Numerical investigation of the effect of injection strategy on a high-pressure isobaric combustion engine

High-pressure isobaric combustion adopted in the double compression expansion engine (DCEE) has the prospect to achieve higher thermal efficiency compared to conventional diesel combustion. This work numerically explored the effects of various injection strategies on the combustion and emission characteristics of isobaric combustion. The study developed a mathematical model to predict the injection rate profile. After validations, extensive simulations were conducted with a peak pressure of up to 300 bar – mimicking the high-pressure unit of DCEE. Several major engine design parameters such as the exhaust recirculation gas (EGR) rate, engine speed, injection strategy, and intake pressure were varied and evaluated. The results demonstrated that a higher EGR rate resulted in a higher exhaust loss but a lower heat transfer loss owing to the lower combustion temperature, so the thermal efficiency exhibited a firstly growing and then declining trend. Besides, a higher engine speed generated a higher thermal efficiency due to the shorter combustion duration and thus lower heat transfer loss. Consequently, a peak thermal efficiency of 47.5% was achieved at EGR = 50% and 1800 rpm. The high-pressure cylinder performance can also be improved with an appropriate introduction of the isochoric combustion, but its impact on the whole DCEE setup needs further investigation.