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Assessment of spark-energy allocation and ignition environment on lean combustion in a twin-plug Wankel engine
- Source :
- Energy Conversion and Management. 209:112597
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Due to the elongated shape of the combustion chamber and strong one-way flow characteristic, changing the location of enhanced combustion is an effective means to ameliorate the indicated efficiency of the Wankel engine. For this purpose, strengthening combustion can happen by allocating spark-energy in the desired location along with a favorable ignition environment. In this study, three-dimensional CFD simulations were implemented and the numerical results were compared with existing measured data, in which ignition environment variations were achieved by hydrogen enrichment within the intake manifold of a spark-ignition Wankel engine. Based on CONVERGE code with the SAGE detailed chemistry solver, the twin-plug engine model was then used to assess the location of strengthened combustion employing a spark-energy allocation from the perspective of species evolution, combustion characteristics, and emissions formation. The results indicate that enhancing spark-energy at the leading side of the rotor chamber has an overall higher burned volume rate and faster species evolution due to the later connection of two burning sources prior to quenching. Increasing the hydrogen content in the ignition environment causes richer active radicals and higher turbulence, ultimately promoting flame propagation and combustion intensity. A larger T-plug spark-energy decreases the indicated mean effective pressure, heat release rate, and thermal efficiency because of the intensified wall heat flux and the lower mass burning rate at the leading side. There is no doubt that the introduction of hydrogen enrichment presents a positive effect on both thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption at the price of a slighter increase of nitrogen oxide formation due to higher mass fraction of high-temperature regions. It is recommended that enhancing local mass burning rate in the leading part of the rotor chamber under the hydrogen-enriched ignition environment can provide a great potential in the quest towards high-efficiency Wankel rotary engine.
- Subjects :
- Thermal efficiency
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
020209 energy
Nuclear engineering
Wankel engine
Energy Engineering and Power Technology
02 engineering and technology
Combustion
law.invention
Ignition system
Fuel Technology
020401 chemical engineering
Nuclear Energy and Engineering
Mean effective pressure
law
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
0204 chemical engineering
Combustion chamber
Inlet manifold
Spark plug
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 01968904
- Volume :
- 209
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Energy Conversion and Management
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........148f9a641e4f1703961453eea3ab5040