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The emissions reduction potential of neat GTL (Gas to Liquids: Fischer-Tropsch synthetic gas-oil derived from natural gas) fuels has been preliminarily evaluated by three different latest-generation diesel engines with different displacements. In addition, differences in combustion phenomena between the GTL fuels and baseline diesel fuel have been observed by means of a single cylinder engine with optical access. From these findings, one of the engines has been modified to improve both exhaust emissions and fuel consumption simultaneously, assuming the use of neat GTL fuels. The conversion efficiency of the NOx (oxides of nitrogen) reduction catalyst has also been improved.

In Biodiesel Fuel Research Working Group(WG) of Japan Auto-Oil Program(JATOP), some impacts of high biodiesel blends have been investigated from the viewpoints of fuel properties, stability, emissions, exhaust aftertreatment systems, cold driveability, mixing in engine oils, durability/reliability and so on. This report is designed to determine how high biodiesel blends affect oil quality through testing on 2005 regulations engines with DPFs. When blends of 10-20% rapeseed methyl ester (RME) with diesel fuel are employed with 10W-30 engine oil, the oil change interval is reduced to about a half due to a drop in oil pressure. The oil pressure drop occurs because of the reduced kinematic viscosity of engine oil, which resulting from dilution of poorly evaporated RME with engine oil and its accumulation, however, leading to increased wear of piston top rings and cylinder liners.

The noise-generating mechanism of a reciprocating air compressor for heavy duty vehicles during idling was investigated. It was elucidated that the gear rattling noise of the air compressor drive gear train caused by the negative value of the air compressor drive torque was a major noise source. To completely suppress the gear rattling phenomenon, a new loading device with an air cylinder that cancels the negative value of the air compressor drive torque was fabricated. When the loading device was worked, the impulsive sound level was reduced to 10 dB(A). It was found that the impulsive sound level during gear rattling is closely related to the difference in gear teeth velocity between the crankshaft gear and the air compressor drive gear, as one of the characteristics that are needed to obtain a guide for carrying out estimations in the calculation simulation.

Since in-cylinder flame temperature has a direct effect on an engine's NOx characteristics, these phenomena have been studied in detail in a DI diesel engine using a newly developed method allowing the in-cylinder temperature distribution to be measured by the two color method. The flame light introduced from the visualized combustion chamber of the engine is divided into two colors by filters. The images of combustion phenomena using the two wavelengths are recorded with a framing streak camera which includes a CCD camera. The flame temperature is immediately calculated by a computer using two color images from the CCD camera. A parameter study was then carried out to determine the influence of intake valve number of the engine, and fuel injection rate (pilot injection) on the in-cylinder temperature distribution.

The objective of this study is to improve fuel economy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in diesel-electric hybrid automotive powertrains by developing an exhaust gas turbine generator system which utilizes exhaust gas energy from the turbocharger waste gate. The design of the exhaust gas turbine generator was based on a conventional turbocharger for a direct-injection diesel engine. Data from steady-state bench tests using air indicates about 50% of the turbine input energy can be converted to electric energy. Turbine generator output averaged 3 kW, while a maximum of about 6 kW was observed. Based on this data, we estimate that energy consumption in a vehicle could be reduced between 5% and 10%. Engine tests were conducted under both steady-state and transient conditions. These tests revealed that optimal performance occurred under high-speed, high-load conditions, typical of highway or uphill driving, and that performance at low-speed, low-loads was relatively poor.

This paper describes the combustion optimizations of heavy-duty diesel engines for the anticipated future emissions regulations by means of an electronically controlled common rail injection system. Tests were conducted on a turbocharged and aftercooled (TCA) prototype heavy-duty diesel engine. To improve both NOx-fuel consumption and NOx-PM trade-offs, fuel injection characteristics including injection timing, injection pressure, pilot injection quantity, and injection interval on emissions and engine performances were explored. Then intake swirl ratio and combustion chamber geometry were modified to optimize air-fuel mixing and to emphasize the pilot injection effects. Finally, for further NOx reductions, the potentials of the combined use of EGR and pilot injection were experimentally examined. The results showed that the NOx-fuel consumption trade-off is improved by an optimum swirl ratio and combustion chamber geometry as well as by a new pilot concept.

Hino Motors developed J-series 4.7-liter inline-four cylinder and 7.7-liter inline-six cylinder engines for complying with the 2004 U.S. exhaust emissions regulations. Several technologies were incorporated in the development process to accomplish simultaneous reductions in both exhaust emissions and fuel consumption while the engine performance, reliability, and durability were maintained at the levels acceptable for truck application. Newly developed technologies include a cooled EGR system, a common-rail fuel injection system, a VNT system, and an engine control system for harmonized control of EGR valve and VNT. This paper reports the development approaches and results.

A newly developed OHC (Over-Head Camshaft) prototype of a six-cylinder in-line diesel engine (with bore size: 114mm, stroke size: 130mm) was studied, comparing with the previous version of OHV (Over-Head Valve) type engine (with bore size: 110mm, stroke size: 130mm). It was found that the new type of cylinder block (with 130.8 kg of mass) has significantly lower natural frequencies than those for the previous type of cylinder block (with 133.2 kg of mass). Furthermore, slightly more predominant engine noise and vibration were induced in the new engine. The vibration behavior and the excitation force transmission characteristics were investigated by EMA (Experimental Modal Analysis). We performed a series of impact tests for (1) free-free cylinder block, (2) free-free crankshaft substructure with torsional damper and flywheel attached, and (3) the case where (1) and (2) are assembled together.

Recently, exhaust emission has been enforced on diesel engines for the countermeasure of environmental problems. Accordingly, the cylinder pressure in the engine is being increased to improve fuel efficiency, the engine bearings must be used under severe conditions of high specific load. Because the connecting rod bearings, particularly of diesel engines, are used at high specific loads that exceed 100 MPa, elastic deformation of the bearing surface occurs, and the oil film thickness decreases at the edges of the bearing length in the axial direction. This causes the bearings to contact with the crankshaft, thus resulting in the wear of the bearings, which could even result in seizure. The following factors contribute to seizure: bearing materials, bearing shapes, machining methods, and incorrect assembly. Focusing on these factors, this study evaluated the behaviors exhibited by connecting rod bearings in actual engines by using the rig testers.

The separation of combustion noise and mechanical noise from the total noise of a four-cylinder in-line diesel engine at idling was carried out with high accuracy by changing the fuel injection timing. The mechanical noise, which accounts for the major share at 93%, was then separated into noises from the typical mechanical causes, and the valve train was found to be the major noise source. From analysis of the noise generating mechanism for the valve train, it was clarified that the noise was caused mainly by the gear rattling owing to the variation in the camshaft drive torque.

This paper describes the experimental studies of turbocharged and intercooled diesel engines with particular emphasis on combustion characteristics following increase of boost pressure. Through these studies, it has become possible to determine the optimum air quantity for minimizing fuel consumption at each engine speed range under the restrictive conditions of NOx emission, exhaust smoke and maximum cylinder pressure. Discussed also is the lack of air quantity in the low engine speed range of high-boost turbocharged diesel engines. Various turbocharging systems to improve air quantity in this speed range are introduced herein. Practically the engine performance of conventional turbocharging, waste gate control turbocharging and variable geometry turbocharging are discussed from the viewpoint of torque recovery in the low engine speed range.

In order to improve the brake thermal efficiency of the engine, such as cooling and friction losses from the theoretical thermal efficiency, it is necessary to minimize various losses. However, it is also essential to consider improvements in theoretical thermal efficiency along with the reduction of the various losses. In an effort to improve the brake thermal efficiency of heavy-duty diesel engines used in commercial vehicles, this research focused on two important factors leading to the engine's theoretical thermal efficiency: the compression ratio and the specific heat ratio. Based on the results of theoretical thermodynamic cycle analyses for the effects of the above two factors, it was predicted that raising the compression ratio from a base engine specification of 17 to 26, and increasing the specific heat ratio would lead to a significant increase in theoretical thermal efficiency.

Reduction of oil consumption of engines is required to avoid a negative effect on engine after treatment devices. Engines are required fuel economy for reduction of carbon-dioxide emission, and it is known that reduction of piston frictions is effective on fuel economy. However friction reduction of pistons sometimes causes an increase in engine oil consumption. Therefore reduction of engine oil consumption becomes important subject recently. The ultimate goal of this study is developing the estimation method of oil consumption, and the mechanism of oil upward transport at oil ring gap was investigated in this paper. Oil pressure under the oil ring lower rail was measured by newly developed apparatus. It was found that the piston slap motion and piston up and down motion affected oil pressure rise under the oil ring and oil was spouted through ring-gap by the pressure. The effect of the piston design on the oil pressure generation was also investigated.

The necessity of the reduction of the lubricating oil consumption of diesel engines has been increasing its importance to reduce the negative effect of exhausted oil on after treatment devices for exhausted gas. The final purpose of the studies is clarifying the mechanism of the oil consumption and developing the method of its estimation. For the basic study, the mechanism of oil film generation on the piston skirt could be explained by hydrodynamic lubrication in our first and second reports [1, 2]. In this paper, the piston skirt was calculated using the measured piston motion to clarify the effect of the piston motion to the piston skirt oil film behavior.

Clarifying the mechanism of the oil consumption of engines is necessary for developing its estimation method. Oil moves upwards on the piston to the combustion chamber through ring sliding surfaces, ring backs and ring gaps. The mechanisms of oil upwards transport through the ring gaps are hardly analyzed. In this report, oil pressure just under the oil ring was successfully measured by newly developed method to clarify the oil transport mechanism at the ring gap. It was showed that the generated oil pressure pushed up the oil at the ring gap.

In the Japanese heavy duty truck market, demands of improved fuel economy and lighter vehicles to increase load capacity, and further improvements in emissions are constantly increasing. To satisfy these requirements, basically a smaller sized and higher boosted diesel engine is effective, because such an engine has a compact size and light weight, and shows improved fuel consumption due to a relatively lower frictional loss. On the basis of this concept Hino introduced the original EP100 in 1981 as the first Japanese turbocharged and air to air charge-cooled engine. Since then Hino has made many efforts to improve the engines and develop new technologies.

This paper describes the investigation of the mechanisms of engine front noise generation and the corresponding countermeasures employed in the development of Hino's medium duty diesel engine. The engine front noise, which had a noise peak in the 630 Hz 1/3 octave band, was investigated by experiment and it was concluded that there were two mechanisms as follows: 1) Combustion pressure excites the crankshaft. Noise is generated by the crankshaft pulley which vibrates with the crankshaft system mode shapes. 2) The cavity between the torsional damper and the timing gear case resonates as a result of the vibration of the torsional damper. Noise caused by the acoustic resonance is emitted to the front of the engine. Using both experimental and analytical methods, crankshaft vibration and acoustic resonance were reduced, thus yielding a substantial noise reduction.

Approximately 200,000 units of Hino J-series diesel engine were produced for 7 years. The J-series engines had a reputation all over the world for their performance, reliability, lightweight, and installation ability. They are composed of 4, 6 cylinders engines and unique 5-cylinder engine J07C. In 2002, newly modified J-series engines, which met the Japan 2001 noise emission regulations, were developed and J07C-TI, 5-cylinder TI engine, equipped with a common-rail fuel injection system was added in the J-series. Common-rail fuel injection system was equipped in order to achieve the emission targets in the future as well as to meet the current emission regulations. Achieving higher injection pressure level through the all engine speed, include excess low speed, was effective in reduction of PM emissions and in increasing of low engine speed torque drastically.

Since in-cylinder flame temperature has a direct effect on an engine's NOx characteristics, this phenomena has been studied in detail in a multi-cylinder DI diesel engine using a new method allowing the in-cylider temperature distribution to be measured by the two color method. An endoscope is installed in the combustion chamber and flame light introduced from the endoscope is divided into two colors by filters. The images of combustion phenomena using the two wavelengths are recorded with a framing streak camera which includes a CCD camera. The flame temperature and KL factor are immediately calculated by a computer using the two color images from the CCD camera. In the case of EGR, the test was conducted under 75% load conditions. The flame temperature was reduced according to an increase of EGR rate.

Hino has developed new J-series medium-duty diesel engines for trucks and buses. The new J-series comprises four, five and six-cylinder engines with the same cylinder bore and stroke and with both naturally aspirated and charge air cooled. Both output and torque have been enhanced along with fuel efficiency in an engine that is lighter and more compact than ever and reaches new heights of durability and reliability. J-series engine features a 4-valve system and OHC valve train design, which achieved an uniform combustion by a centered nozzle and combustion chamber design. This decreases the maximum combustion temperature and hence improved the NOx,smoke and PM emissions. And a reduced pumping loss results in improving the fuel consumption. J-series engines thus meet the Japanese 1994 emission regulations. Another feature is a fully electronically controlled common-rail fuel injection system, which is equipped in a specified engine of naturally aspirated 6 cylinder.