Further insights into SI four-stroke combustion using flame imaging

Journal Article · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Combustion and Flame; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-2180(91)90138-2· OSTI ID:5902920

Bates, S C ^[1]

---

1. Engine Research Dept., General Motors Research Lab., Warren, MI (US)

In this paper direct flame imaging is used to study the initial and final phases of lean combustion in a spark-ignition four-stroke optical engine. Changes in the flame size, shape, and location are used to infer flows in each cycle that have caused these flame characteristics. Flame images after dual simultaneous ignition together with images of the very early flame kernel after signal ignition show that large-scale flows past the spark plug are a major controlling factor for flame growth at lean operating conditions. In the absence of these flows, cooling by the adjoining spark-plug structure decreases the initial flame growth rate. For slow-burning cycles, images of combustion completion near the wall taken through the transparent cylinder show that the flame has a great deal of spatial structure, and some of the large scale nonuniformities are repeatable. Bulk flame quenching due to the gas expansion from piston motion did not occur, demonstrated by images of flames at piston bottom-dead-center.

• OSTI ID: 5902920
• Journal Information: Combustion and Flame; (United States), Journal Name: Combustion and Flame; (United States) Vol. 85:3; ISSN CBFMA; ISSN 0010-2180
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
025000 -- Petroleum-- Combustion
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330101* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Spark-Ignition
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400800 -- Combustion
Pyrolysis
& High-Temperature Chemistry
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
COMBUSTION KINETICS
ENGINES
FLAME PROPAGATION
FLAMES
FUEL-AIR RATIO
HEAT ENGINES
IGNITION SYSTEMS
IMAGES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
KINETICS
REACTION KINETICS
SHAPE
SIZE
SPARK IGNITION ENGINES