Simulating low temperature diesel combustion with improved spray models

Current spray models based on the Lagrangian-droplet and Eulerian-fluid (LDEF) method in the KIVA-3V code are strongly mesh dependent due to errors in predicting the droplet–gas relative velocity and errors in describing droplet–droplet collision and coalescence processes. To reduce the mesh dependence, gas-jet theory is introduced to predict the droplet–gas relative velocity, and a radius of influence (ROI) of collision methodology is established for each gas phase cell to estimate the collision probability for each parcel in the cell. Spray and combustion processes in a low temperature combustion diesel engine under early and late injection strategies with a fine mesh were predicted using the conventional LDEF model and compared with the measurements of soot, OH, fuel liquid and vapor distributions obtained by laser based diagnostics including, PLIF, LII, and Mie scattering. Then, the KIVA-3V code implemented with the improved spray model based on the gas-jet model and modifications of the spray models was utilized to simulate the processes on a relatively coarse numerical mesh. Comparison of the simulations between the fine and coarse meshes shows that the improved spray model can greatly reduce the mesh dependence for low temperature combustion diesel engine CFD simulations.