The swirl ratio influence on combustion process and heat transfer in the opposed piston compression-ignition engine

In order to maximise engine heat efficiency an engines charge flow must be properly designed -especially its swirl and tumble ratio. A two-stroke compression-ignition opposed piston engine reacts to engine swirl differently compared to a standard automotive engine with axially symmetric combustion chamber. In order to facilitate direct fuel injection, high-pressure injectors must be positioned from the side of combustion chamber. Depending on the combustion chamber geometry the swirling gases impact greatly how the injection stream is formed. If the deformation is too high the high temperature combustion gases can hit the piston surface or get into gaps between the pistons. This greatly affects the heat lost to the pistons and raises their local temperature. More atomised injection stream is more prone to swirling gas flow due to its reduced droplet size and momentum. The paper presents simulation results and analyses for different intake process induced swirl ratios and different types of combustion chambers in an experimental aviation opposed piston engine.