NEW ASPECTS of FLUID MECHANICS, HEAT TRANSFER and ENVIRONMENT

Performance of Homogeneous Charge _ Dual Engine

BEHNAM MOZAFFARI
Mechanical Engineering
Sharif University of Technology
Azadi Ave, Tehran
IRAN
Behnam_Mozaffari@mech.sharif.ir
Abstract:HCCI engines have lower NO X and PM emissions and higher thermal efficiency compared to spark ignition
engines. But these engines have some deficiencies which up to now have prevented their widespread employment.
These engines have not been very successful at high loads and speeds and in these conditions normally produce hi gh
pollution and noise. In order to solve this problem the present research proposes to equip the HCCI engines with fuel
injection system so that at low loads and speeds operate at HCCI engine mode and at loads and speeds higher than
pre-set limits, use the fuel injection system in order to operate at a combined HCCI and compression ignition engine
mode and provide a successful performance. Therefore based on this proposal, the combined system enjoys the
advantages of HCCI engines (at low loads and speeds) and benefits the advantages of compression ignition engine at
high loads and speeds. In this research the satisfactory performance range of load and speed for HCCI engine is
investigated. Performance of these engines, with inclusion of heat transfer from in -cylinder contents to surrounding
surfaces is predicted.
Keywords: HCCI, Combustion, Diesel engine, Engine model, CO emission, Fuel
load and knocking at high load are usually noted which
result in a limited operation range of HCCI engine [3].
The objective of this study was to investigate the
combustion
and
emission
characteristics
of
Homogeneous Charge _ Dual Engine (HCDE). This
engine could be considered as a compromise between
HCCI engine and conventional compression ignition
engine. The objective of this type of engine is to reach
to a better ignition control mechanism for HCCI engine
and preventing knocking at high loads and speeds by
using fuel injection system and by adjusting the
quantities of port injected or aspirated fuel and direct
injected fuel. Indeed in HCDE some quantity of fuel
that should be used in a engine revolution is injected by
port injection system; this fuel would be burned by
HCCI method. After the beginning the port injected
ignition, the remaining quantity of fuel that should be
used in a engine revolution is injected by direct
injection system. By this method the quantity of port
injected fuel could be fixed and the extra fuel quantity
that is needed in high loads and speeds, could be
provided by direct injection system. It makes a better
ignition control in high loads and speeds. This work
also examined the engine performance difference
between HCDE and the fully HCCI, and then provided
suggestions for the optimum operation regime of
HCDE.

1 Introduction
The increase of the environmental concern and the
more stringent regulations about pollutants emissions
from internal combustion engines make necessary the
search of alternatives for current automotive engine
combustion processes [1].
One of the technologies which is receiving attention
is the homogeneous charge compression ignition
(HCCI). The main reason for the ongoing interest in
homogeneous charge compression ignition engines is
the potential for high thermal efficiency, the absence of
soot and the low NOx emissions [2]. The lean
homogeneous fuel/air mixture is essentially inducted
into the cylinder without throttling losses and then
compressed to auto ignition which occurs
simultaneously through the cylinder without
discernable flame propagation. These features lead to
very low NOx and PM emissions while maintaining
high thermal efficiency [3].
However, there are still many challenges to
overcome before full HCCI operation can be used
reliably over the full engine operation range. The
challenges can be briefly summarized as combustion
control (start and rate) and high emissions of unburned
HC and CO emission [4]. These challenges are difficult
to overcome firstly because HCCI is lack of ignition
control mechanism like the spark and direct injection
timing control. Secondly the HCCI combustion is
dominated by the chemical kinetics based on the fuel
properties therefore the occurrences of misfiring at low

ISSN: 1792-4596

2 The engine model

The phenomena taking place in the engine cylinder are
extremely complex. The combustion process occurs
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NEW ASPECTS of FLUID MECHANICS, HEAT TRANSFER and ENVIRONMENT

within a confined space between moving boundaries

and complex geometries where the thermodynamic and
hydrodynamic properties of the working fluid vary
steeply with time and space. Despite of all these
difficulties, hard work has been carried out towards a
better understanding of what is happening inside the
cylinder [5]. The physics behind combustion processes
can be described either with multi-dimensional models
that solve numerically the equations for mass,
momentum, energy, and species conservation in three
dimensions to predict the thermodynamic state at
different positions or, in the other extreme, with zerodimensional models that assume the same average state
throughout the gas. The latter can readily be coupled to
empirical heat release models [6]. Even for the case
where two-dimensional codes are used, the high
computational costs associated to multidimensional
models make their use prohibitive for routine
parametric studies. For this case, the zero dimensional,
thermodynamic models are still a tool of great utility,
specially when they include high precision routines for
the calculation of the processes in the engine ducts [5].
In this study, for modeling HCCI engine and HCD
engine, the single zone combustion model proposed by
Krieger & Borman [7], was used. In this model it is
assumed that the gas mixture in the cylinder is
homogeneous, behaves like a mixture of ideal gases in
thermodynamic equilibrium and is made of combustion
products. This model considers the instantaneous heat
transfer to the walls, as well as the variation of the
working fluid chemical composition.
The complexity of the problem related to the heat
transfer makes extremely difficult any attempt to study
detailed the phenomenon. Therefore, the usual
procedure to model is to utilize correlations obtained
from experimental data. Such empirical correlations
permit the calculation of the heat transfer coefficient as
a function of the fluid properties and of parameters that
characterize the engine dimensions, the hydrodynamics
of the flow in the cylinder and the particularities of the
combustion process [5].

allows a more accurate estimation of the average

cylinder gas speed used in the definition of the
Reynolds number for the heat-transfer correlation [9].
The convective heat transfer coefficient between the
gas and cylinder wall can be obtained from the
generalized heat transfer correlation in terms of a
Nusselt number

where Nuh is the Nusselt number for heat transfer,

Re is the Reynolds number, and Pr is the Prandtl
number. For the Woschni Correlation option, the
velocity used in the Reynolds number definition is an
estimation of the average cylinder gas velocity, ,
instead of the mean piston speed. To obtain the average
cylinder gas velocity, Woschni proposed a correlation
that relates the gas velocity to the mean piston speed
and to the pressure rise due to combustion,
( p pmotored ) , as given in Equation (2).

v
C11 C12 swirl

Sp

VT
S p C2 d i ( p pmotored )

PV
i i

(2)

Here, C11 , C12 , and C2 are modeling parameters, vswirl

is the swirl velocity, Vd is the displacement volume,
pmotored is the motored cylinder pressure, and Ti , Vi , and
pi are the initial temperature, volume and pressure
inside the cylinder, respectively.

2.3 Correlation for ignition delay

Ignition delay is the period between the start of fuel
injection into the combustion chamber and the start of
combustion. Many correlations have been proposed for
predicting ignition delay as a function of engine and air
charge variables. In this work, the correlation presented
by an empirical expression due to Wolfer was used
[10]:
2100.8
3.454e

T (ms )

1.028
P

2.1 Fuel selection

Since HCDE works in both HCCI and compression
ignition conditions, so the fuel should be suitable for
using in these two engines. Iso-octane is a common fuel
for HCCI engines with high compression ratio and also
is used in compression ignition engines. Hence in this
work this fuel was used. The chemical kinetic model
that was used is a semidetailed chemical kinetic model
presented by Andrea [ 8]. This model uses 142 species
and 672 reactions for simulating the chemical kinetic
mechanism.

(3)

where T (K) and P (kN/m2) are the average cylinder

temperature and pressure during the delay period.

2.4 Fuel burning rate

The application of the zero dimensional model to
simulate combustion in diesel engines requires the
specification of the fuel burning rate. The accuracy
with which the model simulates the process of
combustion depends to a large extend, on the
correspondence of this parameter with the conditions
observed in the real engine [5].

2.2 Heat transfer in the cylinder

In this study, the heat transfer rate is calculated from
the Woschni correlation. The Woschni Correlation
ISSN: 1792-4596

(1)

Nuh a Reb Pr c

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NEW ASPECTS of FLUID MECHANICS, HEAT TRANSFER and ENVIRONMENT

Wiebe [11] obtained a semi-empirical expression for

the fuel burning rate and suggested that it could be
applied in both spark and compression ignition engines.
Watson et alii [12] and Miyamoto et ali i [13] used two
such expressions reproducing with great accuracy the
heat release curves calculated from experimental
diagrams of the pressure in the cylinder.
In this work the model that developed by Watson et
alii [12] was used. In this model the overall fuel
fraction burnt at any instant, x , is given by:
x xP (1 ) xD
b

1 a /

it was assumed that the duration of pre-mix ignition

phase is negligible and the duration of diffusion
ignition phase is 20o crank angle.

2.5 Model validation

Since HCDE is a combination of HCCI engine and
compression ignition engine, the engine model was
validated with pure HCCI engine and conventional
compression ignition engine. For pure HCCI condition,
the engine model was validated with model and
experimental data of Machrafi et al. [14]. In-cylinder
gas temperature diagram for this model is shown in
figure 1.
For conventional compression ignition condition,
the HCDE model was validated with the conventional
compression ignition model presented by Mikalsen et
al. [15]. In-cylinder gas pressure diagram for this model
is shown in figure 2. With respect to figures 1 and 2,
this study engine model would have acceptable results
in HCDE mode.

(4)

where xP and xD are the fractions of fuel burnt in the

pre-mix and diffusion phases respectively, a , b , and c
are empirical constants, and is the engine operating
equivalence ratio.
For pre-mix burning a function fairly similar to
Wiebe is used:
xP 1 (1 K1 ) K2

3 Results and discussions

(5)

The specifications of the prototype engine were shown

in Table 1.

(CA CAI ) / BDUR

xD 1 exp( K 3 K 4 )

In-cylinder gas temperature (K)

where CA is the instant crank angle, CAI is the start of

ignition crank angle and BDUR is the combustion
duration.
For the diffusion burning phase a standard Wiebe
function is used for xD :
(6)

K1 , K 2 , K 3 ,

and K 4 are empirical coefficients.

Correlation with data from a typical turbocharged truck
engine gave the following values for K1 to K 4 :
K1 2 1.25 10 8 ( N ) 2.4

650

Model(Thisstudy)

600

550

500

450

400

300

(7)

-150

-100

-50

50

100

150

CAD

14.2
0.644

Fig.1: Comparison of this study modeling result and Machrafis

modeling result

K 4 0.79 K 30.25

The coefficients in Woschni correlation (Eq.2) for this

prototype engine were shown in Table 2 [9].
For simulating the HCDE performance, it is
assumed that the total engine operating equivalence
ratio is equal to total 1 . For pure HCCI engine this
quantity of fuel is provided by port injection system.
For HCDE it is assumed that port injected equivalence
ratio is equal to port 0.6 . In this engine the remaining
amount of fuel that is needed to reach to the total
engine operating equivalence ratio equal to total 1 , is
provided by direct injection system. So the total amount
of fuel injected in HCCI engine and HCDE is equal and

where N is the engine speed (rpm).

Veisquez [5] proposed that for a common
compression ignition engine, the duration of pre-mix
ignition phase is 20o crank angle and the duration of
diffusion ignition phase is 45o crank angle. Since in
HCDE direct fuel injection occurs after the starting
HCCI ignition, temperature and pressure are very
higher than common compression ignition engines. It
makes the ignition delay very small, so with respect to
Eq.4, would be very small, too. This means that fuel
burning in pre-mix phase is negligible. So in this work,
ISSN: 1792-4596

Model(Machrafi)

350

K 2 5000
K3

700

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NEW ASPECTS of FLUID MECHANICS, HEAT TRANSFER and ENVIRONMENT

it makes a good condition for comparison between the

performances of these engines.

HCDE,totalequivalenceratio=1
HCCIengine,equivalenceratio=1

180

HCCIengine,equivalenceratio=0.6
Model(Mikalsen)

3500

Model(Thisstudy)

140

3000

120
2500

100

Temperature (K)

In-cylinder gas presure (bar)

160

80
60
40

2000

1500

1000

20
500

0
-150

-100

-50

50

100

150

CAD

0
-150

Setting
16.5
103.3 cm3
1000 rpm
3.714286
12.065 cm

Value
2.28
0.308
3.24

100

PureHCCI
HCDE

In figure 3 the temperature-crank angle diagram for

HCCI engine with total 0.6 , HCCI engine with
total 1 , and homogeneous charge _ dual engine with
total 1 is shown.
C11
C12
C2

50

15

Table 1: Prototype engine specifications

Coefficient

Fig.3: HCCI and HCDE temperature-crank angle performance

diagram

Indicated Power (kW)

Parameter

-50

CAD

Fig.2: Comparison of this study modeling result and Mikalsens

modeling result

Compression ratio
Cylinder clearance volume
Engine speed
Connecting rod to crank radius ratio
Cylinder bore diameter

-100

10

5
0.6

0.8
Equivalence Ratio

Fig.4: HCCI and HCDE indicated work diagram

Table 2: Woschni correlations coefficient

PureHCCI

1.60E-05

CO Emission (gr)

With respect to Fig.3 it is obvious that HCDE before

direct injection of fuel has a performance like an HCCI
engine with total 0.6 . But after direct injection of fuel,
its performance is different from HCCI engine.
Indicated power for these engines is shown in figure 4.
Fig.4 shows that although HCDE and HCCI engines
with total 1 use the same amount of fuel per cycle, but
indicated power of HCDE is higher. CO emission
diagram for these engines is shown in figure 5.
According to Fig.5 CO emission in HCDE is higher
than HCCI engine.

HCDE

8.00E-06

0.00E+00
0.6

0.65

0.7
0.75
Equivalence Ratio

0.8

Fig.5: HCCI and HCDE CO mole fraction

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NEW ASPECTS of FLUID MECHANICS, HEAT TRANSFER and ENVIRONMENT

[8] J.C.G. Andrae, R.A. Head, HCCI experiments with

gasoline surrogate fuels modeled by a semidetailed
chemical kinetic model. Combustion and Flame 156
(2009) 842851.
[9] CHEMKIN Software, Release 4.1, theory manual.
[10] Berbard Challen, Rodica Baranescu, Diesel engine
refrence book, Second edition, 1999.
[11] Wiebe I. I., Recent Advances in Engines Working
Cycles, Mashizdat, Moscow, 1962 , In Russian.
[12] Watson N., Pilley A. D., and Marzouk M. A
combustion correlation for diesel engine simulation,
SAE paper, (800029), 1980.
[13] Miyamoto N., Chikahisa T., Murayama T., and Sawyer
R. Description and analysis of diesel engine rate of
combustion and perfomance using Wiebes functions.
SAE Trans., (850107):1.622- 1.633, 1985.
[14] Hatim Machrafi, and Simeon Cavadiasa, An
experimental and numerical analysis of the influence of
the inlet temperature, equivalence ratio and compression
ratio on the HCCI auto-ignition process of Primary
Reference Fuels in an engine, Fuel Processing
Technology 8 9, 2008 , 1218-1226.
[15] R. Mikalsen, A.P. Roskilly, A computational study of
free-piston diesel engine combustion, Applied Energy
86, 2009, 11361143.

4 Conclusions
HCD engine is a compromise between HCCI engine
and conventional compression ignition engine.
Although this engine has higher indicated power than
HCCI engine, but HCCI engine has less CO pollution.
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[1] J.J. Hernande, J. Sanz-Argent, J. Benajes and S. Molina,
Selection of a diesel fuel surrogate for the prediction of
auto-ignition under HCCI engine conditions, Fuel 87
(2008) 655665.
[2] Alkidas AC. Combustion advancements in gasoline
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[3] Junjun Ma, Xingcai L, Libin Ji, and Zhen Huang, An
experimental study of HCCI-DI combustion and
emissions in a diesel engine with dual fuel,
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[4] Wang Ying, He Li, Zhou Jie, and Zhou Jie, Study of
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