Interest in factors controlling combustion in internal combustion engines led to a joint research project between the departments of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin.
In September of 1946 the author of this thesis was offered an opportunity to engage in applied research on the combustion characteristics of diesel fuel under actual operating condition using the test equipment previously set up at the University for this work.
During the major part of this research activity, the original equipment was dismantled, improved instruments were constructed and all parts were reassembled in a more orderly fashion. In June a program of combustion studies for a number of fuels was commenced.
A short resume of the new and improved instrumentation and its application is first presented. A unique electro-optical pyrometer has been developed which reads the instantaneous flame temperature directly and thus eliminates much of the tedious calculation previously encountered.
Combustion processes of a number of fuels are presented from data taken with the instrumentated diesel engine and an attempt is made to correlate ignition delay, flame temperature, efficiency, and other combustion characteristics with the physical fuel parameters such as cetane number and chemical construction.
Photographs, drawings, calibration curves, sample oscillograms, and plotted curves of combustion data are included in this thesis.
Copyright 1947
Engine Research Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison