An Examination of the Ignition Limits in a Spark Ignition Engine Fuelled with Methane G. A. Karim and I, Wieraba Department of Mechanical Engineering ‘The University of Calgary Calgary. Alberta ABSTRACT Examination is sade of the Lean flane propag: tion limits within homogeneous mixtures of methane and air under both quiescent and turbulent flow conditions. It is shown that the observed Lean ignition Lintt ina spark ignition single cylinder GFR engine could be correlated for a range of sixture intake temperatures (38°C to 158°C), com pression ratios (6.5:1 to 16:1) and spark tinings Sn terms of the sean ixture temperature at the snetant of ignition, Sinilar avtezpts involving the corresponding rich limits in the sane engine were leas anenable to effective correlation. ENTRODUCTION There is much practical interest fn operating combustion devices on relatively fuel lean mix- tures. Such operation in engines should lead to better fuel econoay, longer operational 1éfe (1) and reduced environmental pollution (2). However, in practice ir {9 recognized that Lean operation As not without {e8 serious Limitations that arise sutnly from the inordinate reduceion in the reac~ Civity and hence che associated energy release rates with very lean alxtures, Accordingly, there $3 a continuing need to investigate, with hosoge~ neous fuel-air mixtures, how che combustion limits will be influenced by common operational and design paraneters and whether procedures can be found to Inprove further che lean Limit of operation. This is particularly relevant to devices that operate fon gaseous fuels in general and sathane represent~ ing natural gas in particular. The increasing use of such fuels in conventional internal combustion engines is focussing attencion oa the need for enhancing the efficiency of their operation, nota~ bly under lean unthrottied conditions so as to compare favourably with the corresponding operation when conventional fuels are employed. The paper shows that the obszeved Lean dgni- tion Liatt of honogeneous methane-air mixtures in a spark ignition engine follovs generally sinilar trends to those observed under quiescent and flow situations involving sinilar mixtures. An exanina~ tion of the corresponding rich gnfeion Linte indicated that it is less anenable to successful correlation. 443 THE LEAN FLAMMUBILITY LIMITS There 4s 2 basis to the view chat there is a fundasental Iimie to how lean a fuel vapour-air ixcure can be, yet manage to support combustion, Following igattton from a suitable soures. There is agreonent that the limits cone about due to Limitations of the rate of energy release by con- bustioa in relation to the rate of ics dissipation, However, the traditional approach to these Lintts is their experizental determination in terms of the jeanesr sixture that just allovs sustained flane propagation from an ignition source throughout the whole nixture. These Linits as determined in the Leboratory in tubes are affected sy almst all che factors that can influence the ignition and flame propagation processes. Accordingly, the direction Of flane propagation, tube dianeter and the condi- tion of its surface, temperature diseribution, the extent of turbulence within the mixture, and whether the cube £5 open at boch ends or only at one and and which end, ece., need to be closely contrelled and specified. Nevertheless, che aost {nportant common factor that Limits the rate of energy release by combustion and the extent of dissipation of energy from the combustion zone is ceaperature. Therefore, the Limiting mixture for flaze propagacion aay be judged to be associated with a certain chreshold of con- Dustton teaperature which can be calculated for the fuelvair mixture including accounting for any ex- ternal heat transfer from the systen. This sisple approach, if val{d, would be convenient co use for predicting the extent of changes in the lean flan~ ability Iimtt due to changes in initial aixcure temperature or due to heat transfer effects. Figure 1 shows a comparison of agagured Lean flammability Lines ae different initial mixture cenperature (3,4) for methane combustion in ait with the corresponding Linits deduced on the basis Of 2 constant flame tenperature of 1584k for these Limiting mixtures (4,5). Tt is evident that che concept of constant flane temperature 1a reasonable for estizating the chenges in the lean flaneability Limits of methane-air mixtures. It can be shown chat this approsch can be applied equally vell to establish changes in the flamabilicy linits of soue of the other common gaseous fuels although the corresponding values of the flane tenperature of the limiting mixtures may vary sonevhat with che type of fuel employed, Using this concept of 2 conscant flane temper~be encountered, This tendency of course can be corrected someuhat through the appropriate selec~ tion of spark tising and compression ratio. Figure 7 shows typically how the variability in indicated engine output, for a wide range of compression ratios, increases as the mixture is sade leaner. Eventually, a limiting equivalence ratio ts reached that brings regular engine operation cos halt. bicereD Powen ourrur cov) Minit daca for che engine, such as those shown typically {n Fig. 8, were considered for compression ratio values varying fron 6.5:1 to 16:1 and ever an intake temperature range from 38°C to 156°C (9). Te can be seen fron Fig. 9 that the observed lean ignition limits in the engine at constant compres- sion ratio but variable intake temperature, unlike the case of the quiescent flamability lisics, do ot correspond toa constant adiabatic flane temper ture. They tend ro show that increasing the intske cenperature for any compression ratio corresponds to a higher calculated flame tenperature at the ignition Limits. This trend se most likely the result of the increased heat losses assoctated with higher peak ceaperatures when higher compression ratios and/or higher intake texperatures are exployed. Further~ nore, as the compression ratio ts increased the level of turbulence and ite intensity tend to change. Thus, the ignition failure Limit will not necessarily become leaner ae higher compression ratios and/or intake tenperatures are encloved. A trend that 48data dn the engine, {e Le logical co assume that a2 far as the dgnieability of the mixture is concemed, the coupression tespersture of the sixture at the instant of spark passage 1s the main factor to be considered. This vay ali the three important para- eters, intake tesperature, compression ratio and spark Liming are taken into consideration. A replot of the data in Fig. 9 on the basis of the correspond ing alxture temperature at the instant of spark {g- nition, Tg, shows @ consistent trend of increasing flane tenpcrature of the mixture at the lintt with Ty (Fig. 10). Since chese data tavolve a wide range of compression ratios, where the combustion chanber geonetry and the associated level of turbulence have been altered, the lean limit appears to be prinarily dependent on the tesperature level at the moment of ignition, for this constant speed engine, This in plies chat thermal effects chen in the form of heat losses are probably nore inportant and attention £0 their reduction during cospreseion would aid in ex- tending the Limit. Moreover, reducation of che turbulence level during the carly stages of flane Kernel initiation would ald in extending the tgni- tion limtts. Of course, for faster subsequent flane propagation, a higher turbulence level would be benefickal. Te can be seen further that extrapola- tion of the correlated data of Fig. 10 to ambient temperature conditions corresponds to a linit value that 1s consistant with eurbulent flow conditions as usually encountered in engines at admission (4.2. Tg * 1740K which corresponds, from the data of Fig stand chat of Fig. 5, co turbulent flow at an Re of around 4800). Bee 2 a # a Of the corresponding mixture temperature at the instant of spark ignition Tp. With che eaphasis on the reduction of exhaust eatseions and good {uel econony, the rich ignition Late ina spark ignition engine, {n contrast to the lean Linte, ts not that important, particularly when operating on a gaseous fuel euch as methane. Nevertheless, it would be useful to establish whether the corresponding rich ignition Linit values involving homogeneous aixtures of methane and air observed in the CFR engine over a wide range of com pression ratios, intake temperature and spark tin~ ings follow sinilar trends to those observed for the Jean ignition Liait. Plots of the calculated flane temperature for the rich ignition Limit mixtures, as shown in Fig. 11, did not correlate adequacely with the average mixture tenperature at ignition, Tp. This 1a, af course, not unexpected since i is ksown that the rich ignition Limit does not depend only on the mixture tenperature but in contrast to the lean Limit dapends very aarkedly on pressure. Moreover, both for quiescent and {loving sixtures the constant flese tenperature concept may not hold 447 for the rich ate as well as it does for the Lean Limtz. Bo 55 Tos abs 95000 Fig. 11 The calculated flane temperature (I{) for the Tich ignition limit mixture of Sechane in air for a range of compression ratios, initial mixture temperature and spark eining, on the basis of the average mix- ture temperature at the commencement of Agnition, T, (9,20). ACKNOULEDCENMENTS The financtal support of the Natural Sciences and Enginearing Research Council of Canada (NSERC) is gratefully acknowledged. ‘The authors wish to thank Dr. S. Klee and Me B, Soriano for the{r contribution co this paper. 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