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The research presented here aims at providing a deeper understanding of the formation of nitric oxide in diesel combustion. To this end, in-cylinder distributions of nitric oxide (NO) were acquired by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) in a rapid compression machine at conditions representative of a modern diesel passenger vehicle. In particular, the effects of injection and in-cylinder pressure on NO formation were investigated temporally and spatially to offer new insight into the formation of NO. Excitation and collection strategies were notably fine-tuned to avoid the collection of spurious signal due to oxygen (O₂) fluorescence. NO fluorescence was first recorded slightly after the onset of the diffusion flame and until late in the expansion stroke. The early low levels of NO were located on the lean side of the high density of hydroxyl radicals (OH).

As part of an ongoing investigation, the influence of In Cylinder Pressure (ICP) and fuel injection pressure on the soot formation processes in a diesel fuel spray were studied. The work was performed using a rapid compression machine at ambient conditions representative of a modern High Speed Direct Injection diesel engine, and with fuel injection more representative of full load. Future tests will aim to consider the effects of pilot injections and EGR rates. The qualitative soot concentration was determined using the Laser Induced Incandescence (LII) technique both spatially and temporally at a range of test conditions. Peak soot concentration values were determined, from which a good correlation between soot concentration and injection pressure was observed. The peak soot concentration was found to correlate well with the velocity of the injected fuel jet.

For efficiency, the majority of modern diesel engines implement multiple injection strategies, increasing the frequency of transient injection phases and thus, end of injection (EOI) events. Recent advances in diagnostic techniques have identified several EOI phenomena pertinent to nozzle surface wetting as a precursor for deposit formation and a potential contributor towards pollutant emissions. To investigate the underlying processes, highspeed optical measurements at the microscopic scale were performed inside a motored diesel engine under low load/idling conditions. Visualisation of the injector nozzle surface and near nozzle region permitted an indepth analysis of the post-injection phenomena and the behaviour of fuel films on the nozzle surface when the engine is not fired. Inspection of the high-speed video data enabled an interpretation of the fluid dynamics leading to surface wetting, elucidating the mechanisms of deposition and spreading.