Active pre-chamber ignition systems for novel car combustion processes (LEANition)
Third party funded individual grant
Acronym: LEANition
Start date : 01.08.2019
End date : 31.07.2022
Project details
Scientific Abstract
In the LEANition project, the possibilities and limits of a purged prechamber ignition in passenger car gasoline engines are to be demonstrated. The pre-chamber is a small ignition chamber around the spark plug, which is connected to the combustion chamber by transfer ducts and is actively supplied with a fuel-air mixture in addition to the charge exchange with the main combustion chamber. The application is based on the innovation of extracting the mixture required to supply the pre-chamber from the conventional petrol tank above the liquid level. The gas atmosphere there is very rich in fuel. The prechamber ignition shows the potential for significantly reduced fuel consumption in the partial load range while simultaneously reducing NOx emissions through the use of homogeneous lean mixtures (λ ≈ 2) or high to very high residual gas contents (EGR ≥ 30 %). The high ignition energy of the pre-chamber ensures the ignition of these mixtures which are unwilling to ignite. Active prechamber ignition is known for large gas engines, but cannot yet be implemented in passenger cars. The use of the fuel already available (in gaseous form) makes it possible to convert prechamber ignitions into car drives.
In the project the partners are striving to generate a deep understanding of the interactions of the prechamber ignition and thus to lay the foundation for the development of a combustion process that can implement the above-mentioned advantages in passenger car propulsion. This can be based on the results of the preliminary study carried out by the project partners, which proved that the enrichment of the pre-chamber through the use of the gas phase in the tank is possible.