In situ measurement of hydrocarbon fuel concentration near a spark plug in an engine cylinder using the 3.392 μm infrared laser absorption method: Application to an actual engine

An infrared absorption method with a 3.392 umm He-Ne laser was used to determine the hydrocarbon fuel concentration near the spark plug in a spark-ignition engine. Iso-octane was used for the fuel. The pressure and temperature dependence of the molar absorption coefficient was clarified. The molar absorption coefficients of a multi-component fuel such as gasoline were estimated by using the coefficient of each component and considering the mass balance. A sensor was developed and installed in a spark plug, which was substituted in place of an ordinary spark plug in a spark-ignition engine. Light can pass from the sensor through the engine cylinder to measure the fuel concentration. The effects of liquid droplets inside the engine cylinder, mechanical vibrations and other gases such as H₂O and CO₂ on the measurement accuracy were considered. Four main conclusions were drawn from this study. First, the pressure and temperature effects on the molar absorption coefficient of liquid fuel vapour were determined independently in advance using a constant-volume vessel. The pressure and temperature dependence of the molar absorption coefficient was determined under engine firing conditions. Second, the molar absorption coefficients of a multi-component hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline were estimated by considering the molar fraction of each component. Third, in situ measurements of the hydrocarbon fuel concentration in an actual engine were obtained using the spark plug sensor and the molar absorption coefficient of iso-octane. The concentration near the spark plug just before ignition was almost in agreement with the mean value that was obtained from the measurement of the flow rate made with a burette, which represented the mean value averaged over many cycles. And fourth, no liquid droplets were observed at near-idling conditions. The effects of other gases, such as CO, CO₂ and H₂O, can be neglected.