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Crosscheck tests of fast electrical mobility spectrometers, Differential Mobility Spectroscopy (DMS) and Engine Exhaust Particle Sizer(EEPS), were conducted to evaluate the accuracy of fine particle measurement. Two kinds of particles were used as test particles for the crosscheck test of instruments: particles emitted from diesel vehicles and diluted in a full dilution tunnel, and particles generated by CAST. In the steady state tests, it was confirmed that the average concentration of each instrument was within the range of ±2σ from the average concentration of all the same type of instruments. In the transient tests, it is verified that the instruments have almost equal sensitivity. For application of the fast electrical mobility spectrometers to evaluation of particle number and size distributions, it is essential to develop a calibration method using reference particle counters and sizers (CPC, SMPS, etc.) and maintenance methods appropriate for each model.

The industrial diesel engines are used in many types of applications, and the market has strong needs for low-cost, compact, high-output and high-reliability. In addition, exhaust emissions regulations for industrial diesel engines are being strengthened and all engines must conform to all of them. Therefore, low-emission is an essential condition. This paper describes attempt of optimizing the shapes of an inlet port and a combustion chamber to achieve high power and low emission using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). In addition, a new water passage structure was developed against increasing thermal load caused by high outputs and improved reliability and durability. High-stiffness ladder-frame was employed at crankshaft supports to achieve low noise and low vibration, and gear train was placed on the flywheel side to reduce gear noise.

Optimization of combustion system is important element to design reciprocating engines and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach is an effective tool for it. Though CFD approach is widely used to analyze air motion now, further improvement is needed for fuel spray applications especially practical use, such as requirement of special knowledge and its complicated behavior. In this thesis, CFD approach was applied to the free spray in the test rig to understand the diesel spray characteristics and applicability for practical design. A spray visualization techniques including Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA) were combined for further understanding. As a result, fuel injection systems were evaluated by CFD approach, that showed the potential to use for practical design process.

Just as CO2 reduction is required of four wheeled vehicles for environmental protection, similar environmental concerns drive the development of motorcycle oil technology. Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (Zn-DTP) type additives are widely used for engine oil formulations. However, phosphorus compounds are environmental load materials. The reduction of the quantity of phosphorus compounds in engine oils is required to reduce poisoning of three-way catalysts used to purify exhaust gases from internal combustion engines. Mr. Ito and his co-authors1) reported that they developed a sulfur-based additive as a substitute for Zn-DTP. Their non-phosphorus engine oil formulation for four-wheeled vehicles with a sulfur-based additive was examined to evaluate its anti-wear performance using the following test methods:JASO M328 for gasoline engines (KA24E) and JASO M354 for Diesel engine (4D34T4).

In Biodiesel Fuel Research Working Group(WG) of Japan Auto-Oil Program(JATOP), some impacts of high biodiesel blends have been investigated from the viewpoints of fuel properties, stability, emissions, exhaust aftertreatment systems, cold driveability, mixing in engine oils, durability/reliability and so on. In the impact on exhaust emissions, the impact of high biodiesel blends into diesel fuel on diesel emissions was evaluated. The wide variety of biodiesel blendstock, which included not only some kinds of fatty acid methyl esters(FAME) but also hydrofined biodiesel(HBD) and Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel(FTD), were selected to evaluate. The main blend level evaluated was 5, 10 and 20% and the higher blend level over 20% was also evaluated in some tests. The main advanced technologies for exhaust aftertreatment systems were diesel particulate filter(DPF), Urea selective catalytic reduction (Urea-SCR) and the combination of DPF and NOx storage reduction catalyst(NSR).

In recent years, small diesel engines for industrial use are required to achieve still higher power output per engine size (high power density) and to have the performance to comply with stringent exhaust emissions standards as well. To meet these social demands and market requirements, there are various engineering tasks yet to accomplish. In this paper, two important technical issues have been focused, those are, combustion system improvement to enable lower exhaust emissions and higher power output than conventional models and new cooling system as a solution for increased heat load issue accompanying the progress of high power density. Firstly, for combustion system improvement, the swirl adjustment technique has been developed that will optimize the swirl ratio for each engine application with different load and speed condition.

A program with title of “Development of automobile and fuel technologies for air quality improvement (Japan Clean Air Program - abbreviated to JCAP) has been conducted as a five-year program. Under the program, an influence of fuel quality on automobile technology has been evaluated, and effect of air quality improvement due to implementation of automobile exhaust emission regulations has also been evaluated by using air quality models. Through the five years of JCAP activities from FY 1997 to FY 2001, following items have been evaluated: an influence of fuel properties and automobile exhaust emission reduction technologies, an evaluation of aftertreatment devices equipped on in-use vehicles, a detailed analysis of fuel properties and exhaust emissions, a prediction of air quality improvement effects due to the implementation of next stage stringent automobile exhaust emission regulations.

Air Quality Modeling Working Group developed two models to evaluate effects of automobile emission reduction measures on air quality improvement: Urban Air Quality Simulation Model in which secondary aerosol formation processes have been incorporated, and Roadside Air Quality Simulation Model in which micro-scale traffic flow has been taken into consideration. Concretely, a model has been built up for estimating SPM concentration in ambient air in which high concentrated air pollutants have been contained during summer and winter. The model has been built up by using UAM (Urban Airshed Model) as base model, and the following modification has been made to the base model. First, ISSOROPIA (secondary inorganic aerosol equilibrium model) has been added to the base model, and a secondary organic aerosol formation/reaction model (SOA model) has been incorporated into the model.

Modern formulation in a wide variety of lubricants including engine oils and transmission fluids is designed to control friction through film-forming tribochemical reactions induced by the functional additives mixtures. Although many cases on the synergistic or antagonistic effects of additives on friction have been reported, their mechanisms are poorly understood. This study focused on the influences of metallic detergents on tribochemical reactions. We examined the mechanical properties of detergent-containing lubricants confined at a single-asperity contact and their contributions to tribochemical phenomena. We found that detergents enlarged the confinement space required for generating repulsive force and shear resistance. This means that these detergents provide steric effects under nanoconfinement at interfacial contacts.

Off-road engines are requested with limited space due to variety of end products, and it is also requested reasonable costs for the limited end products prices. For that purpose, several small off-road engines have to comply with emission legislations by only engine modifications. However, the additional engine control and devices (=High pressure direct injection, combustion chamber modification, electrical control, turbo charging control, etc.) must be expensive, and increasing the total engine costs and manpower for developments. These are very critical issues for long term possibility of same engine productions which cover to new legislations in each country. Thanks to drastic fuel condition improvement for passenger cars / trucks around the world, it would be aroused one of the best solution by DOC (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst) systems rather than the engine modifications.

The study of 10% ethanol blended gasoline (E10 gasoline) utilization has been conducted in the Japan Auto-Oil Program (JATOP). In order to clarify the impact of E10 gasoline on vehicle performances, exhaust emissions, evaporative emissions, driveability and material compatibility have been investigated by using domestic gasoline vehicles including mini motor vehicles which are particular to Japan. The test results reveal that E10 gasoline has no impact on exhaust emissions, engine startup time and acceleration period under the hot start condition, but a slight deterioration is observed in some test cases under the cold start condition using E10 gasolines with 50% distillation temperature (T50) level set to the upper limit of Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) K 2202. Regarding evaporative emissions, the tested vehicles shows no remarkable increase in the hot soak loss (HSL), diurnal breathing loss (DBL) and running loss (RL) testing with E10 gasolines.

Engine oils normally contain calcium detergents and ZnDTPs to have detergency and antiwear performance. However, it has been recently understood that these additives could deteriorate filter performance in catalyst and DPF. In this background this paper explains the study and the development about new type of engine oil excluding metal detergents and phosphorus compounds. The developed engine oil shows good durability in several JASO engine tests and a fleet test by formulating newly developed additives as substitute for calcium detergents and ZnDTPs.

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) has become a standard after treatment device to remove particulate matter (PM) exhausted from diesel engines. Cordierite and Silicon Carbide are commonly used materials for construction of DPF. Customers, however, require further improvement concerning the performance of DPF. Cordierite has low limitation of PM loading capacity due to its lower thermal shock resistance, while silicon carbide has higher back-pressure due to its larger grain size. Generally, silicon nitride which is one of the typical thermal resistant ceramics has high mechanical strength and thermal shock resistance. Kubota's development of porous silicon nitride is structured with controlled small grain crystals of elongated hexagonal systems. This enables high PM filtration efficiency with low back pressure increase and higher filtering efficiencies for smaller PM.

In the Japan Clean Air Program II (JCAP II) Diesel WG, effects of fuel properties on the performance of two types of diesel NOx emission aftertreatment devices, a Urea-SCR system and a NOx storage reduction (NSR) catalyst system, were examined. For a Urea-SCR system, the NOx emission reduction performance with and without an oxidation catalyst installed in front of the SCR catalyst at low exhaust gas temperature operation was compared. For an NSR catalyst system, the effect of fuel sulfur on both emissions and fuel economy during 50,000 km driving was examined. Furthermore, effects of other fuel properties such as distillation on exhaust emissions were investigated. The results show that sulfur is the influential factor for both devices. Namely, high NOx emission reduction performance of the Urea-SCR system with the oxidation catalyst at low exhaust gas temperature operation is influenced by sulfur.

In order to clarify the relationship between the chemical structure of PAG (polyalkylene glycol) and the performance characteristics as the refrigeration lubricants used for HFC134a, performance tests were conducted using PAGs with different end groups and alkylene oxide chains in the presence of HFC134a. Newly developed dimethyl ether capped PAGs having more than 70 mol.% PO (propylene oxide) to less than 30 mol.% EO (ethylene oxide) as a monomer ratio were the most preferable of all PAGs tested. The refrigeration lubricants using these PAGs have been successfully introduced into the market for mobile air conditioning systems with refrigerant HFC134a.

Hydraulic fluid (HF) specifications for mobile construction equipment called JCMAS HK and HKB have been established by the Fuels and Lubricants Committee of Japan Construction Mechanization Association (JCMA). The specifications are designated by two viscosity categories of single grade and multigrade. Each category has ISO viscosity grade (VG) 32 and 46. The JCMAS HK oils are recommended for use in hydraulic systems designed at pressure up to 34.3MPa(5000psi) and to heat hydraulic fluid up to 100 °C. These oils also provide wear control, friction performance, oxidation and rust protection, seal swell control and filterability performance. Two piston pump test procedures were developed to evaluate lubricating performance of these oils under high pressure conditions. The JACMAS HKB oils are classified as environmentally friendly oils due to the additional requirement for biodegradability.

Due to increasing demands for further CO2 reduction and tighter exhaust emissions regulations, automakers are increasingly downsizing turbo-charged diesel engines by raising specific power, or adopting low-pressure loop exhaust gas recirculation (LPL-EGR) systems to improve the EGR rate. However, adopting a higher boost pressure to increase the specific power, or introducing hot exhaust gas before the turbocharger compressor with the LPL-EGR system creates higher gas temperatures in the compressor, which results in soot-containing deposits derived from the engine oil in the compressor. This phenomenon causes significant deterioration of turbocharger efficiency. Therefore, countermeasures such as restricting boost pressure or limiting EGR usage in the operational map are necessary to prevent engine performance deterioration. Increasing the gas temperature in the compressor while preventing deposit formation should enable further improvements in fuel consumption and engine power.

In this work, the connecting rod bearing seizures as one of the problems latent to the high-output, high-speed engines are investigated. Studies are conducted on the evaluation of anti-seizure properties of a single connecting rod bearing installed in the test rig as well as in commercial engines. As the results of the former study, the bearing wear is affected by the rod surface roughness (Rmax ) and the oil temperature (viscosity). Further, frequent metal to metal contacts of bearings are observed by the electrical measuring apparatus under higher temperature, and full load conditions. While in the latter, it is found the total heat generated of the bearing is the important factor affective to the bearing seizures, and can be analyzed by using PV value, rod surface roughness and oil viscosity.

The deposition of ash derived from engine oil on the surface of diesel particle filters (DPF) has recently been reported to degrade the performance of the DPF. It is generally known that phosphorus in engine oil is adsorbed on the surface of an automotive exhaust catalyst, reducing the performance of the catalyst. Thus, the amounts of ash and phosphorus in engine oil have been decreased. We have developed a non-phosphorus, non-ash engine oil (NPNA) that does not contain metal-based detergents or zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZnDTP). Various engine tests were performed, and we confirmed that under normal running conditions, the NPNA oil had a sufficiently high piston detergency and wear resistance-two important requirements for engine oil-to meet current American and Japanese standards. However, the piston detergency of NPNA required further improvement when engine running conditions were more severe.

Recently, deposition of ash derived from engine oil on the surface of a diesel particle filter (DPF) has been reported to worsen the performance of the DPF. It is generally known that phosphorus in engine oil is adsorbed on the surface of an automotive exhaust catalyst and reduces the performance of the catalyst. Thus, the amounts of ash and phosphorus in engine oil have been decreased. We have developed a non-phosphorus and non-ash engine oil (NPNA) that does not contain metal-based detergents and zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZnDTP). We performed a performance test for NPNA using an actual engine and reported that the piston detergency and anti-wear performance of NPNA were sufficiently high. However, the piston detergency of NPNA required further improvement when engine running conditions were more severe.