Combustion of Lean Methane/Propane Mixtures with an Active Prechamber Engine in Terms of Various Fuel Distribution

Abstract

The possibilities for reducing the fuel consumption of internal combustion engines focus mainly on developing combustion systems, as one such solution is a two-stage combustion system using jet ignition. The combustion of gaseous mixtures with a high excess air ratio leads to an increase in overall efficiency and a reduction in the emissions of selected exhaust components. In such a convention, gas combustion studies were conducted in the methane/propane configuration. Using an active prechamber where spark plugs were placed and direct injection through a check valve, the fuel dose was minimized into the prechamber. The tests were conducted for a constant center of combustion (CoC). The combustion process in both the prechamber and main chamber was analyzed using a test stand equipped with a 0.5 dm3 single-cylinder engine. The engine was controlled by varying the fuel supply to the prechamber and main chamber in excess air ratio λ = 1.3–1.8. The study analyzed thermodynamic indices such as the combustion pressure in both chambers, based on which the SoC in both chambers, the rate and amount of heat released, AI05, AI90 and, consequently, the indicated efficiency were determined. Based on the results, it was found that the use of CH4/C3H8 combination degraded the thermodynamic indicators of combustion more than using only the base gas (methane). In addition, the stability of the engine’s operation was decreased. The advantage of using propane for the prechamber is to obtain more beneficial ecological indicators. For the single-fuel system, a maximum indicated efficiency of more than 40% was obtained, while with the use of propane for the prechamber, a maximum of 39.3% was achieved.