WRE. Besides, a means for knock detection is proposed according to the distribution of crank angle corresponding to peak knock pressure. In addition, the distribution of CA0-10, CA50 and CA10-90 of 1000 consecutive cycles under two kinds of knock in hydrogen-fueled WRE are discussed in detail, and regular conclusions are drawn. In particular, the limitation of CA50 as a metric for evaluating knock level is also demonstrated. • The impact of knock type on the heat release of hydrogen Wankel engine is discussed. • The distribution of CA0-10, CA50 and CA10-90 with knock intensity are analyzed. • A method is proposed to estimate the knock occur. • A method is proposed to determine the knock type in hydrogen engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of Spark plug position on hydrogen rotary engine is investigated. • Leading spark plug can obtain higher power and low cyclic variation. • Hydrogen rotary engine's spark plug should locate the front of the minor axis. • Hydrogen rotary engine has excellent emission under lean combustion. • Best CA50 of hydrogen rotary engine locates between 35 and 40°CA ATDC. As a promising power system, hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine with excellent power and emission characteristic have received attention increasingly, which makes it of great interest to investigate it. To make up for blanks, this work was conducted to experimentally investigate the effect of spark plug position on the combustion and emission characteristic of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine under 1500 r/min, 66 kPa manifold absolute pressure and 1.5 excess air ratio. The results indicate that compared to the trailing spark plug, the leading spark plug is more suitable to hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engines, which can realize a wider ignition range, higher maximum brake torque, lower cyclic variation and better nitric oxide emission. The maximum brake torque of adopting trailing spark plug is 31.2 N·m, which is only 87% of the maximum brake torque of 36.0 N·m with adopting leading spark plug. At the maximum brake torque ignition timing, adopting leading trailing spark plug achieves lower cyclic variation and slightly higher thermal load than adopting trailing spark plug. Besides, the optimum central heat-release point of both spark plug positions locate between 35 and 40°CA after the top dead center, and that of leading spark plug is later 2°CA than that of trailing spark plug. Moreover, both spark plug positions obtained 0 nitric oxide emission at maximum brake torque ignition timing, which means that emission will not be a problem to limit the selection of spark plug position under tested conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a hydrogen carrier, ammonia can suppress knock and enhance thermal efficiency of the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (WRE), and achieve zero carbon emissions. This research established a three-dimensional fluid dynamics model coupled with detailed reaction kinetics of ammonia and hydrogen and verified it based on experiments. Incorporating 10% volume fraction of ammonia into the hydrogen-fueled WRE eliminates knock and decreases the excess air ratio (λ) from 1.8 to 1.4, effectively improving the indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP). The results indicate that when λ exceeds 1.4, flame propagation accelerates with higher concentration of the mixture. This enhances peak in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate, but it results higher NOx emissions. As λ varies from 1.8 to 1.4, NOx emission levels rise by 47.4%. At λ ≤ 1.2, the rapid flame propagation leads to short combustion duration, diminishing the power output. At this stage, the NO formation is dominated by H radicals, and the NOx production reaches its minimum value at λ of 1.0. In summary, the ammonia-hydrogen WRE achieves optimal performance at λ of 1.4 and ignition timing of −5 °CA after top dead center, the indicated thermal efficiency reaches 36.9% and the IMEP achieves 0.683 MPa. • The effect of ammonia addition on hydrogen-fueled WRE is analyzed. • The addition of ammonia is an effective way to prevent abnormal combustion. • The effects of excess air ratio on combustion and emission are analyzed. • The optimum ignition timing corresponding the optimal performance is given. • The optimum IMEP and ITE is obtained when the excess air ratio equals 1.4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work proposes the application of CH 4 and H 2 synergy to improve the performance of the Wankel rotary engine (WRE). The whole work was experimentally conducted at 1500 r/min. The results indicate that CH 4 WRE can achieve similar power and significantly higher thermal efficiency than gasoline WRE based on quantitative control, with a maximum absolute efficiency improvement of 11.4%. At the same time, it also can achieve 64% and 77% maximum reduction of CO and NO emissions, respectively. CH 4 –H 2 synergy can further improve the performance of CH 4 -fueled WRE, which can broaden the lean flammability limits and make qualitative control application possible. Compared with CH 4 WRE with quantitative control, qualitative control hybrid fuel WRE can achieve a maximum relative improvement of 6.54% in brake thermal efficiency and significantly reduced NO and CO emissions. However, the extent of qualitative control is limited by cyclic variation. Overall, CH 4 –H 2 synergy can be a potential alternative to elevate the performance of WRE, the key to which is the reasonable match of synergy level and qualitative control extent. • Comparison of performances between CH4 and gasoline Wankel rotary engines. • CH4 has significant advantages in efficiency, CO and NO emission than gasoline. • CH4–H2 synergy can further improve the performance of the CH4 Wankel rotary engine. • Blending H2 coupling qualitative control is a good load control model in CH4 WRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine is restricted by the leakage problem, especially the apex seal leakage (ASL). In the study, the ASL area is divided into the geometric leakage area (GLA) and the dynamic leakage area (DLA). The models of under-seal pressure prediction and vibration of apex seal are established. The mechanism of GLA and DLA and the effects of key parameters on them are analyzed. Results show that the DLA decreases with the increase of discharge coefficient, clearance between apex seal and slot. There is no DLA when the rotation speed is slower than 2000 rpm or higher than 7000 rpm. Besides, the value of DLA is only 11.23% of GLA and the GLA can be reduced by 88.57% when using a corner-piece structure. The total leakage decreases with the increase of rotation speed. Finally, some measures to reduce the leakage are given. [Display omitted] • The cause of apex seal leakage of the Hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is analyzed. • The prediction model of under-seal pressure of the apex seal is established. • The computational model of the apex seal leakage is established. • The apex seal leakage area and leakage gas mass are calculated. • The suggestions to improve the sealing performance are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the property of the promising and eco-friendly hydrogen-fueled rotary engine, the effect of excess air ratio on the combustion and emission characteristic of it was explored by experiment. The test was conducted under 1500 rpm and 5 CAD ADTC ignition timing. The test results demonstrated that with the decrease of excess air ratio from 2 to 0.85, the thermal efficiency of the hydrogen-fueled rotary engine increases first and then decreases. Besides, increasing MAP is beneficial to improve thermal efficiency. Among the tested condition, the highest brake thermal efficiency is realized when the rotary engine operates at 1.4 excess air ratio and 88 kPa MAP, about 18.34%. And the excellent HC and NO emissions can be obtained at the highest efficiency point. Besides, with the decrease of excess air ratio and the increase of load, the stability and flame development period gradually decrease. With a decreased excess air ratio, the flame propagation period decrease first and then increases, whereas work capacity and thermal efficiency increase first and then decrease. For NO emission, it will increase sharply near the equivalent ratio and gradually decrease after rich combustion. Also, according to the analytical model, it is found that the power performance of the rotary engine depends on the trade-off relationship of in-cylinder pressure and its angle of action. • A rotary engine was modified to run on hydrogen. • The effects of excess air ratio on combustion and emission were studied. • The best efficiency is obtained when the excess air ratio equals 1.4. • An analytical model is presented and the reasonability also be proved. • The emission corresponding to the best efficiency point is excellent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syngas is a fuel with a huge market and low carbon emission, which has been proven to be well applied to internal combustion engines. WRE with high power density can effectively improve the power characteristic when syngas is employed as fuel in engines, however, which has not been reported publicly. This work aims to provide insights into the performance of syngas-fueled WRE under different CO/H2 ratios and thus gives theoretical guidance for its application. The test is done at 1500 r/min and part load. It is found that with the increase of the volumetric ratio of CO in syngas (CO%), the efficiency, torque and carbon emissions are deteriorated, however, the NO emission is significantly improved and the knock level is also reduced. In addition, on the premise of constant CO%, a high brake thermal efficiency, low NO emission and knock intensity can be achieved at lean combustion. In particular, when CO% is 10%, the combustion efficiency of CO is independent of the excess air ratio, while when CO% is 20%, that is decreased with increasing excess air ratio. In summary, the syngas-fueled WRE is recommended to adopt the qualitative control and the syngas with low CO%. • Insights into the performance of syngas-fueled Wankel rotary engines. • The trade-off relationship among power, efficiency and NO emission needs to be considered. • Qualitative control and low CO% are recommended in the syngas-fueled WRE. • The combustion efficiency of CO at varied λ is closely related to CO%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The application of O 2 enrichment in a hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is assessed. • O 2 enrichment can improve power output with penalties in efficiency and emission. • O 2 -enriched level can effectively accelerate the heat release process. • O 2 enrichment will lead to knock, backfire and pre-ignition. • Low O 2 -enriched levels has higher application value than high O 2 -enriched levels. Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engines (WREs) with excellent dynamic and emission characteristics have the potential to become a substitute for current fossil-fueled reciprocating piston engines. Oxygen enrichment can be employed to solve the lower power of hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engines, however, it has not been applied in hydrogen-fueled WRE at present. Hence, the goal of this work is to experimentally assess the application of oxygen enrichment in the hydrogen-fueled WRE. This work is conducted at 1500 r/min, wide-open throttle and 2.0 excess air ratio. The work found that within the test range, oxygen enrichment can effectively improve the brake torque of hydrogen-fueled WRE, however, penalize the brake thermal efficiency and NO emission. When the oxygen fraction in air increases from 21% to 29.1%, the brake torque is increased by about 45% while the brake thermal efficiency is lowered by about 8.5% and NO emission deteriorates by three orders of magnitude. Oxygen enrichment can accelerate flame development and propagation process. Besides, as the oxygen-enriched level is increased, abnormal combustion, including knock, backfire and pre-ignition, began to occur and affected the normal operation of hydrogen-fueled WRE. In general, compared with the high oxygen-enriched level, which has severe penalties on performance except for power output, low oxygen-enriched level has higher application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to predict the intake characteristics of a side-ported Wankel rotary engine implemented by a novel dual-layer machine learning (ML) structure. The Sobol sequence coupled with a parametric phase control model is performed to generate samples using a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model. Two ML structures are compared to determine the input features, in which the input features of structure A are the port phases, while structure B also contains the geometric features. Compared with Structure A, the regression and generalization abilities of Structure B with different ML methods are generally favorable. Based on structure B, a novel dual-layer structure prediction model is developed using the Gaussian process regression method in which geometric features are used as intermediate variables. The results show that for the prediction of intake loss and volumetric efficiency, the coefficients of determination are greater than 0.99, and the prediction error is less than 1%. In addition, the port full closing timing determines the intake characteristics compared with other port phases. This paper provides novel solutions for predicting intake characteristics to guide practical optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to optimize the intake characteristics of a side ported Wankel rotary engine by combining machine learning (ML) with genetic algorithm (GA). The computational samples are generated using Sobol sequences, in which the variables are the timing of port full opening, port start closing, and port full closing (PFC). A two-layer structured ML prediction model is establishedwith the intake phases and geometric parameters as input variables. The results show that the coefficients of determination of the prediction models built by Gaussian process regression are greater than 0.99. The response surface presents that the PFC timing determines the intake loss and volumetric efficiency compared to others. The volume efficiency and intake loss are fitted as a quadratic function in the Pareto front. In all the typical cases, the deviation between prediction and calculation is less than 1%. In the typical case C, the intake loss is reduced by 19.39%, and the volumetric efficiency is only reduced by 0.01%. It is promising to integrate ML with GA for further improvements of engine performance. [Display omitted] • The intake phases are defined as the timing of PSO, PFO, PSC and PFC. • Intake characteristics are mainly determined by PFC timing. • A two-layer ML model is used to predict intake characteristics. • The intake characteristics are optimized using GA combined with ML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An over-expanded (Atkinson cycle) reciprocating internal combustion engine is a crucial component of hybrid and range-extended electric vehicles. The realization of the over-expansion cycle with high efficiency in novel power devices with a compact, simple design, such as cycloidal rotary engines, is a promising alternative. The cycloidal rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that operates four strokes without a reciprocating mechanism and valve train. The over-expansion cycle is implemented in the cycloidal rotary engine by asymmetrical intake and exhaust port arrangements, resulting in open and closure timings. This study aimed to establish inherent characteristics of the over-expansion cycle in gasoline-fueled rotary engines with spark ignition. A numerical simulation of the gas exchange and combustion process in a wide range of over-expansion ratios was conducted. It was concluded that the over-expansion cycle is realized without typical piston engine methods such as variable valve timing and multilink mechanism. The thermal conversion efficiency is a peak function of the over-expansion ratio. In the over-expansion range of 1.1–1.2, the thermal conversion efficiency of the cycloidal rotary engine increased up to 32.7–34.5%. The benefits of fuel economy and carbon oxide emission can also be achieved within the specified range of over-expansion ratio. • Manual adjustment of port timings is used to realize over-expanded (Atkinson) cycle. • Variation of over-expansion ratio alters the gas-exchange and combustion processes. • The thermal conversion efficiency is a peak function of the over-expansion ratio. • The benefits of fuel economy and emission can be achieved by over-expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by issues such as global warming, there is currently great interest and significance in developing zero carbon-emission internal combustion engines. Limited by structural and sealing requirements, there are no experimental studies related to combustion velocity measurement of the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (HWRE) with excellent power performance, which is important to investigate its knock characteristic. In this work, a combustion velocity measuring method of dual spark plug HWRE is proposed, besides the obtained combustion, flow and flame velocities are correlated with the knock to explore their influence on the HWRE knock characteristics. The study found that adopting dual spark plugs in HWRE is necessary to reduce the negative impact of the flame not being able to propagate against the flow field. Besides, excess air ratio affects the combustion velocity of HWRE by changing the flame velocity, while the engine speed affects the combustion velocity of HWRE by changing the flow velocity, which basically does not affect the flame velocity. The knock level of HWRE is influenced by its flame velocity and flow velocity, both of which are positively correlated to the knock intensity and the latter has a more significant effect. • A method of measuring Wankel rotary engine combustion velocity is proposed. • Quantifying the combustion, flow and flame velocity of hydrogen Wankel rotary engine. • Investigating the influence of excess air ratio and engine speed. • Quantifying the relationship between knock intensity and above three velocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Knock of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine is investigated in this work. • Effect of ignition timing, spark plug location and number, λ and speed are studied. • Knock intensity with distribution, knock duration and cyclic variation are analyzed. • All of aspects studied in this work have significant effects on the knock. Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (HWER) is an excellent power device with superior power and emission performances. Besides, unlike hydrogen-fueled reciprocating piston engines, HWRE is less prone to backfire due to its structural advantages. However, limited by its long combustion chamber, knock, one of abnormal combustion in engines, still hinders the development of HWER. Hence, based on this consideration, the goal of this work is to investigate the knock of HWRE from different aspects, including ignition timing, spark plug number, spark plug location, excess air ratio and engine speed, to provide relevant information for the design of hydrogen-specific WRE. The results show that the knock intensity gradually increases as the ignition timing is advanced, the excess air ratio is decreased and the engine speed is increased, but the knock duration shows different variations. Adopting dual spark plugs tends to lead to stronger knock caused by unstable combustion of hydrogen, while only adopting leading spark plug tends to lead to the knock caused by auto-ignition. When dual spark plugs are used, the leading spark plug is more responsible for the knock caused by unstable combustion and the trailing spark plug is more responsible for the knock caused by auto-ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fuel Wankel rotary engine (HWRE) has higher power density than current marketed gasoline-fueled engines, however, it suffers from the knock. Hence, the purpose of this work is to investigate the impacts of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on the knock in a HWRE by analyzing the relationship between some knock-relevant parameters and EGR level, which is conducted at 1500 r/min, wide-open throttle, stoichiometric ratio, and respectively constant ignition timing and CA50. The results show that cooled EGR can be used as an effective means of eliminating the knock in HWRE. As the EGR level is increased, the size and distribution of knock-relevant parameters, such as knock intensity, knock duration, crank angle of peak knock pressure and so on, show their own change characteristics. Besides, the role of the EGR level on the knock-relevant parameters is also influenced by the ignition timing and CA50. Overall, cooled EGR has a positive effect on the suppression of knock. [Display omitted] • The effect of cooled EGR on knock in hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is investigated. • Some knock-relevant parameters with cooled EGR levels are analyzed. • Cooled EGR level influences the distribution and size of knock-relevant parameters. • Cooled EGR is an effective means of preventing the knock in hydrogen-fueled WRE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine has excellent power density and low backfire possibility, however, as well as the severe knock. The knock is closely related to the in-cylinder combustion process, therefore, the present work is conducted to identify, predict and classify the knock by data-driven based on combustion parameters in the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine. The results show that: Knock type can be identified well according to knock intensity and crank angle of peak knock pressure through the Gaussian Mixture Model. There are 141 strong knock cycles and 809 weak knock cycles in test data. Compared with Support Vector Machines and Back-propagation Neural Networks, Multiple Linear Regression has a better global performance in knock-level prediction based on combustion parameters. The maximum pressure rising rate and CA50 have more significant impacts on knock, the partial of regression coefficients of which is about 0.42 and −0.58, respectively. In particular, due to different formation mechanisms, the prediction models of two types of knock are recommended to be established separately. In addition, the Support Vector Machine can be applied to conduct knock classification. Among kernel functions in Support Vector Machine, the linear kernel function can achieve optimal mean test accuracy, about 88.66 %. • Machine Learning is used on the knock research of hydrogen Wankel rotary engines. • Gaussian Mixture Model can identify knock type by intensity and time features. • Multiple Linear Regression behaves well in knock prediction by burn features. • Support Vector Machine with linear kernel function can conduct knock classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experiments in a modified hydrogen-fueled rotary engine are presented. • Comparatively investigating the effect of asynchronous and synchronous ignition. • Asynchronous ignition achieves higher torque and lower tendency of knock. • Leading and trailing plugs act as primary and auxiliary spark plugs respectively. • The CA50 should be located at 35 to 40°CA ATDC to obtain the highest power. This work aims to investigate experimentally the asynchronous ignition in a hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine. This work was carried out at 1500 r/min and lean combustion. The experimental results showed that a suitable asynchronous ignition may realize better power performance than synchronous ignition and earlier ignition timing of the leading plug than that of the trailing plug is more preferable. When the leading plug and the trailing plug spark at 5°CA ATDC and 20°CA ATDC, respectively, the highest torque is obtained, 36.4 N·m, higher than 35.2 N·m, the highest torque when the synchronous ignition is adopted. Besides, a declined tendency of knock also can be achieved by asynchronous ignition. Compared with synchronous ignition at 35.2 N·m, a reduction of 19.5% maximum pressure rising rate can be achieved by asynchronous ignition at 36.4 N·m. In addition, for hydrogen-fueled WRE, the CA50 should be located at 35 to 40°CA ATDC to obtain the highest output torque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The model of HFRE with active pre-chamber TJI was established. • The combustion characteristic of HFRE-SC was analyzed. • The optimum HIT and HID was obtained. Hydrogen can be used as fuel to replace gasoline, with the benefit of reducing harmful emissions of rotary engine (RE). The swirl chamber (SC) coupling spark plug and nozzle will achieve diffusion combustion and higher power as compared to the conventional spark plug. In the current work, a CFD model of a hydrogen-fueled rotary engine with swirl chamber (HFRE-SC) is established to study the impacts of hydrogen injection timing (HIT) and hydrogen injection duration (HID) on combustion characteristics of HFRE-SC. Results reveal that SC combustion system may achieve more combustion efficiency and higher indicated power when compared to port injection (PI). Moreover, lean hydrogen in the rear of combustion chamber (ROCC) can result from retarding HIT and extending HID. In addition, when the rich zone in SC moves toward the spark plug, making it difficult for flames to develop and spread. The best performance can be obtained when using the HIT at 75 °CA BTDC and the HID during 35 °CA, with an 8.42 % up in indicated power compared to the PI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (WRE) suffers from high NOx emissions, high risk of knock and uneven thermal load. The goal of this work is to investigate the application of quantitative control and qualitative control on a hydrogen-fueled WRE and find a suitable load control strategy for hydrogen-fueled WRE to address above-mentioned problems, which is conducted at 1500r/min. The results show that the combination of qualitative control and quantitative control is an effective way to obtain the excellent performance of hydrogen-fueled WRE, which can achieve higher thermal efficiency while effectively improving some drawbacks of hydrogen-fueled WRE, such as uneven thermal load, high tendency of knock and high NOx emissions. Besides, it also can flexibly select control logic according to the priority of emissions, efficiency, stability and power. Compared to quantitative control, the combined control can realize higher brake thermal efficiency under the same brake torque, and the highest relative and absolute improvements are 38.4% and 4.75%. In addition, it also keeps the engine running in an acceptable cyclic variation range. • Effect of quantitative and qualitative control on hydrogen-fueled WRE is studied. • HWRE has low thermal efficiency, high knock risk and NOx, uneven thermal load. • Combination of two strategies can effectively improve the problem of HWRE. • Combination of two strategies allows flexible control logic based on requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine, with few available research currently, has excellent power and emission characteristics, however, with lower efficiency. With increasing attention to low-carbon emission, it is of great significance to explore methods to improve the efficiency of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engines. This work aims to study the effect of qualitative control coupling variable engine speeds at the wide-open throttle on the power control. The comparative effect of qualitative control coupling engine speeds from 1000 r/min to 1500 r/min under the wide-open throttle and quantitative control at 1500 r/min on the combustion and emission characteristic of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine is investigated. The results show that compared with quantitative control, qualitative control coupling variable engine speed can achieve excellent performance. The brake thermal efficiency can be maximally increased by 43.5%, an absolute increase of 6.22%, as well the volumetric efficiency with a maximal 105% improvement. The thermal load and risk of knock can be greatly reduced. Moreover, NO emission also can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude or even by zero. Although there is an increase in cyclic variation, the value is no more than 4%. In addition, qualitative control coupling variable engine speed allows flexible matching of appropriate engine speed and excess air ratio based on the actual requirements of efficiency, stability, durability and emission. • The power control method of the hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is investigated. • Qualitative control achieves better engine performance than quantitative control. • Qualitative control coupling engine speed meets the power and high-efficiency demand. • Lower thermal load, knock tendency and NO emission can be obtained. • Much high excess air ratio isn't recommended due to high cyclic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine, with few available research currently, has excellent power and emission characteristics, however, with lower efficiency. With increasing attention to low-carbon emission, it is of great significance to explore methods to improve the efficiency of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engines. This work aims to study the effect of qualitative control coupling variable engine speeds at the wide-open throttle on the power control. The comparative effect of qualitative control coupling engine speeds from 1000 r/min to 1500 r/min under the wide-open throttle and quantitative control at 1500 r/min on the combustion and emission characteristic of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine is investigated. The results show that compared with quantitative control, qualitative control coupling variable engine speed can achieve excellent performance. The brake thermal efficiency can be maximally increased by 43.5%, an absolute increase of 6.22%, as well the volumetric efficiency with a maximal 105% improvement. The thermal load and risk of knock can be greatly reduced. Moreover, NO emission also can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude or even by zero. Although there is an increase in cyclic variation, the value is no more than 4%. In addition, qualitative control coupling variable engine speed allows flexible matching of appropriate engine speed and excess air ratio based on the actual requirements of efficiency, stability, durability and emission. • The power control method of the hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is investigated. • Qualitative control achieves better engine performance than quantitative control. • Qualitative control coupling engine speed meets the power and high-efficiency demand. • Lower thermal load, knock tendency and NO emission can be obtained. • Much high excess air ratio isn't recommended due to high cyclic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of hydrogen direct-injection enrichment improves the performance of gasoline Wankel rotary engine, and the hydrogen injection strategy has a significant impact on combustion, knock, and emissions. The Z160F Wankel rotary engine was used as the investigated compact engine, and the simulation model was developed using CONVERGE software. The combustion, knock and emissions characteristics of the engine were studied with the different mass flow of hydrogen injection, i.e., the trapezoid, wedge, slope, triangle and rectangle type of gas injection rate shape. In the numerical simulations, the in-cylinder pressure oscillations were monitored using monitoring points, and the knock index (KI) was used as an evaluation indicator. The study revealed that the gas injection rate shape significantly affected the mixture of hydrogen and air, thus impacting combustion, knock and emissions. When the injection rate shape was rectangle, the flame speed was faster, the peak pressure in the cylinder was higher, and the corresponding crank angle was earlier, which led to higher pressure oscillations in the cylinder and larger KI. Based on the rectangle injection rate shape, the KI decreased by 75.81%, 33.47%, 26.46% and 76.58% for trapezoid, wedge, slope, and triangle, respectively, and the indicated mean effective pressure increased by 15.68%, 5.07%, 0.56% and 14.98%, respectively. Due to the small difference in maximum temperature, which resulted in very little variation in nitrogen oxides for each injection rate shape, the total hydrocarbon emissions of the trapezoid and triangle injection rate shape was high due to the delayed combustion phase. This paper provides a solution for direct hydrogen injection to improve the combustion, knock and emissions behavior of the rotary engine. [Display omitted] • A rotary engine model with hydrogen direct-injection enrichment was established. • Five different types of hydrogen injection rate shapes were simulated. • The behavior of the combustion, knock and emissions was analyzed. • The optimal indicated thermal efficiency can be achieved by trapezoid type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using syngas as a primary fuel for internal combustion engines with spark ignition is a bridge technology for transitioning from carbon-based to hydrogen-based energy sources. There are two different ways of syngas delivery into combustion chamber: port injection or direct injection. In this study, the combination of these methods is considered for integration benefits of each injection technology and promotion of syngas utilization in rotary engines. In the novel concept of syngas dual injection, part of the fuel is delivered by a port injector during the induction stroke, while another part is directly injected during the compression stroke. The ratio of fuel mass delivered by port and direct injection is changed within the range of 0.0 (direct injection only) to 1.0 (port injection only) and chosen as a key parameter of concentration stratification. This study aims to investigate the optimal fuel injection strategy with numerical simulation of mixture formation, ignition, and combustion processes. It was shown that dual injection strongly influences turbulence intensity and mixture heterogeneity. The turbulence lengthscales generally increase with dual injection ratio growth. The direct injection case demonstrates maximum performance characteristics. However, the case with a small portion of directly injected fuel (10%–25%) increases fuel conversion efficiency by 5%–7% and decrease fuel consumption by 4%–6% with lower level of CO emission. The results show that the dual injection strategy provides flexibility in controlling the combustion process and emission reduction. • The dual injection strategy is an effective method of syngas utilization in a rotary engine. • The dual injection influences the mixture formation and combustion significantly. • Optimal fuel strategy is characterized by high homogeneity with advanced turbulence. • The major emission of the syngas-fueled rotary engine is carbon monoxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a zero-carbon fuel and hydrogen carrier, ammonia has received much attention for its excellent carbon reduction potential. To explore the feasibility of zero-carbon ammonia as fuel for in small-scaled Wankel rotary engines, a computational fluid dynamics model coupled with a kinetic mechanism was established and validated. It is found that the fuel mixture cannot be ignited when the hydrogen substitution ratio (HSR) is less than 5%. Increasing HSR shortens flame development period and intensifies combustion. When HSR is greater than 12.5%, the fuel can be burned up, and the position of peak heat release rate remains close to 20°EA aTDC. Elevated HSR leads to higher NO emissions but lower NO 2 and N 2 O emissions. As expected, advancing ignition timing (IT) significantly enhances combustion efficiency and reduces emissions. Advancing the IT results in a slight increase in the unburned area at the rear of combustion chamber, coupled with a rapid decrease in the unburned area at the front, collectively reducing unburned fuel. When IT is advanced from −5 to −35°EA aTDC, emissions and performance increase rapidly, whereas when advanced to −45°EA aTDC, both are nearly unchanged and combustion efficiency decreases. • Using ammonia and hydrogen in small-scaled Wankel rotary engines • Flame propagation is highly dependent on ammonia mass fraction. • Optimizing ignition timing can reduce emissions while increasing efficiency. • Increasing the hydrogen mass fraction reduces NO 2 and N 2 O but increases NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A CFD model of spark-ignited gasoline rotary engine was established and verified. • H 2 was direct injected to chamber by varying HIPs and HNDs in the critical state. • Flame spread, combustion pressure and HRR decreased with the increased HND and HIP. • The optimal engine performance was acquired when HND of 1 mm and HIP of 0.4 MPa. • Soot, CO and HC generations tangibly reduced, though NO x generation is increased. A three-dimensional simulation on flow behavior and lean combustion in a hydrogen direct-injection gasoline rotary engine was implemented. The combined influence of hydrogen injection pressure (HIP) and nozzle diameter (HND) was numerically analyzed in the critical injection state. Results showed that with the increments of HIP and HND, further penetration and larger dispersion angle of jet-flow were presented. Increasing HIP led to larger jet-flow area and more jet-wall interaction, as well as greater deflection degree of hydrogen-flow after crashing upon the rotor surface. High-speed region expanded, while more jet-wall impingement occurred with the increment of HND. The spark ignited earlier and flame propagated faster as the HND modified smaller. As the HIP increased, the flame speed decreased slightly. The difference in the local Φ distribution and in-cylinder velocity field were the intrinsic mechanism of the HND impact, and the variation in the mixture concentration and TKE magnitude were the root causes of the HIP effect. The pressure and HRR traces were shifted to the downward clearly, while the peak positions were forming later as the HND extended larger. No perceptible difference in the peak positions of pressure and HRR were obtained with the HIP decrease, although pressure tended to increase along with heat release retard to be shortened. The combustion rate decreased with increments of HND and HIP, the timings of the initial consumption were delayed, and a proportional correspondence of reactants and intermediates was witnessed. The reduced NO x formation was obtained by increments of HND and HIP, and an inverse correlation can be seen between soot, CO, HC generations and NO x concentration. The scheme of 0.4 MPa HIP and 1 mm HND was the optimum configuration. Compared with a larger HND and higher HIP configuration, the peak pressure and maximum HRR were increased by 24.1% and 40.5%, and the productions of soot, CO, and HC were reduced by 55.7%, 61.5%, and 54.7%, respectively, though the NO x generation was increased to some extent. It was recommended in practice operations that the combination of lower HIP and smaller HND left a positive influence on improving the combustion characteristics of Wankel engines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A CFD model of gasoline/H 2 fueled rotary engine was established and validated. • The ignition system consisted of leading-spark plug and trailing-spark plug. • H 2 was direct injected in the combustion chamber under varying DSP arrangements. • The preferable combustion was achieved when the DSP positioned symmetrically. • CO emission notably reduced and NO x emission slightly increased. Abstract A gasoline rotary engine enriched with directly injected hydrogen could be regarded as an appealing option to improve combustion efficiency while reducing emissions. In this paper, a three-dimensional dynamic simulation model coupling with the chemical kinetic mechanisms was established using CONVERGE software and validated by the experimental data. The numerical model was implemented for evaluating the influences of varying duel-spark plug locations on flow field distributions, combustion processes and major emissions formation of a gasoline rotary engine with hydrogen direct injection enrichment. Simulation results showed that, a mainstream flow field formed during the end period of the compression stoke whose direction was identical to the rotor rotating direction. The variation of trailing-spark plug location resulted in slight influence on the mean flow velocity as well as notable impact on hydrogen concentration and turbulent kinetic energy distribution. It was conducive to initial ignition when the local equivalence ratio was intensified near the duel-spark plug on the leading side of the combustion chamber. Higher hydrogen concentration near spark plugs could effectively improve the combustion intensity. The preferable combustion and emission performance were achieved when the duel-spark plug positioned symmetrically with respect to the minor axis. Compared with the scheme of the closest duel-spark plug, the peak pressure increased by 24.4% and corresponding crank position advanced by 9.2°CA. Despite nitric oxides emissions increased slightly, carbon monoxide emission notably reduced by 57.6% versus the scheme of the farthest duel-spark plug. When the leading-spark plug remained constant, the trailing-spark plug arranged on the major axis of cylinder wall and kept an appropriate offset from the minor axis was recommended in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wankel rotary engine (WRE) is welcomed due to its high power density and compact layout and is criticized due to its low efficiency and poor emission. To develop low-carbon emission and high-efficiency WRE, the present work discusses the potential of hydrogen/methane dual-fueled WRE with varied fuel components. The test was conducted at 1500 r/min, 80 kPa manifold absolute pressure and stoichiometric ratio. The results indicate that compared with pure hydrogen or pure methane WRE, hydrogen/methane dual-fueled WRE can achieve higher thermal efficiency and output power, the maximum values of which are 30.7% and 12.4 kW under test conditions, respectively. Besides, it also has satisfactory NO, CO2 and HC emissions. In particular, there is a linear relationship between NO emission and methane volumetric percentage with a 0.9949 determination coefficient in logarithmic coordinates, which means that the NO emission can be easily predicted. In addition, the cyclic variation is acceptable at maximum-efficiency CH4% and the knock can be almost eliminated in hydrogen-methane dual-fueled WRE when the volume ratio of methane exceeds about 40%. In general, WRE is recommended to be fueled by a mixture of hydrogen and methane with a high methane volumetric percentage. • Discussion on the potential of hydrogen/methane dual-fueled Wankel rotary engines. • Dual fuel is better than single fuel in terms of power, efficiency, emission, etc. • There is a linear relationship between NO and CH4% in logarithmic coordinates. • Knock can be almost eliminated when the CH4% exceeds about 40%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper introduced an experiment survey focusing on exploring the impact of hydrogen enrichment on improving the lean-burn performance of an n-butanol rotary engine. During the test, the engine speed and intake pressure were roughly set at 4000 rpm and 35 kPa, respectively. A constant spark advance of 45 °CA was adopted through the test. Hydrogen volumetric fraction of the total intake was severally kept at 0% and 3%. The testing results manifested that the brake thermal efficiency and peak chamber temperature were heightened with hydrogen addition. Besides, the ignition delay and rapid combustion duration were both reduced with the hydrogen additive. Engine running stability gained an improvement by hydrogen supplement. Moreover, HC and CO emissions from the original n-butanol rotary engine were reduced after hydrogen adding. NOx emissions were increased with hydrogen enrichment while reduced with the increase of excess air ratio. This indicated that NOx emissions from both the n-butanol and hydrogen-blended n-butanol rotary engines could be reduced by lean combustion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotary engine has flat chamber and longs for fuel with high flame speed and small quenching distance. Hydrogen has many excellent characteristics that are suitable for the rotary engine. In this paper, the performance of a rotary engine fueled with pure hydrogen at different excess air ratios was experimentally investigated. The investigation was carried out on a single-rotor hydrogen-fueled rotary engine equipped with port fuel injection system. An online electronic control module was used to govern the hydrogen injection duration and excess air ratio. In this study, the engine was operating at the idle speed of 3000 rpm and different excess air ratios varied from 0.993 to 1.283. The test results demonstrated that the fuel energy flow rate of the hydrogen rotary engine and engine stability were reduced with the increase of excess air ratio. When the excess air ratio increased from 0.993 to 1.283, the hydrogen energy flow rate was decreased from 14.91 to 11.55 MJ/h. Both the flame development and propagation periods were increased with excess air ratio. CO emission was negligible, but HC, CO 2 and NOx emissions were still detected due to the evaporation and possible burning of the lubrication-used gasoline, and oxidation reaction of nitrogen of the intake air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a rotary engine equipped with an n-butanol and hydrogen port-injection system was developed to investigate the combustion and emissions characteristics of a hydrogen-blended n-butanol rotary engine at part load and stoichiometric conditions. A self-developed hybrid electronic control unit was adopted to adjust the injection durations of n-butanol and hydrogen. The rotary engine was run under the conditions of 4000 rpm, a manifold absolute pressure of 35 kPa and a fixed spark timing of 45 °CA before the top dead center during the whole testing operation. The hydrogen volumetric fraction in the total intake was varied from 0% to 6.30%. The test results manifested that the brake thermal efficiency and chamber temperature were simultaneously increased with hydrogen addition. The hydrogen supplement obviously shortened flame development and propagation periods. Both chamber pressure integral heat release fraction versus crank angle were increased when the hydrogen fraction was enhanced. HC emissions were reduced by 54.5% when hydrogen volume fraction was raised from 0% to 6.30%, CO and CO 2 emissions were also reduced after increasing hydrogen blending fraction. NOx emissions were mildly elevated due to the improved chamber temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to study the effect of spark timing on performance of a hydrogen-gasoline dual-fuel rotary engine. For this aim, a modified rotary engine equipped with a dual-fuel port injection system was developed. An electronic management module (ECM) was specially made to command the fuel injection, excess air ratio and hydrogen volumetric fraction. In this study, the engine was operated at 4500 rpm with a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) of 35 kPa. Hydrogen volumetric percentage of total intake was kept at 0%, 3% and 6%, severally. When the hydrogen volumetric percentage was changed, the gasoline fraction was also adjusted to keep the mixture at the stoichiometric. For a specified hydrogen volumetric fraction, the ignition timing was varied from 24 to 42 °CA BTDC (before top dead center) with a fixed interval of 2 °CA. Experimental results showed that for a specific hydrogen volumetric percentage, the peak combustion pressure and chamber temperature were increased, brake thermal efficiency was first increased and then decreased with the increase of spark advance. Advancing spark timing caused the increased flame development period, the decreased flame propagation period and exhaust temperature. Cyclic variation was initially weaken and then deteriorated after raising spark advance. HC and NOx emissions were reduced after retarding spark timing. Spark timing had little effect on CO emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented an experimental study about the idle performance of a rotary engine fueled with hydrogen and gasoline blends. The idle speed was reduced from original 2400 to 2300 and 2200 rpm, and hydrogen energy percentage ( β H2 ) was varied from 0% to 35.0%. Test results showed that cyclic variation was raised with the decrease of idle speed whereas reduced with the increase of β H2 . Both decreasing idle speed and increasing β H2 were effective on reducing engine fuel consumption. Total fuel energy flow rate was effectively dropped from 22.4 MJ/h under “2400 rpm and β H2 = 0%” to 20.01 MJ/h under “2200 rpm and β H2 = 35.0%”. Combustion duration was reduced through increasing β H2 . HC and CO emissions were dropped with the increase of β H2 , but increased after reducing idle speed. CO 2 emission was decreased after reducing idle speed and adding hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the limit of properties of gasoline and irregular design of chamber, the pure gasoline rotary engine generally encounters partial burning, increased noxious emissions or even misfire at lean conditions. This situation could be deteriorated at idle because of the high variation in the intake charge and low combustion temperature. Hydrogen addition is proved to remit the deterioration of performance of sparked-ignited (SI) engines at idle and lean conditions. This paper conducted an experiment on a modified rotary engine equipped with gasoline and hydrogen port-injection systems to explore the performance of a hydrogen–gasoline rotary engine (HGRE) at idle and lean conditions. An electronic management unit (EMU) was invented to manage spark and fuel injection. Excess air ratio ( λ ) and hydrogen volumetric fraction in the total intake ( α H 2 ) were also governed through the EMU. For this study, the HGRE was operating at idle and α H 2 was kept at 0% and 3%, respectively. For a specific α H 2 , gasoline flow rate was reduced to make the HGRE run at desired λ . Results indicated that engine fluctuation and fuel energy flow rate were both decreased after hydrogen addition. Combustion duration was cut down and central heat release point was advanced after hydrogen addition. Peak chamber temperature ( T max ), pressure and heat release were enhanced after hydrogen blending. HC, CO and CO 2 emissions were simultaneously reduced because of hydrogen enrichment. Specifically, at λ = 1.00, HC, CO and CO 2 emissions were respectively reduced from 42,411 to 26,316 ppm, 1.86 to 0.78% and 9.96 to 8.58% when 3% hydrogen was added. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of the unusual structure chamber compared with traditional engines, gasoline rotary engine always encounters partial burning and increased noxious emissions at the idle. Hydrogen-addition could enhance the characteristics of combustion and emissions of sparked-ignited engines at idle. A modified gasoline rotary engine with electronic spark control and fuel (gasoline and hydrogen) port-injection system was developed to study the impact of hydrogen-addition on idle performance of a gasoline rotary engine. A hybrid electronic control unit was invented to manage the spark, fuel injection, hydrogen volume fraction of the total intake and overall excess air ratio. In this study, the engine was operating at the idle speed of 2400 rpm and stoichiometric conditions. The hydrogen volume fraction was gradually varied from 0% to 6.8%. Results showed that the coefficient of variation in speed and fuel energy flow rate were both decreased after the hydrogen-addition. Flame development and propagation periods were shortened owning to hydrogen-addition. The peak chamber temperature was enhanced after the hydrogen-addition due to the high adiabatic flame temperature of hydrogen. Cooling loss was dropped when hydrogen was added into gasoline. HC, CO and CO 2 emissions were reduced by 79.4%, 86.0% and 25.9% when hydrogen volume fraction were raised from 0% to 6.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a double spark plugs direct injection rotary engine is used to investigate the effects of synchronous and asynchronous changes of ignition timing on combustion and emission performance. The three-dimensional dynamic model was established by CONVERGE software and validated by the experimental data. The results indicate that setting the fuel injector toward the spark plug can reduce the fuel distribution at the tail of the combustion chamber, and the in-cylinder mixture inhomogeneity index gradually increases with the advance of the ignition timing. Compared with the synchronous change of ignition timing, advancing the ignition timing of the tailing spark plug can promote the combustion process. When the ignition timing of the leading spark plug is too early, the flame front will be irregular. With the advance of ignition timing, CA 0–10 corresponding to synchronous and asynchronous change all gradually increase, and the change of CA 10–90 is more stable than that of CA 0–10. Whether the ignition timing is changed synchronously or asynchronously, with the advance of the ignition time, the in-cylinder pressure shows an upward trend. The mean in-cylinder pressure corresponding to the synchronous change with the same change amplitude is slightly higher than that of asynchronous change. The peak pressure of 16.4% higher than that of the original engine can be obtained by adopting the ignition strategy of the synchronous advance of 30° CA. Under this ignition strategy, the temperature and NOx mole fraction in the combustion chamber are all the lowest. • A direct injection rotary engine CFD model was established and validated. • The combined effects of direct injection and ignition strategy were investigated. • The mixture formation, combustion, and emissions process were analyzed. • The in-cylinder inhomogeneity index increases with the advance of ignition timing. • The synchronous advance of ignition time by 30° CA can increase the pressure by 16.40%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The centurial development and progress of WRE were fully reviewed. • Fuel, sealing, ignition, cooling, combustion chamber design, etc. are discussed. • The future commercialization and development direction of WRE is summarized. Wankel rotary engine (WRE) featured high power density, compact structure and smooth operation takes advantage of the powertrain assembly and has been highly valued by many countries and regions. However, under the restriction of increasingly strict emission regulations, the development of WRE is gradually depressed, and WRE begins to fade out of the sight of the public and is only active in a few fields. Fortunately, many scholars and institutions are still contributing to the development of WRE. In nearly-one century since the WRE was proposed, a large number of studies on WRE have emerged that need to be organized and comprehensively to provide guidance for the subsequent development of WRE. This work is designed to present a comprehensive review of WRE's centurial progress and development from aspects of fuel selection and supply, sealing and friction, cooling, combustion chamber design, etc. First of all, the characteristics of WRE are introduced and a nearly centurial history of WRE is provided to better understand WRE. Secondly, the progress, development and application of WRE are reviewed. Finally, the key issues of the further commercialization and development of WRE are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The behavior of CO2 in a hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is investigated. • CO2 can effectively improve the dynamics, economics and emission characteristics. • CO2 has significant effects on the heat release process. • Adding CO2 into intake can be considered an excellent knock suppression method. • CO2 has a better effect on the prevention of knock than N2. To prevent global warming, vigorously developing hydrogen energy has become one of research focuses of various countries and regions in recent years. Hydrogen-fueled engines have been proven to be a potential alternative to current fossil-fueled engines. Among various engines, Wankel rotary engine (WRE) is praised for its simple structure and excellent dynamic characteristics, which can greatly compensate for the low specific-volume heat value of hydrogen. However, hydrogen-fueled WRE suffers from low efficiency, high NOx emission and severe knock. For methanol-reforming hydrogen-fueled ICEs, CO2 as the by-product can be used as variant-cooled-EGR to improve ICEs performance and prevent abnormal combustion. Therefore, this work researches the behavior of CO2 on the hydrogen-fueled WRE. The work is conducted at 1500 r/min and wide-open throttle. The results show that CO2 has a significant influence on the heat release process of hydrogen-fueled WRE. Due to this influence, when the volume fraction of CO2 in intake (CO2%) is increased from 0 to 19.28%, the brake thermal efficiency can be improved by 8% with a 7% decline in power output. The NO emission has two orders of magnitude of reduction with increasing CO2% from 0 to 19.28%.. In addition, compared with cooled-EGR, CO2 has a better effect on knock suppression. If methanol-reforming to produce hydrogen becomes the mainstream of on-board hydrogen production in the future, the application of CO2 is of great significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The one-dimensional simulation model of the WRE was established. • The temperature field of rotors with different structures was obtained. • The effects of cooling fins structures on engine performances. The Wankel rotary engine (WRE) is widely used in the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles and range extenders due to its superior power-to-weight ratio. However, the rotor piston bears an intense thermal load during operation. This study focuses on the implementation of the coupled 1D-3D model. The influence of ECFs on WRE performance characteristics and emissions and improving WRE performance characteristics and emissions at different operating parameters (speeds and hydrogen enrichment) with ECFs are studied. The simulation results demonstrated that radial-fins have a more significant effect, reducing the fire-face's average temperature by 49.03 K and increasing the in-cylinder mass by 6.4 %. Compared with no-fins, radial-fins can increase pressure by 4.4 % and HRR by 5.6 %. At the same time, the NOx is reduced by 15.60 %, and the CO is slightly increased by 0.93 %. At different speeds, the ECF structure can improve the engine performance. The ECFs are more evident at low speeds, which can increase the indicated power by 3.13 % compared with the original engine. Compared with the gasoline-fueled WREs, using radial-fins can lead to more apparent performance improvement for hydrogen-enriched WREs. This paper will provide insight into the feasibility of ECF configuration to improve the performance of WREs in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The one-dimensional simulation model of the WRE was established. • The temperature field of rotors with different structures was obtained. • The effects of cooling fins structures on engine performances. The Wankel rotary engine (WRE) is widely used in the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles and range extenders due to its superior power-to-weight ratio. However, the rotor piston bears an intense thermal load during operation. This study focuses on the implementation of the coupled 1D-3D model. The influence of ECFs on WRE performance characteristics and emissions and improving WRE performance characteristics and emissions at different operating parameters (speeds and hydrogen enrichment) with ECFs are studied. The simulation results demonstrated that radial-fins have a more significant effect, reducing the fire-face's average temperature by 49.03 K and increasing the in-cylinder mass by 6.4 %. Compared with no-fins, radial-fins can increase pressure by 4.4 % and HRR by 5.6 %. At the same time, the NOx is reduced by 15.60 %, and the CO is slightly increased by 0.93 %. At different speeds, the ECF structure can improve the engine performance. The ECFs are more evident at low speeds, which can increase the indicated power by 3.13 % compared with the original engine. Compared with the gasoline-fueled WREs, using radial-fins can lead to more apparent performance improvement for hydrogen-enriched WREs. This paper will provide insight into the feasibility of ECF configuration to improve the performance of WREs in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen is a promising way to achieve high efficiency and low emissions for Wankel rotary engines. In this paper, the intake and exhaust phases and excess air ratios (λ) were optimized using machine learning (ML) and genetic algorithm (GA). Firstly, a one-dimensional model was built and verified under various λ. Secondly, the variables were determined using sensitivity analysis method, and the sample for training models was generated using the Latin hypercube sampling. Finally, a prediction model for performance and emissions was built using ML and combined with GA for multi-objective optimization. The results show that the timing of intake port full closing (IPFC) and exhaust port start opening (EPSO) exhibits the most significant influence on performance and emissions, while the other phases are less influential. Both indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP) and indicated specific nitrogen oxides (ISNOx) increase as the IPFC timing is advanced, while indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) decreases as EPSO timing is delayed. Compared with the original engine, the optimized IMEP is improved by 0.18%, ISFC is reduced by 2.39%, and ISNOx is reduced by up to 65.43%. It is an efficient way to use ML combined with GA to improve performance and reduce emissions simultaneously. [Display omitted] • Intake and exhaust phases are the key parameters for performance and emissions. • IMEP, ISFC, and ISNOx are predicted using GPR and SVM. • LHS combined with 1-D model is used to generate samples. • The NSGA-III and GPR model are used for multi-objective optimization. • IMEP improves by 0.18%, ISFC reduces by 2.39%, and ISNOx reduces by 65.43%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine (HWRE), as a high power density and eco-friendly internal combustion engine, has the potential to become an alternative for gasoline-fueled piston engines. Cooled EGR, as an effective means of improving engine performance, is less studied based on HWRE. However, due to the different operating way and structure, the flame development and propagation of WRE are significantly different from those of the piston engine, so may the effect of cooled EGR. Hence, the goal of present work is to analyze the effect of cooled EGR on the combustion characteristics of HWRE. This work is conducted under 1500 r/min and wide-open throttle conditions. The results show that when the ignition timing and excess air ratio are fixed at 5°CA ATDC and 1, the cooled EGR level has a significant influence on the combustion process and operating stability. In addition, when maximum brake torque CA50 is employed, within test range, whether stoichiometric or lean combustion, both the brake torque and brake thermal efficiency are monotonous to the cooled EGR level. And cooled EGR can achieve high brake thermal efficiency compared with lean combustion at the same brake torque. Compared with the hydrogen-fueled piston engine, HWRE allows for a higher cooled EGR level whether in terms of efficiency or power output considerations. In general, the cooled EGR can be used as an excellent load control means to achieve high efficiency of HWRE. • The effect of cooled EGR on combustion in hydrogen Wankel rotary engine is analyzed. • Cooled EGR has significant impacts on the combustion characteristic of hydrogen WRE. • Cooled EGR can be employed as an excellent means of load control of hydrogen WRE. • Cooled EGR is more suitable for hydrogen WRE than the hydrogen piston engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two calculation methods for the leakage area of spark plug cavities are given. • The leakage gas mass of three types apex seal leakage is calculated. • The effects of three types apex seal leakage on engine performance are compared. • Measures to reduce apex seal leakage are given. • The effects of the movement of leading spark plug on leakage are calculated. Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon–neutral, the hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine with excellent power and emission characteristic is under the spotlight. The leakage problem, especially the apex seal leakage, is considered to be an important engineering problem restricting the development of hydrogen-fueled Wankel rotary engine. To make up for research gaps, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of three types of apex seal leakage on engine performance. Two methods for calculating the leakage area of spark plug cavities are proposed and compared, and the definition method based on leakage direction is more consistent with the experimental results. The leading spark plug leakage and corner seal leakage has the greatest impact on peak pressure and IMEP, which reduce the peak value of pressure by 0.249 MPa and 0.047 MPa, and reduce the IMEP by 8.68 % and 10.51 % respectively. In addition to reducing the leakage area, reducing the distance between leading spark plug and minor axis by 5.5 mm could increase the peak pressure by 0.2 MPa and reduce the leakage from the working chamber to the adjacent chambers from 0.055 g to 0.038 g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A parametric model of intake and exhaust phases of Wankel rotary engine is developed. • Optimized intake and exhaust phases increase the indicated mean effective pressure. • Multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is enhanced by Sobol sequence. • Sensitivity of performance and emissions to intake and exhaust phases is evaluated. • A parallel computing optimization platform based on MOPSO is established. Focusing on performance and emissions optimization, a novel parallel computing optimization platform was implemented to optimize the intake and exhaust phases of a hydrogen Wankel rotary engine (WRE). An improved multi-objective particle swarm algorithm implemented with the Sobol sequence was introduced in this study, which makes it superior in global search. A one-dimensional model integrating the leakage models was built and validated under various excess air ratios. The parametric control variables of the intake and exhaust phases were defined as rise stage, main stage, and decline stage. The indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC), and nitrogen oxide (NOx) were used as evaluation objectives. The optimization results showed that there was a quadratic relationship between ISFC and IMEP, and the ISFC decreased with increasing IMEP. The relationship between NOx and IMEP was closer to linear, and the NOx increased with the increase of IMEP. The timing of intake port full closing (IPFC) contributed the most influence to IMEP and NOx, and a delayed IPFC resulted in a lower IMEP. The timing of exhaust port start opening (EPSO) significantly affected the ISFC, and an earlier EPSO resulted in a higher ISFC. In the optimal case, the IMEP was increased by 2.0%, ISFC was reduced by 1.1%, and NOx was only increased by 0.1%. It is a prospective approach to further improve performance and emissions simultaneously using parallel computing optimization platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the combined effect of injection angle and injection pressure in a gasoline direct injection rotary engine through numerical simulation. Simulation results show that with the increase of injection angle, the fuel impinging position changes from the rotor recess to the middle cylinder block. At the same injection angle, the fuel enrichment area turns to the front of the combustion chamber with the increase of injection pressure. The lower injection angle is helpful to obtain a more uniform fuel distribution. Especially, with increase of injection pressure, the in-cylinder inhomogeneity index presents a downward trend. Under different injection pressures, the flame propagation period of the 0° injection angle is the most stable. The stable flame development and propagation processes make it easy to obtain higher indicated thermal efficiency. The highest indicated thermal efficiency is obtained at 0° injection angle and 15 MPa injection pressure, which is up to 24.99%. Moreover, compared with the fuel intake port injection, part of direct injection strategies help to get higher in-cylinder peak pressure. The higher in-cylinder temperature promotes the formation of NOx, but the organization of the in-cylinder fuel distribution can effectively reduce CO and Soot emissions. • A rotary engine simulation model with gasoline direct injection was established and validated. • The combined effects of injection angle and injection pressure were investigated. • The lower injection angle can obtain higher in-cylinder pressure and indicated thermal efficiency. • Lower in-cylinder inhomogeneity index is helpful to reduce Soot and CO emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]