Development and validation of a novel quasi-dimensional combustion model for un-scavenged prechamber gas engines with numerical simulations and engine experiments

Abstract

Lean-burn gas engines equipped with an un-scavenged prechamber have proven to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and fuel consumption, while mitigating combustion cycle-to-cycle fluctuations and unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) emissions. However, the performance of a prechamber gas engine is largely dependent on the prechamber design, which has to be optimised for the particular main chamber geometry and the foreseen engine operating conditions. Optimisation of such complex engine components relies partly on computationally efficient simulation tools, such as quasi and zero-dimensional models, since extensive experimental investigations can be costly and time-consuming. This article presents a newly developed quasi-dimensional (Q-D) combustion model for un-scavenged prechamber gas engines, which is motivated by the need for reliable low order models to optimise the principle design parameters of the prechamber. Our fundamental aim is to enhance the predictability and robustness of the proposed model with the inclusion of the following: (i) Formal derivation of the combustion and flow submodels via reduction of the corresponding three-dimensional models. (ii) Individual validation of the various submodels. (iii) Combined use of numerical simulations and experiments for the model validation. The resulting model shows very good agreement with the numerical simulations and the experiments from two different engines with various prechamber geometries using a set of fixed calibration parameters.