Transient Modeling and Control of Split Cycle Clean Combustion Diesel Engine

Split Cycle Clean Combustion (SCCC) concept is a combustion process that results in reduced gaseous and particulate emissions while maintaining high engine efficiency compared to the compression ignition process used in the current state of the art diesel engines. Some manufacturers have produced gasoline engine prototypes based on the SCCC concept, however there are no diesel fuel powered SCCC engines existing in the market due to the fact that the steady state and transient performance of the SCCC engine in its entire air system at various load condition is unknown. This study provides a validated methodology for one-dimensional modeling of the Split Cycle Clean Combustion Concept by recreating the CFD model presented by Musu, et al. in their publication, “Clean Diesel Combustion by Means of the HCPC Concept” [2010], and then showing a good match between the results from the two models. A new 4 cylinder turbo-charged SCCC engine operating on diesel fuel is developed and “design of experiments” (DOE) analysis is used to improve the engine’s performance and efficiency. Engine performance is evaluated at steady state and transient conditions over various engine speeds and operating load conditions. All performance results are compared to a conventional diesel engine from Caterpillar Inc. used in their Hydraulic Excavator 316. This study is a significant contribution in highlighting the SCCC engine’s overall performance and efficiency, comparing its performance to today’s conventional diesel engines and predicting its successful application in the power generation and mining equipment industry.