PRELIMINARY STUDY ON COMBUSTION AND OVERALL PARAMETERS OF SYNGAS FUEL MIXTURES FOR SPARK IGNITION COMBUSTION ENGINE

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical study on a group of alternative gaseous fuels – syngases, and their use in the spark-ignition internal combustion engine Lombardini LGW 702. These syngas fuel mixtures consist mainly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, together with inert gases. An understanding of the impact of the syngas composition on the nature of the combustion process is essential for the improvement of the thermal efficiency of syngas-fuelled engines. The paper focuses on six different syngas mixtures with natural gas as a reference. The introduction of the paper goes through some recent trends in the field of the alternative gaseous fuels, followed by a discussion of the objectives of our work, together with the selection of mixtures. Important part of the paper is dedicated to the experimental and above all to the numerical methods. Two different simulation models are showcased: the single-cylinder ‘closed-volume’ combustion analysis model and the full-scale LGW 702 model; all prepared and tuned with the GT-Power software. Steady-state engine measurements are followed by the combustion analysis, which is undertaken to obtain the burn rate profiles. The burn rate profiles, in the form of the Vibe formula, are than inserted into the in-house developed empirical combustion model based on Csallner-Woschni recalculation formulas. Its development is described in the scope as well. The full-scale LGW 702 simulation model, together with this empirical combustion model, is used for the evaluation of engine overall performance parameters, running on gaseous fuel mixtures. The analysis was carried out only under the conditions of engine on full load and the stoichiometric mixture.