ANALYSIS OF COMBUSTION PROCESS OF A CHARGE OF NATURAL GAS IN LABORATORY COMBUSTION CHAMBER
The article contains an analysis of investigation results of the combustion process of a charge of natural gas mixture with air. Investigations were carried for charges of stoichiometric composition and lean ones for various initial pressures in the combustion chamber. Ignition of the mixture was indicated by an ignition plug supplied from a direct ignition device. Measurements comprise a digital record of the pressure course in the chamber. Values of pressure increment in the chamber during the combustion process were analyzed. A diagram of pressure increment values dependent on charge composition and initial pressure in the combustion chamber was elaborated. Evaluation of particular results permits to determine potential possibilities of gas - air charge combustion.
A Refined Two-Zone Heat Release Model for Combustion Analysis in SI Engines
A refined two-zone heat release model for combustion diagnostics in spark-ignition (SI) engines was developed and assessed. The novelty of the model includes the following improvements. A more general complex-variable formulation of Newton's convection law was applied for modeling the instantaneous surface-averaged heat flux so as to take the unsteadiness of gas-wall temperature difference into account. A CAD procedure was introduced to estimate the heat-transfer wall areas of the burned- and unburned-zone for assigned geometric features of the flame front. The energy conservation law was applied to the unburned-gas zone instead of the isentropic law that is commonly used to evaluate the temperature of the unburned gas. The calibration of the cumulative mass-fraction burned at the end of the flame propagation process was carried out through an overall energy balance of the whole cylinder charge during combustion. The unreleased energy predicted at the end of the flame propagation was related to the combustion efficiency stemming from the exhaust-gas composition. The new heat release model was shown to be an accurate means of combustion diagnostics for SI engines through its application to the analysis of combustion in a multivalve engine fueled by either natural gas or gasoline under a significant sample of operating conditions.
Preservation in microbial mats: mineralization by a talc-like phase of a fish embedded in a microbial sarcophagus
Microbial mats have been repeatedly suggested to promote early fossilization of macroorganisms. Yet, experimental simulations of this process remain scarce. Here, we report results of 5 year-long experiments performed onfish carcasses to document the influence of microbial mats on mineral precipitation during early fossilization. Carcasses were initially placed on top of microbial mats. After two weeks, fishes became coated by the mats forming a compact sarcophagus, which modified the microenvironment close to the corpses. Our results showed that these conditions favoured the precipitation of a poorly crystalline silicate phase rich in magnesium. This talc-like mineral phase has been detected in three different locations within the carcasses placed in microbial mats for more than 4 years: 1) within inner tissues, colonized by several bacillary cells; 2) at the surface of bones of the upper face of the corpse buried in the mat; and 3) at the surface of several bones such as the dorsal fin which appeared to be gradually replaced by the Mg-silicate phase. This mineral phase has been previously shown to promote bacteria fossilization. Here we provide first experimental evidence that such Mg-rich phase can also be involved in exceptional preservation of animals.