A control oriented SI and HCCI hybrid combustion model for internal combustion engines

The combustion mode transition between SI (spark ignited) and HCCI (Homogeneously Charged Compression Ignition) of an IC (Internal Combustion) engine is challenge due to the thermo inertia of residue gas; and model-based control becomes a necessity. This paper presents a control oriented two-zone model to describe the hybrid combustion that starts with SI combustion and ends with HCCI combustion. The gas respiration dynamics were modeled using mean-value approach and the combustion process was modeled using crank resolved method. The developed model was validated in an HIL (Hardware-In-the-Loop) simulation environment for both steady-state and transient operations in SI, HCCI, and SI-HCCI hybrid combustion modes through the exhaust valve timing control (recompression). Furthermore, cooled external EGR (exhaust gas re-circulation) was used to suppress engine knock and enhance the fuel efficiency. The simulation results also illustrates that the transient control parameters of hybrid combustion is quite different from these in steady state operation, indicating the need of a control oriented SI-HCCI hybrid combustion model for transient combustion control.