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What causes slower flame propagation in the lean-combustion engine

Journal Article · · Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2906502· OSTI ID:5662006
 [1]
  1. Engine Research Dept., General Motors Research Lab., Warren, MI (US)
Previous engine data suggest that slower flame propagation in lean-burn engines could be due to slower flame expansion velocity at lean conditions than at stoichiometric combustion. This paper reports on two classes of model, a quasi-dimensional engine-simulation program and a multidimensional engine-flow and combustion code, used to study this effect in detail and to assess the capabilities of the models to resolve combustion details. The computed flame-speed data from each program differed somewhat in magnitude, but the predicted trends at various equivalence ratios were quite similar. The trends include: (1) The peak in-cylinder burned-gas temperature decreases by about 300 K as the equivalence ratio is decreased from 0.98 to 0.70. (2) Both the laminar flame speed and the flame-propagation speed, the latter computed from the time derivative of flame radius, decrease with decreasing equivalence ratio.
OSTI ID:
5662006
Journal Information:
Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power; (United States) Vol. 112:3; ISSN JETPE; ISSN 0742-4795
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English