Scientists looked into a working internal combustion engine using a neutron accelerator

Scientists from the United States have come up with and, most importantly, implemented in practice a way to study a working internal combustion engine literally at the atomic level. To do this, they used a powerful neutron source and a specially prepared gasoline engine from a generator.

A familiar yet unknown internal combustion engine

ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines) boast a rather rich history, and over their almost century-old history, they have changed greatly. But despite the accumulated experience, engine development in the 21st century is a whole headache for an engineer.

The thing is that engine parts are subjected to all possible types of load (compression, tension, vibration, etc.) during operation. So the temperature in the internal combustion engine can reach rather big values ​​of 2200 degrees Celsius, and the pressure can "jump" up to 25 atmospheres at a speed of up to 500 atmospheres per second.

Perhaps it is difficult to find a more accessible example for conducting experiments in materials science, and engineers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) decided to use it.

Engineers have developed a methodology for studying the internal stresses of internal parts directly during operation.

After all, before that, the engineers did not have the opportunity to analyze the operation of the unit in real time. In most cases, the method of taking key readings was used, and then further modeling of the processes on a special computer model.

New experiment and its results

Scientists in their experiment decided to use Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), which is one of the most powerful in the world of neutron sources, which allows, literally, to illuminate practically any materials without damaging their.

And by fixing the deflection of the neutron beam directly inside the object under study, one can study the structure of the material at the atomic level.

For experiments, a motor from a Honda EU3000 gasoline generator was chosen, and in order to kill two birds with one stone, it was decided to check it is not a standard engine in operation, but its modernized version, in which the cylinder head is cast from aluminum with the addition of cerium and magnesium.

In addition, in order to place the engine in a special chamber, they got rid of everything unnecessary, and in order to minimize natural vibration, They were rigidly fixed on a special frame, and an electric generator was used as a load, with the help of which the engine load was smoothly measured.

But since the vibration was completely eliminated, it turned out to be impossible on the engine itself, a particularly accurate accelerometer, and instead of focusing the neutron beam, a precision laser sensor directed "its gaze" displacement.

After all the preparatory measures, the scientists studied how the engine behaves at idle, with a load of 50%, then at 80%, and in the final they studied the work at 100% load.

As a result of this experiment, scientists have compiled the most detailed map of internal vibrations in a running engine.

The scientists were pleased with the results of the experiment, and they plan to create a new camera to study the work in real mode. already larger engines, but this will require solving a huge number of both technical and software questions.

Scientists shared the results of this experiment on the pages of the peer-reviewed journal of the US National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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