FLUIDODINAMICA DEI MOTORI A COMBUSTIONE INTERNA M

Knock in SI Engines

Prof. Gian Marco Bianchi

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale
 Outline

New SI engines and Knock

Experimental evidences and measurements

 Outline

New SI engines and Knock

Experimental evidences and measurements

 New SI engines and Knock

Commitment: Limitation on CO2 for thermal engines

(automotive, oil&Gas, etc)

1. Hydrocarbons Are Not renewable energy

2. Impact on temperature world change
3. Increased vehicle market
 New SI engines and Knock

Commitment: Limitation on CO2 for thermal engines

(Regulations follows)
 New SI engines and Knock

Commitment: Limitation on CO2 for thermal engines

(automotive, oil&Gas, etc)
 New SI engines and Knock

Commitment: Limitation on CO2 for thermal engines

(automotive, oil&Gas, etc)
 New SI engines and Knock

Strategy to fullfill CO2 reduction on powertrain prime motors:

1. Increased efficiency of thermal engines

2. Hybrid-Powertrain with braking energy/exhaust gas enthalpy storage and use (F1 2014 regulation)
3. Electric Vehicles
 New SI engines and Knock

Strategy to fullfill CO2 reduction: SI engines technology development

 New SI engines and Knock

Strategy to fullfill CO2 reduction: Thermal Engine

1. Downsizing
2. Downspeeding
 New SI engines and Knock

Strategy to fullfill CO2 reduction: Thermal Engine

1. Downsizing: Higher Pressure and temperature (not so far) levels

2. Downspeeding: Longer time for auto-ignition (cool flame) being

completed before flame front arrival

KNOCK IS BECOMING LIMITING FACTOR for more efficient thermal engines:

1. Compression ratio should be large at part load
2. Large compression ratio result in knock at full load: Combustion start must be delayed (limits to
combustion delay is the exhaust temperature (Turbine, Cat)
 Outline

New SI engines and Knock

Experimental evidences and measurements

 Experimental evidences and measurements:
General Considerations
Knock is due to the auto-ignition of hot peripheral mixture pockets not
yet trapped by the flame-front (SI engines would like to undergo smooth flame
propagation starting at given location and time)

Time-match between chemical kinetics and flame front speed

 Experimental evidences and measurements:
General Considerations
Piston surface instantaneous Delta-pressure Pressure at sensor location

Knock (fast heat release) excites combustion chamber vibrational modes

Piston surface overloaded on difference frequeincies
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Knock index
Combustion chamber frequencies excited due to knock heat release

Typical Acoustic modes of a combustion chamber (@2300 K)

 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Knock index
High-Frequency content increase as knock intensity increases
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Knock index
Knock Index: MAPO Maximum high frequency pressure oscillation
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Knock index issue
All knock index are sensitive to sensor location: different sensors placed in
different locations in the combustion chamber measures different knock intensity for the
same knock event

Exhaust side
MAPO 7.9 bar

Spark plug
MAPO 9.4 bar

Intake side
MAPO 5.8 bar
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Effects
Knock usually reduce the energy conversion efficiency
Limited Knock might increase the energy conversion efficiency
Sustained knock at high level produces damages to the piston, the piston crown, head
gasket and exhaust valve
Towers et al. (SAE 983026) identified knock damages as the result mechanical stress,
fatigue failure and material softening
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Design Issues 1/2
Fuel: Two parameters must be considered
1. Ron number
2. Laminar Flame speed (MON)

From one side one needs to increase temperature (see Carnot cycle)
From other side knock is limiting performance for (efficiency, mech/thermal stress, etc)
Fuel usually has defined chemical properties (blending might change them)

Fluid Dynamics engine design should promote fast engine cycles (fast burning)
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Design Issues 2/2
For best (let given SA advance) Spark Advance
Faster cycles promote larger knock intensity
Engine behaves as the spark time is over-advanced

Cycle-to-Cycle variations are those that at the

end must be considered for knock investigation

The mean engine cycle

Mean engine cycle is no more representative for:
- Performance
- Reliability (thermo-mechanical fatigue)
- Control purposes
 Experimental evidences and measurements:
Design Issues 2/2
Few Cycles (few percent) are those limiting SA (efficiency-reliability)