Optical studies of advanced natural gas fuelled internal combustion engine technologies

内燃机是绝大多数陆地和水上交通应用的主要动力。然而，在使用这些材料的同时，也产生了已知对健康和环境有负面影响的排放物。此外，它们还依赖于消耗日益枯竭的液体燃料储备。最近发现的大量北美天然气（NG）储量提供了一种有吸引力的，更清洁的燃烧和现成的燃料替代品。韦斯特波特创新公司，总部位于不列颠哥伦比亚省的温哥华，是天然气发动机燃料技术的全球领导者，通过与不列颠哥伦比亚省大学的合作，开发了一种用于中型和重型发动机的高压直喷（HPDI）燃料系统。HPDI使天然气能够用于生产柴油发动机，具有降低排放和燃料消耗的潜力。UBC和韦斯特波特已经进行了相当多的HPDI研究和开发;然而，尚未对这种新技术进行光学表征，这将为基本燃烧过程提供急需的见解。 这项研究将使用光学可访问的发动机，研究基本的缸内燃烧和排放形成过程中的HPDI发动机使用各种光学技术（高速成像，光谱，高温）。这项工作的成果将有助于进一步发展HPDI作为一种技术，用于在内燃机中有效利用NG，降低排放和/或降低废气后处理成本和提高效率。这将有助于加强韦斯特波特创新公司在该领域的领导地位，并帮助加拿大在内燃机先进天然气技术的开发中发挥领导作用，并最终为加拿大重要的天然气资源提供高度相关的最终用途。通过这项研究，还将培训不少于四名高素质人员，随后将提供给加拿大劳动力。

Internal combustion engines are the prime movers for the vast majority of mobility applications on land and water. Their use, however, is coupled with the production of emissions that are known to have negative health and environmental impacts. In addition, they rely on the consumption of ever-depleting liquid fuel reserves. The recently discovered significant North American Natural Gas (NG) reserves present an attractive, cleaner burning and readily available fuelling alternative. Westport Innovations Inc., based in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a global leader in NG engine fuelling technologies and through collaboration with the University of British Columbia, has developed a High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) fuelling system for medium and heavy duty engines. HPDI enables the use of NG in production diesel engines, with the potential for reduced emissions and fuel consumption. Considerable HPDI research and development has been carried out by UBC and Westport; however, an optical characterization of this novel technology has not yet been carried out and will provide much needed insight to the fundamental combustion process. This research will use an optically accessible engine to study the fundamental in-cylinder combustion and emission formation processes in an HPDI engine using various optical techniques (high speed imaging, spectroscopy, pyrometry). The outcomes of this work will help to further develop HPDI as a technology for the effective utilization of NG in internal combustion engines with lower emissions and/or lower exhaust gas aftertreatment costs and higher efficiency. This will help strengthen Westport Innovations' position as the leader in this field, as well as help Canada establish a leadership role in the development of advanced NG technologies for internal combustion engines, and ultimately provide highly relevant end-uses for Canada's significant NG resources. Through this research, no fewer than four highly qualified personnel will also be trained and will be subsequently available to the Canadian workforce.