A Comprehensive Numerical Study on Effects of Natural Gas Composition on the Operation of an HCCI Engine

Abstract

Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine is a promising idea to reduce fuel consumption and engine emissions. Natural Gas (NG), usually referred as clean fuel, is an appropriate choice for HCCI engines due to its suitable capability of making homogenous mixture with air. However, varying composition of Natural Gas strongly affects the auto-ignition characteristics of in-cylinder mixture and the performance of the HCCI engine. This paper has focused on the influence of Natural Gas composition on engine operation in HCCI mode. Six different compositions of Natural Gas (including pure methane) have been considered to study the engine performance via a thermo-kinetic zero-dimensional model. The simulation code covers the detailed chemical kinetics of Natural Gas combustion, which includes Zeldovich extended mechanism to evaluate NO x emission. Validations have been made using experimental data from other works to ensure the accuracy needed for comparison study. The equivalence ratio and the compression ratio are held constant but the engine speed and mixture initial temperature are changed for comparison study. Results show that the peak value of pressure/temperature of in-cylinder mixture is dependent of fuel Wobbe number. Furthermore, engine gross indicated power is linearly related to fuel Wobbe number. Gross indicated work, gross mean effective pressure, and NO x are the other parameters utilized to compare the performance of engine using different fuel compositions. © 2012, IFP Energies nouvelles.