A Numerical Study of the Multi-Component Effects on the Combustion and Evaporation of Biofuels and Blends
Cheng, Way Lee
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/83943
Description
Title
A Numerical Study of the Multi-Component Effects on the Combustion and Evaporation of Biofuels and Blends
Author(s)
Cheng, Way Lee
Issue Date
2010
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Chia-Fon F. Lee
Department of Study
Mechanical Engineering
Discipline
Mechanical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Engineering, Mechanical
Language
eng
Abstract
The study shows that the evaporation of the fuel affects the ignition behavior and combustion quality. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the evaporation and mixing processes is essential for further improvement in engine performance. A multi-component droplet evaporation model, as efficient as a traditional zero-dimensional model, yet preserving the correct description of the underlying physical process is developed in this study. The continuous thermodynamics formulation is used, for which the fuel (or liquid mixture) is described using a probability distribution function. The variation of composition in both liquid and vapor phases is represented by tracing the changes of the probability distribution function parameters. In the present study, the gamma distribution is used to represent the fuel fractions, and, the composition is tracked by tracing the mean and standard deviation of the distribution function. Finite diffusion, internal circulation, surface regression and high pressure effects are all accounted for. The model is shown to reproduce in a satisfactorily manner, experimental measurements adopted from the literature. The model is applied to predict the evaporation of single component (distribution) and multi-component droplets. The results show that the proposed model predicts the important distillation characteristics of practical fuel, which cannot be reproduced by a single component model.
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