Chapter IV – Spark Ignition

Engines (2/27/03)
Overview
 Combustion process in SI engines
 How initiated and constrained
 Effect of mixtures
 Ignition Timing
 Combustion Chamber Design
 Conventional and “Compact” lean burn
 Advanced: VTEC design
 Direct Ignition Stratified Charge
 Catalysts and Emissions
 Cycle by Cycle Variations and Implications
 Ignition Systems & Ignition Process
 Carburetors and Fuel Injection
 Electronic Controls – DME, Oxygen Sensors,
Fuel Mixture Strength
wmmp – Weakest Mixture Max
Power
LBT – Lean Best Torque
Lean Mixture -> Slow Burn ->
Lower Pmax, Lower Tmax,
Reduced Knock
Relationship of sfc & Power Output
SFC & BMEP w.r.t. φ

Min sfc at 0.9 Must have φ > 1

Max BMEP a 1.08 to use all O2
What do we do? Unburnt gas
Why is BMEP at φ > Efficiency down
1?
Sfc vs. BMEP for various
A/F
Fish Hook Graphs
 Power-Fuel Maps for
each throttle position
 Note A-B
 B is much more
efficient, more throttle
but lower SFC
 Exception – WOT 1.1
Why hook: Max
efficiency burn as
much fuel as possible
Too lean
 combustion incomplete
- no fuel
Too rich – no O2 left
Controlling Fuel Mixture
Carburetors Fuel Injection
 Fixed Venturi  Mechanical
 Fixed Jet
 Multiple Jets
 CIS
 Each different op  Electronic
range  Hybrid Systems
 Variable Venturi
 Variable Jet Electronic
 Multiple Venturi  “TBI” – electronic
 Old 4BBL, carb
 2 vaccum
 2 Mechanical
 Multiport
 “Dumper” 4BBl  Port Fuel Injection
 Ignition Timing
3/2/03

Optimization
Precise timing > Max
Output
Timing varies
 With RPM
 With throttle position
 With output
 With vacuum or
manifold pressure
 Combinations?
Electronic,
Mechanical,and
Vacuum controls
 Vacuum advance
 Vacuum retard
 Weights
Ignition Timing
Optimization
Knock Margin
 P up, Knock!
 Change advance
with load
Note changes in
Pmax vs bmep
Total Area is NET
of compression
loss
 Do not confuse
PMEP with
Compression
work!
 Part throttle –P
down and T down,
flame travel
Combustion Chamber
Design
Flathead Optimized
 Because of design limited
to 6:1
 OK, because octane of fuel
was 60-70 in 1920s-30s!
 Nice turbulent
characteristics – “Squish
Area” ejects gasses - Jet
 Jet -> Rapid combustion
 Too much squish – too
rapid, noisy, Pmax up
 Squish reduces
susceptibility to knock
 End gas in cooler near
wall, piston and head,
small volume
Combustion Chamber Design
Goals
Distance traveled by flame front minimized
 Allows for high engine speeds
 Reduces time for chain reactions leading to Knock
 Small DIAMETER can run higher combustion ratio!
Exhaust Valve(s) & Spark Plug(s) close together
 Very hot (incandescent) and a great source of KNOCK

 Is this pre-ignition or self ignition?

 Far as possible from End Gas
Turbulence is good
 Mixing and flame propagation,
 Squish areas or shrouded inlet valves
 Too much turbulence bad – breaks down boundary laver
 Can lead to hot spots, rapid noisy combustion
End gas in cool part of combustion chamber
 Small clearance creates a cool region

Combustion Chamber
Considerations (cont’d)
Low surface to Caveats
volume ratio
 Good turbulence
 Excellent design
 Minimize quench allows for rapid
areas flame travel
 Minimize heat transfer  High Compression
Optimum approx 500 – Maximum Flame
cc. Travel
Reducing swept  Too rapid travel ->
volume increases
Noisy
max RPM?
 Less time for flame
travel
 500->200 cc changes
Combustion Chamber
Design
“Oversquare” Undersquare –
 higher performance  more economy and
(HP) higher torque
 Less travel  Torque proportional to
 Lower max piston stroke
speeds  Better Surface to
 More piston area Volume Ratio (Q)
 Larger valves  More efficient burn
 Poor surface to  Smaller end gas
volume ratio (Q) region
 So what?  Less prone to knock
 Discuss.
Examples:
350 Chevy
 712cc/Cyl 911 Engines
 4.0” (102mm) bore
Bore (mm) Stroke (mm)Disp (ltr) B/S
 87.2 mm stroke
80 66 1.99 121%
302 Chevy 84 66 2.19 127%
 625cc/Cyl 84 70.4 2.34 119%
90 70.4 2.69 128%
 102mm bore
95 70.4 2.99 135%
 79mm stroke 95 74.4 3.16 128%
944/928 98 70.4 3.19 139%
98 74.4 3.37 132%
 625cc/Cyl 100 76.5 3.60 131%
 100mm bore 102 76.5 3.75 133%
 79 mm stroke 104 76.5 3.90 136%
Design

Depends on goals! Economics vs

Wedge Chamber
Most popular
Good squish
Great for V config
Great for inline
May be cross-flow
944 and chevy heads
both X flow
May use wedge
pistons for high CR
Economical valve
arrangement
Hemispherical Head
Efficient Cross Flow
 Great scavenging –w-

overlap
Difficult valve gear
“Pent Roof” on 4V
Hemi on 2 V (spherical)
Allows for larger valves –
why?
Spark plug usually offset
or dual plug in 2V heads
Expensive to machine
Expensive to operate
valves
4V heads in 1920s race
cars
Bowl in Piston
Low machine
costs
Very compact
Combustion
Chamber
Can be cross flow
Allows for high CR
Bowls often used
in turbo
applications
Why?
Bath-Tub Head
Compact
Chamber
Circumferential
Squish
Better swirl than
wedge
3/6/02 Efficiency Curves

Mechanical Efficiency vs Cycle

Efficiency. Is Otto Cycle realistic? Efficiency at Max power vs
Max Economy
3/6/02 High Compression Ratio Fast
Burn Designs Compact
High Compression –-w- ordinary
 Q down
fuels?  Concentrated @ Ex Valve
 High turbulence  Fast burn after spark
 Lean burn  Eliminate Knock from self
 Compact ignition
Turbulence Up May Fireball – 1979
 Leaner burn
 Straight from intake
 Why?
 Spark plug at angle
 Rapid Combustion
 Controlled high axial swirl
 Less Knock
 Notre plug location
Susceptibility  Note piston shape
Design Considerations – Econ &
Emissions
Emissions
Economy  Hydrocarbons up
 Generally good
 Large squish areas
due to high CR
 Large quench
possible, up to areas
14:1
 Low temps die to
lean burn
 Good power dues  May need to
to quick efficient
insulate to keep
combustion catalyst up to
 Good due to lean temp (next week)
burn Other problems
 Fine mix control
 Deposits
More CC designs

Straight inlet HRCC similar to may fireball

but has straight inlet
tracts passage
 Not offset
4 Valve Pent
Roof
Large Flow Area –
why?
Do some calculations
2V Flat or wedge
 Max d=D/2, a=

50%
2V Hemi 30 deg =
66% Vf high
2V Hemi 45 degrees – Constant BMEP
100% (theory) Barrel Swirl
4V flat – 69% As compression occurs, increase in
swirl ratio through conservation of
4V pent – 90%? momentum
As compression stroke completes, swirl
breaks up into random turbulence
(example)
Enables weak mixture to be fully burn,
low emissions and good economy
Nissan ZapsZ

Twin Plug
High Axial Swirl
Combustion is at
edge, but swirl
maintaned and rapid
combustion
Very little turbulence
 Little squish
Rapid comb Allows
high CRs
Can be 2V or 4V
HRCC
Similar to May
Fireball
Small combustion
chamber
Rapid Combustion
Allows high CR with
low mixture strenght
More efficent than
May Fireball because
of more efficient
inlet tract.
Can burn mixtures as
low as φ = 0.6
optimized combustion
chambers
High Swirl
 Great at low load Compact combustion
 Kinetic energy used to chambers prone to
create swirl reduces
volumetric efficiency knock and pre-
 This is OK unless you ignition under high
want to make power! loading (due to
Twin Inlet Tracts – proximity of exhaust
Can kill swirl when valve) and need auto
second tract opened transmissions to
 Higher volumetric
efficiency damp peak loading
 Can select optimum
setup
 Corvette ZR1
 Acura NSX
Advanced Combustion
Systems
Use of EGR
 Reduces Tumble?
emissions  Barrel and axial
swirl combined
 Reduces throttling
loss
 Reduces ignition
delay
 Only use with fast  Reduces burn
burn systems duration
since oxygen level  CoV lowered
will be lowered,  Greater tolerance
effective φ
to EGR
decreased
How do we optimize a
design?
Want All the Want All the
benefits of Fast benefits of ZapZ
4V Pent Roof or other axial
 Vf UP swirl designs
 Valve overlap and  Tolerance to EGR
cross flow lead to  Lean burn
excellent  Low emissions
scavenging  Low CoV
 Barrel swirl –  Quieter slow burn
Turbulence
system –w- lean
 Great power mix
Solution – Swirl Port?
Economy Mode: Performance
 Close one inlet Mode
PORT  Open second port
 “Swirl control
valve or port”
 Change axial swirl
to barrel swirl,
 30% reduction in
 less KE needed,
burn duration
 less restriction, Vf
 20% increase in
up
EGR tolerance
 Low cyclical Lessen swirl when
variations (CoV) performance
needed so Vf
increases
Solution - VTEC Variable Timing and Event
Control

Keeps inlet valve  VTEC allows one

closed, NOT port valve to be
 Complex flow pattern diabled in econo
–w- 2 vortices mode
 Vortices broke up into  φ as low as 0.66
three or more as
compression  Low BSFC (12%
increased lower than
 High velocity due to stochiometric)
small valve opening
 Votices are prevasive
Performance
– they do not decay as Mode
have tight core  Operates like Pent
Roof
VTEC Control Modes
VTEC Design
Bowl in piston
(55mm/75mm bore)
Pent Roof Design
Allows AFR to be
extended by 2 compared
to flat top (I.e.16.7:1 not
14.7.:1) from shape alone
– compact combustion
chamber!
One valve opened
doubles flow velocities,
ω, increased, swirl
strength and momentum
increased.
Vtec Swirl Effects

Both -> Pent Roof – High Barrel Swirl

Inner or Outer – Tumble –
 Reduced ignition delay (0-10% Mass Fraction)
 Reduced Burn Duration
 Lowe CoV
 Greater EGR Tolerance
VTEC

Engine Management Strategy

3 Modes:
 Very Lean 22:1 (Idle – torque – cruise)
 Stochiometric 14.7 (Below Idle and high Speed)
 Rich 12.5:1 (Performance)
Faster and more stable –w- one inlet disabled.
Fuel consumption down 5.6%
EGR tolerance up 10% leading to a BFSC up
Stratified Charge
/Catalysts - 3/8/01!
Homework Part 2: Catalysts
and Emissions
Part 1: Valve Chemistry and
configurations evolution of
and compression catalysts
ratios
Part 3: The DISI
2V, 4V, 5V valve
trains engine discussion
Valve angle and
combustion
chambers
Chapter 4, Part II
Ignition and Fuel systems
The ignition
process
How the spark
occurs and how
it’s generated
Spark Plugs, gaps and
temperature
Electrode Needs to run
350-700C
Too Hot:
 Preignition
Too Cool:
 Carbon Deposits Form
Hot Plug – Lean Cool
Cool Plug –
Performance
Why???
Distributor Ignition Process
Contact Points
 Capacitor is a
reservoir for charge
 W/O capacitor charge
would jump points
 Other Systems:
 Magnetic trigger
 Optical Trigger
 Etc.
Alternative is CD
 System –still uses
same trigger and
similar coil but no
capacitor
 Higher voltage for a
short period of time
 See book for details
Distributor components
and Ignition advance
Both Mechanical
and Vacuum
Advance/Retard
Why is this
necessary?
 Variable RMP
 Variable Load
 Boost? Idle? Etc.
Advance Curves
Most systems yse
both.
Even electronic
systems may use
mechanical
advance to keep
cap-pole in proper
position
May be up to 30
degrees!
 Distributorless
Ignitions

“Crank Fire” (not cam-fire)

Wasted Spark
Double Ended Coil
May be self contained or part of a DME system
Fires 2 plugs EVERY revolution!
Other benefits – easy to install, clean plugs
Canned systems available inexpensively
Twin plug distributorless
ignition.
Electronic Spark
management
Integral –w- fuel
management
“N” dimensional map
May integrate knock
sensing
As many variable as
you have prom
Done –w- lookup
tables and
interpolation
Stages of
Ignition
Short duration high
amp spark: Better
Pre-Breakdown thermal conversion,
 Gas is an insulator, less CoV of initiation
but voltage
differential causes time
electrons to flow Long duration low A
toward annode
spark– more change
Breakdown of masking CoV
 Rapid braekdown of
voltage differential
 100A rise in few
nanoseconds
 Temp 60,000 K and
local P of several
HUNDRED bars!
Arc Discharge
Fuel Systems
Mixture Prep
Carburators
Mechanical
FI
CIS
EFI
 Single Port
 Multi Port
Manifold Issues –w- Carbs
or single port
Sharp corners
vaporize fuel
where manifold
acts as a surface
carburetor
Surface is wet Choke
May have
channels to Balancing
control fuel flow  Multi Carb Setups
in startup  Multi Choke
Setups
“Pump the gas!”
Air Fuel Requirements and
Load

Fuel Systems need to react to fuel needs for

different operating conditions – Saw this with
the “Fishhook Curves”
Variable Demands of
Engine
This is at constant
speed
Complete family of
curves for many
speeds many loads,
many pressures, etc.
Forms N dimensional
surface (Name them)
Carbs only react to
vaccum and maybe
throtte position
Variable Jet Carburetor
Back feed varies
both jet and
Venturi size
Do not confuse
with piston
operated throttle
valves
British
“Stromberg”
See p195 for key
Fixed Jet Carburetor
Sonstan
t venturi
and
jet(s)
Fuel
drawn
by low P
Discuss
Fuel flow with fixed jet
carb
These are the
flow
characteristics
due to vacuum
Venturi effects
only
What problems
does this cause?
Incompressible vs, Comp
flow
Air correction jet/emulsion
tube
Emulsion tube
used to “bend”
the curve and
lean out the
engine at high
flow.
This changes flow
shape only
Usually can get
range of “air jets”
and emulsion
tubes
Carb Idle circuit and mix
adjustment
Idle circuit allows for
fuel when V too low
to draw fuel through
main circuit
Cars usually on this
in “cruise mode” as
well
Extra prot –w- idle
adjustment screw
given to fine tune
mixture at idle
How would you do
this?
 Minimum mix for
Carburetion – 2 & 3
systems combined

Combined flow from Primary and Main,

mixed with Idle circuits
Complete carburetion
system
Fuel Injection - Basics
Injector –w- “pulse
width”
Flow also controlled
by differential
pressure
Must compensate
fuel pressure for
manifold pressure
(especially in turbo
systems)
Pulse 2-8 ms.
Flow ratio of 50:1
SFI
Cheap, about
10% less power
than multi port
Allows for
computer
controls
Back feed
regulator
MFI: Injection in inlet port
Inject to back of Sequntial times
valve
pulse –w- charge
Cools Valve
Vaporizes Fuel Stabilizes
Must have multi- pressure
channel system Aides in Vf
Single channel would
cause pressure Can time it to hit
fluctuations and the valve at just
require very high the proper
fuel pressure
moment (when
Early 2 channel
it’s closed)
Now Sequential FI
Schematic (SFI or MFI)
Distribution of droplet size
Part Load
Distribution of droplet size
Full Load
SFC Map
Note
BMEP
relationsh
ip