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In this research paper, a novel train traction system is described. In this system, the vehicle is lifted like a hovercraft by air cushion and the traction is achieved by using horizontally mounted all-wheel drive. Chance of derailment is completely eliminated and wherein even in the event of failure of few traction wheel stations during run, the train remains mobile with absolute safety even at high speeds. All-wheel drive traction is powered by overhead electrification to maintain high power to weight ratio and faster acceleration. In the present invention, no rail is used. This eliminates the enormous cost of laying the complex and expensive railway tracks. Other advantages include the lack of exhaust fumes and carbon emissions at point of use especially in countries where electricity comes primarily from non-fossil sources, less noise, lower maintenance requirements of the traction units.

This research project compares laboratory-measured fuel economy of a medium-duty diesel powered hydraulic hybrid vehicle drivetrain to both a conventional diesel drivetrain and a conventional gasoline drivetrain in a typical commercial parcel delivery application. Vehicles in this study included a model year 2012 Freightliner P10HH hybrid compared to a 2012 conventional gasoline P100 and a 2012 conventional diesel parcel delivery van of similar specifications. Drive cycle analysis of 484 days of hybrid parcel delivery van commercial operation from multiple vehicles was used to select three standard laboratory drive cycles as well as to create a custom representative cycle. These four cycles encompass and bracket the range of real world in-use data observed in Baltimore United Parcel Service operations.

Low temperature combustion through in-cylinder blending of fuels with different reactivity offers the potential to improve engine efficiency while yielding low engine-out NOx and soot emissions. A Navistar MaxxForce 13 heavy-duty compression ignition engine was modified to run with two separate fuel systems, aiming to utilize fuel reactivity to demonstrate a technical path towards high engine efficiency. The dual-fuel engine has a geometric compression ratio of 14 and uses sequential, multi-port-injection of a low reactivity fuel in combination with in-cylinder direct injection of diesel. Through control of in-cylinder charge reactivity and reactivity stratification, the engine combustion process can be tailored towards high efficiency and low engine-out emissions. Engine testing was conducted at 1200 rpm over a load sweep.

In recent years, trans-esterified vegetable oils have been widely applied to diesel engine in order to suppress greenhouse gas emissions. However, “neat” vegetable oils are expected to be directly used to resolve some difficulties faced in their use, such high viscosity and slightly high fuel consumption. In this study neat linseed oil has been investigated as a neat vegetable oil. It was found to show higher fuel consumption than diesel fuel, however at the same time it showed lower indicated fuel consumption than diesel fuel. These results suggest some increase in engine friction loss in a neat biofuel diesel engine. Studies have been extensively investigated the difference in friction loss and a newly developed “improved deceleration method” has been applied.

The DESTA project, funded by the European Commission under the FCH JU program, is a collaborative effort of AVL List GmbH, Eberspächer Climate Control Systems, Topsoe Fuel Cell (TOFC), Volvo and Forschungszentrum Jülich to bring fuel cell based auxiliary power units (APU) for heavy duty truck idling elimination closer to the market. Within this project Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology is used, which enables the use of conventional diesel fuel. During the project the technology is significantly optimized and around 10 APU systems are thoroughly tested. In 2014 a vehicle demonstration on board of a US type Volvo class 8 truck will be performed.

Towards the effort of reducing pollutant emissions, especially soot and nitrogen oxides, from direct injection Diesel engines, engineers have proposed various solutions, one of which is the use of a gaseous fuel as a partial supplement for liquid Diesel fuel. These engines are known as dual fuel combustion engines. A dual fuel (Diesel-CNG) engine is a base diesel engine fitted with a dual fuel conversion kit to enable use of clean burning alternative fuel like compressed natural gas. In this engine diesel and natural gas are burned simultaneously. Natural gas is fed into the cylinder along with intake air; the amount of diesel injection is reduced accordingly. Dual fuel engines have number of potential advantages like fuel flexibility, higher compression ratio, and better efficiency and less modifications on existing diesel engines. It is an ecological friendly technology due to lower PM and smoke emissions and retains the efficiency of diesel combustion.

Global warming due to exhaust emissions, rapid depletion of crude oil, and strict carbon control legislation has forced researchers to search biofuels as substitute for petroleum diesel fuels. Biodiesel is a renewable and oxygenated fuel. It is free from sulfur, non-toxic and a biodegradable. The different non-edible vegetable oils such as Algae, Karanja and Jatropha could be used to produce biodiesel. Biodiesel is a green fuel with an exception that it emits 15-20% more NOx as compared to diesel fuel. The emissions of nanoparticles are more hazardous to human health. The nanoparticles emission of biodiesel must be measured according to the new strict regulations. The engine performance and the lower emission characteristics, except for NOx emission, for Algae, Karanja and Jatropha oil biodiesels are similar to those of diesel fuel.

The evolution of engine technology has so far seen the most beneficial side of progress in the fields of transportation, agriculture, and mobility. With the advent of innovation, there is also an impact on our environment that needs to be balanced. This is where fuels like CNG, LPG, LNG, etc. outperform conventional fossil fuels in terms of pollution & operational cost. This paper enlightens on the use of innovative dual-fuel technology where diesel & CNG fuels are used for combustion simultaneously inside the combustion chamber. Dual fuel system adaptation for farm application ensures self-reliance of the farmer where he can generate Bio-CNG to use the renewable fuel for farming making him less dependent on conventional fossil fuel thus promoting a green economy. The dual-fuel system is adapted to the existing in-use diesel engine with minimum modifications. This makes it feasible to retrofit a CNG fuel system on an existing diesel engine to operate it on dual fuel mode.

CNG has proven to be a concrete alternative to gasoline and diesel fuel for sustained mobility. Due to stringent emission norms and sanctions being imposed on diesel fuel vehicles, OEMs have shifted their attention towards natural gas as an efficient and green fuel. Newly implemented BS VI emission norms in India have stressed on the reduction of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) from the exhaust by almost 85% as compared to BS IV emission norms. Also, Indian Automotive market is fuel economy cautious. This challenges to focus on improving fuel economy but without increase in NOx emissions. Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) has the potential to reduce the NOx emissions by decreasing the in-cylinder temperature. The objective of the paper is to model a CNG TCIC engine using 1D simulation in order to optimize the NOx emissions and maintain exhaust temperatures under failsafe limits.

This paper discusses the development of an all speed governed diesel-natural gas dual fuel engine for agricultural farm tractor. A 45 hp, 2.9 liters diesel-natural gas dual fuel engine with a novel closed loop secondary fuel injection system was developed. A frugal approach without any modification of the base mechanical diesel fuel injection system was followed. This approach helped to minimize the cost impact, while meeting performance and emissions at par with neat diesel operation. Additional cost on gas injection system is redeemed by cost savings on diesel fuel. The dual fuel technology developed by Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., substitutes on an average approximately 40% of diesel with compressed natural gas, meeting the TREM III A emission norms for dual fuel while meeting all application requirements. The governing performance of the tractor was found to be superior than base diesel tractor.

One of the most promising fuel alternatives for Diesel is Methanol. The fuel is regarded advantageous owing to the easy availability of raw materials for its production, its low cost and high Oxygen content that has potential to reduce emissions of smoke, CO and PM. Methanol as a fuel blend with Diesel is non-viable as they are not readily miscible with each other. This paper expounds the engine performance and emission evaluation of blending Methanol with Diesel by using two methods that aid in overcoming phase separation. The experiments were performed in two stages. In the first stage, investigation of phase stabilization of Methanol in Diesel with suitable additive concentration was performed. This was performed to determine the optimum additive and its concentration for a Methanol share of up to 25% in Diesel-Methanol blends for a stabilization period of 30 days.

In recent years gasoline compression ignition (GCI) has been shown to offer an attractive combination of low criteria pollutants and high efficiency. However, enabling GCI across the full engine load map poses several challenges. At high load, the promotion of partial premixing of air and fuel is challenging due to the diminished ignition-delay characteristics at high temperatures, while under low load operations, maintaining combustion robustness is problematic due to the low reactivity of gasoline. Variable valve actuation (VVA) offers a means of addressing these challenges by providing flexibility in effective compression ratio. In this paper, the effects of VVA were studied at high loads in a prototype heavy-duty GCI engine using a gasoline research octane number (RON) 93 at a geometric compression ratio (CR) of 15.7. Both late intake valve closing (LIVC) and early intake valve closing (EIVC) strategies were analyzed as a measure to reduce the effective compression ratio.

Investigating the impact of Gasoline fuel on diesel engine performance and emission is very important for military heavy- duty combat vehicles. Gasoline has great potential as alternative fuel due to rapid depletion of petroleum reserves and stringent emission legislations, under multi fuel strategy program for military heavy- duty combat vehicle. There is a known torque, horsepower and fuel economy penalty associated with the operation of a diesel engine with Gasoline fuel. On the other hand, experimental studies have suggested that Gasoline fuel has the potential for lowering exhaust emissions, especially NOx, CO, CO2, HC and particulate matter as compared to diesel fuel. Recent emission legislations also restrict the total number of nano particles emitted in addition to particulate matter, which has adverse health impact.

The benefits associated with the use of oxygen-containing diesel fuels in passenger cars are quite well described in the literature. This work describes the results of an 18-meter EEV city bus fueled with diesel fuel with the addition of 10% v/v of triethylene glycol dimethyl ether. This compound was chosen because it was effective in reducing exhaust emissions from light duty diesel vehicles. Emission tests (CO, HC, NOx and PM) of the city bus were performed over SORT (Standardized On-Road Tests) cycles using portable exhaust gas analyzers - PEMS. Significant differences in the emission of exhaust components were observed in individual SORT cycles. The level of road emissions reduced as the traffic smoothness increased, i.e. from the SORT 1 to SORT 3 cycle. The largest reduction in bus emissions associated with the use of the oxygenated additive (triethylene glycol dimethyl ether) applies to carbon monoxide and ranges from 50% for the SORT 3 cycle up to 90% for the SORT 1.

Maintaining the fuel temperature and fuel system components below certain values is an important design objective. Predicting these temperatures is therefore one of the key parts of the vehicle’s thermal management process. One of the physical processes affecting fuel tank temperature is fuel vaporization, which is controlled by the vapor pressure in the tank, fuel composition and fuel temperature. Models are developed to enable the computation of the fuel temperature, fuel vaporization rate in the tank, fuel temperatures along the fuel supply lines, and follow its path to the charcoal canister and into the engine intake. For diesel fuel systems where a fuel return line is used to return excess fluid back to the fuel tank, an energy balance will be considered to calculate the heat added from the high-pressure pump and vehicle under-hood and underbody.

Global emission, rapid exhaustion of oil reserves and stern emissions protocols force us to seek alternative fuels for heavy duty diesel engines. Assessing the influence of Gasoline and JP-8 fuels on the engine performance and gaseous emissions of heavy-duty diesel engines is essential. Multi-fuel strategy program is required for the both, combat vehicles and highways commercial vehicles to optimised the fuel availability. With the Gasoline and JP-8 fueled diesel engine, penalties of fuel economy are well known. Experimental evaluation has confirmed that Gasoline and JP-8 fuels have great potential in reducing NOx emissions. Present study focuses on the effect of engine performance and emission by using Gasoline and JP-8 fuels in heavy duty military engine. NOx and nanoparticles emissions reduction were assessed. EGR is a better technique to reduce NOx.

Modern diesel systems have come to rely on fuel systems with the capacity for high injection pressures. The benefits of such high pressures include improved tolerance for EGR, reduced emissions and improved performance. Current production fuel systems have typical capacities to 2500 bar, when a decade ago 1800 bar was a typical limit. Following the trend, this paper investigates the effect of rail pressures up to 3000 bar on a 1.5L single cylinder research engine. The injector nozzles tested include two variations in flow rate, the number of holes, and spray cone angle. In addition to fuel rail pressure, the effects of intake swirl, excess-air ratio, EGR, and injection timing are evaluated at speed and load points representative of A100, B100, and C100 test conditions of the U.S. EPA on-highway 13 Mode test cycle.

This paper presents the results of engine and vehicle simulation modeling for a wide variety of individual technologies and technology packages applied to two medium-duty vocational vehicles. Simulation modeling was first conducted on one diesel and two gasoline medium-duty engines. Engine technologies were then applied to the baseline engines. The resulting fuel consumption maps were run over a range of vehicle duty cycles and payloads in the vehicle simulation model. Results were reported for both individual engine technologies and combinations or packages of technologies. Two vehicles, a Kenworth T270 box delivery truck and a Ford F-650 tow truck were evaluated. Once the baseline vehicle models were developed, vehicle technologies were added. As with the medium-duty engines, vehicle simulation results were reported for both individual technologies and for combinations. Vehicle technologies were evaluated only with the baseline 2019 diesel medium-duty engine.

The winter of 2013-2014 provided an opportunity to operate off-road vehicles in cold weather for extended time as part of a vehicle/tier 4 diesel engine validation program. An unexpected area of study was the performance of high efficiency, on engine, fuel filters during continuous vehicle operation in cold weather. During the program we observed unexpected premature fuel filter plugging as indicated by an increase in pressure drop across the filter while in service. Field and laboratory testing was completed at John Deere and Donaldson to understand the cause of filter plugging. Although conditions were found where winter fuel additives could cause plugging of high efficiency filters, premature filter plugging occurred even when testing with #1 diesel fuel. This fuel contained no additives and was used at temperatures well above its cloud point.

The focus has recently been directed towards the engine out soot from Diesel engines. Running an engine in PPC (Partially Premixed Combustion) mode has a proven tendency of reducing these emissions significantly. In addition to combustion strategy, several studies have suggested that using alcohol fuels aid in reducing soot emissions to ultra-low levels. This study analyzes and compares the characteristics of PM emissions from naphtha gasoline PPC, ethanol PPC, methanol PPC and methanol diffusion combustion in terms of soot mass concentration, number concentration and particle size distribution in a single cylinder Scania D13 engine, while varying the intake O2. Intake temperature and injection pressure sweeps were also conducted. The fuels emitting the highest mass concentration of particles (Micro Soot Sensor) were gasoline and methanol followed by ethanol. The two alcohols tested emitted nucleation mode particles only, whereas gasoline emitted accumulation mode particles as well.