Event Details
Fuel Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition for High-efficiency Internal Combustion Engines
Speaker: Rolf D. Reitz, University of Wisconsin
Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Location: Bowen Hall Auditorium 222
Date/Time: Friday, March 8, 2013, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The development of a new dual-fuel engine combustion strategy called Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition will be described. RCCI provides highly efficient engine performance with near zero levels of exhaust NOx and soot. In-cylinder fuel blending, with port fuel injection of a less reactive fuel (e.g., gasoline or ethanol blends) and optimized multiple direct injections of a more reactive fuel (e.g., diesel) is used to control combustion phasing and duration. Optimal engine operating parameters were discovered using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling in combination with genetic algorithm parameter searches. Engine experiments in both heavy- and light-duty research engines confirmed the model predictions. Peak gross indicated thermal efficiencies as high as 59% have been demonstrated experimentally, while maintaining low rates of pressure rise and EPA compliant pollutant emissions levels without the need for exhaust after-treatment.
