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Research Papers

# A Computational Investigation of Nonpremixed Combustion of Natural Gas Injected Into Mixture of Argon and Oxygen

[+] Author and Article Information
Martia Shahsavan

Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Massachusetts Lowell,
One University Avenue,
Lowell, MA 01854
e-mail: martia_shahsavan@student.uml.edu

Department of Mechanical Engineering,
University of Massachusetts Lowell,
One University Avenue,
Lowell, MA 01854

1Corresponding author.

Manuscript received March 12, 2019; final manuscript received March 19, 2019; published online April 11, 2019. Editor: Jerzy T. Sawicki.

J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power 141(8), 081011 (Apr 11, 2019) (7 pages) Paper No: GTP-19-1124; doi: 10.1115/1.4043277 History: Received March 12, 2019; Revised March 19, 2019

## Abstract

Natural gas is traditionally considered as a promising fuel in comparison with gasoline due to the potential of lower emissions and significant domestic reserves. These emissions can be further diminished by using noble gases, such as argon, instead of nitrogen as the working fluid in internal combustion engines. Furthermore, the use of argon as the working fluid can increase the thermodynamic efficiency due to its higher specific heat ratio. In comparison with premixed operation, the direct injection of natural gas enables the engine to reach higher compression ratios while avoiding knock. Using argon as the working fluid increases the in-cylinder temperature at top dead center (TDC) and enables the compression ignition (CI) of natural gas. In this numerical study, the combustion quality and ignition behavior of methane injected into a mixture of oxygen and argon have been investigated using a three-dimensional transient model of a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC). A dynamic structure large eddy simulation (LES) model has been utilized to capture the behavior of the nonpremixed turbulent gaseous jet. A reduced mechanism consists of 22-species, and 104-reactions were coupled with the CFD solver. The simulation results show that the methane jet ignites at engine-relevant conditions when nitrogen is replaced by argon as the working fluid. Ignition delay times are compared across a variety of operating conditions to show how mixing affects jet development and flame characteristics.

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## Figures

Fig. 1

AMR on temperature and velocity. Note that the grid structure changes with the jet progression. This is only a portion of the computational domain.

Fig. 2

A sample result of the simulation showing density distribution, and calculation of the main parameters of the injected jet: penetration length and cone angle. This is only a portion of the computational domain.

Fig. 3

Model validation for normalized penetration length with helium gas injection experiments at ambient pressure and temperature

Fig. 4

Maximum temperature history at chamber pressure of 1 bar for nitrogen and argon as working fluids and different initial temperatures

Fig. 5

Ignition delay versus temperature for nitrogen and argon as working fluids

Fig. 6

Maximum temperature history at chamber temperature of 1500 K for nitrogen and argon as working fluids and different initial pressures

Fig. 7

Ignition delay versus pressure at 1500 K for nitrogen and argon as working fluids

Fig. 8

Penetration length versus time at chamber pressure of 1 bar for nitrogen and argon as working fluids and different initial temperatures

Fig. 9

Cone angle versus time at chamber pressure of 1 bar for nitrogen and argon as working fluids and different initial temperatures

Fig. 10

In-cylinder temperature and pressure history for 79% nitrogen and argon in combination with 21% oxygen

## Errata

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