OPTICAL DIAGNOSTICS TO IMPROVE AUTOMOTIVE COMBUSTION EFFICIENCY
W. Ethan Eagle, Post-doc, Sandia National Labs
May 28, 2015, 10:00 am, NIA, Rm 137
Abstract
More than 80 million new automobiles were sold worldwide in 2014 and the overwhelming majority of these vehicles burn liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Given that growth projections for the personal mobility market suggest soon we will top 100 million new vehicles per year, worldwide regulation on the emission of CO2 from vehicles has been targeted as a significant area for technological improvement. Since the 1980’s, in-cylinder fuel spray, combustion efficiency, and pollutant formation has been studied at Sandia with multiple laser and optical diagnostics. These data form the basis of our conceptual models for automotive combustion and directly impacted increasing automotive efficiency over the past 30 years. In this talk, three new experimental and theoretical tools developed at Sandia will be described that help to elucidate the mixing, fate, and transport occurring during direct fuel injections. I will first discuss a new technique using particle image velocimety (PIV) to quantify ambient air entrainment during fuel injection. Next, I will demonstrate a method for tracking fuel vapor penetration using natural emission captured in the infrared at 3.4 microns and compare the results to a schlieren approach at visible wavelengths. Finally, I will outline a novel approach to kHz PIV that doesn’t require a laser. Preliminary results of these new diagnostic investigations will be discussed and I invite guests to join a conversation about the potential impact of these new techniques on our conceptual models for turbulent mixing and combustion.
Biography
Dr. W. Ethan Eagle is currently working with Dr. Mark Musculus as a post-doc in the heavy-duty diesel engine lab at the Sandia National Labs Combustion Research Facility in Livermore, California. From 2012 to 2013 he was a post-doc at the University of Michigan in the optical research in combustion lab of Dr. Margaret Wooldridge. He completed his PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 2012 from Michigan with Dr. James Driscoll in an experimental study of 3D shock wave boundary layer interactions. Prior to Michigan, he completed dual bachelors degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Mathematics in 2006 and a MSc in Aerospace in 2007 from the University of Maryland. In addition to scholarship in aero-thermodynamics and combustion, he is interested and committed to engaging the engineering community, particularly engineering educators and employers, on the topic of uncertainty quantification, and also investigates the impacts of engineering practice on sustainability, social inclusion, and social justice.