Engine Research Center
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The Engine Research Center is a major research and educational institution investigating the fundamentals and applications of internal combustion engines. The Engine Research Center (ERC), a U.S. Army Center of Excellence, is devoted to fundamental research on spark ignition and diesel engines. It is one of several such programs in the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Mechanical Engineering in which faculty members work together to secure outside funds for research projects, advise graduate students, report on their work to the profession, and develop courses and textbooks based on their activities.
The ERC's projects involve fluid mechanics, heat transfer, combustion, sprays, emissions and health effects, lubrication, and powertrain systems. Particular emphasis has been placed on the application of optical diagnostic methods to engines, and computational fluid modeling of engine processes. The center's facilities include an array of lasers, instrumentation, emissions measurement systems, single-cylinder engine test stands and computers, including an SGI 32 processor ORIGIN 2000. MS and PhD students who have graduated from this program hold leadership positions in industry and at major universities.
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INSTANTANEOUS HEAT FLUX MEASUREMENTS IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
(2011)High temporal resolution heat flux measurements were performed in two different internal combustion (IC) engines. Measurements in a large compression ignition engine were conducted with a wireless telemetry system utilizing ... -
FUEL FILM DIAGNOSTIC DEVELOPMENT OF A SPARK IGNITED, HOMOGENEOUS CHARGED, FOUR STROKE, AIR-COOLED ENGINE
(2009-07-08)The main objective of this research has been to develop techniques for qualifying and quantifying fuel film development in the intake port of a small air-cooled four-stroke utility engine. These techniques should be able ... -
Fuel Effects on Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Combustion
(2009-07-08)Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is one combustion strategy that has shown the possibility of both lower emissions and lower fuel consumption than spark ignition combustion. However, HCCI combustion can be ... -
UNBURNED HYDROCARBON EMISSION MECHANISMS IN SMALL ENGINES
(2009-07-08)The effect of the liquid fuel in the intake manifold, the ring pack crevices and the oil film on the unburned hydrocarbon (HC) emissions of a spark-ignited, carbureted, air-cooled V-twin engine was studied. Tests were ... -
OPTICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE EFFECTS OF STRATIFICATION ON HOMOGENEOUS CHARGE COMPRESSION IGNITION COMBUSTION
(2009-07-08)The effects that thermal and compositional stratification have on homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion were studied using an optically accessible internal combustion engine. A stratified flowfield ... -
LIGHT-LOAD BURN RATE ANALYSIS IN AN AIR-COOLED UTILITY ENGINE
(2009-07-08)In order to maximize the power-to-weight ratio, small, air-cooled utility engines are designed for WOT performance. Low-speed, light-load conditions suffer due to high residual gas retention, poor volumetric efficiency ... -
Numerical and Experimental Fuel Flow Analysis of Small Engine Carburetor Idle Circuits
(2009-07-08)Small engine carburetors have been used for over 100 years and their continual development has produced a mechanical device that although simple in principle is difficult to control in practice. This study aims to develop ... -
A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF FUEL IMPINGEMENT IN THE INTAKE OF A SPARK IGNITION ENGINE
(2009-07-08)A computational study of fuel impingement in a port fuel injection gasoline engine was performed to gain an understanding of the fuel impingement process, and provide insight into high load fuel delivery, where oil ... -
Non-Intrusive Engine Piston Temperature Measurement Using a Fiber Bragg Grating
(2009-07-08)An embedded fiber Bragg grating was used to examine the operating temperature of a small gasoline engine piston. Optical system analyses were conducted to enhance the accuracy and consistency of the measured piston ... -
THE EFFECTS OF EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION ON COMBUSTION AND EMISSIONS IN AN AIR-COOLED UTILITY ENGINE
(2009-07-08)Among other requirements, small air-cooled utility engines must maximize power-toweight ratio. A means of meeting this requirement is to optimize the gas exchange process by utilizing cam shafts that complement high ... -
Transient High-Pressure Hydrogen Jet Measurements
(2009-07-08)Jets produced by prototype multi-hole gaseous injectors were visualized using schlieren methods. Hydrogen and helium were injected at pressures ranging from 1.3 bar to 104 bar into chamber densities ranging from 1.15 to ... -
Analysis of Intake Charge Temperature and EGR Stratification Effects on HCCI Combustion
(2009-07-08)HCCI combustion is characterized by a near homogeneous composition and temperature mixture of air, fuel and post-combustion products. HCCI related research work around the world defines different strategies for achieving ... -
OH Absorption Spectroscopy to Investigate Light-Load HCCI Combustion
(2009-07-08)Absorption spectroscopy of the OH molecule was used to examine the light-load limit of the HCCI combustion process. Optical results were compared to cylinder pressure and emissions data, with a focus on the transition ... -
Optical Spray Patternation of Gasoline Fuel Injectors
(2009-07-08)Planar Mie scattering images were acquired for 21 injectors to investigate the feasibility of a predictive method of injector performance in an engine. A testing apparatus was constructed, which allowed optical access ... -
Near-wall PLIF Imaging of Formaldehyde in an HCCI Engine
(2009-07-08)This project studied the characteristics of Homogeneous-Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) combustion near the combustion chamber surfaces using Planar Laser- Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) of the intermediate combustion ... -
Spectroscopic Investigation of Chemiluminescence in Gasoline Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition Engine
(2009-07-08)A spectroscopic diagnostic system has been designed to study the effects of different engine parameters on the chemiluminescence characteristic of HCCI combustion. Light emitted during the combustion process was collected ... -
THE EFFECTS OF LUBRICATING OIL CONSUMPTION ON THE DETAILED CHARACTERISTICS OF DIESEL PARTICULATE MATTER
(2009-07-08)Testing was carried out on a Cummins N14 single-cylinder heavy-duty D.I. diesel research engine with a full dilution tunnel system to quantify lubricating oil consumption (LOC) rates and determine any effects of changes ... -
Characterization of Operating Parameters' Authority on the Flow-Field Mixedness of a DISI Engine
(2009-07-08)A study designed to characterize the authority of engine operating parameters? contribution to the mixedness of the non-reacting flow-field of an optically accessible directinjection spark ignition (DISI) engine was ... -
RESIDUAL GAS EFFECTS ON COMBUSTION IN AN AIR-COOLED UTILITY ENGINE
(2009-07-08)Air-cooled utility engines are often equipped with cams designed to ensure maximum charging efficiency, but the resulting valve lift and timing often correlates to poor engine performance at low speeds and light loads, ...
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