Pre-ignition is a type of irregular combustion that occurs in boosted direct injection gasoline engines when one or more auto-ignition events occur before to spark ignition. Due to the direct injection of fuel into the cylinder, some liquid fuel may splash off the walls, dragging along lubricating oil. The self-ignition of liquid fuel/lubricant droplets is one of the pre-ignition sources studied. To test this stochastic behavior in a controlled manner, we examined the auto-ignition of a single droplet of a hexadecane-fuel mixture, with hexadecane serving as a surrogate for the lub oil. This experiment involved suspending a single hexadecane-fuel mixture droplet on a thermocouple bead in preheated air at temperatures ranging from 150 to 300 ° C over a wide range of pressures (4-30 bar). Various fuels with RON values ranging from 0 to 120 were blended with hexadecane at varying volume percentages of fuel in hexadecane from 0% to 100% to determine the droplet's time to ignition, denoted by TI. TI was determined by concurrently recording the history of the droplet temperature and imaging it at high speed. The ignition of the droplet is triggered by the self-ignition of the combustible mixture created by the vapor of the hexadecane-fuel mixture reacting with the heated ambient air surrounding the droplet. The increase in RON increased the TI as high RON fuels are difficult to ignite. However, the TI of the mixture depended on the fuel mixture properties even when the RON of the mixture was relatively high. Furthermore, the metal additives were added to the oil surrogate to investigate their effect on getting a pre-ignition event. The lubricant oil additives were phosphate, magnesium, and calcium. These additives were mixed with hexadecane at different concentrations. The experiments were conducted in a constant volume combustion chamber at 300 ⁰C temperature and the pressure was varied from 5 to 15 bar. The resulting TI were then compared with the TI of pure hexadecane. The results showed that addition of phosphate reduces the chances of getting a pre-ignition event, magnesium showed neutral effect while calcium enhanced the chances of getting a pre-ignition event.

Surrogate fuels are mixtures of pure hydrocarbons that mimic specific properties of a real fuel. The use of a small number of pure compounds in their formulation ensures that chemical composition is well controlled, helping increase reproducibility of experiments and reduce the computational cost associated with numerical modeling. In this work, surrogate mixtures were developed for Jet A fuel based on correlations between fuel properties (cetane number, smoke point, threshold sooting index (TSI), density, viscosity, boiling point and freezing point) and the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the fuel as a measure of the fuel's chemical composition. Comparison of the chemical composition and target fuel properties of the surrogate fuels developed in this work to a Jet A fuel sample and other surrogate fuels proposed in the literature revealed the superiority of these surrogate fuels in mimicking the fuel properties of interest.

Surrogate fuels are mixtures of pure hydrocarbons that mimic specific properties of a real fuel. The use of a small number of pure compounds in their formulation ensures that chemical composition is well controlled, helping increase reproducibility of experiments and reduce the computational cost associated with numerical modeling. In this work, surrogate mixtures were developed for Jet A fuel based on correlations between fuel properties (cetane number, smoke point, threshold sooting index (TSI), density, viscosity, boiling point and freezing point) and the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of the fuel as a measure of the fuel's chemical composition. Comparison of the chemical composition and target fuel properties of the surrogate fuels developed in this work to a Jet A fuel sample and other surrogate fuels proposed in the literature revealed the superiority of these surrogate fuels in mimicking the fuel properties of interest.

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This thesis studies the influence of internal nozzle flow characteristics over a large spectrum of experimental conditions and diagnostics. Experiments were carried out for two nozzle geometries---cylindrical and conical single hole nozzles---and three different fuels. Two of the fuels are pure components---n-heptane and n-dodecane---while the third fuel consists of a three-component surrogate to better represent the physical and chemical properties of diesel fuel. Measurements include a complete hydraulic characterization consisting of instantaneous injection rate and spray momentum flux measurements; a high-speed visualization of isothermal liquid spray; a high-speed visualization of the evaporative inert spray, imaging liquid and vapor phases simultaneously and finally, a high-speed visualization of the high temperature reactive spray, imaging vapor phase and OH* chemiluminescence for each injection event. All high-temperature diagnostics were performed in a continuous flow test chamber that allows an accurate control on a wide range of thermodynamic conditions (up to 1000 K and 15 MPa). The experimental findings from this work, and the large database obtained (available for download at: http://www.cmt.upv.es/DD01.aspx), could be used to validate CFD models that could help the community understand the fundamental driving mechanisms behind these observations. / En esta tesis se estudia la influencia del flujo interno sobre un amplio espectro de condiciones y diagnósticos experimentales. Se realizaron experimentos para dos geometrías de tobera---toberas cilíndrica y cónica de un único orificio---y tres combustibles. Dos de los combustibles son puros---n-heptano y n-dodecano--- mientras el tercero es un combustible sustituto que consiste en una mezcla de tres componentes que busca representar mejor las propiedades físicas y químicas del diesel. Las medidas incluyen una caracterización hidráulica completa, compuesta por tasa de inyección y cantidad de movimiento instantáneas; una visualización de alta velocidad del chorro líquido isotermo; una visualización de alta velocidad del chorro inerte evaporativo, con captura simultánea de las fases líquida y vapor y, finalmente, una visualización del chorro reactivo a alta temperatura, con captura de la fase vapor y la quimioluminiscencia del radical OH* para cada evento de inyección. Todos los diagnósticos en condiciones de alta temperatura fueron realizados en una maqueta de alta presión y temperatura de flujo constante que permite controlar con precisión un rango amplio de condiciones termodinámicas (hasta 1000 K y 15 MPa). Los resultados experimentales y la gran base de datos obtenida en este trabajo (disponible en: http://www.cmt.upv.es/DD01.aspx), podrían ser utilizados para validar modelos CFD detallados que podrían ayudar a la comunidad científica a entender mejor los mecanismos fundamentales que producen los resultados observados. / Aquesta tesi estudia la influència del flux intern sobre un gran espectre de condicions i diagnòstics experimentals. Es van realitzar experiments per a dos geometries de tovera---toveres ci¿líndrica i cónica amb un únic orifici---i tres combustibles. Dos dels combustibles són purs---n-heptà i n-dodecà--- mentre el tercer combustible consisteix en una mescla de tres components que formen un combustible substitut que busca representar millor les propietats físiques i químiques del dièsel. Les mesures inclouen una caracterització hidràulica completa, composta per taxa d'injecció i quantitat de moviment instantanis; visualització d'alta velocitat del doll líquid isoterme; visualització d'alta velocitat del doll inert evaporatiu, capturant simultàniament les fases líquid i vapor i, finalment, una visualització del doll reactiu a alta temperatura, capturant la fase vapor i la quimioluminiscència del radical OH per a cada esdeveniment d'injecció. Tots els diagnòstics en condicions d'alta temperatura van ser realitzats en una insta¿lació d'alta pressió i temperatura amb flux constant que permet controlar amb precisió un ampli rang de condicions termodinàmiques (fins a 1000 K i 15 MPa). Els resultats experimentals i la gran base de dades obtinguda en aquest treball (disponible a la web en: http://www.cmt.upv.es/dd01.aspx), podrien ser utilitzats per tal de validar models CFD detallats que podrien ajudar a la comunitat científica a entendre millor els mecanismes fonamentals que produeixen aquestes observacions. / Viera Sotillo, JP. (2017). Experimental study of the effect of nozzle geometry on the performance of direct-injection diesel sprays for three different fuels [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/81857