Experimental Study of the Effect of Air Filter Pressure Drop on Internal Combustion Engine Performance

Experimental Dust Absorption Study in Automotive Engine Inlet Air Filter Materials

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the performance of fibrous materials that meet the criteria for inlet air filtration in internal combustion engines. The characteristics of filtration efficiency and accuracy, as well as the characteristics of flow resistance, were determined based on the mass of dust accumulated in the filter bed during the filtration process. Single-layer filter materials tested included cellulose, polyester, and glass microfiber. Multilayer filter media such as cellulose-polyester-nanofibers and cellulose-polyester were also examined. A new composite filter bed-consisting of polyester, glass microfiber, and cellulose-and its filtration characteristics were evaluated. Utilizing specific air filtration quality factors, it was demonstrated that the composite is characterized by high pre-filtration efficiency (99.98%), a short pre-filtration period (qs = 4.21%), high accuracy (dpmax = 1.5-3 µm) for the entire lifespan of the filter, and a 60-250% higher dust absorption coefficient compared to the other tested materials. A filtration composite bed constructed from a group of materials with different filtration parameters can be, due to its high filtration efficiency, accuracy, and dust absorption, an excellent filter material for engine intake air. The composite's filtration parameters will depend on the type of filter layers and their order relative to the aerosol flow. This paper presents a methodology for the selection and testing of various filter materials.

Experimental Studies of PowerCore Filters and Pleated Filter Baffles

The material most commonly used to filter and clean the intake air of vehicle internal combustion engines is pleated filter paper, which in most cases is shaped in the form of a cylinder or panel. The production technology has a low cost and is not complicated. In addition to high separation efficiency and filtration performance, pleated filter media are required to have low initial pressure drop, which depends on the geometry of the bed. Much research has been conducted in this area. Dust accumulated in the filter bed causes an increase in pressure drop, which is the cause of deformation and sticking of pleats. The lack of stability of the pleats, the need to strengthen them, and the need to obtain small sizes while achieving high efficiency and accuracy of filtration of engine intake air was the reason for the development of a different design and a new technology for making filter cartridges called PowerCore. The distinctive feature of these filters is axial flow in one direction of the air stream, which avoids turbulence and thus minimizes pressure drop. This paper presents a comparative analysis of a standard PowerCore and PowerCore G2 filter bed and two cylindrical filters with a pleated filter bed made of cellulose and polyester. The conditions and methodology of experimental testing of filters with test dust are presented. During the tests, the characteristics of separation efficiency and filtration performance, as well as pressure drop as a function of the mass of dust retained on the filter of two PowerCore filters and two cylindrical filters were performed. Three specimens of test filters with the same filtration area were made from each sample of filter bed. The results showed that in each test of the filter bed, there is an initial filtration period characterized by low (96-98%) initial separation efficiency and the presence of large (d_pmax) dust grains. As the dust loading of the bed increases, the separation efficiency and filtration performance obtain higher and higher values. The initial period of filtration ends when the conventional value (99.9%) of separation efficiency is reached. The duration of this period depends on the type of filter bed and for the PowerCore G2 filter ends for a dust loading of k_m = 33.1 g/m², and for the cellulose filter for k_m = 117.3 g/m². During the initial period, the air behind the PowerCore G2 filter contains grains with sizes in the range of d_pmax = 9-16 µm. Behind the cellulose filter, dust grains are much larger, d_pmax = 17-35 µm. The total operating time of the PowerCore G2 filter, limited by the achievement of the permittivity resistance Δp_wdop = 3 kPa, is twice that of the other filter compositions tested.

Experimental Studies of the Effect of Air Filter Pressure Drop on the Composition and Emission Changes of a Compression Ignition Internal Combustion Engine

This paper presents an experimental evaluation of the effect of air filter pressure drop on the composition of exhaust gases and the operating parameters of a modern internal combustion Diesel engine. A literature analysis of the methods of reducing the emission of toxic components of exhaust gases from SI engines was conducted. It has been shown that the air filter pressure drop, increasing during the engine operation, causes a significant decrease in power output and an increase in fuel consumption, as well as smoke emission of Diesel engines with the classical injection system with a piston (sectional) in-line injection pump. It has also been shown, on the basis of a few literature studies, that the increase in the resistance of air filter flow causes a change in the composition of car combustion engines, with the effect of the air filter pressure drop on turbocharged engines being insignificant. A programme, and conditions of tests, on a dynamometer of a modern six-cylinder engine with displacement Vss = 15.8 dm3 and power rating 226 kW were prepared, regarding the influence of air filter pressure drop on the composition of exhaust gases and the parameters of its operation. For each technical state of the air filter, in the range of rotational speed n = 1000–2100 rpm, measurements of exhaust gas composition and emission were carried out, as well as measurements and calculations of engine-operating parameters, namely that of effective power. An increase in the pressure drop in the inlet system of a modern Diesel truck engine has no significant effect on the emissions of CO, CO2, HC and NOx to the atmosphere, nor does it cause significant changes in the degree of smoke opacity of exhaust gases in relation to its permissible value. An increase in air filter pressure drop from value Δpf = 0.580 kPa to Δpf = 2.024 kPa (by 1.66 kPa) causes a decrease in the maximum filling factor value from ηυ = 2.5 to ηυ = 2.39, that is by 4.5%, and a decrease in maximum power by 8.8%.