Controlling ignition timing and flame stabilization is one of the most outstanding challenges limiting the development of modern, efficient and low-emission compression ignition engines (CIEs). In this study, the role of turbulence on two-stage ignition dynamics and subsequent flame stabilization at diesel engine conditions is assessed by performing direct numerical simulations in a simplified inflow-outflow premixed configuration. The thermochemical conditions are chosen to match those of the most reactive mixture in the Engine Combustion Network’s n-dodecane Spray A flame (temperature of 813 K, pressure of 60 atm, equivalence ratio of 1.3, and with 15% vol. O2 in the ambient gas). Inflow velocities 4 to 16 times larger than the laminar flame speed are considered. As a result, in the absence of turbulence, ignition and flame stabilization are controlled by advection and chemistry, diffusion being negligible. Ignition delays match those of the homogeneous reactor and both the cool flame, due to low-temperature chemistry (LTC), and the hot flame, due to high-temperature chemistry (HTC), are spontaneous ignition fronts. Turbulence alters this picture in two ways. First, the second-stage (HTC) ignition delay is increased considerably, in contrast with the first-stage (LTC) ignition delay, which remains virtually unaffected. Second, a sufficiently high turbulence intensity makes the cool spontaneous ignition front transition to a cool deflagration which moves upstream to the inlet, while the hot flame is pushed downstream, still stabilized by spontaneous ignition. The latter phenomenon is caused by the reduced reactivity of LTC products as the cool flame transitions from spontaneous ignition to deflagration. Further increasing the turbulence intensity leads to both cool and hot flames transitioning to deflagrations. For the hot flame, the mechanism governing this transition is the increase in magnitude of progress variable gradient under increased turbulence or reduced inflow velocity, while in cool flames it is mainly due to the reduction in chemical source terms. In addition to turbulence intensity, the role of inflow velocity, integral length scale, and oxygen concentration level on this transition is assessed and modeling challenges are discussed. Finally, a chemical explosive mode analysis is provided to further characterise the ignition and transition phenomena. The present results highlight important fundamental roles of turbulence expected to modulate CIE combustion dynamics.

Depuis quelques années, les modèles 0D trouvent un regain d'intérêt auprès des motoristes. En effet, ces modèles, fournissant aisément un comportement thermodynamique du moteur, peuvent être couplés avec des outils de contrôle moteur. Néanmoins, leur précision doit être augmentée, pour répondre aux enjeux technologiques actuels. Dans les moteurs à allumage commandé, la flamme turbulente prémélangée est modélisée comme un ensemble de flammelettes cohérentes entre elles. Cette approche généraliste nécessite un traitement particulier en proche paroi, motivé par une modification de la structure de flamme due aux couches limites thermique et cinématique. Ce présent travail propose des approches de modélisations 0D de la combustion, en proche paroi et dans la zone réactionnelle de la flamme. Pour modéliser la combustion en proche paroi, la flamme est scindée en une contribution en propagation libre, et une contribution en interaction avec les parois. Chaque contribution est divisée en une zone de transport, dans laquelle l'entraînement des gaz frais est décrit, et une zone de réaction, dans laquelle la réaction de combustion est modélisée. L'ajout d'une zone de réaction en interaction avec les parois permet de modéliser un gradient de température et une réaction de combustion ralentie en proche paroi. Pour modéliser la zone réactionnelle, une discrétisation de la flamme en N zones de réaction indépendantes est proposée. Une plage de fonctionnement moteur a été simulée avec nos approches de modélisation, afin de quantifier la variabilité des paramètres de calibration. Pour ce faire, les modèles sont calibrés sur chaque point de fonctionnement, par une méthode de minimisation de l'erreur quadratique moyenne sur la loi de dégagement d'énergie. Des corrélations aisées de paramètres de calibration peuvent être établies, en fonction de paramètres moteurs. Les résultats de simulations, obtenus à partir de ces corrélations, sont satisfaisants. / Recently, the interest for zero-dimensional models has increased. Indeed, these models provide easily the engines thermodynamic behavior and can be coupled with control tools. However, their accuracy must be improved to meet the current technological challenges. In the spark ignition engines, the premixed turbulent flame is modeled as a set of coherent flamelets. This approach requires special treatment near the walls, motivated by the modifications of the flame structure due to boundary layers. The present work proposes 0D modeling of combustion near the walls and in the reaction zone of the flame. To combustion model near the walls, the flame is divided into a free propagation contribution, and an interacting contribution with the walls. Each contribution is divided into a convective zone, wherein the entrainment of fresh gas is described, and a reaction zone, wherein the combustion reaction is modeled. Adding a reaction zone near the walls allows modeling a thermal gradient and a slower combustion reaction near the walls. To model the reaction zone, a flame discretization is made into several reaction zones. An engine operating range is simulated with our models, for quantifying the calibration parameters variability. To do this, models are calibrated on each operating point, by a method of minimization of the quadratic error on the heat released rate. Linear correlations can be found, depending on engines parameters. A good agreement between experimental data and simulation results is obtained with these parameters correlations.