VALIDATION OF A TURBULENT FLAME PROPAGATION MODEL FOR A SPARK IGNITION ENGINE

An analytical and experimental investigation of the combustion process in a spark ignition engine has been performed. The analysis is based on a flame propagation model developed which assumes that turbulent eddies are engulfed at an entrainment speed and burn in a characteristic time equal to the eddy radius divided by the laminar flame speed. Measurements were made of burning intervals and ignition delays on a C.F.R. engine. The model could be adjusted to give correct trends in burning intervals for variations in equivalence ratio, EGR, compression ratio, spark timing, and level of turbulence. However, the amount of variation was less than that observed in experiment. Predicted burning intervals increased with RPM contrary to experimental data. Predicted ignition delays were a factor of four less than experimentally observed. The difficulties with the model are thought to be due to assumptions of constant time and entrainment speed. It is recommended that future work on the 'eddy-entrainment' type of model be directed at removing this restriction and at understanding the behavior of these two variables during the engine cycle in terms of measureable turbulence scales, and ultimately in terms of engine operating variables such as RPM, spark timing and equivalence ratio.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Preprint for meeting, February 28-March 4, 1977.
• Corporate Authors:

  Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)

  400 Commonwealth Drive
  Warrendale, PA  United States  15096
• Authors:
  • McCuiston Jr, F D
  • Lavoie, G A
  • Kauffman, C W
• Publication Date: 1978-1

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 22 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Analysis; Combustion; Compression; Control; Eddies; Flames; Flow; Fluid dynamics; Internal combustion engines; Mathematical models; Performance; Research; Spark ignition engines; Traffic equivalence factor; Turbulence; Vehicle power plants
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Old TRIS Terms: Analytical method; Automobile engines; Compression ratio; Flame research; Flow of fluids; Turbulent
• Subject Areas: Highways; Research; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00158351
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Report/Paper Numbers: SAE 770045 Preprint
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 27 1977 12:00AM