Numerical Optimization of Parameters to Improve Thermal Efficiency of a Spark-Ignited Natural Gas Engine

Hisashi Miyai, Kyosuke Iwaya, Akira Kikusato, Jin Kusaka, Yasuhiro Daisho, Hisaharu Nakashima, Yoichi Kawaguchi, Daisuke Mizuguchi, Hiroyuki Hasegawa

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Natural gas is a promising alternative fuel for internal combustion engines because of its clean combustion characteristics and abundant reserves. However, it has several disadvantages due to its low energy density and low thermal efficiency at low loads. Thus, to assist efforts to improve the thermal efficiency of spark-ignited (SI) engines operating on natural gas and to minimize test procedures, a numerical simulation model was developed to predict and optimize the performance of a turbocharged test engine, considering flame propagation, occurrence of knock and ignition timing. The numerical results correlate well with empirical data, and show that increasing compression ratios and retarding the intake valve closing (IVC) timing relative to selected baseline conditions could effectively improve thermal efficiency. In addition, employing moderate EGR ratios is also effective for avoiding knock. Overall, the optimization of operating conditions reported in the present paper increased thermal efficiency relative to the selected baseline conditions by 5% points.

Original languageEnglish
JournalSAE Technical Papers
Volume2015-September
Issue numberSeptember
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015 Sept 1
EventJSAE/SAE 2015 International Powertrains, Fuels and Lubricants Meeting, FFL 2015 - Kyoto, Japan
Duration: 2015 Sept 12015 Sept 4

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Automotive Engineering
  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
  • Pollution
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Numerical Optimization of Parameters to Improve Thermal Efficiency of a Spark-Ignited Natural Gas Engine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this