Int. J. Global Warming, Vol. 18, Nos.

3/4, 2019 287

Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on

performance and emissions in diesel engine

Kubilay Bayramoğlu*
Department of Marine Engineering,
Dokuz Eylul University,
Tinaztepe Campus,
İzmir, Turkey
and
Bulent Ecevit University,
67100 Merkez/Zonguldak Merkez/Zonguldak, Turkey
Email: kubilay.bayramoglu@deu.edu.tr
*Corresponding author

Semih Yilmaz and Kerim Deniz Kaya

Department of Marine Engineering,
Dokuz Eylul University,
Tinaztepe Campus,
İzmir, Turkey
Email: semih.yilmaz@deu.edu.tr
Email: deniz.kaya@deu.edu.tr

Abstract: Diesel engines are widely used in the world for trade and human
transportation because of their efficiency and economical aspects.
Approximately thirty percent of the greenhouse gases that cause global
warming in the world are due to the transportation sector. The purpose of this
study is to examine the effect of four-stroke single-cylinder diesel engine on
combustion characteristics and exhaust gas emissions by changing intake valve
lift distances. Combustion analysis and visualisation of analysis results at
different valve lift values were applied with ANSYS-Forte, which is a
commercial software, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for
combustion system analysis and ANSYS-Chemkin which is used for reaction
kinetics of combustion. Numerical results are shown that CO, CO2, NO, NO2
emissions, pressure and temperature with respect to crank angle. Numerical
analysis results were compared with previous experimental data and parametric
studies were applied based on verified model. The cylinder pressure and
temperature values were found to be parallel with the data examined in the
literature. The current study found that gross indicated power, indicated main
effective pressure (IMEP) and combustion efficiency increase with the valve
lift extension

Keywords: valve lift; marine diesel engine; computational fluid dynamics;

CFD; exhaust emissions.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Bayramoğlu, K.,

Yilmaz, S. and Kaya, K.D. (2019) ‘Numerical investigation of valve lifts
effects on performance and emissions in diesel engine’, Int. J. Global
Warming, Vol. 18, Nos. 3/4, pp.287–303.

Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

288 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

Biographical notes: Kubilay Bayramoğlu is a Research Assistant at Dokuz,

Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. He received his Bachelor of Science (BSc)
degree from the Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department of
Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey, in 2014. He has completed his
MSc degree in the Department of Marine Engineering at Dokuz Eylul
University, Izmir, Turkey. His PhD study continues in Department of Marine
Engineering at Dokuz Eylul University. He is interested in primarily energy,
computational fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, engine combustion and
renewable energy sources.

Semih Yilmaz is a Lecturer at Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. He

received her Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from the Mechanical
Engineering Department of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey, in 2007. He
completed his MSc thesis in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ege
University, Izmir, Turkey, in 2011. His PhD study continues in Department of
Mechanical Engineering at Dokuz Eylul University about combustion research.
He is interested in primarily energy, heat transfer, fluid mechanics,
computational fluid dynamics, combustion mechanisms, reaction engineering,
computational analyses of various types of energy systems, renewable energy
sources. He has several conference proceedings in international symposiums.

Kerim Deniz Kaya received his Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in

Department of Mechanical Engineering from Dokuz Eylül University,
Izmir-Turkey in 2008. He received MSc degree in Department of Mechatronics
Engineering from Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir-Turkey in 2015. He has
studied about design and control of compliant rotary actuators during his MSc
education. He has been involved in several research projects about usage of
renewable energy systems on board vessels. He is studying about design,
control and implementation of underwater robots as part of his PhD project. His
research interests focus on mechatronic system design, automation, control
theory and control applications.

This paper is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled ‘A numerical

investigation of valve lift effects on marine diesel engine and emission
prediction’ presented at 7th Global Conference on Global Warming, Izmir,
Turkey, 24–28 June 2018.

1 Introduction

Internal combustion engines are now the most reliable source of power and the most
efficient energy conversion systems in regional and worldwide operations for both
industry and transportation sector (Payri et al., 2004; Yousefi et al., 2017). This excessive
use of internal combustion engines has resulted in the exhaust gas emissions such as HC,
CO and NOx which are harmful to human health, atmosphere and the environment. The
diesel engine has caused many limitations and regulations due to global warming and
other environmental problems (Çinar et al., 2015; Elsanusi et al., 2017; Al-Rousan et al.,
2018).
A typical internal combustion diesel cycle consists of four essential processes, namely
suction, compression, expansion and exhaust. The suction process is necessary for the
movement of the airflow in the cylinder, and the compression process is necessary for
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 289

fuel spraying and combustion (Pandey and Roy, 2012). In recent studies, to minimise the
amount of emissions, some of the researchers work on engine geometry parameters,
while others study on fuel used in diesel engines. Studies which are based on engine
geometry are accomplished by changing of diesel engine piston geometry, valve timing,
nozzle geometry and valve lift.
Variable valve technology like valve timing and valve lift for internal combustion
engines will have an accelerating effect on engine performance for future industry
standards, as well as emissions. In diesel engines, the cycles associated with valve
movements also have an impact on emissions. The miller cycle is one of the emission
reduction applications in diesel engines. The miller cycle is achieved by reducing the
compression ratio according to the expansion ratio. Delaying of the intake valve or
premature shutdown of the exhaust valve reduces the temperature and NOx emissions
(Gonca and Sahin, 2016). The Atkinson cycle using the similar cycle is more efficient
than the miller cycle due to increased power output (Zhao, 2017). Valve lift in diesel
engines affects the air fuel mixture, emissions and engine combustion performance
depending on the valve opening clearance of the air taken into the combustion chamber
(Begg et al., 2009).
Numerous studies have been conducted recently in the performance and development
of variable valve actuation and internal combustion engine valve systems. For example,
Zhang et al. (2016) investigated that electro-hydraulic exhaust valve is used in the
hydraulic free piston engine (HFPE). In order to control valve timing and valve lift,
variable valve actuation (VVA) can be used. The results of CFD analysis in VVA have
been verified by HFPE. Semin, et al. (2008) conducted a numerical study to show the
effect of exhaust and intake valve lift on air fluid flow in a single-cylinder 4-stroke
engine. Karabulut (2009) investigated the effects of valve stem and opening time on
speed, acceleration, recoil and pressure in cam profiles obtained by conventional spline
method. He also observed that in the same valve course, as the valve open-off period
increased, a smoother cam profile was obtained, reducing speed, acceleration, jerk and
pressure angle values. Ramasamy et al. (2016) changed the valve heights to increase the
swirl ratio in the engine combustion chamber. They changed the intake valve lift value to
regulate the air flow in the suction port. Wang et al. (2015) applied an experimental study
for investigating the in-cylinder swirl and tumble flow characteristics with decreased
valve lift.
Besides that, Sarıdemir and Saruhan (2014), performed experimental analysis to
investigate and analyse the dynamic behaviour of cam flower systems with different
valve lift and working speed. The analysis carried out at 8 mm and 10 mm valve lift
values and working speed of 450, 930, 1,440, 1,950 and 2,430 rpm. With 10 mm valve
lift, more power has been obtained than the 8 mm valve lift. Begg et al. (2009) examined
the effect of variable valve heights and droplet diameters on air-outlet coefficient and
turbulence intensity in gasoline engines with experimental study. The results of the
measurements in the cylinder showed a reduction of down to 50% in the mean droplet
diameter when the valve lift was less than 3 mm.
Furthermore, Çinar et al. (2016a) examined a single-cylinder, four-stroke gasoline
engine in terms of the effect of different valve lift on engine brake power, engine torque,
power, fuel consumption ratio, HC, CO and NOx emissions using the classical spline
method. It was experimentally observed that the machine torque and power decreased
290 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

when the gasoline engine was converted to LPG at 7 mm and 8 mm valve heights and the
valve lift height was 7 mm, while the fuel consumption was increased. Clenci et al.
(2014) carried out an experimental study and numerical analysis to determine the effects
of low intake valve lift on fuel consumption and engine performance. Çinar et al. (2015)
examined the effect of reduced valve lift on air fuel ratio and inlet manifold air
temperature. In this study, the effect of valve lift on combustion and emissions was
investigated on a HCCI gasoline engine. Çinar et al. (2016b) experimentally examined
different air excess coefficients and constant inlet air temperature of 80°C with of 20%
n-heptane and 80% isooctane (PRF80) test fuel. They also determined the performance
and the combustion characteristics using trapped residual gas through low valve lift
values of an HCCI diesel engine using different cam mechanics. Li et al. (2018)
examined experimentally pump loses between continuous variable valve lift (CVVL)
engine and variable valve timing (VVT) engine. They compared the engine performance
parameters against different valve lifts using 3 different gasoline engines.
The researchers conducted different studies on the single cylinder Antor6LD 400
engine. Celik et al. (2015) investigated the effect of diesel-manganese fuel blend on
combustion, engine performance and exhaust emissions in their experimental study on
Antor 6LD 400 model diesel engine. Öztürk (2015) examined the effects experimentally
with blends of diesel and mixture of canola oil-hazelnut soap stock biodiesels on engine
performance, emission, combustion and injection characteristics. Aksoy et al. (2017)
experimentally examined the effect of neutralised cooking oil used biodiesel and diesel
blends on combustion, performance and emissions. The study was carried out for
different load conditions on the 6LD 400 single cylinder engine.
The above studies have investigated that intake and exhaust valve lifts on internal
combustion engines directly affect engine performance and emissions. However, some of
these studies have measured performance and emissions by experimentally changing
valve lift. Other part of these studies have been examined the air flow movement without
the combustion process. This study differs from previous accomplished studies that the
combustion process was analysed numerically with computational fluid dynamics (CFD).
Besides that, the numerical results were confirmed by experimental data (Can, 2012) on
the same engine.

2 Numerical methods and setup

The numerical analysis was applied with ANSYS Forte 3D-CFD and Chemkin
commercial softwares for single cylinder four stroke diesel engine (ANSYS Inc., 2016).
Turbulent flow was defined by model transport equations. Inside the cylinder of diesel
engine, liquid sprays are injected into the flow. Gas and liquid phase interaction is
expressed by exchange functions. Navier-Stokes equations were utilised in governing
fluid dynamics of turbulent reacting flow in ANSYS Forte. Spray combustion dynamics
in diesel engines modelled in ANSYS Forte are controlled by both turbulence dynamics
and fuel combustion kinetics. Several assumptions were made in the foundation of
governing equations; such as utilisation of ideal gas law for gas-phase equations, Fick’s
law for mass diffusion and Fourier’s law for thermal diffusion.
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 291

2.1 Governing equations

Mathematical model of turbulent reactive flows with sprays is given in following
governing equations; conservation of
1 mass
2 momentum
3 energy:
∂p
+ ⋅ ( ρu ) = 0 (1)
∂t
Here ρ is density of fluid and u expresses the velocity vector of fluid.
∂
( ρu ) + ⋅ ( ρuu ) = − p + ∇ ⋅ τ + ρg (2)
∂t
Here p and τ donates pressure and total viscous stress tensor respectively.
∂
( ρE ) + ∇ ⋅ ( ρEu ) = −∇ ( pu ) + ∇(k grad T ) + ∇ ( u ⋅ τ ) (3)
∂t
Here E, k and T represents total energy, thermal conductivity and temperature
respectively.

2.2 Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations

Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) is the most common turbulence model in
currently used internal combustion engines due to its computational simplicity. The
nature of the turbulent flow comprises of several random events. To reduce the
computational time of Navier-Stokes equations and reach the exact solution, terms in the
equations are divided into mean (time-averaged) and unstable components (Malalasekera
and Versteeg, 2007).
Φ = Φ + Φ′ (4)
When this equation is substituted for continuity and momentum equation, time-averaged
results are obtained by the following equations:
∂ρ
+ ⋅ ( ρu ) = 0 (5)
∂t
∂ρ  ∂ ∂ ∂ 
+ ⋅ ρuu − ⋅ ρ + μ ( grad u ) + . ( ρuu ) ⋅ ( ρuv′ ) ⋅ ( ρuw )  (6)
∂t  ∂x ∂y ∂z 

2.3 Chemical kinetics

Numerical analysis studies carried out for internal combustion machines, the use of the
appropriate chemical reduction mechanism is significant in order to create an effective
combustion model of the engine. The number of fuel components and the number of high
292 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

carbon atoms in the fuel types increase the size of the chemical reaction. Different
reduction reactions are used for the different fuel types in the combustion reactions.
Instead of the detailed reduction mechanisms in combustion reactions, species and the
number of reactions reduced to smaller size reaction mechanisms are used.
In this study, a chemical kinetic reduction mechanism (Patel et al., 2004) was applied
for obtaining data in the use of computational combustion process. The products formed
in the combustion reactions are mainly due to the ambient temperature and pressure.
Molecular fraction and the adiabatic flame temperature in the combustion chamber are
determined by the equilibrium equations. species and chemical kinetic reactions of fossil
fuels are presented as follows (Kayadelen and Ust, 2013).
1
CO + O2 q CO2 (7)
2
1
H 2 + O2 q H 2 O (8)
2
1 1
O2 + N 2 q NO (9)
2 2
1
H2 q H (10)
2
1
O2 q O (11)
2
1 2
H 2 + O2 q OH (12)
2 2

2.4 Valve lift and emission relation

In diesel engines, combustion is directly related to fuel quality, fuel conditions, and the
air in the combustion chamber. Air which is taken with the suction stroke to the
combustion chamber varies depending on the valve lift and valve geometry. The lack of
combustion air affects the quality of combustion and increases the amount of flue gases
causing global warming.

3 Numerical setup

The numerical analysis performed on air cooled, single cylinder, direct injection, natural
aspirated diesel engine. The specifications of investigated engine were given in Table 1.
It is important that the ANSYS Forte and Chemkin commercial codes predict the
combustion process well in Antor 6LD400 engine which used in this investigation.
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 293

Table 1 Technical specifications of the diesel engine used in the analysis

Specification Unit Value

Brand and model - Antor 6LD400
Type - Direct injection (DI) diesel engine
No. of cylinder - Single
No. of stroke - Four stroke
Cylinder diameter mm 86
Stroke mm 68
Cylinder volume mm3 395
Compression ratio - 18:1
Maximum power kW 5.4 @ 3,000 rpm
Maximum torque N∙m 19.6 @ 2,200 rpm
Combustion chamber shape - Mexican hat
Injector coneangle degree 160°

The valve lift is an effective parameter for determining the amount of air taken into the
combustion chamber and exiting the exhaust gas inside the internal combustion engines.
The fuel conversion efficiency is directly related with valve lift distances (Jang and Bae,
2009). In this study, numerical analysis had been run for three different intake valve lift
values as 3.5 mm, 4.5 mm and 5.5 mm. Valve lift distance with respect to crank angle
was demonstrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Valve lift distance with respect to crank angle (see online version for colours)

In the numerical calculations, heptane (n-C7H16) which is the nearest chemical property
to diesel fuel was used as fuel with explained chemical properties in Table 2 (Patel et al.,
2004; Wang et al., 2013; Das and Lim, 2017). The data regarding the thermophysical and
transport properties of the injected fuel were taken from the literature studies which were
confirmed by experimental studies.
294 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

Table 2 Chemical properties of the fuel used in the analysis

Specification Unit Value

Formula - C7H16
Cetane number - 56.3
Density @ 15°C kg/m3 684
Boiling point °C 98.4
Low heating value MJ/kg 44.4
Source: Das and Lim (2017)
A reduction mechanism consisting of 35 species, 175 reactions has been used as an input
in combustion analysis (Patel et al., 2004). The fuel injector of investigated engine has
four spray nozzles. Combustion chamber geometry has been determined by nozzle
numbers. Therefore, computational domain was divided into quarter symmetric sectors.
As can be seen from Figure 2, one of the sectors has been specified and liquid diesel has
been injected as fuel from injection point of the geometry.

Figure 2 Computational domain and boundary conditions (see online version for colours)

Fuel Injection Point Liner

Exhaust
Valve Cylinder Head
,,Intake
Valve Combustion
Chamber

Figure 3 Mesh independency analysis of combustion chamber pressure with respect to crank
angle (see online version for colours)
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 295

The CFD model used for this analysis has a number of mesh around 200,000 elements.
With the aim of validating numerical analysis accuracy, mesh independency analysis was
applied based on relation between cylinder combustion chamber pressure and crank angle
with 180,000, 200,000 and 210,000 elements. As can be seen from Figure 3, selected
element number is adequate for obtaining precise results. Each zone that is allocated to
the dynamic mesh is set up in this section. Moving boundaries such as piston and valves
are assigned to rigid body zone and the motions of them are specified by each profile.
Piston-limit profile is selected if the cut off is used. Deforming zones are used in the
computational domain which experiences deformation by the result of the boundary
motions. In this study, the mesh independency was ensured for the maximum number of
cells at the top dead centre (TDC).
It is crucial to use the appropriate turbulence model in flow and combustion
calculations in CFD. Especially k-ω, re-normalisation group (RNG) k-ε and standard k-ε
turbulence models are used in estimating the solution of Reynolds-averaged Navier-
Stokes equations in flow problems (Papageorgakis and Assanis, 1999). Turbulent
reacting flow turbulence model was selected as RNG k-ε model. Although RNG k-ε
model resembles the standard k-ε model in terms of most properties, containing a
resource term for interactions between turbulence propagation and mean shear stress,
accurate calculation of vortices within the combustion chamber and existence of
analytical and differential formulas for the Prandtl number put RNG k-ε model forward
against standard k-ε model (Papageorgakis and Assanis, 1999). The simulation started
from the intake valve closing (IVC) and completed at the exhaust valve opening (EVO).
Table 3 shows boundary conditions of the analysis.
Table 3 Boundary conditions of numerical analysis

Boundary condition Unit Value

Cylinder head temperature K 470
Piston temperature K 500
Liner temperature K 420
Initial pressure MPa 0.08
Engine speed rpm 1,600
Fuel mass per cycle g/cyc 0.001787
Turbulence model - RNG k- ε

4 Results and discussion

Diesel combustion is highly dependent on the temperature-pressure history, mixture

composition and thermodynamic state of the charge mixture during the compression
stroke. Valve lift is a parameter that directly affects the mixture that is formed in the
combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, combustion chamber temperature
and pressure are the main factors influencing the power.
Pressure in diesel engines, is the parameter indicating the motor efficiency and power.
296 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

Figure 4 Numerical analysis validation at 4.5 mm valve lift distance (see online version
for colours)

Cylinder pressure characteristics were validated with experimental analysis results (Can,
2012) on investigated diesel engine. Numerical analysis validation at 4.5 mm valve lift
distance was demonstrated in Figure 4. In the experimental study conducted by Can
(2012), the data collected for 50 consecutive cycles of cylinder pressure data were
obtained by statistical studies and filtering methods. The pressure values obtained by the
experimental study were reported to be ± 0.6% accuracy value in the study data (Can,
2012).
In Figure 4, maximum pressure locations between numerical and experimental results
have little discrepancy due to numerical errors in the analysis and measurement errors in
the experimental analysis (Can, 2012).
Computational analysis of engine combustion has been enabled to obtain cylinder
pressure and temperature depends on crank angle as shown Figures 5 and 6. It can be
clearly seen that with increasing valve lift distance, cylinder pressure and temperature
rises due to increasing fuel conversion efficiency and suitable fuel/air ratio. According to
figures, it was seen that the temperature and pressure have highest values for 5.5 mm
valve lift which has optimum air-fuel mixture among the determined valve lift values.

Figure 5 Cylinder pressure alterations with respect to crank angle for three different valve lift
values (see online version for colours)
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 297

Figure 6 Cylinder temperature alterations with respect to crank angle for three different valve lift
values (see online version for colours)

In diesel engines, engine performance and emission values depend on the quality of
combustion. The amount of oxygen in the intake air also affects the air-fuel ratio and
combustion quality. Decreasing the amount of oxygen in the combustion air causes
deterioration of combustion and increase of ignition delay. As a result of deteriorating
combustion, pressure and temperature decrease.
On the other hand, the amount of oxygen in the inlet air and the reaction temperature
are two important parameters affecting NOx emissions. These are parameters that
accelerate and increase the chemical activity in the formation of nitrogen oxides. In
addition, studies have shown a close relationship between NO emissions and combustion
chamber pressure values. The starting point of the formation of the nitrogen oxides is
taken as the time at which the maximum pressure occurred (Mehdiyev et al., 2002).

Figure 7 Change of NO emissions with respect to crank angle (see online version for colours)

NO mole fractions obtained from the analysis are presented in Figure 7. The change in
NO mass fraction is directly related to the increase or decrease of the combustion
chamber temperature. The amount of emissions around 730°CA shows a significant
increase in the regions where the temperature is locally maximum. After the work is
achieved in the compression stroke with increasing volume of the combustion chamber, a
decrease in the mass fraction of NO is observed. Besides that, NO mass fraction reaches a
stable value of 790° to 800°CA.
298 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

Figure 8 Change of NO2 emissions with respect to crank angle (see online version for colours)

The NOx emission generated at the start of combustion in the cylinder forms the
entire amount of NO emissions and then the NO emission gases are converted to NO2. In
Figure 8, NO2 emissions are shown and compared with different valve lift values.
Comparing the results, NO2 mole fractions which is based upon thermal NO mechanism
(McAllister et al., 2011) were found to be lowest at 5.5 mm valve lift value. For 3.5 and
4.5 mm, NO2 mole fractions are relatively closer to each other. Depending on decreasing
temperature with excess air values, NO emission gases are transformed into NO2. The
graph shows that NO2 emissions rise sharply from 740°CA to 800°CA and remained
constant after this value.
The main reason for the presence of CO between combustion products is the lack of
oxygen. When combustion in the combustion chamber is considered, the reduction in the
combustion quality may be caused by the lack of oxygen as well as the homogeneous
distribution of the mixture. Basically, CO formation changes as a strong function of the
excess air coefficient.

Figure 9 Change of CO emissions with respect to crank angle (see online version for colours)

According to analysis, the amount of CO generated as the result of combustion for

different valve lift values is shown in Figure 9. The CO emissions in the combustion
chamber are reduced due to the high turbulence effect. CO emissions are being generated
around 715°CA,between 715° and 725°CA rapid decrease and increase occurs. After that
CO mole fraction shows a rising tendency until 725°CA before the complete combustion
process of the fuel begins. Due to the increased valve lift distance, the amount of air
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 299

taken into the combustion chamber increases. Thus, the increased amount of air reduces
the amount of CO emissions and unburned hydrocarbons by increasing the combustion
quality.
In diesel engines, the determination of power parameters and emissions depends on
the combustion chamber geometry and operating conditions. Furthermore, the
combustion chamber geometry changes temperature, pressure, the amount of NO, NO2,
CO and CO2 by affecting the fuel-air mixture.
As a result of combustion, nitrogen oxides are formed by the combination of nitrogen
in the air with oxygen at high temperatures. NOx contains nitrogen as the main element.
The exhaust gases then come into contact with oxygen during the discharge into the
atmosphere. In this process, a part of NO is converted into NO2 and other NOx. In this
regard, there are two important parameters affecting the formation of NOx, including the
combustion chamber temperature and the air fuel mixture. Chemical reaction rates are
also effective. But at these speed levels it depends on the temperature. Local temperature,
NO2 and NO distributions at 800°CA with various valve lift distances inside combustion
chamber are demonstrated in Figure 10.

Figure 10 Local temperature, NO2 and NO distributions inside combustion chamber at 800°CA
(see online version for colours)

Valve lift Temperature NO2 NO

3.5 mm

4.5 mm

5.5 mm

At higher flame temperatures, more CO is obtained from this equilibrium reaction than
CO2. However, as the temperature decreases, CO2 is oxidised to CO2. In this respect, the
CO content in the exhaust gases is lower, whereas in the rich mixtures there is a high
content of CO due to the lack of O2 even in the cold exhaust gases.
300 K. Bayramoğlu et al.

Local temperature, CO and CO2 distributions at 800°CA with various valve lift
distances inside combustion chamber are shown in Figure 11. It can be clearly seen that
distributions of CO and CO2 inside the combustion chamber are directly related with
temperature. CO and CO2 are found to gradually increase accompanied with increasing
valve lift distance.

Figure 11 Temperature, CO and CO2 distributions inside combustion chamber at 800°CA

(see online version for colours)

Valve lift Temperature CO CO2

3.5 mm

4.5 mm

5.5 mm

Diesel engine performance parameters obtained from numerical analyses are indicated in
Table 4. The current study found that gross indicated power, indicated main effective
pressure (IMEP) and combustion efficiency increase with the valve lift extension. The
rising fuel-air mixture quality with the increase of the valve lift distance leads to an
elevation in the values of these parameters.
Table 4 Performance data obtained from numerical analyses

Valve Lift Value

Output Unit
3.5 (mm) 4.5 (mm) 5.5 (mm)
Gross indicated power kW 1.38 2.05 2.24
IMEP MPa 0.19 0.28 0.30
Combustion efficiency % 36.34 47.53 51.80
Max. pressure MPa 5.77 6.67 6.93
Max. temperature K 2,003.70 2,029.57 2,037.80
 Numerical investigation of valve lifts effects on performance and emissions 301

5 Conclusions

In this study, engine performance and emissions for diesel engines were estimated for
different valve lift values. The results have shown that different presented valve lifts can
significantly influence the in-cylinder airflow motion and fuel spray break-up
characteristics, rate of evaporation and mixture preparation. The conclusions from the
results are summarised as the following;
• The cylinder pressures and temperature values were found to be parallel with the
data examined in the literature. Numerical analysis was validated with experimental
analysis results.
• The high air intake in the combustion chamber at high valve lift values raises
indicated power, IMEP and combustion efficiency.
• Not only combustion efficiency has improved depending on the engine power but
also NO has increased together with a sharp in-cylinder temperature rise. It has been
observed that the NO and NO2 emissions change in different directions depending on
the temperature conditions of the combustion chamber. This situation can be
explained by the fact that NOx emissions can be converted into each other due to
combustion chemical equilibrium.
• On the other hand, the results given above confirm that CO and unburned
hydrocarbon emissions have emerged from lean combustion. Low valve lift values
are not capable of mixing enough oxygen in air which enters combustion chamber
from the environment. This state is accompanied by the formation of unburned
hydrocarbons together with the exhaust gas.

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