Use of the gas ionization signal for combustion process diagnostics in the cylinder of a spark ignition engine

The running diagnostics of the combustion process in an internal combustion engine is essential for increasing its efficiency and to improving its performance indicators. The modern diagnostics of this process no longer concerns only measurements of fast-changing thermodynamic variables, but also measurements of other parameters allowing for its evaluation. The use of electrical or optical methods in diagnostics enables the evaluation of local process parameters, such as occurrence of the flame and its temperature distribution. Actually, there are some new methods under investigation which are proposed for this kind of diagnostic. This article focuses on demonstrating the potential for using an electric signal from the gas ionization to estimate the maximum combustion pressure in a cylinder of an SI engine. This is a comparative analysis of the gas ionization current signal in the cylinder and the fast-changing pressure at fixed operating points of a 4-stroke natural gas powered engine. The study was carried out on a one-cylinder 4-stroke SI engine equipped with a cylinder pressure recording system and monitoring of the cylinder ionization current using appropriate measuring systems. The influence of engine operating conditions on the ability to determine cylinder pressure based on the ionization current signal was analyzed. This impact assessment was analyzed statistically and a strong correlation was found between the analyzed signals. The obtained results point in the potential direction of development of this type of measuring system.