Numerical study of the effects of exhaust gas recirculation stratification on reducing the rate of pressure rise in dimethyl ether homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion

This work investigates the potential of in-cylinder exhaust gas recirculation stratification for reducing the rate of pressure rise in dimethyl ether homogeneous charge compression ignition engines and its coupling with both thermal stratification and fuel stratification. Numerical analyses were performed using a five-zone version of the CHEMKIN-II kinetics rate code and the kinetic mechanics of dimethyl ether. The effects of inert components were used to represent the presence of exhaust gas recirculation in calculations. Three cases of exhaust gas recirculation stratification were tested in terms of both thermal stratification and fuel stratification at a fixed initial temperature, fixed initial pressure and fixed fuelling rate at bottom dead centre. In order to explore the appropriate stratification of exhaust gas recirculation, the exhaust gas recirculation width (defined as the difference between the exhaust gas recirculation ratios in zone 1 and zone 5 in the five-zone model) which we employed was from 0% to 30%. The case of exhaust gas recirculation homogeneity (called case 1), in which the exhaust gas recirculation width is 0%, was examined. In case 2, exhaust gas recirculation is located densely in a hot zone for combination with thermal stratification or in a fuel-rich zone for combination with fuel stratification. The last case (case 3) was the inverse of case 2. Ringing was reduced to an acceptable level in the case of fuel stratification with an appropriate exhaust gas recirculation distribution, which slowed the rapid burning during the compression stroke.