Thermodynamics-Based Mean Value Model for Diesel Combustion

A thermodynamics-based computationally efficient mean value engine model that computes ignition delay, combustion phases, exhaust temperature, and indicated mean effective pressure has been developed for the use of control strategy development. The model is derived from the thermodynamic principles of ideal gas standard limited pressure cycle. In order to improve the fidelity of the model, assumptions that are typically used to idealize the cycle are modified or replaced with ones that more realistically replicate the physical process such as exhaust valve timing, in-cylinder heat transfer, and the combustion characteristics that change under varying engine operating conditions. The model is calibrated and validated with the test data from a Ford 6.7 liter diesel engine. The mean value model developed in this study is a flexible simulation tool that provides excellent computational efficiency without sacrificing critical details of the underlying physics of the diesel combustion process.