Integrated modeling of nitrogen oxides formation in diesel engines

To account for the effects of both chemistry and flow turbulence, the present study proposes an integrated NO sub-model that combines the extended Zel’dovich mechanism and engine CFD computations to simulate the NO histories in a diesel engine. NOx sub-model parameters and pollutant formation mechanisms can be more easily investigated by solving the NOx sub-model. The new NO formation model incorporating the effects of both chemical kinetics and turbulent mixing was applied to simulate a diesel engine with a quiescent combustion chamber, and one with a re-entrant combustion chamber; the premise of the model being the reaction rate is mainly determined by a kinetic timescale and a turbulent timescale. The results indicate that the predicted NO formulation from the new model agrees well with the measured data. As the utilization of fossil fuels continues to increase, the control of NOx emissions is a worldwide concern; and it is imperative to understand fully the NOx reaction processes in combustion systems. This technology has the potential to enhance the application of various combustion techniques used to reduce NOx emissions from practical combustion systems.