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Natural gas combustion in diesel engine

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

Natural gas combustion in diesel engine

O P Lopatin
Department of thermal engines, automobiles and tractors, Vyatka State Agricultural
Academy, 610017, Kirov, October prospect, 133, Russian Federation

Abstract. The article is devoted to the use of natural gas as an alternative fuel for diesel
engines. When operating the diesel engine on natural gas with an additional portion of the
diesel fuel are distinctive features of the processes of mixture formation and combustion, there
is heterogeneity of the combustible mixture in the cylinder, more fuel evaporation and other
aspects of the processes of formation of the fuel-air mixture and its combustion. Consequently,
the use of alternative fuels with different chemical composition leads to distinctive indicators
of the combustion process. Therefore, for the scientific representation of the real picture of the
combustion process in a diesel engine running on natural gas, it is necessary to conduct an
indication of its working process and a detailed description of the combustion process.

Since the beginning of the development of internal combustion engines, the so-called indicator
diagram - the curve of the pressure change in the cylinder of a piston engine during the working cycle
- is used as one of the means of describing and analyzing the working process.
One of the valuable qualities of the indicator chart, which has long attracted the attention of
researchers, is that it is a direct record of the actual physical quantities, the values of which can be
observed without any additional calculations on the chart itself. Indicator diagram gives the possibility
to obtain important information about the flow of the workflow. Directly from the indicator diagram
you can get data on the value of the maximum combustion acceleration pz, the rate of pressure increase
dp/d at different sites, the pressure at the inlet and outlet, the value of the angle φ i corresponding to
the ignition delay period. Thus, the indicator diagram is one of the effective means of observing the
self-ignition in a diesel engine. The useful area of the indicator chart in p-v coordinates determines the
working pressure inside the cylinder per cycle, and knowing the working cycle it is easy to determine
such basic indicators of the working process as the average effective pressure and power [1-3].
The combustion process in a diesel engine running on alternative fuels is even more sensitive in
comparison with the regular diesel process to many structural and operational factors. The origin and
development of combustion, the completeness of combustion of the fuel-air mixture of alternative fuel
are also determined by the characteristics and rates of reactions, the conditions of heat and mass
transfer in the flame zone and heat transfer to the cylinder walls. Gorenjeski the rate of propagation of
the flame front in the combustion process depends on chemical and physical factors and in
combination with the rate of chemical reaction of oxygenation of alternative fuel molecules ultimately
affects the duration of combustion of the mass of the working mixture in the combustion chamber of a
diesel engine. For example, due to uneven distribution of the tested fuel in the cylinders, the
composition of the fuel-air mixture may be close to the concentration limits of flame propagation, in
connection with which a possible misfire and combustion in the individual cylinders or combustion
process may become slow [4-6].

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

A distinctive feature of the process of mixture formation in a diesel engine when operating on
natural gas (NG) with an additional portion of diesel fuel is characterized by inhomogeneity of the fuel
mixture in the cylinder, other evaporation of the fuel and other time of the processes of formation of
the fuel-air mixture and its combustion.
The use of alternative fuels with different chemical composition and local conditions may lead to
distinctive indicators of the combustion process and even to early ignition. Therefore, for the scientific
representation of the actual picture of the combustion process of a diesel engine running on NG, a
detailed and sufficiently reliable description of this process is necessary, which can be performed only
after the indexing of the working process of the diesel engine [7-9].
The combustion process was investigated using the electro-pneumatic indicator MAI-5A with a
pressure sensor mounted in the head 1 of the cylinder. The registration mechanism was installed in
front of the engine on the same axis with the crankshaft through an intermediate clutch in accordance
with the instructions of MAI-5A. The upper dead center setting (TDC) timer was tested according to
the position of the piston in the TDC in the first cylinder and controlled by a compression-expansion
schedule without fuel. Processing of indicator diagrams was carried out using the computer program
TSNIDI-TSNIM [10-12].
Figure 1 shows the indicator diagrams of the diesel engine at rated speed (n=2200 min -1).
Analyzing the indicator diagrams presented in this mode, it is clearly visible the increase in the
ignition delay period and the maximum pressure of the pz cycle when working on NG. Thus, at
Θinj = 23º, the use of NG increases the angle φi by 7.5o, while pz increases by 0.4 MPa. At Θinj =26º,
this increase is 7.5o and 1.3 MPa for φi and pz respectively [13-15].

a b
- diesel fuel; - NG
Figure 1. The indicator diagram of the diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at n=2200 min-1:
a - Θinj=23º; b - Θinj=26º.

Figure 2a shows the parameters of the combustion process of a diesel engine depending Θinj at
n=2200 min-1. Considering the experimental curves of parameters of the combustion process in the
cylinder of a diesel engine fuelled with NG, it is necessary to highlight that with the increase Θinj
increase of maximum cycle pressure pz, the maximum gas temperature T max, the degree of pressure

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

increase λ, the rigidity of the combustion process (dp/d)max and decreases the value of the angle φi
corresponding to the ignition delay period [16-18].
Figure 2b shows the parameters of the combustion process of a diesel engine at a speed of 2200
min-1 at different load modes.

a b
- diesel fuel; - NG
Figure 2. Indicators of the combustion process of diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at n=2200 min-1:
a - from the change Θinj; b - from the change load.

Considering the operation of a diesel engine on NG it is clearly seen that with increasing load there
is an increase in the maximum average temperature of the gases in the cylinder T max, the maximum
pressure pz, the degree of pressure increase λ, the rigidity of the combustion process (dp/d)max and a
decrease in the angle φi corresponding to the ignition delay period. For example, when working on NG
in the load range from 0.13 to 0.71 MPa T max values increase from 1400 to 3560 K, or 2.5 times; pz
max from 5.2 to 10.4 MPa, or exactly 2 times; λ from 1.2 to 2.5, or 2.1 times; (dp/d)max from 0.46 to
0.76 MPa/deg, or 65.2% and decrease φi from 30.5 to 29.5º crankshaft rotation [19, 20].
On the basis of the conducted researches on the nominal operating mode Θinj=23º application of
NG leads to values of parameters of process of combustion of the diesel engine specified in table 1.

Table 1. Results of studies of combustion process parameters diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at

Θinj=23º and rated mode (n=2200 min-1, pe=0.64 MPa).
Indicators
Fuel pz, (dp/dφ)max, φi,
Тmax, K λ
МPа МPа/deg deg
Diesel 2190 8.1 1.90 0.59 22.5
3010 (an 8.5 (an 2.0 (an 0.69 (an 30.0 (an
NG increase of increase of increase of increase of increase of
37.4%) 4.9%) 5.3%) 17.0%) 33.3%)

Figure 3 shows the indicator diagrams of the diesel engine at the speed corresponding to the
maximum torque (n=1700 min-1). Analyzing the indicator diagrams on the NG at this speed shows an

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

increase in the ignition delay period and the maximum pressure of the cycle pz. Thus, at Θinj=23º, the
use of NG increases the angle corresponding to the ignition delay period φi by 2.0o, while pz increases
by 2.4 MPa. At Θinj=26º, this increase is 2.0o and 2.2 MPa for φi and pz respectively [21, 22].

a b
- diesel fuel; - NG
Figure 3. The indicator diagram of the diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at n=1700 min-1:
a - Θinj=23º; b - Θinj=26º.

The results of the study of the combustion characteristics of the diesel engine depending on the Θinj
at n=1700 min-1 are shown in figure 4a.

a b
- diesel fuel; - NG
Figure 4. Indicators of the combustion process of diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at n=1700 min-1:
a - from the change Θinj; b - from the change load.

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

Considering the curves of the parameters of the NG combustion process, it should be noted that
with an increase in Θinj at n=1700 min-1, the values Tmax, pz, λ, (dp/d)max and the values of the angle φi
corresponding to the ignition delay period increase.
Figure 4b shows the parameters of the combustion process of a diesel engine at a speed of 1700
min-1 at different load modes. Considering the operation of a diesel engine on NG, it is clearly seen
that with increasing load there is an increase in Tmax, pz, λ, (dp/d)max and a decrease in the angle φi
corresponding to the ignition delay period.
The results of studies of the characteristics of the combustion process of a diesel engine running on
NG at Θinj=23º and n=1700 min-1 are summarized in table 2.

Table 2. Results of studies of combustion process parameters diesel engine 4F 11.0/12.5 at

Θinj=23º and rated mode (n=1700 min-1, pe=0.69 MPa).
Indicators
Fuel pz, (dp/dφ)max, φi,
Тmax, K λ
МPа МPа/deg deg
Diesel 2210 8.6 2.0 0.64 20.0
3050 (increase 11,0 (increase 2,60 (increase 0,83 (increase 22,0 (increase
NG
of 38.0%) of 27.9%) of 30.0%) of 29.7%) of 10.0%)

On the basis of the conducted researches of the diesel engine dependences of influence of its modes
of operation on NG on indicators of process of combustion are established. Optimum values of
indicators of combustion process at work of the diesel engine on NG at Θinj=23º and Θinj=26º are
defined.

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AGRITECH-II-2019 IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 421 (2020) 072019 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/421/7/072019

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