Internal Combustion (IC) Engine

A Study of Engine Combustion by Observation of Radicals During Combustion
Investigator: Zhe Li
Research Facility: Optically Accessible Internal Combustion (IC) Engine

The objective of this research is to determine the reaction behavior of radicals and species in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion (IC) engine. Radicals such as OH, CH, C2 play an important role in the combustion reactions of hydrocarbon fuels. An optically accessible internal combustion engine is used to provide total optical access to the combustion chamber and offers the opportunity to observe the instantaneous combustion process inside the combustion chamber. Simultaneous measurment of radicals such as OH, CH, C2, H, CHO, HO2 and O, and total chemiluminescence signal using spectroscopic method are made to provide an understanding of the combustion process at different engine oprerational conditions and piston geometry design. The experiment results provide an insight on the detail reaction mechanisms of radicals during combustion in the IC engine. The results provide guidelines on the advanced piston design.




 

Last Edited: May 13, 2006