Engine efficiency enhancement and operation range extension by argon power cycle using natural gas

Argon power cycle engine has been proved as a promising technology to increase engine efficiency and to reduce engine out emissions. In this research work, experiments were conducted in a port injection single-cylinder engine with air and argon/oxygen as the working fluids under spark ignition, homogeneous charge compression ignition, and spark assisted compression ignition conditions. Natural gas was used as fuel. Experimental results indicate that argon power cycle increases thermal efficiency, extends lean burn limit, suppresses oxides of nitrogen and unburned hydrocarbon emissions, compared to conventional air cycle. The maximum thermal efficiency of argon power cycle reaches 41.5% under low equivalence ratios and high compression ratio conditions. Given a fixed oxygen content, the thermal efficiency increases with decreasing equivalence ratio until the lean burn limit. With the decrease of oxygen content from 21% to 7.5%, the thermal efficiency of argon power cycle first increases and then drops with the peak occurring at ~15%. In practical applications, the engine load of argon power cycle can be controlled by changing equivalence ratio, oxygen content, or both. With argon power cycle, the use of spark assisted compression ignition can further increase the combustion stability, thermal efficiency, and decrease unburned hydrocarbon emission. Combined with an optimal spark timing, the engine cycle’s coefficient of variation of the indicated mean effective pressure decreases up to 84% and the thermal efficiency increases up to 2%, compared to homogeneous charge compression ignition.