Biogas intake pressure and port air swirl optimization to enhance the diesel RCCI engine characteristics for low environmental emissions

Abstract

Exhaust emission and combustion control in RCCI (reactivity-controlled compression ignition) focused mainly on the direct-injected fuel parameters, urging to investigate the advantages of port-fuel intake parameters. The engine was modified for port injection of Biogas at the valve and RCCI mode. The influence of port swirl ratio (PSR, 0 – 80%) and biogas injection pressure (BIP, 1 – 4 bar) on the diesel RCCI combustion and emissions was tested and optimized at varied loads and 1600 rpm in a port injection at the valve (PIVE) approach. Established kinetic mechanisms were combined with multi-objective optimization to further investigate, predict, and analyze emissions occurrence and trade-offs for reduced environmental impacts. The results show that the radiation absorption triggered by increased CO2 lowers combustion temperature, resulting in prolonged ignition. Setting the airflow to swirl lowers the in-cylinder pressure at elevated BIP while raising the heat generated across the BIPs. Increasing the PSR slows the combustion while BIP speeds up the process. BIP and PSR show great trade-off reduction ability among all emission parameters. The optimum unburned hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, particulate, and carbon monoxide emissions for the injection at the valve were found to be 109.58, 0.577, and 2.336 ppm, and 0.103%, respectively, at low-load, low-BIP, and high-PSR. The emissions were lowered by 6.58, 91.26, 80.65, and 13.45% compared to the premixed RCCI mode, respectively. Therefore, introducing lowpressure biogas amid high swirling air at the valve elevates the in-cylinder condition while lowering the emissions, mitigating their environmental implications.