Numerical investigation on Effect of thermally isolated piston on improving SI engine performance during the cold start conditions

In low ambient temperatures the engine will have poor output torque and power generation at the first cycles of its performance, long start time and huge noxious emissions because of insufficient temperature and quality of air-fuel mixture and failure of flame to burn the charge. It is noted that any attempt to increase the charge temperature leads to better combustion conditions. By applying thin ceramic coating over the piston top surface and increasing the temperature of engine inner walls, more efficient combustion in shorter time can be provided for the engine. In current research, a transient thermal study is developed for simulating the engine performance under cold starting conditions and predicting the effect of insulating layer thickness on the charge temperature before ignition timing. The results demonstrate that the ceramic coating can provide higher temperature for piston crown and effectively improve the temperature of charge during the first cranking cycles of engine cold start stage.