INVESTIGATION ON IMPACTS OF ELLIPTICAL DUCTS ON MACROSCOPIC SPRAY CHARACTERISTICS OF DUCTED FUEL INJECTION

To study the influence of ducts other than circular shapes on spray characteristics of ducted fuel injection (DFI), experimental and simulation methods were used to study the impacts of elliptical ducts on DFI macroscopic spray characteristics. Two elliptical ducts, small and large, were used, with a circular duct for comparison. The small elliptical duct had the same hole cross-sectional area as the circular duct, and the large elliptical duct had a larger cross-sectional area. The DFI spray configuration with the elliptical duct promoted the axial dispersion and weakened the radial dispersion of spray with respect to free spray. Different spray–duct interactions caused differences in spray characteristics, manifested in changes in velocity field and pressure field. The spray velocity field of the circular duct had the best effect on promoting spray dispersion, followed by the small elliptical duct, and finally by the large elliptical duct compared to that of free spray. Furthermore, the pumping effect caused by the pressure differences between inside and outside the duct promoted the thorough mixing of spray and ambient gas inside the duct. From the radial velocity of ambient gas flowing to spray around the duct inlet, the pumping effect of the circular duct was the strongest, followed by the small elliptical duct and finally by the large elliptical duct.