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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "I2: Energy and Combustion Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 8744

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Prof. Dr. Domenico Laforgia

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering for Innovation, University of Salento, Via per Arnesano, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: porous silicon; sodium perchlorate; ignition; wind energy; resource assessment; dual fuel engine; compressed natural gas

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite the growing market share of electrified vehicles, it is universally recognized that the thermal engine will continue to play the role of the prime mover for coming decades in the transportation sector. However, transportation is a sector with some of the greatest impacts on air pollution (especially in urban areas), oil depletion, and global warming. Therefore, research must be conducted to reduce its environmental impact and, most of all, its carbon footprint associated with its lifecycle. Technologies for improving breathing, combustible mixture preparations, as well as alternative combustion concepts, alternative fuels, after-treatment systems for regulating polluting emissions abatement, e-fuels, waste-heat-recovery technologies (such as organic Rankine cycles, turbocharging, thermoelectric generators), and mild electrification, to cite a few examples, are all envisaged as directions for continued investment to reach the aforementioned goals in transport by land, sea, and air.

This Special Issue aims to offer a platform for sharing different experiences from academia and industries.

Prof. Dr. Domenico Laforgia
Guest Editor

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Keywords

internal combustion engines
thermal engine
organic Rankine cycles
turbocharging
thermoelectric generators

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 4068 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Autoignition Characterization of Hydrogen Directly Injected into a Constant-Volume Combustion Chamber through a Heavy-Duty Injector

by Antonio Caricato, Antonio Paolo Carlucci, Magda Elvira Cassone Potenza, Domenico Laforgia, Marco Torresi and Luciano Strafella

Energies 2023, 16(19), 6823; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16196823 - 26 Sep 2023

Viewed by 942

Abstract

One factor limiting the exploitation of hydrogen as a fuel in internal combustion engines is their tendency to autoignition. In fact, on one hand, its low activation energy facilitates autoignition even with low compression ratios; on the other hand, this can become uncontrollable, due, for instance, to the presence of hot spots in the combustion chamber or to the collision of hydrogen on close surfaces. This represents a limit to the use of hydrogen at medium–high loads, therefore limiting the power density of the engine. In this work, hydrogen was injected at a pressure ranging between 15 and 25 bars into a constant-volume combustion chamber in which the temperature and pressure were increased by means of a previous combustion event. The phenomena taking place after hydrogen injection were observed through fast image acquisition and characterized by measuring the chamber pressure and temperature. In particular, ignition sites were established. The physical system was also modeled in Ansys Fluent environment, and the injection and mixture formation were simulated in order to evaluate the thermo-fluid dynamic field inside the combustion chamber just before autoignition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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18 pages, 10405 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Energy Analysis of a Novel Turbo-Compound System for Mild Hybridization of a Gasoline Engine

by Simone Lombardi, Federico Ricci, Roberto Martinelli, Laura Tribioli, Carlo Nazareno Grimaldi and Gino Bella

Energies 2023, 16(18), 6444; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186444 - 6 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1305

Abstract

Efficient and low-polluting mobility is a major demand in all countries. Hybrid electric vehicles have already shown to be suitable to respond to this need, being a reliable alternative to conventional cars, at least in urban environments. Nevertheless, such vehicles present a yet unexplored potential. In this paper, we will investigate how the powertrain efficiency may possibly benefit, in an integrated drivetrain for a hybrid electric vehicle, based on a turbocharged gasoline engine, of an innovative supercharging system. The compressor and turbine will be mechanically decoupled so as to independently optimize their operation, avoiding turbo lag and maximizing energy recovery by completely eliminating the waste-gate valve. This, in turns, requires changing the turbine so as to have a flattest possible efficiency/load curve. Therefore, an ad-hoc designed turbine will be implemented in the decoupled configuration, to be used to drive an electrical generator and produce electrical energy for charging the battery. This study presents a preliminary assessment of the potential of a turbo-compounded system for a 1L turbocharged gasoline engine for a small city car. To this aim, a one-dimensional dynamic model of the engine has been built in GT-Suite and has been calibrated and validated by means of experimental data obtained on a dynamometer, both in steady state and dynamic conditions. In particular, the model has been calibrated by means of experimental data obtained in stationary conditions and its robustness has then been verified through experimental data obtained under transient conditions. The model also includes data retrieved from the characterization of the existing turbine and compressor, while a new performance map for the turbine has been designed to better exploit the potential of the components’ decoupling. Results include the estimation of energy recovery potential of such a solution. Under the implementation of a straightforward control strategy, which runs both compressor and turbine at the same speed, the system is able to achieve a 60.57% increase in energy recovered from the exhaust gasses in the turbine. Afterwards, an attempt was made to limit the minimum turbine speed to 45000 rpm and simultaneously decrease the instantaneous speed by 3000 rpm compared to the compressor, attaining a further increase of 1.7% in the energy recovered by the turbine. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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18 pages, 3796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Selected Dynamic Parameters of Rotating Turbocharger Units Based on Comparative Model and Bench Tests

by Aleksander Mazurkow, Wojciech Homik, Wojciech Lewicki and Zbigniew Łosiewicz

Energies 2023, 16(14), 5550; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145550 - 22 Jul 2023

Viewed by 844

Abstract

Obtaining the best operating parameters of the internal combustion engine has focused the attention of designers and researchers since the first years of its creation. Initial research focused on increasing engine power and overall efficiency. As time passed, these aspirations became more sophisticated and began to concern other operating parameters of the drive unit. The basic problem, however, remained the improvement of filling the cylinder with the working medium. Turbocharger charging consists in using the energy of the exhaust gases to drive a turbine placed on a common shaft with a compressor supplying air under increased pressure to the cylinders. Over time, the turbocharger became one of the key elements and its technical condition began to play a key role in the operation and performance of modern drive units. Like every element, the turbocharger itself is not without its faults. This procedure is known among manufacturers who, when designing power units and their assemblies, pay special attention to the essence of turbocharger construction. Since it is impossible to predict all the phenomena accompanying a working turbocharger at the design stage, the authors of this paper conducted bench tests of a selected batch of turbochargers, focusing mainly on the vibration measurements of the turbocharger rotating assembly. At the same time, we present a dynamic model of the mentioned system based on the analyses resulting from the solutions of the equations of a numerical model. In order to give the research a practical aspect, the results of the theoretical research were compared with the results of bench tests. It has been shown that the basic problem is to guarantee the correct operating parameters of the bearings in the position of static and dynamic equilibrium. Obtaining such operating parameters requires finding a compromise solution, e.g., between the maximum temperature in oil films and the amplitudes of vibration accelerations in bearing nodes. The research results presented in the article can be used as a field for further discussion in the field of research on the reliability of turbochargers and be helpful in the design process in order to avoid design errors and reduce production costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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26 pages, 3312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Biobased Composite Heterogeneous Catalyst for Biodiesel Production Using Simplex Lattice Design Mixture: Optimization Process by Taguchi Method

by Christopher Tunji Oloyede, Simeon Olatayo Jekayinfa, Abass Olanrewaju Alade, Oyetola Ogunkunle, Opeyeolu Timothy Laseinde, Ademola Oyejide Adebayo, Adeola Ibrahim Abdulkareem, Ghassan Fadhil Smaisim and I.M.R. Fattah

Energies 2023, 16(5), 2197; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052197 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2101

Abstract

The use of biobased heterogeneous catalysts made from agricultural waste for producing biodiesel has gained attention for its potential to create a sustainable and low-cost process. The blending of two or more biomass residues to create more viable biobased catalysts is still in its early stages. In this study, a Biobased Composite Heterogeneous Catalyst (CHC) was made by blending the shells of periwinkle (PWS), melon seed-husk (MSH), and locust bean pod-husk (LBP) at a mixing ratio of 67:17:17 using Simplex Lattice Design Mixture, that was then calcined for 4 h at 800 °C. The chemical, structural, and morphological components of the CHC were characterized via XRF, XRD, SEM-EDX, BET, TGA/DSC, and FTIR to assess its catalytic potential. The CHC was employed to synthesize biodiesel from palm kernel oil, and the process optimization was conducted using the Taguchi approach. The XRF analysis showed that the catalyst had 69.049 of Calcium (Ca) and 9.472 of potassium (K) in their elemental and oxide states as 61.592% calcium oxide and 7.919% potassium oxide. This was also supported by the EDX result, that showed an appreciable value of 58.00% of Ca and 2.30% of magnesium, that perhaps provided the active site in the transesterification reaction to synthesize biodiesel. The morphological and physisorption isotherms via SEM and BET showed mesoporous structures in the CHC that were made up of nanoparticles. A high maximum biodiesel yield of 90.207 wt.% was attained under the optimized process conditions. The catalyst could be reused for up to four cycles, and the biodiesel produced met both ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 standards for biodiesel. This study demonstrates that blending PWS, MSH, and LBP waste materials can produce high-quality biodiesel without the need for additional catalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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46 pages, 15508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Numerical Analysis of Two-Stage Turbine System for Multicylinder Engine under Pulse Flow Conditions with High Pressure-Ratio Turbine Rotor

by Dariusz Kozak and Paweł Mazuro

Energies 2023, 16(2), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16020751 - 9 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1414

Abstract

Internal combustion engine (ICE) exhaust gases provide a high amount of energy which is partially lost to the environment. Such energy can be recovered with a turbocharger turbine or other after-treatment device. As the engine exhaust flow varies not only with the engine load but also with the opening and closing of the exhaust valves, a proper matching between the engine and the turbine should be established to maximize the recovery of waste energy. That is why a twin-scroll or dual turbocharging system is implemented, especially in multi-cylinder engines. Such systems require a very complex pipeline to eliminate the interference of the exhaust pulses between the adjacent cylinder ignitions. In this study, the two-stage, multi-channel turbine system was investigated for two different rotor geometries: the old, high-performance rotor A and the smaller but more modern rotor B, which was scaled to match rotor A. Both geometries were compared at three different turbine speeds and variable turbine geometry (VTG) vane positions. It was found that the two-stage turbine system with rotor B geometry provided an 8% higher total efficiency than rotor A due to the lower flow losses within the rotor passage. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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23 pages, 1220 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spark Ignition Engine Modeling Using Optimized Artificial Neural Network

by Hilkija Gaïus Tosso, Saulo Anderson Bibiano Jardim, Rafael Bloise and Max Mauro Dias Santos

Energies 2022, 15(18), 6587; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15186587 - 8 Sep 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1332

Abstract

The spark ignition engine is a complex multi-domain system that contains many variables to be controlled and managed with the aim of attending to performance requirements. The traditional method and workflow of the engine calibration comprise measure and calibration through the design of an experimental process that demands high time and costs on bench testing. For the growing use of virtualization through artificial neural networks for physical systems at the component and system level, we came up with a likely efficiency adoption of the same approach for the case of engine calibration that could bring much better cost reduction and efficiency. Therefore, we developed a workflow integrated into the development cycle that allows us to model an engine black-box model based on an auto-generated feedfoward Artificial Neural Network without needing the human expertise required by a hand-crafted process. The model’s structure and parameters are determined and optimized by a genetic algorithm. The proposed method was used to create an ANN model for injection parameters calibration purposes. The experimental results indicated that the method could reduce the time and costs of bench testing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Technology in Internal Combustion Engines)

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