Towards a framework for optimizing dual-fuel engines : computing in-cylinder heat transfer and modeling dual-fuel combustion

The internal combustion engine is currently under a lot of stress. Voices are rising to ban the use of this technology completely, to reduce its global warming impact and the emission of harmful pollutants. The combustion engine technology is however a mature technology, made out of easy to find and recyclable materials. Furthermore, this technology runs on energy-dense fuels, which ensures acceptable drive ranges. Especially for heavy-duty or marine applications this seems crucial and hard to replace by another propulsion method. It is however necessary that the used fuels are of a renewable nature. In that perspective, the dual-fuel engine seems an interesting technology, both as a short- and long-term alternative. It replaces the main part of diesel by a renewable alternative, such as natural gas or methanol, thereby reducing the global warming impact and emissions. Optimization of this type of engine is however still necessary, for which simulation software can be useful. In this work, a framework for 3D simulations of a dual-fuel engine has been created, that captures the important steps during the operation, such as the fuel injection, heat transfer and dual-fuel combustion. This framework thereby supports the development of the dual-fuel engine technology.