NSF/DOE Partnership on Advanced Combustion Engines: Thermal Barrier Coatings for the LTC Engine - Heat Loss, Combustion, Thermal vs. Catalytic Effects, Emissions, Exhaust Heat

这项拟议的研究集中在阐明热障涂层(TBC)对低温燃烧(LTC)发动机的影响，并设计一种能够产生最理想的燃烧、效率和排放效果的工程涂层。LTC发动机的自燃、燃烧和稳定性在很大程度上取决于缸内热环境和化学动力学之间的相互作用。热障对LTC发动机的影响是最近发现的，但仍然知之甚少。这一努力将使人们对影响的机制和规模有深入的了解。研究小组将区分涂层对气缸内热动力过程的纯热效应和可能的催化作用，并量化发动机热效率、LTC燃烧效率、减少未燃烧碳氢化合物(UBHC)和CO排放的改善。预期结果将消除LTC发动机实际实施的一些剩余障碍，并揭示其对汽车燃油经济性的影响。除了为博士生创造机会，该项目的研究概念将被整合到克莱姆森大学(CU)高级动力总成轨道的课程中，并被纳入独特的汽车工程硕士项目，其中包括设计和制造原型车。加州大学还将利用与当地一所小学和南方汽车女性S论坛的外联计划，通过沉浸在先进发动机概念的实践演示中，鼓励年轻女性和男性从事STEM领域的研究。此外，该团队将为康涅狄格大学(合作机构)的达芬奇项目开发一个研讨会，这是一项旗舰活动，培训市中心的教师如何将科学和数学应用于工程。

This proposed research focuses on elucidating the impact of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) on the Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) engines, and designing an engineered coating that will produce the most desirable effects on combustion, efficiency, and emissions. Autoignition, combustion, and stability in an LTC engine critically depend on the interplay between the in-cylinder thermal environment and chemical kinetics. The impact of a thermal barrier on LTC engines was discovered recently but remains poorly understood. This effort will generate insight into mechanisms and magnitude of the effects. The research team will distinguish between the pure thermal and possible catalytic effects of coatings on thermo-kinetic processes in the cylinder, and quantify the improvement of engine thermal efficiency, LTC combustion efficiency, reduction of unburned hydrocarbons (UBHC), and CO emissions. The expected outcomes will remove some of the remaining obstacles to the practical implementation of LTC engines and reveal its impact on vehicle fuel economy. In addition to creating opportunities for PhD students, the research concepts from this project will be integrated into the courses in the Advanced Powertrain Track at Clemson University (CU), and incorporated in the unique MS program in Automotive Engineering that includes design and fabrication of a prototype vehicle. CU will also utilize outreach programs with a local elementary school and the Southern Automotive Women?s Forum to encourage young women and men to pursue STEM fields through immersion in hands-on demonstrations of advanced engine concepts. Additionally, the team will develop a workshop for the DaVinci Program of University of Connecticut (the collaborative institution), a flagship activity that trains inner city teachers in how science and math are applied to engineering.