Manuel Echeverri Marquez, Ph.D. Candidate supervised by Prof. James Turner
Date: Thursday, November 3, 2022
Time: 2 - 3 PM
Location: Room 5209, Level 5, Building 5
Zoom: https://kaust.zoom.us/j/7548252480
Lean combustion is one of the most applied methods to increase engine efficiency and maintain a good trade-off with engine emissions. The pre-chamber combustion (PCC) is one of the most promising combustion concepts to extend the lean operating limits of the engine. The Narrow throat pre-chamber has shown better lean limit extension than other ignition sources. The pre-chamber combustion and main-chamber combustion were studied in a Heavy-Duty optical engine using methane fuel to determine the generalities of the combustion process. The combustion process was recorded using three collection systems: (a) Natural Flame Luminosity (NFL), (b) OH* Chemiluminescence, and (c) CH* Chemiluminescence. Additionally, the effect of three geometrical parameters on the pre-chamber combustion was also addressed in this research. The generalities of the pre-chamber combustion inside the pre-chamber exhibited a flame propagation nature for the combustion process, with high propagation velocities inside the throat. The main chamber process for the reference narrow throat pre-chamber exhibited defined jets from six of the twelve jets corresponding to the bottom row of nozzles. Regarding the geometrical parameters, the throat diameter to nozzle area ratio determines the propagation mode for the main chamber.
Manuel is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering program at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Manuel joined the Clean Combustion Research Center as a Ph.D. student in 2018 upon completing his BS and MS from Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia. He works in developing new vehicle powertrains under the supervision of Professor James Turner. His research focus is currently on pre-chamber combustion, working at the moment on the optical diagnostic of this novel combustion mode.