A numerical investigation on combustion and emission characteristics of a dual fuel engine at part load condition

Dual fuel engines are more attractive due to lower emission levels in comparison with conventional diesel engines particularly at full loads. But it is required to study dual fuel combustion process with more details at part loads due to the poor performance and high CO and UHC emissions at these conditions. In the present study, numerical modeling of OM-355 dual fuel (injection of diesel pilot fuel to premixed mixture of air and methane) engine has been performed by using KIVA-3V code at part and full loads. Sub-models of the code were modified to simulate the fuel spray atomization, combustion and pollutants emissions processes, accurately. Results indicate that in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate and exhaust emissions predictions are in good agreement with experiments at all loads. Results show that a lean premixed natural gas mixture is ignited slowly. The slow progress of combustion process at part load, leads the heat release to be drawn more toward the expansion stroke which causes incomplete combustion, and consequently high amounts of UHC and CO will be emitted. It is found that at part loads, areas that are influenced by diesel diffusion flames are ignited and premixed natural gas flame could not be propagated properly. Hence development of diesel diffusion flame is required to burn lean natural gas mixture. But at full load, in addition to the diesel diffusion flames, premixed natural gas flame could be propagated suitably. Also, at part load because of low gas temperature in the environment of diesel spray and low diesel fuel temperature, diesel liquid droplets evaporate lately which are far from injector nozzles. Hence, it causes diesel diffusion flame from spray of each injector nozzles to be developed distinctly. It can be deduced that the flame structure is affected by operating conditions. Finally the effect of increasing the diesel fuel quantity on improving methane combustion is studied. The studied strategy could help to improving natural gas combustion due to enlarge the size of diesel combustion region. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.