Improving the fuel efficiency of a spark ignition engine under full load conditions by adding nitrogen oxide to the air charge
Yurii Gutarevich, Mykola HoraThe article presents the results of the theoretical studies on the impact of methods for improving the energy characteristics on the fuel economy of a spark ignition engine with feedback and a three-way catalytic converter under full load conditions. Various methods for improving the energy characteristics of spark ignition engines to achieve high energy efficiency are known. The most commonly used method is enriching the fuel-air mixture under full load conditions. However, this method has several drawbacks, including reduced fuel economy and inefficient operation of the catalytic converter. Another known method for improving the energy characteristics of spark ignition engines is by adding oxygen-containing gases, particularly nitrogen oxide, to the air charge, where oxygen by volume constitutes 33%, significantly higher than in air (21%). This method is widely used for boosting the performance of sports car engines. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of this method on fuel economy compared to the enrichment method in the literature. Improving the fuel economy of the engine without deteriorating the energy characteristics is possible by transitioning from operating on enriched fuel-air mixtures to operating on a stoichiometric mixture by adding nitrogen oxide to the engine's air charge. This task was addressed in the article through calculations using experimental data. Fuel economy was evaluated by comparing the specific effective gasoline consumption determined by the engine's work when using an enriched fuel-air mixture and adding nitrogen oxide to the air charge to regulate it to a stoichiometric mixture. It was shown that using nitrogen oxide additives to the engine's air charge can improve fuel economy and increase engine energy characteristics compared to the method of enriching the fuel-air mixture
References
[1] Study of the influence of the features of the design of new types of wheeled vehicles and modern operating conditions on the consumption of fuel and lubricants with the aim of improving the current system of rationing: A report on the NDR. (2009). Kyiv: SE “DerzhavtotransNDIproekt”.
[2] Bush, K., Germane, G., & Hess, G. (1985). Improved utilization of nitromethane as an internal combustion engine fuel. SAE Technical Paper, article number 852130. doi: 10.4271/852130.
[3] Wu, Y., & Huang, K. (2007). Improving the performance of a small spark-ignition engine by using oxygen-enriched intake air. SAE Technical Paper, article number 2007-32-0004. /doi: 10.4271/2007-32-0004.
[4] Ng, H., Sekar, R., Kraft, S., & Stamper, K. (1993). The potential benefits of intake air oxygen enrichment in spark ignition engine powered vehicle. SAE Technical Paper, article number 932803. doi: 10.4271/932803.
[5] Langfield, Т. (2006). The nitrous oxide. Hich-Performance manual: How to specify, install and optimize a nitrous oxide system for high-performance – softcover. Poundbury: Veloce Publishing Ltd.
[6] Harkusha, Yu. (2010). Improvement of energy indicators and fuel efficiency of a gasoline engine in full modesloads. (Doctoral dissertation, National Transport University, Kyiv, Ukraine).