Energies

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sławomir Wierzbicki

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 46 A, Słoneczna St., 10-710 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: liquid and gaseous fuels for internal combustion engines; alternative fuels; combustion engines; control algorithms for combustion engines; engine diagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Kamil Duda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Faculty of Technical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 46 A, Słoneczna St., 10-710 Olsztyn, Poland
Interests: alternative fuels production; alternative fuels quality; liquid biofuels; compression ignition engines; exhaust emission; engine performance
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The last decade has seen a stunning rise in the production of renewable fuels, with this sector growing at an average rate of 8% per year. However, this growth is only enough to cover half of the global increase in energy demand. With this growth in demand for energy, combustion engines will remain the prime vehicle power generation method for heavy-duty road and waterborne transport in the coming years. Furthermore, their role in power generation, as fast-response peakers for wind- and solar-based future energetics, is constantly increasing.

Considering the above situation and the CO₂ reduction targets of the 2015 Paris Agreement, there is an immediate need for high-TRL renewable fuels for use in combustion engine technology. This development must be accompanied by intensified combustion research, exploring the potential efficiency and emission co-optimization of new fuels. At the same, the fast phasing-in of renewable fuels requires efficient production methods and price-competitive feedstock. Finally, researchers, investors, legislators, and society require open access to well-organized, up-to-date, and relevant developments in the above fields to support the necessary transition of the fuel market.

This need for systematization and open dissemination of knowledge on renewable fuels for internal combustion engines forms the premise of the present Special Issue of Energies. Experts are encouraged to share their latest findings in the form of original research papers, case studies, or short reviews. Studies targeting all aspects of the value chain are considered necessary, including those covering the following topics: liquid and gaseous fuel production processes, upgrading (catalytic and fractional blending), and end-of-life valorization in combustion engines (conventional and advanced concepts). Also, techno-economic analyses aiming to valorize the value chain holistically are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Sławomir Wierzbicki
Dr. Kamil Duda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

alternative fuels for internal combustion engines
fuel injection modes
steady and transient operation
combustion control
combustion modeling
innovative combustion concepts
engine performance
engine thermodynamics
emission characteristics
impacts of biofuels for engine components degradation
biofuels blending
biofuel quality examination
additives for alternative fuels biofuel production techniques
biofuel feedstock diversification
economy of biofuel use

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Research

20 pages, 7192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advanced Flame front Detection in Combustion Processes Using Autoencoder Approach

by Federico Ricci and Francesco Mariani

Energies 2024, 17(7), 1759; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17071759 - 06 Apr 2024

Viewed by 474

Abstract

This research explores the detection of flame front evolution in spark-ignition engines using an innovative neural network, the autoencoder. High-speed camera images from an optical access engine were analyzed under different air excess coefficient λ conditions to evaluate the autoencoder’s performance. This study compared this new approach (AE) with an established method used by the same research group (BR) across multiple combustion cycles. Results revealed that the AE method outperformed the BR in accurately identifying flame pixels and significantly reducing overestimations outside the flame boundary. AE exhibited higher sensitivity levels, indicating its superior ability to identify pixels and minimize errors compared to the BR method. Additionally, AE’s accuracy in representing combustion evolution was notably improved, offering a more detailed depiction of the process. AE’s strength lies in its independence from specific threshold searches, a requirement in the BR method. By relying on learned representations within its latent space, AE eliminates laborious threshold exploration, ensuring reliability and reducing workload pressures. Comparative analyses consistently confirmed AE’s superior performance in accurately reproducing and delineating combustion evolution compared to BR. This study highlights AE’s potential as a promising technique for precise flame front detection in combustion processes. Its ability to autonomously extract features, minimize errors, and enhance overall accuracy signifies a significant step forward in analyzing flame fronts. AE’s reliability, reduced need for manual intervention, and adaptability across various conditions suggest a promising future for improving combustion analysis techniques in spark-ignition engines with optical access. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Renewable Fuels for Internal Combustion Engines: 2nd Edition)

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