Effect of High Swirl Velocity on Mixture Formation and Combustion Process of Diesel Spray

Abstract

Diesel engines generate undesirable exhaust emissions during combustion process and identified as major source pollution in the worldwide ecosystem. To reduce emissions, the improvements throughout the premixing of fuel and air have been considered especially at early stage of ignition process. Purpose of this study is to clarify the effects of swirl velocity on flow fuel-air premixing mechanism and burning process in diesel combustion that strongly affects the exhaust emissions. The effects of physical factors on mixture formation and combustion process to improve exhaust emissions are discussed in detail. This study investigated diesel combustion fundamentally using a rapid compression machine (RCM) together with the schlieren photography and direct photography methods. RCM was used to simulate actual phenomenon inside the combustion chamber with changing design parameter such as swirl velocity, injection strategies and variable nozzle concept. The detail behavior of mixture formation during ignition delay period was investigated using the schlieren photography system with a high speed digital video camera. This method can capture spray evaporation, spray interference and mixture formation clearly with real images. Ignition process and flame development were investigated by direct photography method using a light sensitive high-speed color digital video camera. Moreover, the mechanism and behavior of mixture formation were analyzed by newly developed image analysis technique. Under high swirl condition, the ignition delay is extended, the higher heat losses and unutilized high-density oxygen associated with slower initial heat recovery begins might be the explanation for the longer combustion duration, reductions of pick heat release and promote combustion and soot oxidation. The real images of mixture formation and flame development reveal that the spray tip penetration is bended by the high swirl motion, fuel is mainly distributed at the center of combustion chamber, resulting that flame is only formed at the center region of the combustion chamber. It is necessary for high swirl condition to improve fuel-air premixing.