Publications Details
Medium-Duty Diesel Combustion
Faster combustion improves the efficiency of a diesel engine, and in medium-duty diesel engines, interactions between the fuel sprays and the piston bowl walls play a key role in determining heat-release rates. Stepped-lip pistons can promote the formation of vortices that are correlated with faster, more efficient heat-release, but this behavior is primarily observed for late injection timings at which the engine is not operating at its peak efficiency. The objectives of this part of the project are to explain the physical mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon, to identify measures that may enhance vortex formation, and to quantify the extent to which these measures may improve the engine's thermal efficiency.