Title: Exergy analysis of natural gas/DME combustion in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines (HCCI) using zero-dimensional model with detailed chemical kinetics mechanism

Authors: Samad Jafarmadar; Nader Javani

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azerbaijan 57561-15311, Iran ' Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe St. North, Oshawa, ON, L1H 7K4, Canada

Abstract: In the present work, a single zone combustion model with detailed chemical kinetics is developed to study the effect of dimethyl ether (DME) concentration on the combustion of natural gas from second law point of view in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine. The code can predict all exergy terms in the cylinder with crank angle during a closed cycle. The chemical kinetics mechanism includes 83 species and 360 reactions. Exergy analyses is employed for different DME concentration and initial charge temperature at constant natural gas (NG) concentration. The results show that when the excess air ratios of DME increases from 6.5 to 14.7 at a constant air ratio of NG = 7.1), exergy efficiency increases 30.2% and irreversibility decreases 15.4%. Also, an increase in initial temperature, decreases the irreversibility and increases the heat loss exergy.

Keywords: chemical kinetics; exergy efficiency; HCCI engines; homogeneous charge compression ignition; natural gas; exergy analysis; DME; dimethyl ether; combustion; modelling; irreversibility.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2014.065713

International Journal of Exergy, 2014 Vol.15 No.3, pp.363 - 381

Received: 27 Feb 2013
Accepted: 03 Nov 2013
Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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