DOE applied to multi-response optimisation study on performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a VCR diesel engine

ABSTRACT

There are various parameters which may influence the IC engine performance. The trial and error method is a technique used to identify the best parameters. However, this method demands extensive experimental work and results in a great waste of time and resources. Thus, the design of experiments (DOEs) developed by Taguchi is employed. The multi-responses which need to be maximised are brake thermal efficiency, mechanical efficiency, cylinder pressure and cumulative heat release rate, whereas the responses which are to be minimised are specific fuel consumption, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide. In the present study, an optimised DOE(L9) orthogonal array based on the Taguchi statistical method was formulated and a series of experiments were conducted under controlled supervision by considering three different injection operating pressures (IOPs) (200, 220 and 240 bar) and three different compression ratios (CRs) (16.5, 17.5 and 18.5). The main objective of this paper is to find the best suited IOP and CR values which obtain higher performance, better combustion and lower emissions.

KEYWORDS:

• Injection operating pressure
• compression ratio
• VCR engine
• Taguchi
• optimisation

Acknowledgments

We sincerely extend heartfelt gratitude to AICTE for the provision of research grant to this project under MODROBS (File No: 9-253/RIFD/MODROB/POLICY-2/2013-14).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCiD

Syed Azam Pasha Quadri http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1121-523X

Mohd Wajid http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7723-955X