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A fundamental understanding of the relationship between chemical composition and combustion quality may provide an improved means of assessing fuel combustion characteristics. As such, a fuel parameter based on the average molecular structure of multi-component fuels, including petroleum-derived fuels and alternative fuels such as bio-fuel, is applied to predict both ignition and anti-knock quality. This parameter is derived from proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis indicating hydrogen type distribution of fuel molecules. The predicted cetane number (PCN) calculated by the equation developed with 1H-NMR in this study shows a good correlation to the cetane number for a wide range of fuels.

The addition of soybean methyl ester (SME) to diesel fuel has significantly reduced HC and PM emissions, but it increases the NOx emission slightly when measured with exhaust emission evaluation mode for heavy-duty DI diesel engines or D-13 mode in Japan. Also, under partial load conditions, the SME addition increases the PM emission due to an increase in the SOF emission. However, the addition of lighter fractions or kerosene to diesel fuel reduces NOx and PM emissions but increases HC and CO emissions measured by D-13 mode. In addition, under full load conditions, the lighter fuel seldom reduces PM emission. Therefore, the exhaust emissions emitted from the blends of SME, kerosene, and cetane improver to low sulfur diesel fuel are evaluated using the latest DI diesel engine with a turbo-charger and inter-cooler. The clean fuel reduces over 20% of PM under a wide range of engine conditions including D-13 mode without an increase in NOx, HC, and CO emissions.

Selected as an alternative diesel fuel based on consideration regarding the relationship between the fuel molecular structure and exhaust emission and criteria as alternative fuels, Dimethylacetal (DMA) was evaluated in both a direct injection (DI) diesel and a Direct Fuel Injection Impingement Diffusion Combustion Diesel (OSKA-D) engines. Since DMA with a 1% commercial-type cetane improver has 53 for the cetane number, no ignition-assist divice such as a spark plug is needed, unlike methanol. According to the DI diesel engine test, the NOx emission for DMA was almost equal to that for hydrocarbon diesel fuel, but smoke for DMA was much lower than that for diesel fuel. The OSKA-D engine test showed that NOx emission for DMA was much lower than that for diesel fuel and smoke emission for DMA was zero under all engine conditions.

The effect of fuel properties on the performance of a new type of diesel engine with fuel jet impingement was investigated in comparison with the performance of a DI diesel engine. The new engine has a unique mixture formation process, but the details have not been well investigated. Therefore, the combustion processes of the engine was observed with a transparent piston engine and a high-speed camera system. Observations of the combustion process showed that after impingement, the fuel diffused almost symmeterically into the shape of a disk. Ignition usually started near the cavity wall and extented toward the center of the combustion chamber. The flame appeared to extend from the inside cavity radius to the outside cavity radius because of the strong squish flow. The fuel consisted of petroleum derived samples with a wide range of cetane number and viscosity. High cetane number resulted in reduced NOx mass emission from both engines, but an increased amount of smoke was emitted.

The effect of the fuel properties on diesel exhaust emissions was investigated using a commercial DI diesel and a prototype diesel engine with fuel jet impingement(OSKA--DH). The new type of diesel engine has a unique concept for the mixture formation process and is regarded as a clean diesel engine. Four types of fuels were prepared to investigated the effect of fuel properties such as cetane number, composition, oxygen content in fuel and oxygenate type on exhaust emissions for both of the engines. The decrease in cetane number caused an increase in NOx and a decrease in PM for the DI diesel engine because of the long ignition delay. However, in case of the OSKA-DH engine, a decrease in cetane number seldom caused an increase in PM emission. Although NOx and PM from aromatic fuel were higher than those from paraffinic fuel, the fuel effect for the OSKA-DH engine was smaller than that for the DI diesel engine.

Smoke emission from single-cylinder DI and IDI diesel engines was shown to strongly depend on oxygen content in fuel regardless of oxygenate molecular structure. Thus, with cetane improver and oxygenate used in combination in a proportion determined from blending properties and potential cost for modern heavy-duty DI diesel engines were assessed. The combined use of nitrate type cetane improver with glycol ether type oxygenate reduced particulate, HC, and CO emission but not that of NOx. Particulate reduction depended on oxygenate content. Oxygenate at less than 5% with cetane improver seldom worsened volume-based fuel economy compared with the base hydrocarbon fuel.

The effects of fuel properties on white smoke emission from the latest DI diesel engine were investigated with a new type of white smoke meter. The new smoke meter could distinguish fuel effects on smoke much more than the conventional PHS meter. The repeatability of the smoke meter was better than that of the PHS meter. Cetane number was the dominant factor for smoke emission. Distillation temperature and composition also affected emission. A nitrate type cetane improver was effective for reducing emission. White smoke was analyzed with GC and HPLC and compounds in white smoke from low cetane number fuel were found almost the same as in fuel. But those from high cetane number fuel consisted of compounds in fuel and many combustion products.

Diesel engines have to face the prospect of running on heavy and/or low cetane fuels in the future because of the expected changes in base stock and demand. The effect of physical properties and composition of fuels on the ignition delay and cetane rating is examined. The experiments were conducted on fuels having a very wide range of physical properties and C.N., in a CFR engine. The ignition delay is measured under the standard ASTM D-613 procedure and under varying needle opening pressures, and coolant temperatures. The ignition delay of some fuels is found to be dependent on the physical properties and composition of the fuels in addition to the cetane number. The cetane rating according to ASTM-D613 procedure is found to take place under hot engine conditions with a single stage ignition process. At lower compression ratios, a two stage ignition was observed.

A feasibility study of an LPG DI diesel engine has been carried out to study the effectiveness of two selected cetane enhancing additives: Di-tertiary-butyl peroxide (DTBP) and 2-Ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN). When more than either 5 wt% DTBP or 3.5 wt% 2EHN was added to the base fuel (100 % butane), stable engine operation over a wide range of engine loads was possible (BMEPs of 0.03 to 0.60 MPa). The thermal efficiency of LPG fueled operation was found to be comparable to diesel fuel operation at DTBP levels over 5 wt%. Exhaust emissions measurements showed that NOx and smoke levels can be significantly reduced using the LPG+DTBP fuel blend compared to a light diesel fuel at the same experimental conditions. Correlations were derived for the measured ignition delay, BMEP, and either DTBP concentration or cetane number. When propane was added to a butane base fuel, the ignition delay became longer.