Despite many previous (mostly experimental) efforts to characterise super-critical injection conditions, they still remain a challenging fluid dynamics problem due to the multi-scale, multi-phase character of the complex physical phenomena that governs them. This proposal aims to offer a systematic approach towards a better understanding and prediction of the transition of sub- critical to super-critical injection phenomena, combining novel state-of-the-art simulations with experiments already performed by the University of Brighton and Sandia National Laboratories for diesel engine conditions. The model will include real gas effects and target both primary and secondary atomization regions at the limit of transition between sub-critical to super-critical conditions.
This research project commenced on September 2017 and will last 13 months until October 2018.
The numerical models that will be developed within this project have the potential to capture the underlying physics of the phenomena even at extreme thermodynamic conditions and therefore can play the role of virtual experiments, providing valuable access to flow areas and conditions where real experiments face limitations. The numerical framework that will be presented in the proposed research aspires to lead to the creation of the new generation of equipment design tools that will be available to both academic and non-academic sectors and will facilitate the cost-effective design of novel high-pressure injection systems. Moreover, the outcomes of the research will be disseminated to the academic community through publications in high impact journals and national and international conferences as well as an outreach workshop. This research could change the way we currently view the modelling of multiphase problems not only for automotive application but for other disciplines involving super-critical fluids.
This project is ongoing; output, findings and impact will be updated in due course.
Research team
Dr Konstantina Vogiatzaki (Principal Investigator)
Professor Cyril Crua (Project Adviser)
Professor Sergei Sazhin (Project Adviser)
Output
Output will be updated in due course.
Partners
Ricardo Group
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, United States