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In the perspective of a reduction of emissions and a rapid decarbonisation, especially for compression ignition engines, hydrogen plays a decisive role. The dual fuel technology is perfectly suited to the use of hydrogen, a fuel characterized by great energy potential. In fact, replacing, at the same energy content, the fossil fuel with a totally carbon free one, a significant reduction of the greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide and total hydrocarbon, as well as of the particulate matter can be obtained. The dual fuel with indirect injection of gaseous fuel in the intake manifold, involves the problem of hydrogen autoignition. In order to avoid this difficulty, the optimal conditions for the injection of the incoming mixture into the cylinder were experimentally investigated. All combustion processes are carried out on a research engine with optical access. The engine speed has is set at 1500 rpm, while the EGR valve is deactivated.

Although in the latest years the use of compression ignition engines has been a thread of discussion in the automotive field, it is possible to affirm that it still will be a fundamental producer of mechanical power in other sectors, such as naval and off-road applications. However, the necessity of reducing emissions requires to keep on studying new solutions for this kind of engine. Dual fuel combustion concept with methane has demonstrated to be effective in preserving the performance of the original engine and reducing soot, but issues related to the low flame speed forced researcher to find an alternative fuel at low impact of CO2. Hydrogen, thanks to its chemical and physical properties, can be a perfect candidate to ensure a good level of combustion efficiency; however, this is possible only with a proper management of the in-cylinder mixture ignition by means of a pilot injection, preventing uncontrolled autoignition events as well.

In order to reduce fuel consumption and polluting emissions from engines, alternative fuels such as hydrogen could play an important role towards carbon neutrality. Moreover, dual-fuel (DF) technology has the potential to offer significant improvements in carbon dioxide emissions for transportation and energy sectors. The dual fuel concept (natural gas/diesel or hydrogen/diesel) represents a possible solution to reduce emissions from diesel engines by using low-carbon or carbon-free gaseous fuels as an alternative fuel. Moreover, DF combustion is a possible retrofit solution to current diesel engines by installing a PFI injector in the intake manifold while diesel is injected directly into the cylinder to ignite the premixed mixture. In the present study, dual fuel operation has been investigated in a single cylinder research engine.

In this work, an ozone/air/gasoline mixture has been used as an alternative strategy to achieve a stable combustion in a spark ignition (SI) single cylinder PFI research engine. The air intake manifold has been modified to include four cells to produce ozone with different concentrations. In the research engine, various operating parameters have been monitored such as the in-cylinder pressure, temperature and composition of the exhaust gases, pressure and temperature of the mixture in the intake manifold, engine power and torque and specific fuel consumption. Experimental tests have been carried out under stoichiometric mixture conditions to observe the influence of ozone addition on the combustion process. The results show an advance and an increase of the in-cylinder pressure compared to the reference test-case, where a gasoline/air mixture is used. It is worth noting that, especially under stoichiometric condition, ozone concentration induces auto-ignition and knock.

The application of an alternative fuel such as hydrogen to internal combustion engines is proving to be an effective and flexible solution for reducing fuel consumption and polluting emissions from engines. An easy to use and immediate application solution is the dual fuel (DF) technology. It has the potential to offer significant improvements in carbon dioxide emissions from light compression ignition engines. The dual fuel concept (natural gas / diesel or hydrogen / diesel) represents a possible solution to reduce emissions from diesel engines by using low-carbon or carbon-free gaseous fuels as an alternative fuel. Moreover, DF combustion is a possible retrofit solution to current diesel engines by installing a PFI injector in the intake manifold while diesel is injected directly into the cylinder to ignite the premixed mixture. In the present study, dual fuel operation has been investigated in a single cylinder research engine.

Nowadays, the stricter regulations in terms of emissions have limited the use of diesel engines on urban roads. On the contrary, for marine and off-road applications the diesel engine still represents the most feasible solution for work production. In the last decades, dual fuel operation with methane supply has been widely investigated. Starting from previous studies on a research engine, where diesel-methane dual fuel combustion has been deepened both experimentally and numerically with the aid of a CFD code, the authors implemented and tested a kinetic mechanism. It is obtained from the combination of the well-established GRIMECH 3.0 and a detailed scheme for a diesel surrogate oxidation. Moreover, the Autoignition-Induced Flame Propagation model, included in the ANSYS Forte® software, is applied because it can be considered the most appropriate model to describe dual fuel combustion.

Compression ignition engines are widely used for transport and energy generation due to their high efficiency and low fuel consumption. To minimize the environmental impact of this technology, the pollutant emissions levels at the exhaust are strictly regulated. To reduce the after-treatment needs, alternative strategies as the low temperature combustion (LTC) concepts are being investigated recently. The reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) uses two fuels (direct- and port- injected) with different reactivity to control the in-cylinder mixture reactivity by adjusting the proportion of both fuels. In spite of the proportion of the port-injected fuel is typically higher than the direct-injected one, the characteristics of the latter play a main role on the combustion process. Use of gasoline for direct injection is attractive to retard the start of combustion and to improve the air-fuel mixing process.

The current legislation does not take into account the limitation of sub 23 nm particles from engine. Nevertheless, the Common Rail Diesel engine emits a large number of nanoparticle, solid and volatiles, that are very dangerous for human health. In this contest, the challenge of the “dieper EU project” is to apply advanced technologies for exhaust after-treatment to existing diesel engines and to optimize the characteristics of a new generation of engines with regards to emissions, fuel consumption and drivability. Aim of the present paper is to provide useful information for the development of the after-treatment system that will have to fulfill Euro6 further steps. In order to characterize the chemical and physical nature of Particulate Matter emitted from Euro 6b Medium Duty diesel engine, the pollutants were collected and analyzed: from engine-out, downstream of the particulate filter (DPF), and at the exit of a selective catalytic reactor (SCR).

The Injection Rate Shaping consists in a novel injection strategy to control air-fuel mixing quality via a suitable variation of injection timing that affects the injection rate profile. This strategy has already provided to be useful to increase combustion efficiency and reduce pollutant emissions in the modern compression ignition engines fed with fossil Diesel fuel. But nowadays, the ever more rigorous emission targets are enhancing a search for alternative fuels and/or new blends to replace conventional ones, leading, in turn, a change in the air-fuel mixture formation. In this work, a 1D model of spray injection aims to investigate the combined effects of both Injection Rate Shaping and alternative fuels on the air-fuel mixture formation in a compression ignition engine. In a first step, a ready-made model for conventional injection strategies has been set up for the Injection Rate Shaping.

In the present study, dual fuel mode is investigated in a single cylinder optical compression ignition (CI) research engine. Methane is injected in the intake manifold while the diesel is delivered via the standard injector directly into the engine. The aim is to study by non-intrusive diagnostics the effect of increasing methane concentration at constant injected diesel amount during the combustion evolution from start of combustion. IR imaging is applied in cycle resolved mode. Three filters are adopted to detect from injection to combustion phase with high spatial and temporal resolution: OD1.45 (3-5.5 μm), band pass 3.3 μm (hydrocarbons) and band pass 4.2 μm (CO2). Using the band pass IR imaging qualitative information about fuel-vapor distribution and ignition locations during low and high temperature combustion have been provided.

Dual-fuel technology has the potential to offer significant improvements in the emissions of carbon dioxide from light-duty compression ignition engines. The dual-fuel (diesel/natural gas) concept represents a possible solution to reduce emissions from diesel engines by using natural gas (methane) as an alternative fuel. Methane was injected in the intake manifold while the diesel oil was injected directly into the engine. The present work describes the results of a numerical study on combustion process of a common rail diesel engine supplied with natural gas and diesel oil. In particular, the aim is to study the effect of increasing methane concentration at constant injected diesel amount on both pollutant emissions and combustion evolution. The study of dual-fuel engines that is carried out in this paper aims at the evaluation of the CFD potential, by a 3-dimensional code, to predict the main features of this technology.

This paper deals with the combustion behavior and exhaust emissions of a small compression ignition engine modified to operate in diesel/methane dual fuel mode. The engine is a three-cylinder, 1028 cm3 of displacement, equipped with a common rail injection system. The engine is provided with the production diesel oxidation catalyst. Intake manifold was modified in order to set up a gas injector managed by an external control unit. Experiments were carried out at different engine speeds and loads. For each engine operating condition, the majority of the total load was supplied by methane while a small percentage of the load was realized using diesel fuel; the latter was necessary to ignite the premixed charge of gaseous fuel. Thermodynamical analysis of the combustion phase was performed by in-cylinder pressure signal. Gas emissions and particulate matter were measured at the exhaust by commercial instruments.

Blends of propane-diesel fuel can be used in direct injection diesel engines to improve the air-fuel mixing and the premixed combustion phase, and to reduce pollutant emissions. The potential benefits of usinf propane in diesel engines are both environmental and economic; furthermore, its use does not require changes to the compression ratio of conventional diesel engines. The present paper describes an experimental investigation of the injection process for different liquid preformed blends of propane-diesel fuel in an optically accessible Common Rail diesel engine. Slight modifications of the injection system were required in order to operate with a blend of propane-diesel fuel. Pure diesel fuel and two propane-diesel mixtures at different mass ratios were tested (20% and 40% in mass of propane named P20 and P40). First, injection in air at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure were performed to verify the functionality of the modified Common Rail injection system.

In the present activity, dual fuel operation was investigated in a single cylinder research engine. Methane was injected in the intake manifold while the diesel was delivered via the standard injector directly into the engine. The aim is to study the effect of increasing methane concentration at constant injected diesel amount on both pollutant emissions and combustion evolution in an optically accessible engine. Emissions are in line with those previously published by other authors, it is noted no PM and constant NOx emissions. Moreover, a decrease of the brake specific CO emissions and an increase of the brake specific THC for the operating condition with the highest premixed ratio was detected. THC was mainly constituted by methane unburned hydrocarbons. Combustion resulted more or less stable. Moreover, via both UV-VIS spectroscopy and digital imaging, the spatial distribution of several species involved in the combustion process was analyzed.

In this paper, a detailed analysis of combustion and emissions is carried out on both metal and optical light duty diesel engines equipped with up-to-date combustion architecture. Both engines were fed with glycerol ethers mixture (GEM) in blend (10% and 20% v/v) within a commercial diesel fuel. The engines ran in significant operating points in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) emission homologation area. The results of the experimental campaign on the metal engine show comparable performances between the diesel/GEM blends and the diesel fuel and demonstrate benefits mainly in terms of soot production. The exhaust particles diameters of diesel/GEM blends shift toward smaller dimensions and the total number decreases. Moreover, at lower load conditions, the outputs show a worsening of the unburnt mainly ascribable to the fuel characteristics.

The common realization of the necessity to reduce the use of mineral sources is promoting the use of alternative fuels. Big efforts are being made to replace petroleum derivatives in the internal combustion engines (ICEs). For this purpose it is mandatory to evaluate the behavior of non-conventional fuels in the ICEs. The optical diagnostics have proven to be a powerful tool to analyze the processes that take place inside the engine. In particular, 2d imaging in the infrared range can reveal new details about the effect of the fuel properties since this technique is still not very common. In this work, a comparison between commercial diesel fuel and two non-conventional fuels has been made in an optically accessible diesel engine. The non-conventional fuels are: the first generation biofuel Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) and an experimental blend of diesel and a fuel with high glycerol content (HG).

The present paper describes the results of an experimental activity performed on a small diesel engine for quadricycles, a category of vehicles that is spreading in Europe and is recently spreading over Indian countries. The engine is a prototype three-cylinder with 1000 cc of displacement and it is equipped with a direct common-rail injection system that reaches a maximum pressure of 1400 bar. The engine was designed to comply with Euro 4 emission standard that is a future regulation for quadricycles. It is worth underlining that the engine can meet emission limits just with EGR system and a DOC, without DPF. Various diesel/RME blends were tested; pure diesel and biodiesel fuels were also used. The investigation was carried out at the engine speeds of 1400, 2000 and 3400 rpm and full load. Combustion characteristics of both blended and pure RME were analyzed by means of in-cylinder pressure and heat released histories.

The aim of this study is to investigate the combustion process and pollutant formation in a small compression ignition engine. The engine is a prototype for quadricycles. It was designed to comply with Euro 4 emission standard that is a future regulation for this type of vehicles. Two optical accesses for endoscopes were realized in the first cylinder to investigate the combustion process. Two-color pyrometry method was applied to combustion images in order to detect the flame temperature and the soot concentration. The engine ran with a biodiesel, the rapeseed methyl ester, and a conventional diesel fuel. Operating conditions at the engine speed of 2000 rpm at full and medium load were tested. NOx emissions were measured at exhaust. A smoke meter was used to determine the particulate matter concentration. The sizing and the counting of the particles were performed by means of an engine exhaust particle sizer spectrometer.

This paper deals with the combustion characteristics and exhaust emissions of a diesel engine fuelled with conventional diesel fuel and a biodiesel blend, in particular a 20% v/v concentration of rapeseed methyl ester (RME) mixed with diesel fuel. The investigation was carried out on a prototype three-cylinder engine with 1000 cc of displacement for quadricycle applications. The engine is equipped with a direct common-rail injection system that reaches a maximum pressure of 1400 bar. The engine was designed to comply with Euro 4 and BS IV exhaust emission regulations without a diesel particulate filter. Both in-cylinder pressure and rate of heat release traces were analyzed at different engine speeds and loads. Gaseous emissions were measured at the exhaust. A smoke meter was used to measure the particulate matter concentration. The sizing and the counting of the particles were performed by means of an engine exhaust particle sizer spectrometer.

The aim of this study is to investigate how the fouling that injectors undergo after several operating hours on a vehicle can affect the injection and combustion phases. The impact of the injector fouling on the pollutant formation has been also investigated. Moreover, the effects of the injector cleaning by deposits through the top quality diesel fuel commercialized by eni that is FAME free and contains multi performance additives have been investigated. The experimentation has been carried out on transparent compression ignition engine. It is a single cylinder equipped with a Euro 5 multi-cylinder head and a second-generation common rail injection system. Three indirect-acting piezoelectric injectors have been tested. The first one has been fouled with European commercial diesel fuel through the CEC DW10 injector-coking test. The second one has been fouled in the same way and, then, it has been cleaned with eni top quality diesel fuel. This fuel has fed the third injector too.