• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.160-165
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• 2002

The heavy-duty LPG-fueled single cylinder engine was designed and developed as a fundamental equipment for analyzing combustion processes and emission performances. The cylinder head and the piston crown were modified to fire the LPG in the engine. The flywheel was also fabricated to minimize the vibration of the single cylinder engine. The size of bore and stroke of the tested engine are 130 mm and 140 mm, respectively. Compression ratios were varied 8 to 9 with different piston crown shapes. The developed single cylinder engine operates at 1,000 rpm for this work. The major conclusions of this work are; (1) the power of the developed engine was peaked at the condition of equivalence ratio 1.0 at three different compression ratios; (2) the power is slightly increased with the increase of compression ratio; (3) the optimum ignition timing is retarded with the increase of compression ratio ranged 2 to 10 crank angle.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.85-91
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• 2001

LPG has been well known as a clean alternative fuel for vehicles. As a fundamental study on liquid phase LPG injection (hereafter LPLI) system application to heavy-duty engine, engine output and combustion performance were investigated with various operating conditions using a single cylinder engine equipped with the LPLI system. Experimental results revealed that no problems were occurred in application of the LPG fuel to heavy-duty engine, and that volumetric efficiency and engine output, by 10% approximately, were increased with the LPLI system. It was resulted from the decrease of the intake manifold temperature through liquid phase LPG fuel injection. These results provided an advantage in the decrease of the exhaust gas temperature, in the control of knocking phenomena, spark timing and compression ratio. The LPLI engine could normally operated under $\lambda$=1.5 or EGR 30% condition. The optimized swirl ratio for the heavy duty LPG engine was found around R_s$ = 2.0.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.46-53
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• 2001

To optimize the intake flow condition in the heavy-duty LPG SI engine, five different swirl ratios of intake port were investigated experimentally by oil spot method, LDV and single cylinder engine test. The flow characteristics near the piston surface were observed by oil spot method and magnitudes of swirl flow were measured quantatively by LDV method in the steady flow rig. The engine performances of various swirl flow were also tested with the heavy-duty LPG SI single cylinder engine. In the results, high swirl ratio, above $R_s$=2.3, was not suitable to develope a stable flame kernel and to produce high engine performance. Especially it was more serious under lean burn conditions, since turbulence intensity was smaller than bulk flow though those are increased together. These results were also confirmed by LDV measurement and oil spot method. On the contrary, low swirl ratio($R_s$=1.3) is not good to propagate a flame since the turbulence intensity and bulk flow are vanished during compression stroke and low swirl ratio has too weak initial energy for stable combustion. Therefore, the of optimized swirl ratio f3r the heavy-duty LPG engine in this work was found around $R_s$=2.0.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2007

The intake swirl motion, as one of dominant effects for an engine combustion. is very effective for turbulence enhancement during the compression process in the cylinder of 2-valve engine. Because the combustion flame speed is determined by the turbulence that is mainly generated from the mean flow of the charge air motion in intake port system. This paper describes the experimental results of swirl flow and combustion characteristics by using the oil spot method and back-scattering Laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) in 2-valve single cylinder transparent LPG engine using the liquid phase LPG injection. For this. various intake port configurations were developed by using the flow box system and swirl ratios for different intake port configurations were determined by impulse swirl meter in a steady flow rig test. And the effects of intake swirl ratio on combustion characteristics in an LPG engine were analyzed with some analysis parameters that is swirl ratio. mean flow coefficient, swirl mean velocity fuel conversion efficiency. combustion duration and cyclic variations of indicated mean effective pressure(IMEP). As these research results, we found that the intake port configuration with swirl ratio of 2.0 that has a reasonable lean combustion stability is very suitable to an $11{\ell}$ heavy-duty LPG engine with liquid phase fuel injection system. It also has a better mean flow coefficient of 0.34 to develope a stable flame kernel and to produce high performance. This research expects to clarify major factor that effects on the design of intake port efficiently with the optimized swirl ratio for the heavy duty LPG engine.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.1-7
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• 2001

Recently, several LPG engines for heavy-duty vehicles have been developed, which can replace some diesel engines that are one of a main source for air pollution in urban area. As a preliminary study on the liquid phase LPG injection (hereafter LPLI) system applicable to a heavy duty LPG engine, the engine output and combustion performance were investigated with various combustion chambers and fuel compositions using a single cylinder engine equipped. Experimental results revealed that ellipse, double ellipse and nebula type combustion chamber made a more advantage in breaking swirl flow into small turbulence scale than bathtub type. Especially, performance of nebula type showed most highest efficiency and engine output under lean mixture conditions. An investigation fur various LPG fuel compositions was also carried out, and revealed that the case with 40% propane and 60% butane shows the lowest efficiency at stoichiometry, however, as the mixture became leaner its efficiency increased and became even higher for 100% propane case.

• 한국가스학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2000.09a
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• pp.137-142
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• 2000

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.1-11
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• 2004

Combustion and fuel distribution characteristics of heavy duty engine with the liquid phase LPG injection(LPLI) were studied in a single cylinder engine, Swirl ratio were varied between 1.2, 2.3, and 3.4 following Ricardo swirl number(Rs) definition, Rs=2.3 showed the best results with lower cycle-by-cycle variation and shorter burning duration in the lean region while strong swirl(Rs=3.4) made these worse for combustion enhancement. Excessive swirl resulted in reverse effects due to high heat transfer and initial flame kernel quenching. Fuel injection timings were categorized with open valve injection(OVI) and closed valve injection(CVI). Open valve injection showed shorter combustion duration and extended lean limit. The formation of rich mixture in the spark plug vicinity was achieved by open valve injection. With higher swirl strength(Rs=3.4) and open valve injection, the cloud of fuel followed the flow direction and the radial air/fuel mixing was limited by strong swirl flow. It was expected that axial stratification was maintained with open-valve injection if the radial component of the swirling motion was stronger than the axial components. The axial fuel stratification and concentration were sensitive to fuel injection timing in case of Rs=3.4 while those were relatively independent of the injection timing in case of Rs=2.3.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.23-32
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• 2002

Combustion and flame propagation characteristics of the liquid phase LPG injection (LPLI) engine were investigated in a single cylinder optical engine. Lean bum operation is needed to reduce thermal stress of exhaust manifold and engine knock in a heavy duty LPG engine. An LPLI system has advantages on lean operation. Optimized engine design parameters such as swirl, injection timing and piston geometry can improve lean bum performance with LPLI system. In this study, the effects of piston geometry along with injection timing and swirl ratio on flame propagation characteristics were investigated. A series of bottom-view flame images were taken from direct visualization using an W intensified high-speed CCD camera. Concepts of flame area speed, In addition to flame propagation patterns and thermodynamic heat release analysis, was introduced to analyze the flame propagation characteristics. The results show the correlation between the flame propagation characteristics, which is related to engine performance of lean region, and engine design parameters such as swirl ratio, piston geometry and injection timing. Stronger swirl resulted in foster flame propagation under open valve injection. The flame speed was significantly affected by injection timing under open valve injection conditions; supposedly due to the charge stratification. Piston geometry affected flame propagation through squish effects.

• International Journal of Automotive Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 2005

In this study, a three-dimensional transient simulation with a knock model was performed to predict knock occurrence and autoignition site in a heavy-duty LPG engine. A FAE (Flame Area Evolutoin) premixed combustion model was applied to simulate flame propagation. The coefficient of the reduced kinetic model was adjusted to LPG fuel and used to simulate autoignition in the unburned gas region. Engine experiments using a single-cylinder research engine were performed to calibrate the reduced kinetic model and to verify the results of the modeling. A pressure transducer and a head-gasket type ion-probe circuit board were installed in order to detect knock occurrences, flame arrival angles, and autoignition sites. Knock occurrence and position were compared for different piston bowl shapes. The simulation concurred with engine experimental data regarding the cylinder pressure, flame arrival angle, knock occurrence, and autoignition site. Furthermore, it provided much information about in-cylinder phenomena and solutions that might help reducing the knocking tendency. The knock simulation model presented in this paper can be used for a development tool of engine design.

• 연구논문집
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• s.33
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• pp.5-16
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• 2003

Fuel distribution, combustion, and flame propagation characteristics of heavy duty engine with the liquid phase LPG injection(LPLI) were studied in a single cylinder engine. Optically accessible single cylinder engine and laser diagnostics system were built for quantifying fuel concentration by acetone PLIF(planar laser induced fluorescence) measurements. In case of Otto cycle engine with large bore size, the engine knock and thermal stress of exhaust manifold are so critical that lean burn operation is needed to reduce the problems. It is generally known that fuel stratification is one of the key technologies to extend the lean misfire limit. The formation of rich mixture in the spark plug vicinity was achieved by open valve injection. With higher swirl strength(Rs=3.4) and open valve injection, the cloud of fuel followed the flow direction and the radial air/fuel mixing was limited by strong swirl flow. It was expected that axial stratification was maintained with open-valve injection if the radial component of the swirling motion was stronger than the axial components. The axial fuel stratification and concentration were sensitive to fuel injection timing in case of Rs=3.4 while those were relatively independent of the injection timing in case of Rs2.3. Thus, strong swirl flow could promote desirable axial fuel stratification and, in result, may make flame propagation stable in the early stage of combustion.