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Direct injection fuel systems provide precise control over the amount of fuel injected and can enable higher compression ratio operation and earlier combustion phasing under knock-limited operation, particularly for fuels with a high cooling potential like hydrous ethanol, a blend of 92% ethanol and 8% water. Moving a portion of the total fuel mass from an intake stroke injection to a compression stroke injection can provide a knock suppression benefit, which can enable more efficient operation. In this work, the influence of injection pressure on this split injection spark ignition strategy is examined. The effect of injection pressure on two intake stroke injections were characterized, with an injection pressure of 200 bar improving combustion efficiency by ∼3 percentage points and advancing knock-limited CA50 by 1 crank angle degree over an injection pressure of 30 bar. Then, a compression stroke injection was introduced and swept into the compression stroke while maintaining the two intake stroke injections. Direct injections at an injection pressure of 30 bar enabled a small knock intensity reduction of ∼20%, whereas an injection pressure of 200 bar enabled a larger reduction of ∼90% in knock intensity. The spark timing advance permitted by the reduction in knock intensity with a compression stroke injection timing of −80 degrees after top dead center was 0.3 and 2.0 degrees at an injection pressure of 30 and 200 bar, respectively. Then, the second intake stroke injection was varied at 200 bar to evaluate how the stratification profile prior to the compression stroke injection impacted its ability to reduce knock intensity. It was found that compression stroke injections with an early second intake stroke injection was effective at reducing knock intensity throughout the compression stroke. As the second intake stroke injection was retarded, the early compression stroke injections became less effective at suppressing knock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argon Power Cycle (APC) combustion engine has a high efficiency, zero carbon emissions, and zero pollutant emissions, rendering it a promising way for achieving zero or carbon neutrality within the realm of internal combustion engine (ICE) technology. Previous studies have shown that while APCs significantly improve the thermal efficiency of ICEs, they also face serious knock problems due to their high temperatures and pressures, especially when hydrogen is used as a fuel. In this study, the anti-knocking characteristics of hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and ammonia were first investigated in APC through thermodynamic calculations by Ignition Delay Time. Then, based on testbench experiments, hydrogen and methane fuels were selected to further investigate the effect of different fuel anti-knocking characteristics on the indicated thermal efficiency and power of APC combustion engine. Test results showed that when using hydrogen, the APC ICE exhibited a pronounced knock tendency, and the test engine could not operate stably when the excess oxygen ratio <2.1 at compression ratio = 9.6. The CA50 of the maximum efficiency point was delayed in APC than in air for both hydrogen and methane, specially H 2 has an obvious lag at about 5–15 ° CA. In comparison, when using methane, the combustion control of engine is easier, and the peak indicated thermal efficiency 59% and the peak indicated mean effective pressure 0.92 MPa are higher than 54.3% and 0.60 MPa of using hydrogen. The use of hydrogen still needs an anti-knocking strategy while an extra carbon capture device is necessary to ensure a closed argon cycle if methane is employed. • Ignition Delay Time calculated by simulation presents a good judgement to evaluate knocking-resistance for gaseous fuel. • Evaluating the knock in the APC ICE employing the CA50 of max efficiency verifies that CH 4 has a better knocking-resistance. • Due to better knock resistance, CH 4 -fueled APC ICE achieved higher thermal efficiency +4.7% and IMEP +0.32MPa than H 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knock combustion has become the main barrier in the development of hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE). This study investigated the factors (engine speed, spark timing, injection timing, and injection pressure) influencing knock combustion based on the data of a bench test and a 1D simulation model on GT-Power. And the Taguchi-Grey method was applied to rank the four factors. Results showed that knock combustion occurs under lower relative air-fuel equivalence ratio, the percentage of the knock cycle in 100 continuous cycles decreased from 45.8% to 0 when λ raised from 2.47 to 3.37. The advancement of injection timing and the decreasing of injection pressure, along with higher engine speed, facilitate the occurrence of knock. However, the knock tendency increases first and then declines with the advancement of spark timing. Among all the factors considered, engine speed has the greatest influence on knock combustion, whose contribution rate is 50.64%. • Injection timing and pressure, spark timing, and engine speed can affect knock. Engine speed has the largest impact on knock. • The advancement of spark timing makes the knock tendency increase first and then decline. • Engine speed has the largest contribution on knock combustion through the Taguchi-Grey method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study experimentally investigated the influence of gasoline injection pressure (GIP) on the performance and hydrogen knock limit of a gasoline direct-injection hydrogen–gasoline dual-fuel engine. The GIP was varied from 50 to 140 bar, and hydrogen was introduced at a step size of 2 LPM until knock onset at spark timings of 4° and 12° CA before top dead center (BTDC). The hydrogen knock limit was extended at a higher GIP, with maximum hydrogen flow rates of 10 and 16 LPM at 12° CA and 4° CA BTDC, respectively. Increasing the GIP and retarding the spark timing negatively affected brake thermal efficiency, brake mean effective pressure, and in-cylinder pressure. The CO 2 and NO x emissions decreased, and the CO emissions increased with an increase in the GIP. The cyclic variation increased considerably with GIP. However, hydrogen blending exhibited a completely opposite trend to that of GIP. • Study of the effect of gasoline injection pressure in a hydrogen-gasoline dual fuel engine. • The hydrogen knock limit was influenced by the variation in gasoline injection pressure. • Increasing the gasoline injection pressure showed a negative effect on the performance and combustion characteristics. • Cyclic variation increased at higher gasoline injection pressure and reduced with hydrogen blending. • Increased hydrogen flow rate was observed at higher gasoline injection pressure and retarded spark timing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce knock and keeping low NOx emissions and high indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) in a hydrogen fuel engine, the comprehensive effects of ammonia substitution rate (ASR), compression ratio (CR), and ignition timing (IT) on its combustion and its NOx emissions were studied numerically. Based on a four‐cylinder gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine, it was modified into an ammonia/hydrogen dual‐fuel (AHDF) spark ignition (SI) engine. The simulation was conducted by GT‐Power software, and simulation data were validated through experiments. 2500 rpm_50% load was selected for the research. ASR, CR and IT vary from 0% to 20%, 10.5 to 8.5, and −24 to 0°CA ATDC, respectively. The findings indicate that increasing ASR decreases the maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR) and the knock index (KI), improving the ITE, but increasing NOx emissions. Based on 20% ASR, CR was optimized. The findings indicate that decreasing CR reduces the MPRR and KI, but increasing NOx emissions and decreasing the ITE. Finally, based on CR of 9, IT was optimized. The findings indicate that delaying IT reduces the MPRR and KI, but also has a certain impact on NOx emissions and ITE. After compromise consideration, the optimal IT in this study was selected as −9°CA ATDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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End-gas auto-ignition leading to knocking combustion is one of the major barriers to achieving higher thermal efficiencies in downsized boosted spark-ignition engines. Despite the available framework addressing hotspot-induced ignition (detonation peninsula), a quantitative investigation on hotspot-induced auto-ignition of gasoline surrogates is yet to be done. In particular, the effect of negative temperature coefficient (NTC) chemistry on the distribution of the ignition modes in the detonation peninsula is still missing. Using the established one-dimensional (1D) theoretical and computational framework, the effect of average temperature (including NTC range), initial pressure, and ethanol addition are investigated. Moreover, appearance of NTC chemistry-related events i.e. coolspots, secondary ignition kernels, and off-centered ignition are analyzed using 1D simulations. The results are as follows. 1) NTC chemistry affects the distribution of ignition regimes in detonation peninsula and the dynamics of the front propagation via altering the reactivity gradient. 2) NTC chemistry increases the temperature gradient range associated with the detonation regime. 3) NTC may inhibit detonation development by simultaneously promoting the spontaneous/supersonic ignition modes. 4) An ethanol blend decreases the knock propensity; however, lower ignitability may promote detonation development and the appearance of strong shock waves. 5) Finally, detonation may result in a normal knock at lower initial pressures (20 bar). However, at elevated initial pressures (50 bar), detonation is noted to yield pressure intensities resembling super-knock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of in-cylinder heat transfer can be a valuable diagnostic tool for quantifying and improving IC engine performance. Increased heat transfer out of the combustion chamber negatively impacts overall efficiency, while heat transfer from the metal to the charge can increase knock propensity. The heat flux at various locations in an engine cylinder can be measured using heat flux probes consisting of two thermocouples – a surface thermocouple exposed to the changing in-cylinder temperatures, and a far field thermocouple which has a constant temperature at steady state operating conditions. The buildup of carbon deposits on the surface thermocouple can affect the heat flux measurements and lead to errors in the data. Heat flux measurements were performed on a proprietary single-cylinder research engine with instrumented heat flux probes in the cylinder head and cylinder liner. The engine was run rich with a high PMI fuel to expedite the buildup of carbon deposits. A metric was developed based on the output of the surface thermocouple to determine the cleanliness of the heat flux probes non-intrusively. Heat flux calculations were done using the FFT method and validated using the Cook-Felderman method. An uncertainty analysis was conducted on the heat flux data to verify that the negative heat flux observed was not due to errors in the distance between the two thermocouples or the measurement of temperature. Finally, to bolster confidence in the results, heat flux measurements were made for motoring conditions with varying coolant and intake air temperatures to gauge whether the trends in the output were in the expected direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argon power cycle hydrogen engine is a novel approach to increasing the thermal efficiency of hydrogen engines while achieving zero CO2 emissions. This paper presents a combination of experiments and simulations used to examine the effects of hydrogen direct injection on the combustion characteristics and thermal efficiency of argon power cycle engines. The results of the study indicate that, in comparison to port hydrogen injection, hydrogen direct injection produces a delay of CA50 exceeding 12.36°CA at an engine speed of 1000 r/min. This delay optimizes combustion and diminishes knock intensity to below 0.1 MPa by creating a stratified mixture, which in turn decelerates the combustion rate. Through adjusting hydrogen direct injection timing and incorporating super lean combustion, a maximum gross indicated thermal efficiency of 53.72% is achieved. By optimizing the first injection timing, the second injection timing, and the second injection ratio, dual hydrogen direct injection can significantly suppress knock and increase thermal efficiency compared with original single hydrogen injection conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous development of hydrogen energy technology, mixing hydrogen has become a potential method to enhance the performance of natural gas engines and reduce emissions. Aiming to offer guidance for optimizing strategies for mixing hydrogen from the perspectives of knock control and thermal efficiency enhancement, a three-dimensional model of a commercial heavy-duty natural gas engine is constructed based on the actual boundary conditions from a high load bench test. In this study, simulations were conducted under conditions where the hydrogen volume fraction ranged from 0% to 40%. The study explored the effects of two injection strategies, port fuel injection of hydrogen-enriched natural gas (PFI) and port fuel injection of natural gas combined with direct injection of hydrogen into the cylinder (PFI + DI), on engine knocking, performance, and emissions. Results indicate that for various injection strategies, there is an increasing trend in knock intensity (KI) with the higher hydrogen mixing ratio. When the hydrogen volume fraction exceeds 20%, the timing of direct hydrogen injection significantly affects KI. This effect is mainly caused by the distribution of unburned hydrogen at the knock onset crank angle (KOCA). Compared to other injection strategies, the PFI + DI strategy when the direct hydrogen injection time at 120°CA BTDC results in a high concentration of hydrogen near the spark plug at the ignition moment, combined with good mixture uniformity in the cylinder. This leads to the shortest CA0-10 and CA10-90, and achieves a maximum indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) of 44.68% under 20% hydrogen volume fraction. Compared to the original natural gas engine, the ITE increased by 2.9% and the NO x emissions increased by 166%, while the HC and CO emissions decreased by 88% and 53%. • Effects of different hydrogen mixing strategies on a natural gas engine are studied. • Knock intensity correlates with unburned hydrogen distribution at knock onset crank angle. • Hydrogen mixing methods affect mixture uniformity and TKE in cylinder. • At 20% hydrogen volume fraction, direct hydrogen injection timing of 120°CA BTDC maximizes ITE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel concept to suppress knock combustion using the targeted fuel injection in a spark-ignition (SI) engine is proposed, which utilizes a customized injector to inject a small portion of the total fuel toward the end-gas region in the late compression stroke so that charge cooling effect by fuel vaporization is imposed on the local mixtures. CFD studies were carried out to evaluate the effects of various targeted fuel injection strategies on the processes of charge cooling, air-fuel mixing and combustion in a 1.2-L gasoline SI engine with a high compression ratio. A knock prediction model adopting a level set G-equation model coupled with a transported Livengood-Wu integral correlation was applied to predict the knock event by capturing the occurrence of end-gas auto-ignition. It was found that the local gas temperatures in the sprayed region decreased and knock combustion tendency was suppressed indeed, and the degree of the reduction in local gas temperature and knock tendency was affected by the selected targeted injection strategy. However, the results also indicated that excessive fuels injected could result in worsen air-fuel mixing that led to incomplete combustion. Hence, the injection strategy needs to be optimized by balancing the knock tendency and combustion efficiency. The study further shown that the spark timing could be advanced by 3.3° crank angle in a particular injection strategy case by comparing with the non-targeted-injection case, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the common operating characteristics of medium duty (MD) gasoline engines, achieving higher load at the expense of fuel efficiency is not an acceptable tradeoff. EGR dilution-stoichiometric combustion can suppress the knocking and improve the thermal efficiency, but has problems such as slow combustion rate and poor combustion stability, which have limitations in optimizing combustion for MD gasoline engines with strong swirl. The experimental investigations in this study focus on the interaction of charge motion and EGR on anti-knock performance and thermal efficiency under different load conditions, and verifies the potential to improve the thermal efficiency of inclined swirl combustion system. The results show that at low-medium load, the tumble-dominated inclined swirl scheme can enhance the effectiveness of EGR in knock suppression, thus reducing the introduction of EGR to avoid its adverse effects on the combustion duration. At medium-high load, although the above benefit wears off, it can enhance the anti-knock performance and thus advance the spark timing by increasing the EGR tolerance. The EGR ratio corresponding to the highest thermal efficiency increases with higher load. The difference in the in-cylinder flow field will affect the combustion rate in a high EGR dilution and high load condition. The scheme adopting the compound intake ports and inverse cuneiform-shaped combustion chamber can improve both EGR tolerance and initial combustion rate under high EGR dilution, with the most significant improvement in thermal efficiency, and the improvement range will increase along with the increase of load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the emissions from internal combustion engines, new combustion strategies along with alternate fuels blends are currently under investigation. The engine performance and emissions depend primarily on the chemical reactions occurring inside the engine. However, the modeling of reactions in engine simulation models using a detailed reaction mechanism is computationally very expensive, especially for very large mechanisms. Hence, a tabulated chemistry solver is developed in this work to reduce the computational time. The thermochemical states of the mixture are pre-calculated at different engine operating conditions based on homogeneous reactor simulations and stored in a lookup table which can be interpolated during the engine simulations. The present work introduces a novel method for thermochemical mapping between detailed chemistry and tabulated chemistry along with automatic identification of important intermediate species during table generation. The evolution of the thermochemical state of the mixture is described using a progress variable and its derivative. Different progress variables are investigated, and a novel formulation is proposed. The method is then applied to predict the reactions and knock phenomenon as well as the emissions in spark-ignited engines. The results using the tabulated chemistry are in good agreement with the detailed chemistry. The crank angle at the knock onset is predicted with a root-mean-squared error of 0.6 degrees crank angle. The cylinder pressure and temperature are in excellent agreement with the full detailed chemistry solution. The concentration of emissions (CO, NOx etc.) are also in good agreement for a wide range of engine operating conditions. The tabulated chemistry method provided a speedup of ~750 times as compared to detailed chemistry for a mechanism with 679 species. The computational time of the tabulated chemistry method remains constant and independent of the mechanism size. The method can be applied to large parametric studies for engine design, optimization, and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knock in spark ignition (SI) engines occurs when the air–fuel mixture in the combustion chamber ignites spontaneously ahead of the flame front, reducing combustion efficiency and possibly leading to engine damage if left unattended. The use of knock sensors to prevent it is common practice in modern engines. Another measure to mitigate knock is the use of higher-octane fuels. The American Society for Testing and Materials' (ASTM) determination of the Research Octane Number (RON) and Motor Octane Number (MON) of spark ignition fuels has been based on measuring cylinder pressure rise at the onset of knock since its inception in the 1930s. This is achieved through a low-pass filtered pressure signal. Knock detection in contemporary engines, however, relies on measuring engine vibrations caused by high-frequency pressure oscillations during knock. The difference between conditions in which fuels are evaluated for their octane rating and the conditions that generate a knock intensity signal from the knock sensor suggests a potential difference between octane rating and the knock limit typically identified by a contemporary knock sensor. To address this disparity, a modified RON measurement method has been developed, incorporating pressure oscillation measurements. This test method addresses the historical lack of correlation between RON and high-frequency pressure oscillation intensity during knock. Using toluene standardization fuels (TSFs) as a reference, the obtained results demonstrate excellent high-frequency knock intensity-based RON estimations for gasoline. The method is able to differentiate between two fuels that share the same ASTM RON, associating them with a RON-like metric that is more aligned with their performance in a modern SI engine. This alternative method could potentially serve as a template for an upgrade to the existing ASTM RON method without significantly disrupting the current approach. Additionally, its capability to evaluate fuels beyond RON 100 opens the door to assessing a wider range of fuels for antiknock properties and the intensity of fuel oscillations during knocking combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental test campaigns have begun to demonstrate the potential of methanol as an alternative fuel for heavy-duty spark-ignited engines. However, there is no consensus yet on the scope of this solution in terms of maximum power and engine size. A zero-dimensional combustion model is therefore being developed outside the scope of this work. Its main objective will be to predict key performance parameters such as power and efficiency as function of engine size. Due to the high loads typically encountered in heavy-duty engines, knock will be the main constraint to maximize the engine's potential. This work therefore aims to find an accurate knock model that can be implemented in the modelling framework. The Livengood–Wu knock integral model is being considered as a good candidate, as it is computationally inexpensive and thus allows for a large number of engine configurations to be modelled within a reasonable time. Due to a lack of autoignition delay times of methanol at conditions relevant to heavy-duty engines, a large database was created using chemical kinetics calculations. A neural network model was trained with the tabulated data for fast data retrieval. To validate whether the knock integral approach is robust enough to be applied to a wide range of engine sizes, a calibration constant was added to match the knock predictions to experimental data. Its value was calculated for three different engines, a light and heavy-duty SI engine and a large-bore dual-fuel engine. They highlight a remarkable difference in calibration constant across the different engines investigated.

Hydrogen-fueled engines require large values of the excess air ratio in order to achieve high thermal efficiency. A low value of this coefficient promotes knocking combustion. This paper analyzes the conditions for the occurrence of knocking combustion in an engine with a turbulent jet ignition (TJI) system with a passive pre-chamber. A single-cylinder engine equipped with a TJI system was running with an air-to-fuel equivalence ratio λ in the range of 1.25–2.00, and the center of combustion (CoC) was regulated in the range of 2–14 deg aTDC (top dead center). Such process conditions made it possible to fully analyze the ascension of knock combustion until its disappearance with the increase in lambda and CoC. Measures of knock in the form of maximum amplitude pressure oscillation (MAPO) and integral modulus of pressure oscillation (IMPO) were used. The absolute values of these indices were pointed out, which can provide the basis for the definition of knock combustion. Based on our own work, the MAPO index > 1 bar was defined, determining the occurrence of knocking (without indicating its quality). In addition, taking into account MAPO, it was concluded that IMPO > 0.13 bar·deg is the quantity responsible for knocking combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal stratification may switch the combustion mode from deflagration to spontaneous (auto-ignition) in spark-ignition engines leading to knock. Despite the available numerical and experimental works, an analytical and systematic method on the role of local thermal stratification on the combustion mode is still missing. Particularly, the effects of heat diffusion before ignition in negative temperature coefficient (NTC) chemistry of gasoline surrogates are typically ignored. In this study, an a-priori diagnostics tool is provided to separate the deflagration and auto-ignition combustion modes by considering the diffusion effects, based on two parameters: stratification wavelength ( λ) and amplitude ( δ). The diagnostics tool is an extension of Zeldovich's theory to transient problems by solving the diffusion equation and considering the flame and ignition timescales. It is found that 1) The theory is valid against one-dimensional numerical simulations under different average temperatures and pressures. 2) NTC chemistry promotes spontaneous ignition at both low and high pressures. 3) In the presence of NTC chemistry, the transition region between the two combustion modes is broadened. A third blended mode is observed (spontaneous ignition assisted flame) with front speeds ≈ 6 S l . 4) Finally, estimation of the knock propensity from the generated maps is related to the surrogates' octane sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For avoiding knock occurrence in SI engines, spark timing is retarded whenever the knock has occurred which leads to a loss of thermal efficiency. Therefore, the knock occurrence needs to be properly controlled. For doing that, knock should preemptively be predicted and controlled. Prerequisite data for knock prediction modelling is a knock onset position, which can be figured out by finding the starting point of the oscillation on pressure data. A deep learning knock onset determination model was developed in a previous study, and showed the highest accuracy among the comparable methods, the model showed weak robustness on knock cycles obtained in different engine experiments. Meanwhile, the 1D CNN model has been widely used in signal processing fields with its advantage of having a feature extraction layer, and the model is introduced in this study for determining the knock onset. Dataset from four different engine types were used for verifying the model accuracy and robustness. The dataset was augmented by calculation windows for producing various data with limited data sources. Hyperparameters of the model were optimized with random search. The accuracy standard deviation following engine types in terms of RMSE was improved by 77.4 % from 0.827 CA to 0.187 CA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knock-limited combustion of alcohol-gasoline fuel blends was studied in a direct-injection spark-ignition engine. Ethanol, isobutanol (2-methyl-1-propanol), and methylbutenol (2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol) were splash-blended with a blendstock for oxygenate blending (BOB) gasoline. Ethanol was blended in fractions of 10%, 20%, and 30% by volume (E10, E20, and E30). Isobutanol and methylbutenol were blended to match the oxygen weight percentage of the ethanol blends, resulting in blends of 16%, 32%, and 49% (I16, I32, and I49) isobutanol by volume and 18%, 37%, and 56% (M18, M37, and M56) methylbutenol by volume. Neat BOB and gasoline primary reference fuels (PRF) with octane numbers (ON) of 87 (PRF87) and 100 (PRF100) were included for reference. The engine was operated at fixed speed, equivalence ratio, and injection timing while knock-limited spark advance was located across a range of intake pressures. Low-level alcohol blends E10 and M18 had similar knocking behavior and appeared to be slightly more knock-resistant than I16. For mid-level blends, E20 showed further improvement over I32 while M37 showed noticeably better knock resistance, able to match the knock-resistance of PRF100 for loads above 1000 kPa gross indicated mean effective pressure (GIMEP). For high-level blends, the difference between E30 and I49 was similar to their mid-level counterparts. However, M56 showed significant improvement over E30 and I49 throughout the entire range of loads tested. M56 exceeded the knock-resistance of PRF100 for loads above 700 kPa GIMEP. The improved knock-resistance combined with the increased volumetric energy density of methylbutenol resulted in improved fuel consumption and indicated efficiency. The overall results of this study indicate that the order of knock-resistance of these three alcohols, for direct-injection operation with injection during the intake stroke, is isobutanol < ethanol < methylbutenol when compared on an equal oxygen weight basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knock in spark ignition (SI) engines occurs when the air–fuel mixture in the combustion chamber ignites spontaneously ahead of the flame front, reducing combustion efficiency and possibly leading to engine damage if left unattended. The use of knock sensors to prevent it is common practice in modern engines. Another measure to mitigate knock is the use of higher-octane fuels. The American Society for Testing and Materials’ (ASTM) determination of the Research Octane Number (RON) and Motor Octane Number (MON) of spark ignition fuels has been based on measuring cylinder pressure rise at the onset of knock since its inception in the 1930s. This is achieved through a low-pass filtered pressure signal. Knock detection in contemporary engines, however, relies on measuring engine vibrations caused by high-frequency pressure oscillations during knock. The difference between conditions in which fuels are evaluated for their octane rating and the conditions that generate a knock intensity signal from the knock sensor suggests a potential difference between octane rating and the knock limit typically identified by a contemporary knock sensor. To address this disparity, a modified RON measurement method has been developed, incorporating pressure oscillation measurements. This test method addresses the historical lack of correlation between RON and high-frequency pressure oscillation intensity during knock. Using toluene standardization fuels (TSFs) as a reference, the obtained results demonstrate excellent high-frequency knock intensity-based RON estimations for gasoline. The method is able to differentiate between two fuels that share the same ASTM RON, associating them with a RON-like metric that is more aligned with their performance in a modern SI engine. This alternative method could potentially serve as a template for an upgrade to the existing ASTM RON method without significantly disrupting the current approach. Additionally, its capability to evaluate fuels beyond RON 100 opens the door to assessing a wider range of fuels for antiknock properties and the intensity of fuel oscillations during knocking combustion.

This paper investigates the performance of hydrogen-fueled, spark-ignited, single-cylinder Cooperative Fuel Research using experimental and numerical approaches. This study examines the effect of the air–fuel ratio on engine performance, emissions, and knock behaviour across different compression ratios. The results indicate that λ significantly affects both engine performance and emissions, with a λ value of 2 yielding the highest efficiency and lowest emissions for all the tested compression ratios. Combustion analysis reveals normal combustion at λ ≥ 2, while knocking combustion occurs at λ < 2, irrespective of the tested compression ratios. The Livenwood–Wu integral approach was evaluated to assess the likelihood of end-gas autoignition based on fuel reactivity, demonstrating that both normal and knocking combustion possibilities are consistent with experimental investigations. Combustion analysis at the ignition timing for maximum brake torque conditions demonstrates knock-free stable combustion up to λ = 3, with increased end-gas autoignition at lower λ values. To achieve knock-free combustion at those low λs, the spark timings are significantly retarded to after top dead center crank angle position. Engine-out NOx emissions consistently increase in trend with a decrease in the air–fuel ratio of up to λ = 3, after which a distinct variation in NOx is observed with an increase in the compression ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of thermal barrier coatings in spark ignition engines have historically been avoided due to the knock penalty associated with higher surface temperatures induced by the ceramic layer. However, advances in low thermal inertia coatings (i.e. temperature swing coatings) that combine low thermal conductivity with low volumetric heat capacity can prevent excessively high surface temperatures during the intake stroke and reduce or avoid knock while improving performance and efficiency. In this study, a novel coating material was tested in a low compression ratio spark ignition engine to evaluate the performance of an advanced low thermal inertia coating during steady and cold-start conditions. A total of four pistons with this novel material was tested, with an additional piston coated with gadolinium zirconate. Spark timing sweeps demonstrated a maximum 0.8% relative thermal efficiency gain with a thin coating of the novel material. The novel material coated above 200-microns showed a deterioration in performance and efficiency due to charge heating increasing knock propensity. Cold-start tests demonstrated that charge heating is beneficial for reducing unburned hydrocarbons and particle matter emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature swing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) have the potential to improve efficiency and performance through thermal management of the combustion chamber. However, the effects of combustion chamber deposits (CCDs) on the surface of the TBCs are unclear. Therefore, this paper analyzes the impact of CCD formation on a temperature swing TBC. A piston and a heat flux probe coated with a novel material are installed in a single-cylinder research engine at a low-load condition for 62.5 h to promote CCD growth. Every 12.5 h, the performance at a knock limited condition is assessed and thermophysical property measurements on the heat flux probe are performed. Net thermal efficiency increased by 0.4% absolute after 12.5 h relative to the baseline condition, but further CCD growth caused a dithering of efficiency between the 12.5 h and baseline points. The KLSA retarded consistently throughout this period. External property measurements with the coated heat flux probe showed an improvement in the thermophysical properties of the TBC/CCD layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming to further improve the thermal efficiency and reduce NO x emissions in the stoichiometric hydrogen-enriched natural gas (NG) engine, a detailed 3-D simulation model of stoichiometric operation heavy-duty NG engine is built based on the actual boundary conditions from high load bench test. The superimposed methods for knock regulation, combustion and emission control, including Miller valve timing, hydrogen volume fraction and EGR rate were proposed and investigated comprehensively. It reveals that the typically bimodal characteristic of heat release rate (HRR) curve is caused by knock, which seriously restricts the performance improvement of stoichiometric NG engine under high load condition. To predict and control the occurrence of the second peak of HHR accurately, a new parameter BI is defined. Moreover, the Miller timing with 20°CA of the intake valve late closing shows better combustion performance within the knock limit, accompanied by a slight increase in NO x emissions. Additionally, the 5% hydrogen blend, coupled with the Miller cycle, can further enhance the indicated thermal efficiency (ITE) of the NG engine due to the stronger effects on acceleration of laminar flame propagation velocity than the promotion of end-gas auto-ignition. Besides, the great potential of EGR rate for balancing NO x and ITE is also confirmed in the heavy-duty hydrogen-enriched NG engine adopting Miller cycle. Compared to the original indexes, combing with the regulation strategies of intake valve late closing (20°CA), hydrogen addition (5%) and EGR (17%) are proved to increase the indicated thermal efficiency by 1.89% and reduce NO x emissions by 11.47% within the knock limit. • The superimposed effects of Miller cycle, hydrogen addition and EGR rate on knock, combustion and emission are explored. • A new parameter is proposed for predicting and controlling the occurrence of the second peak of HRR due to knock. • The potential of hydrogen addition in improving thermal efficiency considering the knock is investigated. • Higher EGR ratio within the knock limitation can effectively suppress NO X emissions and improve thermal efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic analysis of knocking combustion at the knock limit in a single-cylinder research engine is conducted. Both experimental and numerical methods are used to investigate the physical phenomena involved in knocking combustion. While real gasoline fuel can be used directly in experimental studies, this is not feasible in numerical simulations. Here, surrogate fuels with a reduced number of components defined to match the desired properties, such as knock resistance, are employed. In this work, standard gasoline and three surrogate fuels are considered. Differences in composition complexity are covered by selecting isooctane and two toluene reference fuels (TRF) with ethanol addition, all of which exhibit negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior in which auto-ignition delay times increase with increasing temperature. Spark timing sweeps at two engine speeds show that the knock resistance of the fuels correlates with the respective research octane number (RON). Isooctane is found to have higher knock resistance and higher sensitivity to engine speed than standard gasoline. One of the two TRFs studied shows good agreement with gasoline in terms of combustion and knock characteristics. The lower knock resistance of the other TRF indicates a non-linear dependence between mixture composition and knock resistance. A strong relative increase in knock resistance at higher engine speeds suggests a possible influence of NTC behavior at lower engine speeds. In the subsequent model-based analysis, the fuel influence on combustion and auto-ignition is investigated, and the laminar burning velocities are found to correlate well with the observed heat durations. While auto-ignition may be triggered by a cool spot at the lower engine speed and at operating conditions within the NTC regime, auto-ignition at the higher engine speed is assumed to be initiated by hot spots. These different mechanisms for initiating auto-ignition were identified as a potential explanation for the different knock resistances observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The small enhanced technology that synergizes in-cylinder direct injection and turbocharging has good power and fuel economy, and has become a trend in the development of gasoline direct injection engines. However, the enhanced technology has sharply increased the thermal load in the cylinder. It is easy to cause engine knocks, which is currently one of the main limiting factors in improving the performance of direct injection gasoline engines. This paper discusses the influence of direct injection of water into the cylinder on the combustion of gasoline direct injection engines through numerical simulation. The gasoline engine is induced to knock by increasing the compression ratio and advancing the ignition timing. The influence of the water injector (six nozzle holes) layouts (direct water injection in the cylinder) and the water temperatures on the water movement in the cylinder and on the combustion and knock is explored. The in-cylinder water injector and the fuel injector are injected with two nozzles. Results show that when the water injector is arranged in the center of the cylinder head, the water evaporation in the cylinder before ignition is faster. Most of the water is located near the cylinder wall surface, which can reduce the temperature near the wall surface as much as possible and suppress the knock. Therefore, the effect of suppressing knocks is better. The injecting water is advantageous to make the mixed gas distribution uniform and the turbulent kinetic energy high when its temperature is low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency enhancement of argon power cycle engines through theoretical means has been substantiated. However, the escalation of in-cylinder temperatures engenders abnormal combustion phenomena, impeding the augmentation of compression ratios and practical efficiency. This study presents a comprehensive investigation employing experimental and simulation techniques, aiming to extend the boundaries of thermal efficiency and operational capabilities for hydrogen-powered argon cycle engines. The impact of hydrogen direct injection, intake boost, and port water injection is evaluated in conjunction with an argon power cycle hydrogen engine. The hydrogen direct injection, particularly at an engine speed of 1000 rpm, significantly increases the indicated mean effective pressure from 0.39 MPa to 0.72 Mpa, surpassing the performance of the port hydrogen injection. Manipulating the hydrogen direct injection timing results in the formation of a stratified mixture, effectively attenuating the combustion rate, and resolving the issue of excessively rapid hydrogen combustion within an Ar/O2 environment. The implementation of super lean combustion, combined with intake-boosting, achieves a maximum gross indicated thermal efficiency of 57.89%. Furthermore, the port water injection proves to be an effective measure against knock, broadening the operational range of intake-boosted conditions. Notably, the maximum gross indicated thermal efficiency recorded for the port water injection group under intake-boosted conditions reaches 59.35%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The spark plug of an opposed‐piston two‐stroke (OP2S) gasoline engine is arranged on the side wall of the cylinder liner, far from the center of the combustion chamber; the ignition core of the mixture is offset, the flame propagation distance is increased, the combustion duration is prolonged, and the knock tendency is severe. In this paper, a quasi‐dimensional two‐zone combustion model is used in GT‐Power software to establish a thermodynamic process simulation model and a knock prediction model is included to analyze the effect and matching of the compression ratio, ignition timing, and other thermodynamic process parameters on the knock intensity and engine performance. The extended coherent flame model combustion model is coupled with the Huh–Gosman spray model in AVL‐Fire software, and the An B knock model is used to establish an in‐cylinder combustion model and analyze the flame propagation and the knock response rate of the flat and pit piston during the combustion process. With an increase of the compression ratio, the temperature and pressure of the mixture in the combustion chamber increase at the time of ignition, which leads to the knocking combustion in the cylinder. With an increase of the ignition advance angle, the in‐cylinder pressure and temperature increase rapidly, which increases the likelihood of knocking combustion. In comparison with the pit piston combustion chamber, the flame propagation speed of the flat piston combustion chamber is relatively slow, which increases the knock tendency. The results show that lowering the compression ratio and delaying the ignition can reduce the in‐cylinder knock tendency by setting a compression ratio of 10.5 and an ignition advance angle of 20°CA. When the pit piston is used to organize the squish and inverse squish before and after the inner dead center, the flame propagation process can be promoted. The knock response rate of pit piston is 24.7% lower than that of flat top piston.

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]

To comply with stringent CO2 regulations, enhanced thermal efficiency has been prioritized in internal combustion engine development; however, this has strongly driven the development of engines with operating conditions more prone to knock. Current knock sensors have its limitations to decompose knock signal by degradation so that it required a cross-referencing signal. In addition, knock control intervention is currently preceded by the occurrence of the knock, leading to decrease in thermal efficiency by retarding spark timing. In the present work, a novel prediction model for knock propensity (incidence) is presented, aiming to enable active control of knock or autoignition, and to support conventional knock sensor for cross-referencing by facilitating virtual knock sensor. A zero-dimensional model-based prediction of the in-cylinder pressure is demonstrated to prevent using in-cylinder pressure transducer, along with other incorporated predictive sub-models for the residual gas fraction, heat loss, burn duration, and heat release rate. Ignition delay correlation and Livengood-Wu relation are used to predict the onset of knock, and a burn point-based criterion is newly proposed for application in stochastic modeling for determining the knock propensity. The predicted knock propensity from the combined holistic model shows a remarkable agreement with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen-fueled engines require large values of the excess air ratio in order to achieve high thermal efficiency. A low value of this coefficient promotes knocking combustion. This paper analyzes the conditions for the occurrence of knocking combustion in an engine with a turbulent jet ignition (TJI) system with a passive pre-chamber. A single-cylinder engine equipped with a TJI system was running with an air-to-fuel equivalence ratio λ in the range of 1.25–2.00, and the center of combustion (CoC) was regulated in the range of 2–14 deg aTDC (top dead center). Such process conditions made it possible to fully analyze the ascension of knock combustion until its disappearance with the increase in lambda and CoC. Measures of knock in the form of maximum amplitude pressure oscillation (MAPO) and integral modulus of pressure oscillation (IMPO) were used. The absolute values of these indices were pointed out, which can provide the basis for the definition of knock combustion. Based on our own work, the MAPO index > 1 bar was defined, determining the occurrence of knocking (without indicating its quality). In addition, taking into account MAPO, it was concluded that IMPO > 0.13 bar·deg is the quantity responsible for knocking combustion.

For security and logistical convenience, the single fuel forward policy hopes to use a single kerosene fuel to replace a variety of military fuels, especially the unsafe gasoline. However, the performance of kerosene-fueled spark ignition (SI) engines is severely restricted by knock, slow combustion rate, and poor combustion stability. This work innovatively applies cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) combined with prechamber jet ignition (PJI) to a kerosene-fueled engine to suppress knock and improve performance. The results show that applying cooled EGR at a fixed throttle opening can suppress knock and improve fuel economy. However, the power decreased due to the decreased intake of energy. While applying EGR with constant fresh air mass flow makes the knock more prominent because of the microboosting effect caused by the increased throttle opening. This indicates that cooled EGR alone cannot improve the power output. Moreover, combustion instability was also caused due to the slower combustion rate. Therefore, PJI was introduced to compensate for the negative impact of EGR. As a result, a synergistic effect of cooled EGR and PJI was discovered, improving the IMEP by 5% and reducing the ISFC by 4.9% compared to the baseline. The PJI can shorten the combustion duration and improve the combustion stability because of the high kinetic energy jet and high turbulence flame. In addition, a novel two-stage heat release process which includes the unusual first-stage low-temperature heat release was discovered. Overall, EGR dominates the knock suppression, and PJI contributes to the combustion rate improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In internal combustion engine research, cylinder pressure measurements provide valuable information about the underlying thermodynamic and combustion processes, and are typically collected in ensembles of several 100 traces. Although in some particular fields of combustion research all traces are analyzed, in most cases only one trace is studied because analyzing all the traces is impractical due to the large number of collected samples. Instead, an ensemble-averaged pressure trace is commonly calculated and used for analysis. However, this pressure trace is highly smoothed and dynamic information is lost during the averaging process. With the average trace, pressure rise rates are lower and pressure oscillations such as the ones resulting from combustion knock are lost. In this work, a statistical method was developed to determine the "most representative cycle," which is the cycle from the ensemble that has the pressure trace most representative of the engine operating condition. Eleven characteristic parameters are computed from each pressure trace and probabilistic distributions are obtained for each of the parameters using all the traces in the ensemble. Finally, the most representative cycle is selected by means of a cost function minimization. The benefits of this method are illustrated using experimental data from four very different engine platforms, under four different combustion modes and over a range of operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined experimental and numerical study is conducted on knocking combustion in turbocharged direct-injection spark-ignition engines. The experimental study is based on parameter variations in the intake-manifold temperature and pressure, as well as the air-fuel equivalence ratio. The transition between knocking and non-knocking operating conditions is studied by conducting a spark timing sweep for each operating parameter. By correlating combustion and global knock quantities, the global knock trends of the mean cycles are identified. Further insight is gained by a detailed analysis based on single cycles. The extensive experimental data is then used as an input to support numerical investigations. Based on 0D knock modeling, the global knock trends are investigated for all operation points. Taking into consideration the influence of nitric oxide on auto-ignition significantly improves the knock model prediction. Additionally, the origin of the observed cyclic variability of knock is investigated. The crank angle at knock onset in 1000 consecutive single cycles is determined using a multi-cycle 0D knock simulation based on detailed single-cycle experimental data. The overall trend is captured well by the simulation, while fluctuations are underpredicted. As one potential reason for the remaining differences of the 0D model predictions local phenomena are investigated. Therefore, 3D CFD simulations of selected operating points are performed to explore local inhomogeneities in the mixture fraction and temperature. The previously developed generalized Knock Integral Method (gKIM), which considers the detailed kinetics and turbulence-chemistry interaction of an ignition progress variable, is improved and applied. The determined influence of spark timing on the mean crank angle at knock onset agrees well with experimental data. In addition, spatially resolved information on the expected position of auto-ignition is analyzed to investigate causes of knocking combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a previously developed, two-stage table-lookup kinetic method for surrogate Toluene Reference Fuels (TRF) was extended to gasoline-ethanol blends and exercised in a GT-POWER model of knock in several engines. Experimentally, the knock limit is normally determined by the magnitude of pressure oscillations, known as the knock intensity (KI), rather than the crank angle of initial pressure oscillations or the crank angle of auto-ignition, which is difficult to identify. A number of empirical expressions of knock intensity have been developed for modeling purposes which relate the knock intensity to the crank angle and conditions at auto-ignition, and are available in the literature. These models were implemented into a GT-POWER model and tested against experimental knock-limited data for gasoline and gasoline-ethanol blends. The KI models are phenomenological in nature and are based on varying conceptual views of the knock event. With calibration all methods gave satisfactory results at mid-speed conditions when compared with the experimental data. Some deviations were seen at low and high speeds. Low speeds are potentially important because both RON and MON testing occurs under such conditions. Implications of the results and their relationship to recent knock experimental work are discussed and suggestions offered for improved knock models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modernizing electronic control and developing new exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valves have made it possible to improve EGR accuracy and shorten transient response times. With this paper, we have outlined the findings of research on the effects of various EGR ratios on engine emissions, knock suppression, and charge combustion. Results from experiments conducted by many researchers are summed up as 15% − 18% EGR is found to successfully reduce NOx emissions without impacting engine performance. Because exhaust fumes dilute the fuel/air mixture, this can lead to inefficient combustion, which can lower brake thermal efficiency. According to the findings, selecting the right EGR ratio and spark timing is essential for maximizing engine performance. examined how cold EGR affected knock intensity. It was found that the maximum compression temperature decreased in range of 30–40 kelvin and the cylinder pressure decreased up to 0.4 bar as the EGR increased from 7 to 13%. This demonstrated that the knock was effectively repressed. Because of a buildup of carbon deposits, the EGR valve frequently sticks. In addition to higher fuel consumption or poorer performance, clogged EGRs frequently result in black smoke coming from the exhaust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to predict knock occurrences by deep learning using in-cylinder pressure history from experiments and to elucidate the period in pressure history that is most important for knock prediction. Supervised deep learning was conducted using in-cylinder pressure history as an input and the presence or absence of knock in each cycle as a label. The learning process was conducted with and without cost-sensitive approaches to examine the influence of an imbalance in the numbers of knock and non-knock cycles. Without the cost-sensitive approach, the prediction accuracy exceeded 90% and both the precision and the recall were about 70%. In addition, the trade-off between precision and recall could be controlled by adjusting the weights of knock and non-knock cycles in the cost-sensitive approach. Meanwhile, it was found that including the pressure history of the previous cycle did not influence the classification accuracy, suggesting little relationship between the combustion behavior of the previous cycle and knock occurrence in the following cycle. Moreover, learning the pressure history up to 10° CA before a knock improved the classification accuracy, whereas learning it within 10° CA before a knock did not noticeably affect the accuracy. Finally, deep learning was conducted using data, including multiple operating conditions. The present study revealed that deep learning can effectively predict knock occurrences using in-cylinder pressure history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spark plug of an opposed‐piston two‐stroke (OP2S) gasoline engine is arranged on the side wall of the cylinder liner, far from the center of the combustion chamber; the ignition core of the mixture is offset, the flame propagation distance is increased, the combustion duration is prolonged, and the knock tendency is severe. In this paper, a quasi‐dimensional two‐zone combustion model is used in GT‐Power software to establish a thermodynamic process simulation model and a knock prediction model is included to analyze the effect and matching of the compression ratio, ignition timing, and other thermodynamic process parameters on the knock intensity and engine performance. The extended coherent flame model combustion model is coupled with the Huh–Gosman spray model in AVL‐Fire software, and the An B knock model is used to establish an in‐cylinder combustion model and analyze the flame propagation and the knock response rate of the flat and pit piston during the combustion process. With an increase of the compression ratio, the temperature and pressure of the mixture in the combustion chamber increase at the time of ignition, which leads to the knocking combustion in the cylinder. With an increase of the ignition advance angle, the in‐cylinder pressure and temperature increase rapidly, which increases the likelihood of knocking combustion. In comparison with the pit piston combustion chamber, the flame propagation speed of the flat piston combustion chamber is relatively slow, which increases the knock tendency. The results show that lowering the compression ratio and delaying the ignition can reduce the in‐cylinder knock tendency by setting a compression ratio of 10.5 and an ignition advance angle of 20°CA. When the pit piston is used to organize the squish and inverse squish before and after the inner dead center, the flame propagation process can be promoted. The knock response rate of pit piston is 24.7% lower than that of flat top piston. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, a 3D numerical model was constructed to investigate the effects of injection timing, pilot diesel energetic ratio (PDER), and angle between the central axis of the diesel jet and the horizontal direction (α) on combustion and knock in the natural gas mixing-limited combustion (NMLC) mode and natural gas slightly premixed combustion (NSPC) mode. The results indicate that advancing the start of injection of natural gas (NSOI) leads to a slight improvement in indicated thermal efficiency (ITE), but also an increase in peak cylinder pressure (P max) and maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR). In the NMLC mode, as the diesel and natural gas injection interval (IDN) decreases, the interference between the diesel and natural gas jets intensifies, ultimately leading to instability in the flame propagation process and increased fluctuations in cylinder pressure. At different NSOIs, when IDN is 0°CA, the maximum amplitude of pressure oscillations (MAPO) is the highest. When the PDER is increased from 5 % to 15 %, ITE increases by 7.1 %. Under different combustion modes, as α increases, ITE first increases and then decreases. However, the NSPC mode achieves a higher ITE, reaching up to 44.4 %. • Knock characteristics of HPDI natural gas engine are studied. • By optimizing injection parameters, ITE can be improved while preventing knocking. • The NSPC mode is superior to the NMLC mode in improving ITE, achieving up to 44.4 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An extensive experimental campaign was carried out with fully renewable fuel blends of varying mixtures of dibutyl ether (0–40% v/v) and methanol. • A unique form of pressure fluctuations was observed for stoichiometric operation, wherein the pressure fluctuations begin with the spark timing, and gradually increase, as if by a feedback mechanism. • Post-processing of the data was employed successfully to label cycles into non-knocking, deflagration-based-knock, and auto-ignition-based-knock cycles. • 3-D CFD simulations were able to mimic the phenomenon, allowing further insights. The source-term, resulting from increased reactivity in high-pressure regions, reinforces the pressure fluctuations, wherever there is an existing pressure stratification. This coupling results in an increasing pressure oscillation. Methanol is an attractive fuel that can be produced using renewable sources. However, its low reactivity may present challenges to combustion modes (like Spark-Assisted Compression Ignition) that rely on autoignition. To tweak its reactivity, a highly reactive bio-derived molecule, dibutyl ether (DBE), was blended in varying volume percentages (from 0 to 40% v/v). Experiments were conducted for a) lean operation with air–fuel ratio λ = 2, b) stoichiometric steady-state operation, and c) stoichiometric transient-state operation. For lean operation, adding increasing fractions of DBE increased the reactivity, as evidenced by a retarded knock-limited combustion phasing. For stoichiometric steady operation, the addition of DBE had very little impact on the knock limits at lower blends up to 20% v/v. A unique knock phenomenon, hereby termed as deflagration-based knock, was observed for these blends, wherein pressure oscillations were observed as the flame-front progressed, without autoignition. The knock mode shifted to conventional end-gas autoignition-based knock for 30% and 40% DBE blends. For stoichiometric transient conditions, marked by cooler operation, all DBE blends showed only deflagration-based knock. Spectral analysis of the deflagration-based knock suggests higher contribution from the 10–15 kHz range, corresponding to second-mode harmonics. Computational studies conducted to match the stoichiometric operating condition showed similar pressure oscillations. Analysis of the simulated results imply that deflagration-based knock occurs when the flame reacts to the pressure disturbances such that a feedback loop increases the pressure oscillations in each flame-front passage. The findings of this study highlight the physics behind deflagration-based knock, as observed in DBE-methanol blends, and are critical to other renewable fuels such as ethanol and hydrogen. The manuscript uses fully renewable blends of dibutyl ether and methanol for spark-assisted compression ignition with lean fuel–air mixture, and for conventional stoichiometric spark-ignition combustion. For stoichiometric operation, the authors observe a unique phenomenon where pressure oscillations start right after the spark timing, and increases as flame-front moves forward, hereby termed as deflagration-based-knock. This novel phenomenon is explained on the basis of pressure-dependent reactivity, which provides a feedback mechanism to the pressure oscillations. According to the authors, the observations are significant to fast-burning fuels (or more generally, fast combustion), and observations have been recorded elsewhere for ethanol (by authors) and hydrogen (elsewhere). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation of deflagration-based-knock in small-bore engines, or in conventional spark-ignition combustion. Authors suggest that depending on the operating conditions, deflagration-based-knock may form a bottleneck to engines operating on such renewable fuels. Moreover, conventional knock mitigation mechanism, like retarding spark timing, may not be effective against the novel deflagration-based-knock. [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]

• Methanol required more dilution than ethanol to match the flame speed of wet ethanol 80 (WE80) • To match combustion phasing, the air temperature increase exceeded the cooling potential difference between methanol and WE80. • Methanol is more knock resistant than WE80. • WE80 was the most knock resistant ethanol–water blend tested. • Methanol and WE80 are not interchangeable fuels in high compression ratio spark ignition engines. Low carbon alternative fuels like ethanol and methanol are ideal candidates for spark ignition engines due to their fast laminar flame speeds, high volatility, and high auto-ignition resistance partially derived from their high cooling potentials. Previous work performed in a compression ignition engine found that wet ethanol 80 (80% ethanol, 20% water) and methanol behaved similarly in both kinetically-controlled and mixing-controlled compression ignition strategies due to their nearly identical cooling potential and combustion chemistry. In this work, the interchangeability of wet ethanol 80 and methanol was evaluated in a spark ignition engine with a compression ratio of 14.8. In addition, neat ethanol and hydrous ethanol (92% ethanol, 8% water by mass) were also studied to provide a complete comparison between ethanol–water blends and methanol. Experiments demonstrated that methanol's flame speed was faster than ethanol's and that increasing the water concentration in wet ethanol further slowed its flame speed. Using EGR dilution to slow the flame speed of methanol and ethanol to match the spark timing to CA10 duration of wet ethanol 80 required 9.6 % and 7.6 % EGR, respectively. Using air dilution required a 28 % and 24 % increase in air, respectively. The intake air temperature was then adjusted to match the knock-limited CA50 of methanol, hydrous ethanol, and wet ethanol with neat ethanol. Wet ethanol 80 required a 25 K increase in intake temperature compared to neat ethanol, which is much less than the 47 K difference in cooling potential. Contrarily, methanol required an increase of nearly 30 K beyond wet ethanol 80′s intake temperature despite having nearly the same cooling potential. These results highlight that methanol, which has a higher volatility (i.e., lower Reid vapor pressure) than either ethanol or wet ethanol, achieves a higher amount of charge cooling from intake stroke injections than the ethanol-based fuels. Thus, methanol was able to achieve significantly more spark advance than ethanol or wet ethanol. Methanol and ethanol or wet ethanol 80 do not behave interchangeably in high compression ratio spark ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three basic flow patterns are organized and their effects on knock are studied. • Relationship between knock intensity and swirl, tumble, and squish is quantified. • Swirl has the smallest impact on knock, followed by tumble, and the largest is squish. • The differences in flame propagation result in different effects on knock. • Matching a suitable combustion chamber to achieve uniform flame propagation is vital. Increasing the in-cylinder flow intensity is considered to have the potential to restrain engine knock and improve thermal efficiency. However, the effect of charge motion on the knocking combustion in natural gas (NG) engines is unclear. Therefore, swirl, tumble, and squish motions of different intensities were organized by changing the shape of the combustion chamber and initializing the in-cylinder flow velocity. Subsequently, the effect of charge motion on the knocking combustion of a spark-ignition NG engine under critical knocking conditions was investigated via numerical simulations. The results indicate that the knock intensity (KI) first increases and then decreases with an increase in swirl and tumble intensities and linearly increases with an increase in squish intensity. Swirl had the smallest impact on KI, followed by tumble, whereas squish had the greatest impact. The differences in flame propagation resulted in differences in KI under different charge motion patterns. The obvious non-uniformity of the radial and axial flame propagation is a potential cause of the significant increase in KI. Therefore, while increasing the flow intensity, matching a suitable combustion chamber to make the flame propagation more uniform helps achieve anti-knock and rapid combustion. Improving the swirl and tumble intensities can help NG engines achieve anti-knock and rapid combustion, whereas improving the squish intensity does not. This study provides an important reference for determining whether increasing flow intensity can improve NG engines' knock characteristics and combustion performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual instances of the knock resonant response are easy to acquire but these are subject to noise and vary considerably from cycle to cycle due to random variations in the knock process. This work provides a new way to quantify and model the stochastic properties of knock signals, capturing both the time domain resonant characteristics within a cycle as well as the random variations from cycle to cycle. A new phase alignment method enables the ensemble mean knock waveform to be identified from the data which also removes noise components without the need for narrowband filtering. This ensemble waveform shows the empirical characteristics of knock onset, decay, and frequency slurring within the cycle as the gas expands and cools. The phase-aligned cyclic variations of the knock waveform are also shown to approximate a (time-varying) dual-Gaussian distribution, and fitting such a model to the data enables the statistical properties of the dataset as a whole to be decomposed into separate knocking and non-knocking populations providing further insight into the knock process. The technique is applied both to filtered cylinder pressure signals and to accelerometer-based knock signals, and the results are compared and contrasted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]