Combustion Characteristics of HCCI in Motorcycle Engine

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is recognized as an advanced combustion system of internal combustion engine for reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. This paper studied a 150 cc air-cooled four-stroke motorcycle engine operating HCCI combustion. The compression ratio was increased from 10.5 to 12.4 by modifying the cylinder head. The kerosene fuel was used without intake air heating and operated at various excess air ratios (λ), engine speeds, and EGR rates. The combustion characteristics and emissions on the target engine were measured. It was found that keeping the cylinder head temperature at around 120–130°C is important for stable experiment. Two-stage ignition was observed from the heat release rate curve, which was calculated from the cylinder pressure. Higher first stage ignition temperature causes higher peak cylinder gas temperature. Higher λ or EGR causes lower peak pressure, lower maximum rate of pressure rise (MRPR), and higher emission CO. However, EGR is better than excess air for decreasing the peak pressure and MRPR without deteriorating the engine output.