Analysis of injection, mixture formation and combustion processes for innovative CNG Engines

Natural gas is a promising alternative fuel for internal combustion engines application due to its low carbon content and high knock resistance. The work presented in this thesis deals with the fluid dynamics, experimental study and optimization of different technologies aimed at exploiting the potentials of such fuel at best. The first section of the work is aimed at the combustion chamber optimization with the focus on the combustion stability. The engine considered in the study is a prototype specifically dedicated to CNG. It features a variable valve actuation system and has been released with different and very high compression ratios ranging from 12 to 14. An innovative experimental methodology based on hot wire anemometry (HWA) purposely developed by Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF) has been adopted for the characterization of the steady-state tumble. The HWA method has been validated against the well-known Ricardo method and is used as a basis for the development and validation of a numerical “virtual flow bench”. The numerical model has been used to gain a deeper insight into the fluid dynamic phenomena and to replace the experimental campaign considering a head variant and quantifying its tumbling and volumetric performances. A transient 3D CFD analysis for the complete engine cycle has been performed in order to evaluate the effect on the combustion process of different compression ratios and head designs.The results showed that the HWA technique represents a factual alternative to the integral technique for the tumble characterization. The “Virtual flow box” model turned out to be accurate enough to evaluate the main flow motions induced by the head design and to be a valid tool complementary to the experimental method. Finally, the transient model used in combination with the ECFM-3z combustion model is fairly accurate for the comparative analysis between different engine designs and/or valve actuations. Despite the main findings of the flow model activity, importance should also be placed onto advanced technologies for natural gas engines such as direct injection. Thus, the second section is aimed at the numerical study of a natural gas direct injection engine. The numerical complexity caused by the high pressure ratio at nozzle exit has been faced using an accurate mesh procedure able to correctly capture the formation of shocks structures. Moreover, the actual needle geometry and the realistic needle movement has been taken into account in order to correctly simulate the opening and closing transient. The final mix and turbulence level has been evaluated comparing two engine prototypes and considering several injection strategies. Finally, a qualitative validation of the computational model has been performed comparing the simulation results with the available experimental data obtained through the PLIF procedure on an equivalent optical engine. The CFD model resulted to be accurate in the prediction of the mixing quality and it shows to be a reliable tool for the analysis of the main mixing mechanism and so for the assessment of the best injection strategy.