An Investigation of the Effects of the Piston Bowl Geometries of a Heavy-Duty Engine on Performance and Emissions Using Direct Dual Fuel Stratification Strategy, and Proposing Two New Piston Profiles

Direct dual fuel stratification (DDFS) strategy benefits the advantages of the RCCI and PPC strategies simultaneously. DDFS has improved control over the heat release rate, by injecting a considerable amount of fuel near TDC, compared to RCCI. In addition, the third injection (near TDC) is diffusion-limited. Consequently, piston bowl geometry directly affects the formation of emissions. The modified piston geometry was developed and optimized for RCCI by previous scholars. Since all DDFS experimental tests were performed with the modified piston profile, the other piston profiles need to be investigated for this strategy. In this article, first, a comparative study between the three conventional piston profiles, including the modified, stock, and scaled pistons, was performed. Afterward, the gasoline injector position was shifted to the head cylinder center for the stock piston. NOX emissions were improved; however, soot was increased slightly. The other emissions, in-cylinder pressure, and AHRR remained unchanged. Finally, the advantages of modified and stock pistons were combined, and two new piston profiles based on the effective geometrical parameters were proposed and investigated. The first-proposed piston profile offered better NOX and CO emissions compared to the other profiles. In addition, the gross thermal efficiency of this profile is at high levels.