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Compressed natural gas (CNG) is being explored as a sustainable renewable fuel for vehicles in India due to mounting foreign exchange expenditure to import crude petroleum. Impending emissions regulations for diesel engines, specifically exhaust particulate emissions have caused engine manufacturers to once again examine the potential of alternative fuels. Much interest has centered on compressed natural gas (CNG) due to its potential for low particulate and hydrocarbon based emissions. Natural gas engine development projects have tended toward the use of current gasoline engine technology (stoichiometric mixtures, closed-loop fuel control and exhaust catalysts). Significant amount of research and development work is being undertaken in India to investigate various aspects of CNG utilization in different types of engines. This paper discusses about the development of the bi-fuel CNG engine for passenger vehicular application.

This paper describes the design, development, and operation of a rear axle dual-shell heat exchanger on the RAM 1500 Light Duty truck. This system has been proven to increase fuel economy and reduce exhaust emissions, particularly CO2, on the EPA Cold City schedule. The energy conversion strategy was first explored using math modeling. A PUGH analysis associated with concept selection is included. To refine the hardware and develop a control strategy prior to testing, a portable flow cart was developed to assess system performance and to correlate the multi-node heat transfer model. Bench testing focused on the durability and functional aspects of integrating the dual-shell axle cover with the axle and coolant delivery system through a comprehensive design and validation plan. Vehicle testing included various fuel economy and emissions related driving schedules to quantify the benefits.