Effects of injection parameters and EHN mixing on the combustion characteristics of fueling pure methanol in a compression ignition engine

Abstract

As one of the most ideal alternative fuels for internal combustion engines, methanol can achieve near-zero carbon emissions. The main problem of methanol application in compression combustion engines is the phase lag caused by its poor combustion characteristics, but under low load conditions, the fuel activity can be improved by adding the cetane number improver EHN (Isooctyl nitrate), and the dependence on intake heating can be reduced to a certain extent. Based on a three-dimensional CFD simulation, the effects of methanol injection parameters and the addition of EHN on the combustion characteristics of a four-stroke exhaust turbocharged diesel engine were studied in this paper. With or without EHN, the increase in injection pressure and the advance in injection timing lead to an increase in the peak temperature, pressure, and heat release rate, as well as a shortening of the combustion duration. Adding EHN witnesses reduced requirements for methanol ignition, including a decreased peak temperature, pressure, and heat release rate, a significantly shortened ignition delay period, and an extended combustion duration, which thus results in a reduced indicated thermal efficiency. This study innovatively develops a 3D model of a compression combustion engine applicable to in-cylinder direct injection pure methanol fuel and EHN under small load conditions, which provides a reference for future research and development of small-load pure methanol compression combustion engines and has certain guiding significance.