Damköhler Number Analysis on the Effect of Ozone on Auto-Ignition and Flame Propagation in Internal Combustion Engines

Ozone assisted combustion has shown promise in stabilizing combustion and extending operating range of internal combustion engines. However, it has been reported that sensitivity of ozone quantity on combustion varies significantly dependent on combustion modes. For example, auto-ignition driv3en combustion in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine was found to be highly sensitive to the ozone concentration, and up to 100 PPM was found to be sufficient to promote combustion. On the other hand, flame propagation in spark-ignited (SI) engine has been reported to be much less sensitive to the ozone amount, requiring ozone concentration about 3000∼6000 PPM to realize any benefit in the flame speed. A better understanding on the ozone sensitivity is required for combustion device design with ozone addition. In this study, a Damköhler number analysis was performed to analyze the vast difference in the ozone sensitivity between auto-ignition and flame propagation. The analysis showed that, for ozone to be effective in flame propagation, the contribution of ozone on chemistry should be large enough to overcome the diffused radical from the oxidation layer. It is expected that similar analysis will be applicable to any additives to provide an understanding of their effect.