Temperature measurement of end gas under knocking condition in a spark-igniyion engine by laser interferometry

Abstract

Knocking is one of the most significant problems that limits the efficiency of an internal combustion engine. It is caused by autoignition of the unburned gas ahead of the flame. In order to understand the knock phenomenon, it is important to measure the temperature of the unburned gas. In this study, with polarization preserving fibers, the laser interference measurement of the unburned gas temperature was performed in a constant-volume and a specially designed engine which could be ignited only once. The engine was fueled with $\text{n-}\text{butane}$, oxygen and argon, and was operated under knocking conditions. When the density of the gas changes, the change of the optical path length of the test beam corresponds to the change of the refractive index. The temperature history of the unburned gas was determined by measuring the pressure and the change of interference signal. The optical fiber interference system had the advantage of resisting mechanical vibration because the test and reference beams were transmitted in the same optical fiber and were separated only in the test section.