Hydrogen program combustion research: Three dimensional computational modeling

We have significantly increased our computational modeling capability by the addition of a vertical valve model in KIVA-3, code used internationally for engine design. In this report the implementation and application of the valve model is described. The model is shown to reproduce the experimentally verified intake flow problem examined by Hessel. Furthermore, the sensitivity and performance of the model is examined for the geometry and conditions of the hydrogen-fueled Onan engine in development at Sandia National Laboratory. Overall the valve model is shown to have comparable accuracy as the general flow simulation capability in KIVA-3, which has been well validated by past comparisons to experiments. In the exploratory simulations of the Onan engine, the standard use of the single kinetic reaction for hydrogen oxidation was found to be inadequate for modeling the hydrogen combustion because of its inability to describe both the observed laminar flame speed and the absence of autoignition in the Onan engine. We propose a temporary solution that inhibits the autoignition without sacrificing the ability to model spark ignition. In the absence of experimental data on the Onan engine, a computational investigation was undertaken to evaluate the importance of modeling the intake flow on the combustion and NO{sub x} emissions. A simulation that began with the compression of a quiescent hydrogen-air mixture was compared to a simulation of the full induction process with resolved opening and closing of the intake valve. Although minor differences were observed in the cylinder-averaged pressure, temperature, bulk-flow kinetic energy and turbulent kinetic energy, large differences where observed in the hydrogen combustion rate and NO{sub x} emissions. The flow state at combustion is highly heterogeneous and sensitive to the details of the bulk and turbulent flow and that an accurate simulation of the Onan engine must include the modeling of the air-fuel induction