Adaptive Wiebe Function Parameters for a Port-Fuel Injected Hydrogen-Fueled Engine

Abstract

Abstract Current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propulsion technologies includes hydrogen fuel cells, battery systems, and internal combustion engines (ICE). However, relying on a single propulsion technology might result in a limited operational range. This can be mitigated by utilizing a hybrid configuration involving a battery pack and an ICE or a fuel cell for charging. Due to its significant weight advantage and high mass-specific energy content, hydrogen (H2) is an ideal fuel for both power plant options. However, use of H2 with an ICE requires precise operational control through combustion process simulation with the predictive approximation of the mass fraction burned profile. In this area, the relatively simple single-Wiebe function is widely deployed for a variety of different fuels, as well as combustion regimes. In general, the description of the single-Wiebe function includes the extent of complete combustion (a), magnitude of the maximum burn rate (m), and combustion duration (θd). However, the literature often provides values for these parameters without necessarily relating them to operational characteristics that can influence ICE power. As a result, it is critical to correlate the burn rate of the fuel to ICE operating parameters, such as the engine compression ratio, inlet pressure, mean piston speed, exhaust gas recirculation level, equivalence ratio, and spark timing. Therefore, in an attempt to physically define these parameters, this effort performs a sensitivity analysis using linear regression (least squares method) to assess the impact of engine operating conditions on the Wiebe function in comparison to experimental data for port-fuel injected hydrogen ICEs. The result is a model that can estimate the values of a, m, and θd in combination with a relatively high coefficient of determination (R2) when compared to the experimental mass fraction burned profiles. Finally, others can expand this methodology to any experimental data for engine and fuel-specific Wiebe parameter determination.