Thermodynamic cycles variability of TJI gas engine with different mixture preparation systems

Abstract

Gas engines are a viable source of propulsion due to the ecological indicators of gas fuels and the large amount of the needed natural resources. Combustion of lean homogeneous gas mixtures allows achieving higher thermal efficiency values, which is a key factor in current engine development trends. Using the spark-jet ignition system (also called as Turbulent Jet Ignition or Two-stage combustion) significantly improves the efficiency and stability of the combustion process, especially in the part-load operation on lean or very lean mixtures. This paper presents the impact of using two different fuel injection methods: Port Fuel Injection or Mixer on the operation stability of a gas engine designed for LDVs. Comparative studies of two different mixture preparation systems were carried out on a single-cylinder AVL 5804 test engine. By re-cording the cylinder pressure for a significant number of engine cycles, it became possible to determine the repeatability of engine operation and to correlate the results with the mixture formation system and the air-fuel ratio. In the performed research the beneficial effect of the mixer system application on the engine operation stability in the part-load conditions was found.