Numerical study of ignition mechanism of n-heptane direct injection compression-ignition engine

A detailed chemical dynamical mechanism of oxidation of n-heptane was implemented into kiva-3 code to study the ignition mechanism of a high-temperature, high-pressure, three-dimensional-space, transient turbulent, non-homogeneous, mono-component fuel in the engine. By testing the quantity of the heat released by the chemical reaction within the cylinder cell, the elementary reaction showing an obvious increase in the cell temperature was defined as ignition reaction and the corresponding cell as ignition position. The main pathway of the ignition reaction was studied by using the reverse deducing method. The result shows that the ignition in the engine can be divided into low-temperature ignition and high-temperature ignition, both of which follow the same rule in releasing heat, called the impulse heat releasing feature. Low-temperature ignition reaction, whose ignition reaction is c5h9o1-4 = ch3cho + c3h5-a, follows the oxidation mechanism, while high-temperature ignition reaction, whose ignition reaction is c2h3o1-2 = ch3co, follows the decomposition mechanism. No matter which ignition it is in, the chemical reaction that restrains the ignition reaction from lasting is the deoxidization reaction of alkylperoxy radicals. © Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag 2009.