Improving diesel mixture preparation by optimization of orifice arrangements in a group-hole nozzle

The factors affecting the free and wall-impinging spray characteristics of closely spaced micro-orifices (group-hole nozzles) are investigated to determine the optimal orifice arrangement for improved in-cylinder air utilization. To determine the optimized arrangement of the nozzles, different types of group-hole nozzles with different intervals and angles between the orifices have been studied. The spray tip penetration and fuel evaporation were analysed using a laser absorption scattering technique for non-axisymmetric sprays. In the case of a free spray, the spray tip penetration of the group-hole nozzle increased as the included angle and the distance between orifices decreased. The shortest spray tip penetration was observed when the two jets injected by a group-hole nozzle began to separate, but the periphery of each jet still touched. On the contrary, fuel evaporation deteriorated when the distance and angle between the two orifices decreased since the severe collision/coalescence of the two jets hindered evaporation. In the case of a wall-impinging spray, the spray tip penetration of the group-hole nozzle was strongly related to the distance chi between the arbitrary centres of each jet at the impingement wall. Maximum spray tip penetration of the group-hole nozzle was observed at a specific range of chi. In this range, the strong momentum regions of the jets began to meet just after wall impingement, therefore collision/coalescence before wall impingement was minimized and the interaction between the two wall-impinging jets was maximized. The fuel evaporation in the wall-impinging spray also improved at a distance of chi for maximum tip penetration. The mechanism causing this phenomenon is discussed in terms of near-field spray interaction and wall-impinging jet interaction after wall impingement.