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Experimental and theoretical study of heat transfer in constant-volume and compression-expansion systems including the effects of flame propagation

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5229690

The study of the heat transfer to the cylinder and piston surfaces in an internal combustion engine is of both practical and fundamental interest. Heat transfer processes are critical to the design and development of engines with respect to emissions, engine efficiency, and thermal stress in engine materials. In addition, experimental heat transfer data along with flame propagation results are needed to study and appraise analyses of the processes in engines. In this work, two studies of heat transfer phenomena are made. First an analysis of an observed reversal in the direction of the wall heat flux is presented. Then, an experimental study is reported in which simultaneous wall heat flux, pressure, and flame propagation data are obtained. In particular, the interaction of the flame propagation and wall heat transfer is discussed. An analytical solution for the reversal in direction of the wall heat flux during compression and expansion is derived. The results are in good agreement with experimental measurements. Temperature profiles were calculated. From these temperature profiles and the analytical solution of the wall heat flux, a physical explanation for the heat tranfer reversal is determined. Simultaneous measurements of pressure, wall temperature, wall heat flux, and flame location and shape were obtained for combustion in constant volume, expansion, and compression-expansion systems. The measurements showed that the wall temperature and heat flux rise rapidly when the flame passes. The flame speed, and correspondingly the time of the sharp rise in wall temperature and heat flux were found to vary considerably with equivalence ratio. For lean constant volume combustion, buoyancy was found to have a significant effect on the shape of the flame and on the corresponding wall temperature and heat flux variations.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC03-76SF00098
OSTI ID:
5229690
Report Number(s):
LBL-14097; ON: DE82012782
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English