Effect of wall-impingement distance on fuel adhesion characteristics of split injection spray under cross-flow condition

In direct-injection spark ignition (DISI) engines, high-pressure fuel injectors introduce fuel into the cylinder, causing the spray to come into contact with and adhere to the cylinder wall; this is known as fuel adhesion. Over time, fuel adhesion contributes to carbon deposition on the cylinder wall, which affects its thermal conductivity and consequently diminishes engine combustion efficiency. This study investigates the influence of different impingement distances and cross-flow velocities on fuel adhesion under the triple injection strategy. The fuel adhesion propagation and side-view spray are measured using refractive index matching (RIM) and Mie scattering, respectively. The findings demonstrate that high cross-flow velocity promotes the fuel adhesion shape to be elongated strips. In the early stage, the growth rate of the fuel adhesion area increases with an increase in cross-flow velocity. In the later stage, the decrease rate in the fuel adhesion area initially increases with an increase in the cross-flow velocity; however, when the critical velocity threshold (20 m/s) is exceeded, the decrease rate in the fuel adhesion area tends to stabilize. The average fuel adhesion thickness then accordingly decreases with the increase in the cross-flow velocity and impingement distance in the later stage. In addition, the cross-flow promotes the volatilization of spray and fuel adhesion, thereby decreasing the fuel adhesion mass over time. In the context of carbon neutrality, this study underscores the importance of optimizing fuel injection conditions to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.