DIRECT2

The project at a glance

Start date:
01 Dec 2023
Duration in months:
24
Funding:
FNR, Bridges
Principal Investigator(s)::
Prof. Dr. Stephan Leyer,
Dr. Gavin Dober (Phinia-external)

About

Direct Fuel Injection (DFI) technology will remain integral to passenger car powertrains for decades. To address decarbonization challenges, biofuels and synthetic fuels are anticipated to gain importance. The performance of fuel injection systems directly influences engine efficiency, noise, emissions, and durability. Fuel injectors involve complex multiphase flow phenomena due to interactions between valve motion, fluid flow, pressure waves, cavitation, degassing, thermal dynamics, and corrosion effects.

Despite significant advancements in physics-based modeling of these phenomena, many have not been integrated into commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools or validated for real-world cases. As a result, limited simulation studies address these intricate flow behaviors in high-pressure fuel injectors. This project aims to fill this gap by applying ANSYS Fluent to model high-pressure injector flows, focusing on pressure wave propagation, cavitation, degassing, and thermal effects. The influence of fuel properties, including their role in corrosion, will also be assessed.

The approach involves evaluating and adapting suitable models to the injector geometry and integrating them into a comprehensive CFD framework. The methodology will be validated using both literature data and experimental data from PHINIA as well as from experiments performed at the university of Luxembourg, specifically targeting pressure wave dynamics and cavitation erosion. The validated model will support the design of new fuel injectors by enabling performance pre-calculations for prototypes and facilitating the investigation of local flow phenomena.

This enhanced simulation capability will provide a deeper understanding of complex flow physics, supporting technological advancements and improving fuel injector performance, contributing to cleaner and more efficient combustion engines in the transition toward sustainable fuels.