Combustion Test for the Smallest Reciprocating Piston Internal Combustion Engine with HCCI on the Millimeter Scale

Abstract

Micro reciprocating piston internal combustion engines are potentially desirable for high-energy density micro power sources. However, complex subsystem functions hinder the downsizing of reciprocating piston internal combustion engines. The homogeneous charge compression-ignition (HCCI) combustion mode requires no external ignition system; it contributes to structural simplification of the reciprocating piston internal combustion engines under a micro space constraint but has not been adequately verified at the millimeter scale. The study used a millimeter-scale HCCI reciprocating piston internal combustion engine fueled by a mixture of kerosene, ether, castor oil, and isopropyl nitrate for combustion investigation. The test engine with a displacement of 0.547 cc is the smallest reciprocating piston internal combustion engine known to have undergone in-cylinder combustion diagnosis. It is observed that the HCCI combustion mode at the millimeter scale can realize stable combustion with excellent cooperation for the thermodynamic cycle under appropriate structural and operating conditions, which is essentially not inferior to those in conventional-sized reciprocating piston internal combustion engines. This finding helps the next step of scaling down reciprocating piston internal combustion engines.