3D CFD simulation of a CI engine converted to SI natural gas operation using the G-equation

The conversion of heavy-duty CI engines to natural gas (NG) SI operation have the potential to increase the use of NG in the transportation sector in the United States. More, the increased turbulence of a bowl-in-piston combustion chamber can increase the flame speed under more efficient lean conditions. The main objective of this study was to investigate if a 3D G-equation-based RANS simulation (i.e., reasonable computational costs and running times) can predict the efficiency and emissions of such converted engine, for various NG compositions and operating conditions. The model was validated with experimental data from a single-cylinder CI research engine that replaced the fuel injector with a spark plug and fumigated NG inside the intake manifold using a low-pressure gas injector. Using a unique set of model tuning parameters, the model was able to qualitatively predict the effect of NG composition on engine performance and emissions over a range of operating conditions that changed spark timing, equivalence ratio, and engine speed. The model also captured the double-peak heat release rate seen at advanced spark timing in the experiments. The results showed that a lower methane number (MN) increased peak pressure and indicated mean effective pressure. Higher H/C ratio advanced combustion phasing. More, higher MN lowered nitrogen oxides but increased unburned hydrocarbons emissions. However, while a lower MN increased carbon monoxide (CO) production during the combustion process, there was no clear trend for engine-out CO emissions. Overall, the predicted gas composition effects on engine efficiency and emissions were relatively small, at least for the range of operating conditions investigated here. However, the results suggest that the 3D CFD model described here is suitable for combustion phenomena analysis such the flame behavior in a bowl-in-piston combustion chamber.