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Abstract Environmental protection and the depletion of nonrenewable energy sources necessitate the search for the replacement of, among others, diesel fuel (Df) in diesel engines with renewable fuel without major structural changes. For this reason, vegetable oils are of interest as a possible fuel for this type of engine. Unfortunately, the physicochemical properties of vegetable oils differ significantly from Df. In addition to the boiling and freezing points, these properties include viscosity, density, and surface tension as well as wetting properties. For this reason, an attempt was made to modify these properties by adding n-hexane (Hex) and ethanol (Et) to canola oil (Co). The viscosity, density, surface tension, and wetting properties of Hex and Et are significantly different from those for Co.

Abstract Higher gasoline heat of vaporization (HOV) can enable higher compression-ratio, direct-injection, spark-ignition engines by providing evaporative cooling that effectively increases fuel knock resistance. Methods to directly measure this fuel property in complex gasoline samples are not well developed. This study aimed to further improve a differential scanning calorimetry/thermogravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) method to measure the total and partial HOV of gasoline. Ten market gasoline samples were chosen to have a wide range of properties to assess the method’s capability across the entire volatility range, with an emphasis on understanding how well the method captures the initial 10% of sample evaporation and how much sample is left unevaporated at the end of the experiment.

Erratum

Abstract Biogas, natural gas, and their usage in the diesel engine will be important in the future. For this purpose, the effects of biogas on engine performance, emissions, and engine vibrations of the diesel engines with dual fuel system are investigated in comparison with natural gas. It has also been included in evaluating the deformation of the engine oil due to hydrogen sulfide combustion reactions. In this study, a constant speed, naturally aspirated, and direct injection of the diesel engine with volume of 2.5 liter has been converted into a dual fuel system that can be included in gas fuels. In order to determine engine performance, exhaust emissions, engine vibration, and noise, the tests were carried out at load stages of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 kW and at a constant speed of 1500 rpm. The experiments were first performed in a mono operation condition of the conventional diesel fuel.

Abstract To assess the effect of the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) in natural gases on the knock resistance of fuel, the knock behavior of a lean-burn, high-speed medium Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) engine fueled with CH4 + 8 mole% C3H8 mixtures. The engine experiments are supplemented with ignition measurements and simulations of ignition and cylinder processes for various fuel compositions. The engine results show that increasing the fraction of CO2 results in an increase in knock resistance. The analysis of simulations of cylinder processes shows that for binary mixtures (CH4/CO2) and ternary mixtures (CH4/C3H8/CO2) the increase in knock resistance with increasing CO2 fraction is caused by the reduction in peak pressure/temperature, which consequently increases the autoignition delay time of the mixture.

Abstract The transportation industry is currently in a transition toward the use of zero-emission vehicles; however, reaching it will take a considerable amount of time. In the meantime, a diesel powertrain will remain the workhorse for most heavy-duty transportation. In order to reduce the engine’s environmental impact, biofuels, such as biodiesel, are used as drop-in fuels or fuel blends. The use of drop-in fuels may create challenges for the fuel system since sticky deposits can precipitate and cause injector malfunctioning or premature fuel filter plugging. It has been concluded in the past that these deposits have been caused by soft particles. In this article, soft particles created through the degradation of biodiesel and their effect on filters are studied. The article aims to analyze fuel filters and investigate the materials responsible for soft particle separation. The study includes three pre filters and three main filters that are commercially available truck filters.

Abstract In modern diesel fuel a proportion of biodiesel is blended with petro-diesel to reduce environmental impacts. However, it can adversely affect the operation of nonwoven coalescing filter media when separating emulsified water from diesel fuel. This can be due to factors such as increasing water content in the fuel, a reduction in interfacial tension (IFT) between the water and diesel, the formation of more stable emulsions, and the generation of smaller water droplets. Standard water/diesel separation test methods such as SAE J1488 and ISO 16332 use monoolein, a universal surface-active agent, to simulate the effects of biodiesel on the fuel properties as part of water separation efficiency studies. However, the extent to which diesel/monoolein and diesel/biodiesel blends are comparable needs to be elucidated if the underlying mechanisms affecting coalescence of very small water droplets in diesel fuel with a low IFT are to be understood.

Abstract The issue of material compatibility of biodiesel has been discussed by few researchers but the reported corrosion rates were alarmingly high. This study addresses the corrosion issue of biodiesel with automotive materials with a different but systematic approach following SAE J1747 standard. In earlier studies while conducting material compatibility studies with biodiesel, mention of any specific standard/s has not been generally observed. Earlier studies were conducted by storing the samples for a long time without any change of fuel. However in actual automotive application, change of fuel is always on a periodic basis due to consumption of fuel and the SAE standard recommends for the same. This difference has a significant effect on the material compatibility as this periodic change does not result in making the fuel particularly biodiesel more acidic which is otherwise when stored for a long time during the test period.

Abstract Lubricity is a very important issue for diesel fuel injectors and pumps (of an engine) that are lubricated by the fuel itself. Biodiesel as an alternative fuel has a number of technical advantages compared to conventional diesel. It is required to perform more research about the tribological behavior of biodiesel blends under run-in period conditions at different rotational speeds. Friction characteristics of biodiesel (mixture of sunflower and soybean methyl ester) were studied by using a four-ball wear testing machine. Results indicated that the friction was reduced with the increase in rotational speed under the run-in period conditions. Moreover, the results showed that the friction coefficient decreases at rotational speeds of 600 and 900 rpm as the proportion of biodiesel increases in the fuel blend.

Abstract Three-dimensional patterns representing crosshatched plateau-honed cylinder bores based on two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of measured surfaces were generated and used to calculate pressure flow, shear-driven flow, and shear stress factors. Later, the flow and shear stress factors obtained by numerical simulations for various surface patterns were used to calculate lubricant film thickness and friction force between piston ring and cylinder bore contact in typical diesel engine conditions using a mixed lubrication model. The effects of various crosshatch honing angles, such as 30°, 45°, and 60°, and texture heights on engine friction losses, wear, and oil consumption were discussed in detail. It is observed from numerical results that lower lubricant film thickness values are generated with higher honing angles, particularly in mixed lubrication regime where lubricant film thickness is close to the roughness level, mainly due to lower resistance to pressure flow.

Abstract The compatibility of four potential bio-derived blendstock molecules with infrastructure elastomers was determined by measuring the volume change following exposure. The blendstock molecules included 1-propanol, diisobutylene, cyclopentanone, and a furan mixture. The elastomers included two fluorocarbons, six nitrile rubbers (NBRs), and one each of fluorosilicone, neoprene, polyurethane, and silicone. The elastomers were exposed to the fuel molecules as blends ranging from 0 to 30 vol.% in both a blendstock for oxygenate blending (BOB) formulation and an E10 fuel. Silicone exhibited excessive swelling in each test fuel, while the other elastomers showed good compatibility (low swell) with diisobutylene, 1-propanol, and the furan mixture when BOB was used as the base fuel. The E10 base fuel produced high (>30%) swell in neoprene, polyurethane, and some nitrile rubbers. In most cases diisobutylene produced the least amount of volume expansion.

Abstract Gasoline fuel lubricity is key to reducing wear and energy losses from friction in engines. The High-Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR) test protocol recommended for gasoline fuels has been modified to evaluate the wear and friction properties of additized fuels. Adapted from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6079 test for diesel lubricity and literature-based procedures developed for gasoline fuels, the protocol and hardware used in this study allow for differentiation of fuels with unique additive chemistries and varying additive treat rates (EPA-approved lowest additive concentration, LAC, or higher). Supplementing HFRR tests, measurements of acoustic emissions corroborate friction coefficient trends using different additized fuels. Anti-wear performance of fuels during engine tests was characterized by roller-follower pin wear and metal concentration in engine oil, further distinguishing LAC from alternate additized fuels.

Abstract The compatibilities of fuel system elastomers and plastics were evaluated for test fuels containing 16 vol.% isobutanol (iBu16) and 10 vol.% ethanol (E10). Elastomers included two fluorocarbons, four acrylonitrile butadiene rubbers (NBRs), and one type of fluorosilicone, neoprene, and epichlorohydrin/ethylene oxide. Plastic materials included four nylon grades, three polyamides, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyoxymethylene (POM), flexible polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyetherimide (PEI), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and a phenol formaldehyde reinforced with glass fiber (GFPF). For each polymer material, the volume, mass, and hardness were measured before and after drying. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measurements were also performed on the dried specimens.

Abstract Bio-fuels of the 2nd generation constitute a key approach to tackle both Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and air quality challenges associated with combustion emissions of the transport sector. Since these fuels are obtained of residual materials of the agricultural industry, well-to-tank CO2 emissions can be significantly lowered by a closed-cycle of formation and absorption of CO2. Furthermore, studies of bio-fuels have shown reduced formation of particulate matter on account of the fuels’ high oxygen content therefore addressing air quality issues. However, due to the high oxygen content and other physical parameters these fuels are expected to exhibit different ignition behaviour. Moreover, the question is whether there is a positive superimposition of the fuels ignition behaviour with the benefits of an alternative ignition system, such as a corona ignition.

Abstract The compatibility of key fuel system infrastructure plastics with 39 bio-blendstock fuel candidates was examined using Hansen solubility analysis. Fuel types included multiple alcohols, esters, ethers, ketones, alkenes and one alkane. These compounds were evaluated as neat molecules and as blends with the gasoline surrogate, dodecane and a mix of dodecane and 10% ethanol (E10D). The plastics included polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyoxymethylene (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), along with several nylon grades. These materials have been rigorously studied with other fuel types, and their volume change results were found to correspond well with their predicted solubility levels.

Abstract This study on engine journal bearing wear is based on a simulation approach using the engine start-up condition. This study presents an attempt to predict the potential regions where a wear scar would occur on crankshaft bearings, and estimates the instantaneous wear volume for bearings operating at a variable angular velocity of a shaft at the beginning of the real firing start-up cycle. The potential wear regions are discovered by finding the minimum oil film thickness at every crank angle (CA) existing below most oil film thickness scarring wear (MOFTSW) obtained by the concept of the centerline average surface roughness (cla = Ra). The simulation results give an increased understanding of when and where a wear scar may occur in the journal bearings for the firing start-up condition.

Abstract Synthesizing a higher antiknock quality fuel is required to increase the thermal efficiency of spark-ignition engines. Since the octane number (ON) of pure Jojoba Bio-Gasoline (JBG) is significantly in excess of one hundred, it can thus be used as an octane booster. In this work, the influence of blending different percentages of JBG with petroleum gasoline (octane number 80) on the ON was investigated. Then the results of such investigation were employed to produce new gasolines with ONs of 92, 95, and 98. The ignition delays of such new gasolines were measured and compared with those of basic gasolines. In order to perform the experiments, a shock tube was designed, manufactured, and fully instrumented for ignition delay measurements. The test variables included the type of fuel, equivalence ratio (Φ), ignition temperature (Tig), and ignition pressure (Pig).

Abstract Nowadays, biodiesel has been receiving attention as the most promising renewable and environmentally friendly alternative biofuel to diesel fuel. It has many advantages including oxygen content in the molecular structure and higher cetane number. On the other hand, the main lacks of biodiesel are the high viscosity (causing poor atomization and a decrease in engine performance), and high production cost. To handle both shortcomings, the combined influences of transesterification parameters (potassium methoxide amount, reaction temperature, methyl alcohol/oil molar ratio, and reaction time) on viscosities of biodiesels were experimentally examined as a full matrix experimental design. The transesterification parameters, which provided the possible minimum viscosity, were researched using the cubic spline interpolation method.

Abstract The purpose of this article is to study the antifriction and anti-wear effect of GCr15 bearing steel under paraffin base oil and the base oil with two additives of T405 sulfurized olefin and nano-MoS2 and compare the synergistic lubrication effect of two different additives (MoS2 and T405) in paraffin base oil. The tribological properties of GCr15 bearing steel under different lubrication conditions were tested on a ball-on-disk tribometer. The three-dimensional profile of disk’s worn surfaces and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs of corresponding steel balls were analyzed at the same time. The wettability of lubricating oils on the surface of friction pairs and the dispersibility of MoS2 in base oil were characterized.

Abstract This article focuses on a comparative research of the emissions discharged from four vehicles equipped with SI engines, which comply with different emission control systems (Euro 6, Euro 5, and Euro 3). The vehicles used for this work were installed with two different fuel injection technologies (direct injection and port fuel injection) and were operated with three different types of fuels (RON 95, M15, and E10). The tests were performed at the Joint Research Center (JRC) in Ispra using a state-of-the-art emissions test facility according to the European emissions legislation. The test bench included a chassis dynamometer and two different driving cycles were used: NEDC and US06.