Thesis (M.S. in Astronautical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Brophy, Christopher M. Second Reader: Sinibaldi, Jose O. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Transient Plasma Ignition, Pulse Detonation Engine, Flame Kernel Growth. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-84). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering." Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-67).

Thesis (M.S. in Astronautical Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Brophy, Christopher M. Second Reader: Hobson, Garth V. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 28, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Pulse Detonation Combustors, PDC, Pulse Detonation Engines, PDE, PDE ignition, PDE initiation, low-loss obstacles, ramp, swept ramp, DDT, DDT initiation. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-90). Also available in print.

The experimental investigation in this work concerns the compression-ignition (CI) engine combustion process both in normal operation and dual-fuel operation. There is a bulk of literature reporting thermal efficiencies, brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) and emissions under single and dual fueling conditions in CI engines. Most of the studies lack the full implications of changing load (power output) and speed on these performance indicators. The studies are either restricted to various loads/powers at one engine speed (neglecting the effect of engine speed) or one or two load/power conditions at various speeds (neglecting load variations). There is a scarcity of full engine maps in the open literature (these are the full contours of thermal efficiency or BSFC plotted throughout the power versus speed range of the engine, or the torque versus speed range of the engine). This thesis provides performance and emissions maps for a CI engine using two different fuels (diesel and rapeseed methyl ester used as single fuels) and two gaseous fuels (natural gas and hydrogen) used with two different pilot fuels (diesel and rapeseed methyl ester ) under what is termed dual fueling mode. A novel approach is used to present the performance and emissions over the entire engines operational range. The results are presented as iso- contours of thermal efficiency, volumetric efficiency and brake specific NOX, specific HC and specific CO2 on a power-speed graph throughout the operating range of the engine. Many studies conclude that the emissions, particularly NOX during dual fueling are expected to form in the spatial region around the pilot spray. This region is expected to be subjected to high localised temperatures as the equivalence ratio is close to stoichiometric, thus maximising heat release from combustion. The effect of changing the pilot fuel quantity on performance and emissions is rarely reported. This study addresses this scarcity in the literature and investigates the effect of changing the pilot fuel quantity and type on various combustion and emission parameters. Diesel and rapeseed methyl ester (RME) have been used as pilot fuels for both the natural gas as well as hydrogen and three different pilot fuel settings have been employed for each of the gaseous fuels. The effect of using a different pilot fuel quantity to achieve the same brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) for the two gaseous fuels has been analysed and compared. This thesis also includes a chapter on the computational modeling of the engine esmissions. This study uses combinations of different spray and combustion models to predict in-cylinder pressure, rate of heat release and emissions. The approach employs two combustion models: Unsteady Flamelet Model (UFM) with PDF method and Finite Rate Chemistry (FRC) with stiff chemistry solver implemented through In-Situ Adaptive Tabulation (ISAT) algorithm. Two spray models used includeWAVE and Kelvin Helmohltz Rayleigh Taylor (KHRT) spray models. The UFM coupled with KHRT spray model has been used to predict NOX, CO and CO2 emissions. The model captures the emissions trends well. In-cylinder contours of O2, NO and mass average temperature have also been presented. A chemical mechanism of n-heptane with 29 species and 52 reactions has been used.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Drexel University, 2007. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-167).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Drexel University, 2005. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-159).

Thesis (M. S.)--Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Zinn, Ben; Committee Member: Ferri, Aldo; Committee Member: Lieuwen, Timothy; Committee Member: Prasad, J. V. R.; Committee Member: Ruzzene, Massimo.

Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines have been considered to be the key enabler for reducing the CO2 emission from gasoline-powered vehicles. Compared to Port Fuel Injection (PFI) engines, GDI engines realize a higher compression ratio, a lower intake temperature and the absence of throttling which will deliver higher volumetric efficiency and lower fuel consumption. However, due to the reduced time for fuel atomization and the possibility of fuel impingement, GDI engines will inherently generate more Particulate Matter (PM) emissions than PFI engines. Previous research demonstrated that GDI engines typically emit one order of magnitude more PM than PFIs. Therefore, the number-based measurement of PM emissions from GDI engines is essential, for engine researchers and manufacturers to meet the number-based PM regulations in the near future. This thesis undertakes to investigate: a) the effects of the after-treatment (Three-Way Catalyst) and various engine operational parameters, such as injection and ignition timing, injection strategy and valve timing on the PM emissions; b) the characteristics of GDI PM emissions using a range of gasoline/ethanol blends; c) The compositional information for GDI-generated PM emissions, i.e. the PM mass fractions in different volatility ranges. The first objective was achieved by using a Cambustion Ltd Differential Mobility Spectrometer 500 (DMS500) to simultaneously derive the PM size-resolved number concentrations and mass concentrations in the range of 5-1000 nm. The second objective was addressed by using the DMS500 together with other instruments such as a Photron high-speed camera, a Cambustion Ltd fast Flame Ionization Detector (FID). The third objective was realized by using Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). These experiments are amongst the first of their kind and may well provide vehicle manufacturers and the fuel industry with useful data for PM control and abatement. Data acquisition (DAQ) systems for two test engines, namely, a V8 GDI engine and a single-cylinder optical access engine, have been developed in LabVIEW to facilitate recording various experimental data at different sampling rates (1Hz to 300 kHz). The DAQ system in the single-cylinder engine is also capable for communicating with the engine controlling system to enable automatic data logging. A controlled automatic dilution system has been developed for taking filter samples in a way that is consistent with emissions legislation.

The laminar burning velocity of a fuel is the rate of normal propagation of a 1D flame front relative to the movement of the unburned gas. This is a fundamental property of a fuel that affects many aspects of its combustion behaviour. Experimental values are required to validate kinetic simulations, and also to provide input for models of flashback, minimum ignition energy and turbulent combustion. Burning velocity affects burn duration and consequently power output in spark ignition engines. Burning velocities are affected by pressure, temperature, equivalence ratio, residuals, additives, and stretch rates. The constant volume vessel has been used as it is considered both the most versatile and accurate method of measuring laminar burning velocities. An existing combustion vessel and oven were refurbished and new systems built for fuel injection, ignition, experiment control, data acquisition and high speed schlieren photography. An existing multi-zone model was used to allow calculation of burning velocity from pressure and schlieren data, allowing the user to select data uncorrupted by heat transfer or cellularity. A twelve term correlation for burning velocity was validated using methane modelling data. The chosen data from all the experiments was then fitted to the correlation. Methane, n-butane, n-heptane, iso-octane, toluene, ethylbenzene and ethanol were tested over a wide range of initial pressures (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 barA), temperatures (289-450 K) and equivalence ratios (0.7-1.4). For liquid fuels, tests with real residuals at mole fractions of up to 0.3 were also conducted. Stoichiometric mixture tests were performed at two initial temperatures (380 and 450 K) and the same four initial pressures. For mixtures of iso-octane and ethylbenzene, percentage volumes of 12.5, 25, 50 and 75% iso-octane were tested. It was found that the the percentage of iso-octane affected burning velocity non-linearly. For iso-octane/ethanol, a single 50:50% mixture was tested.