Influence of plasma-assisted ignition on flame propagation and performance in a spark-ignition engine

Abstract

Lean-burn is an attractive concept for reasons of high thermal efficiency and low nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, however, successful implementation in spark-ignition (SI) engines turned out to be challenging because of misfire or partial burn caused by attenuated flame propagation. In order to overcome this issue, microwave-assisted plasma ignition system (MAPIS) has been applied in combustion systems. The MAPIS consists of a conventional ignition coil, a non-resistor spark plug, a mixing unit, a waveguide, and a magnetron (2.45GHz, 3kW). A series of experiments was carried out to understand discharge characteristics and to validate its performance in a constant volume vessel as well as in a single-cylinder spark-ignition engine. The fundamental investigation based on optical emission spectroscopy and flame imaging showed that the ejection of the microwave was beneficial to produce more reactive species such as OH and O radicals thanks to higher electron temperature than conventional spark ignition. The lean limit was able to be extended up to an equivalence ratio of 0.5 based on a larger initial flame kernel size with MAPIS in the vessel test. Meanwhile, in the engine test, combustion stability was noticeably improved showing smaller cycle-to-cycle fluctuations in in-cylinder pressure. Improvement in fuel efficiency up to 6% could be achieved by stable operation under fuel-lean conditions. In terms of emissions, MAPIS was advantageous to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by promoting more complete combustion.