Fuel-Property-Independent Injection Technology

This project is developing strategies for liquid fuel injection that reduce the sensitivity of the injection process to liquid physical properties. The injection process depends on liquid properties such as viscosity or surface tension. Changes in properties can alter the distribution of the fuel ahead of the combustion process. Changing fuel temperature can change fuel properties. Alternative fuels may have different physical properties than the baseline fuel. By mitigating the dependency of the injection process on fuel properties, better control and understanding of subsequent combustion process can be attained. The goal of this project is to employ cavitation to both reduce sensitivity to changes in fuel properties and enhance atomization. Cavitation isolates the bulk of the fuel from wall contact, reducing the impact of viscosity and accelerates atomization, reducing the dependence on surface tension. To maximize benefit of cavitation, injector inlet shapes and cross sections will be optimized to minimize sensitivity of the injection process to liquid properties. The project involves a combination of high fidelity simulations coupled with detailed experiments in which specific injector geometries will be identified that will greatly reduce sensitivity to fuel properties. Both reacting and non-reacting studies will be carried out