Visualization of Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) Fuel Liquid Length and Soot Formation in the Constant Volume Combustion Chamber

Abstract

In this research, GTL spray combustion was visualized in an optically accessible quiescent constant-volume combustion chamber. The results were compared with the spray combustion of diesel fuel. Fast-speed photography with direct laser sheet illumination was used to determine the fuel liquid-phase length, and shadowgraph photography was used to determine the distribution of the sooting area in the fuel jet. The results showed that the fuel liquid-phase length of GTL fuel jets stabilized at about 20-22mm from the injector orifice and mainly depended on the ambient gas temperature and fuel volatility. GTL had a slightly shorter liquid length than that of the diesel fuel. This tendency was also maintained when multiple injection strategy was applied. The penetration of the tip of the liquid-phase fuel during pilot injection was a little shorter than the penetration during main injection. The liquid lengths during single and main injections were identical. In the case of soot formation, the results showed that soot formation was mainly affected by air-fuel mixing, and had very weak dependence on fuel volatility.