Heat Power Engineering

Heat Power Engineering laboratory focuses on combustion research for improving thermal efficiency and reducing harmful exhaust emissions as less as zero. Gas flow, spray and combustion process are measured with ultra high-speed imaging, spectroscopy of emissions from chemical reactions, and lasers. Furthermore, three-dimensional CFD simulation is performed by establishing various models. Utilazation of hydrogen and bio-fuels are also targeted.

Websitehttps://www.cc.okayama-u.ac.jp/hpl/

Specialized field
Thermal engineering, Internal combustion engine, Laser diagnostics

E-mailkawahara@okayama-u.ac.jp

Development of high efficiency IC engine

I am working to develop highly efficiency gasoline engine in order to reduce CO2 and PM(soot) emissions. I am contributing to increase ignition stability and to make CFD models for spary in DISI engine.

Development of hydrogen engine

Electric generators (gas turbine, gas engine) with hydrogen as fuel have been develeoed. Hydrogen engine has advantage to reduce CO2 emission. I am developing measurement ssystem to obtain hydrogen-air equivalence ratio around the spark plug in direct hydrogen injection spark-ignition engine and contributing to develop highly efficiency hydrogen engine.


Fig.1 Visualization of fuel spray and combustion in DISI engine


Fig.2 Combustion in hydrogen engine

Yoshimitsu KOBASHI
Associate Professor

Specialized field
Thermal engineering, Combustion engineering, Internal combustion engine

E-mailkobashi@okayama-u.ac.jp

High efficiency engine combustion with carbon neutral fuels

Engine combustion technologies achieving high efficiency have been developed with carbon neutral fuels including hydrogen, methane and biodiesel fuel in dual fuel engines.

3D numerical simulation of engine combustion

Numerical simulation schemes of spray combustion have been developed while modeling physical phenomena and chemical reactions in engine cylinders.


Fig.1 Illustration of combustion processes with carbon neutral fuels


Fig.2 Numerical simulations of gasoline and diesel engines

Kazuya TSUBOI
Assistant Professor

Specialized field
Turbulent combustion, Flame intrinsic instability, DNS

E-mailtsuboi@okayama-u.ac.jp

Numerical measurement on turbulent premixed flames using DNS

The optimisation of turbulent combustion in the actual combustors is required for the enhancement of thermal efficiency and the reduction of emission. It is important for the optimum control of turbulent combustion to make a precise measurement of turbulent flames and to understand their mechanisms. Towards the tremendous precision of optical measurement, the numerical optical measurement of turbulent flames is conducted by using DNS (direct numerical simulation).

DNS study on intrinsic instabilities of premixed flames

In the premixed combustion with the certain conditions, it is considered that laminar flames shift to cellular flames due to the intrinsic instabilities, and then develop into turbulent flames due to the self-turbulisation. Towards the clarification of detailed mechanism of the self-turbulisation, DNS (direct numerical simulation) is implemented under the similar conditions as the actual combustors.


Fig.1 Image of numerical laser measuremnt.


Fig.2 Flame divelopment with intrinsic instabilities.