Exhaust gas rebreathing is considered to be a practical enabler that could be used in HCCI production engines. Recent experimental work at the University of Michigan demonstrates that the combustion characteristics of an HCCI engine using large amounts of hot residual gas by rebreathing are very sensitive to engine thermal conditions.

This computational study addresses HCCI engine operation with rebreathing, with emphasis on the effects of engine thermal conditions during transient periods. A 1-D cycle simulation with thermal networks is carried out under load and speed transitions. A knock integral autoignition model, a modified Woschni heat transfer model for HCCI engines and empirical correlations to define burn rate and combustion efficiency are incorporated into the engine cycle simulation model.

The simulation results show very different engine behavior during the thermal transient periods compared with steady state. Hot walls advance the ignition timing, while cold walls may result in misfire. Realizable operating regions during the thermal transitions are very dependent on the wall temperatures and are quite different from the steady state. This implies that thermal inertia must be considered in order to fully optimize HCCI engine operation.