Study of Gasoline-Ethanol Jet Behaviour using the Lattice Boltzmann 2015-01-0942

This research presents the simulation of the jet behavior of gasoline ethanol blends in a quiescent chamber using the Lattice Boltzmann method. The fuel is taken as different mixtures of gasoline and ethanol, and the properties, such as density, viscosity and surface tension, are varied accordingly in the Lattice Boltzmann model. The variations in jet structure and instabilities are modeled according to the velocity of fuel injection, the composition of the gasoline-ethanol blend and the property of the surrounding mixture. The model implemented for the interaction of the two fluids; air and fuel, is the Shan Chen model. The accuracy of the model is confirmed using a static drop test at different curvatures for the two fluids as well as observing the evolution of merging droplets. This is the first time that the study of different fuels in done using the Shan Chen model. The research shows that the change in amplitude and wavelength of disturbances on the jet surface by varying the ethanol content and injection velocity, are adequately modeled. For the density and viscosity ratios used in the simulation, the Lattice Boltzmann Method along with the Shan Chen model proved accurate in simulating the injection of fuel into the chamber. This research helps in understanding the fuel injection dynamics of the combustion engine.