WSEAS Transactions on Heat and Mass Transfer
Print ISSN: 1790-5044, E-ISSN: 2224-3461
Volume 10, 2015
Analysis on Electromagnetic Heating and Spray Formation of Ethanol Fuel in Local-Contact Microwave-Heating Injector (LMI) System
Authors: , , ,
Abstract: Heating fuel system becomes an important solution for utilizing bio-ethanol fuel in internal combustion engine to improve atomization and evaporation of the spray. A novel heating system of fuel flow inside the injector using electromagnetic heating is applied in LMI system. Comprehensive study on ethanol microwave heating and it is the effect on spray performances of the LMI system was conducted numerically and experimentally. Numerical modeling was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the heating performances of ethanol inside the heating zone where the electromagnetic heating process occurred. The important phenomena of electromagnetism, heat transfer and fluid flow were solved based on the implicit method using Backward Differentiation Formula (BDF) solver. Electromagnetic heating performances were evaluated by comparing several parameters design such as geometry, size and shape of the heating zone. Spray characteristics of fuel injected were experimentally evaluated by measuring the droplets diameter and distribution. These properties were evaluated by using a laser dispersion spray analyzer (LDSA) and high speed camera. Spray formation can be evaluated from images captured during injection. Image analysis was conducted using Images-J to investigate the effect of electromagnetic heating on the breakup of the droplets. Simulation results indicate the dependency of fuel temperature distribution on the spatial and temporal distribution of electric field inside heating area. Fuel temperature was evaluated at the tip of the injector and both simulation and experimental results were found to satisfy the agreement. An increasing of fuel temperature tends to improve the atomization and provides the small droplet dispersion during electromagnetic heating.
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Pages: 31-44
WSEAS Transactions on Heat and Mass Transfer, ISSN / E-ISSN: 1790-5044 / 2224-3461, Volume 10, 2015, Art. #4