Abstract
Many researches on natural gas engines, with lean mixtures are being conducted for the purpose of preservation of global environment. Lean combustion is one of the most promising method for increasing engine efficiency and reducing the emission from SI engines. Due to the possibility of partial burn and misfire, however, under lean burn operation, stable flame kernel formation and fast burn rate, by use of swirl or tumble flow, are needed to guarantee a successful subsequent combustion. Experimental data were obtained on a 4-stroke, natural gas fueled SI engine to investigate the effect of compression ratio, swirl and spark plug electrode rotation on efficiency and emission under lean burn condition. Experimental results have displayed that higher compression ratio, presence of swirl vane and favorable direction of electrode gap brougth about the improvements in engine efficiency and its operational stability.
