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Data have been gathered to compare the performance of steel crown pistons coated with yttria stabilized zirconia or mullite to an uncoated piston. The effect of coated pistons on in-cylinder heat transfer was determined from curves of ISFC versus centroid of heat release. Error analysis of the measurements showed uncertainty of ± 3% in ISFC and ± 2 crank angle degrees in the centroid of heat release could be expected for the data. Particulate emissions increased at advanced injection timings with the mullite coated piston while the zirconia coated piston showed an increase in particulate and NOx at advanced timings.

Inter-ring gas pressure and piston ring motion are considered important for the control of oil consumption, particulate emissions, and reduced friction. For this reason, inter-ring gas pressure was measured on a diesel engine. Two different ring pack configurations were tested (positive and negative twist second rings). A significant difference in measured inter-ring pressure was observed. The measurements were compared to the predictions of a cylinder kit model with favorable results. Predictions showed that the observed difference between measured inter-ring pressures is caused by a significant difference in ring motion. The reasons for these differences are explained in this paper.

Some results of a systematic study on the effects of injection timing retard and exhaust gas recirculation on emissions from a D.I. diesel engine are presented. The factors investigated include engine speed, fuel rate, injection timing, injection pressure, intake charge oxygen concentration, and type of diluent. The detailed mechanisms governing the formation and control of nitric oxide are studied analytically, using a previously developed diesel combustion model based on transient fuel-air mixing and Zeldovich nitric oxide reaction mechanisms. The results show that exhaust gas recirculation and injection timing retard are both effective in reducing nitric oxide emissions at the expense of increasing smoke. The reduction of nitric oxide with exhaust gas recirculation and injection timing retard is mainly related to the decrease of local temperature and local atomic oxygen concentration.

Although diesels, as a group, are a relatively small source of air pollutants, emissions standards which limit emissions from diesels have been adopted by California and the federal government. Test procedures and instrumentation for measuring diesel emissions have been developed, and an understanding of how engine design parameters affect emissions is evolving. Smoke and carbon monoxide are primarily functions of fuel-air ratio. Smoke is also affected by injection timing, air motion, and fuel spray characteristics. Hydrocarbon emissions are most affected by details of injector design and matching of the spray geometry with the combustion chamber shape. Nitric oxide emissions are controlled by local oxygen availability in regions of high temperature and residence time at the high temperature.

The production of pollutants and an increasing need for pollution management are an inevitable concomitant of a society with a high standard of living. The automotive diesel engine is used more than any other type of engine for transporting freight over highways. Two kinds of pollution to be considered with regard to the diesel engine are the dark exhaust smoke and odor, of which the public is quite cognizant, and the less obvious but possibly toxic carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, unburned hydrocarbons, and trace compounds of other toxic materials. This paper discusses sampling, measurement techniques, and established standards for exhaust smoke and odor. Examination of diesel exhaust shows it to be less offensive in terms of harmful effects than the invisible exhaust from other types of engines. The major problem is exhaust color and odor.

Water was inducted with the intake air and injected emulsified with the fuel, in a conventional single cylinder D.I. diesel engine. The major effects of inducted water were an increase in ignition delay, and reduction in the oxides of nitrogen and smoke at a constant fuel/air ratio. When the water was emulsified with the fuel, the ignition delay increased so much that no benefits were obtained except for a reduction in smoke. The results are compared to a similar study on an engine with the “M” combustion system. The major differences between the results obtained with the two combustion systems are attributed to the differences in the ignition delay caused by the water addition.

Black smoke is composed of free carbon or soot in an otherwise transparent exhaust stream. This paper discusses the factors responsible for smoke formation, the measurement of smoke, causes of excessive smoke on the highway, and the effect of fuel on smoke formation. Finally the role of smoke suppressant additives is described.

Fundamental aspects of performance and regeneration of a porous ceramic particulate trap are described. Dimensionless correlations are given for pressure drop vs. flow conditions for clean and loaded traps. An empirical relationship between estimated particulate deposits and a loading parameter that distinguishes pressure drop changes due to flow variations from particulate accumulation is presented. Results indicate that trapping efficiencies exceed 90% under most conditions and pressure drop doubles when particulate accumulation occupies only 5% of the available void volume. Regeneration was achieved primarily by throttling the engine intake air. For various combinations of initial loading level, trap inlet temperature and oxygen concentration, it was found that regeneration rate peaked after 45 seconds from initiation.

A study was undertaken to establish what happens to engine emissions, and to turbocharger and injection pressure requirements, as the specific output is raised. For any given engine package, increasing specific output increases injection pressures while reducing air/fuel ratios. Thus, if the highly rated engine must satisfy the same design constraints, then raising the engine operating torque by only 10% resulted in more than 30% increase in total particulates! However, the same emission levels may be maintained if increases in specific output are accompanied by changes to engine design so as to maintain the air-fuel mixing parameters, specifically air/fuel ratio and injection pressures, throughout the entire engine operating conditions.

Protocols for sampling and analysis of particulate and gaseous-phase diesel emissions were developed to characterize the chemical and biological effects of using ceramic traps as particulate control devices. A stainless-steel sampler was designed, constructed, and tested with XAD-2 sorbent for the collection of volatile organic compounds (VOC). Raw exhaust levels of TPM and SOF and mutagenicity of the SOF and VOC were all reduced when the traps were used. Hydrocarbon mass balances indicated that some hydrocarbons were not collected by the sampling system and that the proportions of collected SOF and VOC were altered by the use of the traps. SOF hydrocarbons appeared to be derived mainly from engine lubricating oil; VOC hydrocarbons were apparently fuel-derived. There was no apparent effect on SOF mutagenicity due to either sampling time or reexposure of particulate to exhaust gases.