Diesel Engine Simulations and Experiments: Fuel Variability Effects on Ignition

The chemical composition and properties of fuels used in compression-ignition engines can influence engine performance significantly. Consequently, the modeling of fuel chemistry within computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of diesel and other compression ignition engines is important. Modern detailed chemical mechanisms may provide predictive modeling of fuel chemistry; however, they are generally far too computationally expensive for use in CFD. We present simulations of diesel engine combustion, focusing on the prediction of ignition, using the CONVERGE CFD software package. A CFD simulation framework with models for turbulence and spray breakup and atomization is presented with a reduced global reaction model to describe fuel oxidation and ignition. The global reaction model incorporates a single parameter, the derived cetane number (DCN), to describe fuel reactivity variability. CFD simulations are compared to experiments carried out in a single-cylinder diesel engine for compositionally diverse conventional and alternative diesel and jet fuels. Model-experiment comparisons show general agreement for ignition timing and the influence of fuel variability on ignition timing. In addition, the sensitivity of CFD predictions on the chemistry, turbulence, and spray models is illustrated.