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Optimal heat release shaping in a reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine

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Abstract

The present paper addresses the optimal heat release (HR) law in a single cylinder engine operated under reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion mode to minimise the indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) subject to different constraints including pressure related limits (maximum cylinder pressure and maximum cylinder pressure gradient). With this aim, a 0-dimensional (0D) engine combustion model has been identified with experimental data. Then, the optimal control problem of minimising the ISFC of the engine at different operating conditions of the engine operating map has been stated and analytically solved. To evaluate the method viability a data-driven model is developed to obtain the control actions (gasoline fraction) leading to the calculated optimal HR, more precisely to the optimal ratio between premixed and diffusive combustion. The experimental results obtained with such controls and the differences with the optimal HR are finally explained and discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CMT-Motores Térmicos, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

    Carlos Guardiola, Benjamín Pla, Antonio García & Vicente Boronat

Authors
  1. Carlos Guardiola
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  2. Benjamín Pla
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  3. Antonio García
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  4. Vicente Boronat
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamín Pla.

Additional information

This work was supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through Project TRA2016-78717-R.

Carlos GUARDIOLA received the M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) in 2000, and was honored with the First National Award by the Spanish Education Ministry. He received the Ph.D. degree in 2005 at the same university, and he develops his research activity in the CMT-Motores Térmicos institute of the same university, where he serves now as Associate Professor, teaching Internal Combustion Engines. He leads research on control and diagnosis of internal combustion engines, and has been co-author of more than 100 scientific works, including books, patents and journal and conference papers. He was co-editor of “Automotive Model Predictive Control: Model, Methods and Applications”, and is member of SAE, of the Technical Committee on Automotive Control of the International Federation of Automatic Control, and of the Editorial Board of the “Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers–Part D: Journal of Automobile Engineering”. In 2014 he received the Ralph R Teetor Educational Award by SAE International.

Benjamín PLA received his degree in Industrial Engineering (with focus on Mechanical Engineering) at the Universitat Politècnica de València in 2004. Afterwards, he enrolled the Research Institute CMT-Motores Térmicos to obtain a Ph.D. in 2009. During this process he passed through different research grants until obtaining a Lecturer position in 2008. After his Ph.D. he become assistant professor, giving lectures on Thermodynamics and Fluid-Mechanics in the Aerospace Degree of the UPV. With regards to research activities he is part of the Engine Control Research Group at CMT-Motores Térmicos. His research focuses on the control and diagnosis of vehicle powertrains.

Antonio GARCÍA received his Master’s degree in Energy Engineering (in 2005), Master’s degree in Internal Combustion Engines (in 2008) and Ph.D. Mechanical Engineer (in 2009) at the Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia (UPV). During the last years, his research activities have focused in the field of internal combustion diesel engines. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in June 2008 at the UPV, where he is developing his teaching responsibilities in the frame of combustion fundamentals. Nowadays, he is participating in different research activities as a member of the CMT-Motores Térmicos institute.

Vicente BORONAT received his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (in 2014) and Ph.D.-Student Mechanical Engineer (in 2015) at the Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia. During the last years, his research activities have focused in the field of low temperature combustion strategies such as RCCI applied on internal combustion diesel engines. Nowadays, he is participating in Dual-Mode research activities as a member of the CMT-Motores Térmicos institute.

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Guardiola, C., Pla, B., García, A. et al. Optimal heat release shaping in a reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine. Control Theory Technol. 15, 117–128 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11768-017-6155-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11768-017-6155-5

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