One-dimensional numerical investigation on multi-cylinder gasoline engine fueled by micro-emulsions,CNG, and hydrogen in dual fuel mode

This research work is the novel state-of-the-art technology performed on multi-cylinder SI engine fueled compressed natural gas, emulsified fuel, and hydrogen as dual fuel. This work predicts the overall features of performance, combustion, and exhaust emissions of individual fuels based on AVL Boost simulation technology. Three types of alternative fuels have been compared and analyzed. The results show that hydrogen produces 20% more brake power than CNG and 25% more power than micro-emulsion fuel at 1500 r/min, which further increases the brake power of hydrogen, CNG, and micro-emulsions in the range of 25%, 20%, and 15% at higher engine speeds of 2500–4000 r/min, respectively. In addition, the brake-specific fuel consumption is the lowest for 100% hydrogen, followed by CNG 100% and then micro-emulsions at 1500 r/min. At 2500–5000 r/min, there is a significant drop in brake-specific fuel consumption due to a lean mixture at higher engine speeds. The CO, HC, and NO_x emissions significantly improve for hydrogen, CNG, and micro-emulsion fuel. Hydrogen fuel shows zero CO and HC emissions and is the main objective of this research to produce 0% carbon-based emissions with a slight increase in NO_x emissions, and CNG shows 30% lower CO emissions than micro-emulsions and 21.5% less hydrocarbon emissions than micro-emulsion fuel at stoichiometric air/fuel ratio.     

Flow field characteristics,mixing and emissions performance of a lab-scale rich-quench-lean trapped-vortex combustor utilizing a quench orifice plate combined with a bluff-body

In this study, the low emission combustion technology of Rich-Quench-Lean (RQL) has been applied in Trapped-Vortex Combustor (TVC), and the combinative RQL-TVC shows a promising low emissions performance. By utilizing a quench orifice plate combined with a bluff-body, a lab-scale RQL-TVC was designed. The flow fields of RQL-TVC were measured by 2-D PIV and predicted by 3-D numerical simulation. Flow structures, radial profiles of normalized mean axial velocity, turbulence intensity and mixing level of the quench zone were analyzed. Results reveal that the dual-vortex and the single-vortex flow patterns both exist in cavities and quench zone of RQL-TVC, and the turbulence intensity is strong in the quench zone with some reverse flows. The spiral vortex was discussed by 3-D streamlines and the detail flow structures of the quench zone were analyzed based on the numerical results. The mixing level of the quench zone was determined, and results show that the quench device enhances the mixing level compared with TVC. Combustion efficiency and emissions performance were investigated experimentally, and results demonstrate that RQL-TVC has relatively higher combustion efficiency and lower emission index of CO, UHC and NO_x than the same size lab-scale TVC in present work.     

VLF Emissions observed at the low latitude Indian station Varanasi

VLF emissions such as hiss, chorus, pulsing hiss, triggered emissions observed at Varanasi (geom. lat. = 14° 55′ N, long. = 153° 55′ E) are reported. An attempt has been made to explain the dynamic spectra in terms of the generation mechanism and propagation through the inhomogeneous magnetoplasma. It is noted that the reported events have propagated along different L-values in the magnetosphere, although they have been recorded at the same station. The ULF waves propagating along geomagnetic field lines modulate the growth rate of VLF waves, which results in the pulsation of VLF hiss intensity. The pulsating growth rate has been computed.     

Technology review of aeroengine pollutant emissions

The Environmental effects issue of air traffic has been gaining increasing public attention. This has led to a considerable world-wide effort to reduce aircraft emissions. The task encompasses a broad variety of scientific and technological problems which are reviewed.The concerns about atmospheric effects have been based largely on laboratory information and experience from weather and climatic simulations. Research carried out over the past few years will improve the understanding of physical and chemical interaction phenomena and will support regulatory activities. Operational changes of airline flight profiles would be of benefit to the reduction of NO_x released into the stratosphere but would probably involve a major economic penalty. Emissions reductions through improved engine technology offer an overall potential of 10 % lower fuel burn but will also require a considerable component development effort and investment.Combustion technology appears most promising and industry is concentrating research in this area. Over the past two decades smoke emissions have become negligible and oxides of nitrogen have been reduced by 50 %. Staged combustion and emerging lean premix and rich-burn quick-quench lean-burn technologies are potentially good for another 50 % reduction. Alternative gaseous fuels will become of interest only in the context of a necessity to generally replace crude oil fuels.     

Radio emissions from the outer heliosphere

For nearly fifteen years the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have been detecting an unusual radio emission in the outer heliosphere in the frequency range from about 2 to 3 kHz, Two major events have been observed, the first in 1983–84 and the second in 1992–93. In both cases the onset of the radio emission occurred about 400 days after a period of intense solar activity, the first in mid-July 1982, and the second in May–June 1991. These two periods of solar activity produced the two deepest cosmic ray Forbush decreases ever observed. Forbush decreases are indicative of a system of strong shocks and associated disturbances propagating outward through the heliosphere. The radio emission is believed to have been produced when this system of shocks and disturbances interacted with one of the outer boundaries of the heliosphere, most likely in the vicinity of the the heliopause. The emission is believed to be generated by the shock-driven Langmuir-wave mode conversion mechanism, which produces radiation at the plasma frequency (f _p ) and at twice the plasma frequency (2f _p ). From the 400-day travel time and the known speed of the shocks, the distance to the interaction region can be computed, and is estimated to be in the range from about 110 to 160 AU.Abbreviations PWS Plasma Wave Subsystem - AU Astronomical Unit - DSN Deep Space Network - NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration - GMIR Global Merged Interaction Region - MHD Magnetohydrodynamic - CME coronal mass ejection - f _p plasma frequency - R radial distance - AGC automatic gain control