Postinjection Strategy for the Reduction of the Peak Pressure Rise Rate of Neat n-Butanol Combustion

Enhanced premixed combustion of neat butanol in a compression ignition engine can have challenges with regards to the peak pressure rise rate (PRR) and the peak in-cylinder pressure. It was proposed to utilize a butanol postinjection to reduce the peak PRR and the peak in-cylinder pressure while maintaining a constant engine load. Postinjection timing and duration sweeps were carried out with neat n-butanol in a compression ignition engine. The postinjection timing sweep results indicated that the use of an early butanol postinjection reduced the peak PRR and the peak in-cylinder pressure and it was observed that there was an optimal postinjection timing range for the maximum reduction of these parameters. The results also showed that an early postinjection of butanol increased the nitrogen oxide emissions, and a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that late postinjections increased the emissions of unburned butanol. The postinjection duration sweep indicated that the peak PRR was significantly reduced by increasing the postinjection duration at constant load conditions. There was also a reduction in the peak in-cylinder pressure. Measurements with a hydrogen mass spectrometer showed that there was an increased presence of hydrogen in the exhaust gas when the postinjection duration was increased but the total yield of hydrogen was relatively low. It was observed that the coefficient of variation for the indicated mean effective pressure was significantly increased and that the indicated thermal efficiency was reduced when the postinjection duration was increased. The results also showed that there were increased nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions for larger postinjections. Although the use of a postinjection resulted in emission and thermal efficiency penalties at medium load conditions, the results demonstrated that the postinjection strategy successfully reduced the peak PRR, and this characteristic can be potentially useful for higher load applications where the peak PRR is of greater concern.