Sensitivity Analysis of Combustion Timing of Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Gasoline Engines

The goal of this paper is to identify the dominant factors that should be included in a control oriented model in order to predict the start of combustion in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. Qualitative and quantitative information on the individual effects of fuel and exhaust gas recirculation on the HCCI combustion is provided. Using sensitivity analysis around a wide range of operating conditions of a single-cylinder port-injection gasoline HCCI engine, we find that temperature is the dominant factor in determining the start of combustion. Charge temperature thus becomes the “spark” in a HCCI engine. Therefore, a model without the composition terms should be adequate for model based regulation of the combustion timing in a port-injection gasoline HCCI engine with high dilution from the exhaust.