EAGER: Biodiesel / Ethanol RCCI Combustion Exploration at Multiple Engine Loads and Speeds

目前的燃烧系统主要是单一燃料的？设备。例如，无处不在的火花点火发动机通常使用汽油作为燃料，而典型的压燃式发动机使用柴油作为燃料。这种现有模式有充分的理由。简而言之，汽油的高挥发性使其可用于预缸(或早期直接喷气)汽化和随后的预混合。同样，柴油的高可燃性使其适合于压缩点火。然而，在过去的一个世纪里，发动机发展见证了火花点火发动机和压燃式发动机的巨大发展和进步。一个合理的问题变成了，什么？S是先进内燃机最好的燃料？一些初步的努力表明，最好的燃料实际上可能是两种燃料的组合。具体地说，燃烧的反应性控制压缩点火模式？哪一种是低温燃烧？在同一装置中既使用高挥发性燃料(如汽油)，又使用高易燃性燃料(如柴油)。这种范式的转变需要探索其他合格的燃料，特别是替代燃料，以努力识别这种截然不同的方法是否会产生潜在的高回报。关于这种科学存在几个研究问题，包括燃料是如何产生的？相互作用可能会影响反应的化学，潜在反应性混合物的存在如何影响物理流体过程(如渗透、破碎、雾化和汽化)，以及与反应性混合物的相互作用如何影响煤烟形成过程。本研究旨在探讨含水乙醇和生物柴油作为双燃料反应性控制压缩点火(RCCI)低温燃烧模式在中型柴油机上的可行性，并比较它们的响应。在发动机功率、效率和缸内工艺(如流体工艺、化学和排放形成)方面？RCCI使用常规汽油和柴油。RCCI的最大好处似乎是它可以同时减少柴油发动机的NOx和碳烟，同时保持高效率和比功率。这项研究利用了实验发动机研究设施，对燃料、空气质量和反应速度进行了受控研究。这项研究旨在提高功转换装置(如内燃机)的最终使用效率，同时保持环境质量(即低排放)，并评估燃烧系统中替代燃料的可行性。RCCI的实施提高了化学转化为功的效率，同时保持了较低的氮氧化物和烟尘生成率，这两者都会导致空气质量变差和当地雾霾。高效燃烧系统的实现，特别是使用生物基替代燃料，使社会能够走向碳中性。此外，这项研究将进一步努力通过动手实验研究来招收和教育代表性不足的学生。将利用资金支持研究生和本科生的研究，以增加在STEM学科接受正规教育的学生数量。

Current combustion systems predominantly are ?single-fuel? devices. For example, the ubiquitous spark ignition engine routinely uses gasoline as a fuel, while the typical compression ignition engine uses diesel as a fuel. There are well-founded reasons for this existing paradigm. In simple terms, the high volatility of gasoline makes it amendable for pre-cylinder (or early direct-cylinder injection) vaporization and subsequent premixing. Likewise, the high ignitability of diesel fuel makes it appropriate for compression ignition. The past century of engine development, however, has witnessed tremendous growth and advancement of both spark- and compression-ignition engines. A reasonable question becomes, what?s the best fuel for the advanced combustion engine? Some preliminary efforts have suggested that the best fuel may in fact be a combination of two fuels. Specifically, the Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition mode of combustion ? which is a type of low temperature combustion ? uses both a highly volatile fuel (such as gasoline) along with a highly ignitable fuel (such as diesel) in the same apparatus. This shift in the paradigm requires exploration of other qualifying fuels, particularly alternative fuels, in an effort to discern if this radically different approach may yield the high payoff it potentially promises. Several research questions exist regarding such science, including how the fuels? interactions may affect chemistry of the reaction, how physical fluidic processes (such as penetration, breakup, atomization, and vaporization) are affected by the presence of a potentially reactive mixture, and how soot formation processes are affected by the interaction with a reactive mixture. This research aims to explore the viability of hydrous ethanol and biodiesel as fuels in dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) low temperature combustion mode in a medium-duty diesel engine and to compare their response ? in terms of engine power, efficiency, and in-cylinder processes (such as fluid processes, chemistry, and emissions formation) ? with RCCI using conventional gasoline and diesel fuels. The overarching benefit of RCCI seems to be that it can simultaneously reduce NOx and soot from diesel engines while also maintaining high efficiency and specific power. The research makes use of experimental engine research facilities with controlled studies of the fuel and air mass and rate of reaction. This research intends to improve the end use efficiency of work conversion devices (such as combustion engines) while maintaining environment quality (i.e., low emissions) and assessing the viability of alternative fuels in combustion systems. Implementation of RCCI results in high chemical-to-work conversion efficiencies while maintaining low formation rates of nitrogen oxides and soot, both which contribute to poor atmospheric quality and local SMOG. The attainment of high efficiency combustion systems, particularly with the use of bio-based alternative fuels, allows society to move toward carbon-neutrality. Additionally, the research will further efforts to recruit and educate underrepresented students through hands-on experimental research. Funds will be leveraged to support graduate and undergraduate research to improve the number of students formally educated in STEM disciplines.