The Effect of Piston Bowl and Spray Configuration on Diesel Combustion and Emissions

A numerical and experimental study of the effect of piston bowl and spray configuration on diesel combustion and emissions has been conducted. The objective of this study is to gain better understanding of the effect of the piston bowl shape and fuel injector configuration on fuel-air mixing, combustion, and emissions in a diesel engine. Ideally, a uniform fuel-air mixture in the cylinder is desired to prevent the formation of regions containing a rich mixture, where soot is usually formed, and regions of lean mixtures, where nitrogen oxides are formed. Different piston bowl shapes and fuel injectors (number of nozzles, spray angle) have been considered and simulated using computational fluid dynamics and experiments. CFD calculations of fuel mass fraction, and measurements of cylinder pressure and emissions species are included. The results show that computer simulations coupled with experiments provide insight into the interactions between fluid flow, fuel-air mixing, combustion, and emissions.