Spark-Ignited Mixing-Controlled Combustion

This poster presents a new research trajectory, aiming at the efficient use of renewable fuels, such as hydrogen, methane and methanol, in heavy-duty combustion engines. These fuels have proven their advantages, both in terms of efficiency and emissions, for light-duty engines, but their use in heavy-duty engines requires novel combustion strategies. One example is Spark-Ignited Mixing-Controlled Combustion (SI-MCC), in which a fuel jet or spray is directly ignited by a spark, to establish Diesel-like combustion. Literature provides a limited proof-of-concept for SI-MCC using hydrogen and methane, but the ignitability of other fuels remains uncertain, especially for liquids. This research trajectory studies SI-MCC ignitability with hydrogen, methane and methanol and aims to understand the key phenomena influencing ignition. Experiments in an optically accessible combustion chamber will investigate the ignition success for different ignition timings and locations of the spark over the jet/spray, and provide fundamental data. The local conditions at the spark are assessed via simulations, while high-speed videos provide detailed insight into the ignition process. The conclusions will be presented as a conceptual model that shows how different fuels ignite, by indicating the phenomena of interest and describing the influence of fuel properties. These fundamental experiments are also used to design engine-experiments, which will assess the actual potential of SI-MCC as an engine concept.