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Combustion is known to be affected by variations in the air-fuel mixture concentration, residual gas concentration, turbulent kinetic energy, ignition, etc. However, because each of these factors is related to cycle-to-cycle variations, their effects on combustion variation are unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify the influences of the air-fuel mixture distribution near the spark plug and variation in the relative position of the ignition on the combustion variation. A 4-cylinder port injection gasoline engine was used as the test engine, and the combustion variation was investigated by measuring the cylinder pressure and air-fuel ratio (A/F) near the spark plug for each cycle using a micro-Cassegrain sensor for each cylinder. The air-fuel mixture distribution was calculated using a Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes simulation, and the spatial region of the high ignition probability was determined from the gas flow velocity.

Dimethyl Ether (DME) is one of the major candidates for the alternative fuel for compression ignition (CI) engines. However, DME spray combustion characteristics are not well understood. There is no spray model validated against spray experiments at high-temperature and high-pressure relevant to combustion chambers of engines. DME has a lower viscosity and lower volumetric modulus of elasticity. It is difficult to increase injection pressure. The injection pressure remains low at 60 MPa even in the latest DME engine. To improve engine performance and reduce emissions from DME engines, establishing the DME spray model applicable to numerical engine simulation is required. In this study, high-speed observation of DME sprays at injection pressures up to 120 MPa with a latest common rail DME injection system was conducted in a constant volume combustion vessel, under ambient temperature and pressure of 6 MPa-920 K.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is widely used in diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. However, a lacquer is formed on the EGR valve or EGR cooler due to particulate matter and other components present in diesel exhaust, causing serious problems. In this study, the mechanism of lacquer deposition is investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Deposition of temperature-dependent lacquers was evaluated by varying the temperature of a diamond prism between 80 and 120 °C in an ATR-FTIR spectrometer integrated into a custom-built sample line, which branched off from the exhaust pipe of a diesel engine. Lacquers were deposited on the diamond prism at 100 °C or less, while no lacquer was deposited at 120 °C. Time-dependent ATR-FTIR spectra were obtained for approximately 2 h from the beginning of the experiment.

Diesel engines have better fuel economy over comparable gasoline engines and are useful for the reduction of CO2 emissions. However, to meet stringent emission standards, the technology for reducing NOx and particulate matter (PM) in diesel engine exhaust needs to be improved. A conventional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system consists of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), diesel particulate filter (DPF), and urea-SCR catalyst. Recently, more stringent regulations have led to the development of SCR systems with a larger volume and increased the cost of such systems. In order to solve these problems, an SCR catalyst-coated DPF (SCR/DPF) is proposed. An SCR/DPF system has lower volume and cost compared to the conventional SCR system. The SCR/DPF catalyst has two functions: combustion of PM and reduction of NOx emissions.

The demands of application of dual-axis chassis dynamometers (4WD-CHDY) have increased recently due to the improvement of performance of 4WD-CHDY and an increase in the number of 4WD vehicles which are difficult to convert to 2WD. However, there are few evaluations of any differences between fuel economy and exhaust emission levels in the case of 2WD-CHDY with conversion from 4WD to 2WD (2WD-mode) and 4WD-CHDY without conversion to 2WD (4WD-mode). Fuel economy and exhaust emission tests of 4WD vehicle equipped with a typical 4WD mechanism were performed to investigate any differences between the case of the 2WD-mode and the 4WD-mode. In these tests, we measured ‘work at wheel’ (wheel-work) using wheel torque meters. A comparison of the 2WD-mode and the 4WD-mode reveals a difference of fuel economy (2WD-mode is 1.5% better than that of 4WD-mode) and wheel-work (2WD-mode is 3.9% less than that of 4WD-mode). However, there are almost no differences of exhaust emission levels.

One way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere is to use biodiesel fuel (BDF) [1]. BDF has the advantage of low smoke combustion, since its molecules contain oxygen. Meanwhile, BDF has the drawbacks of high viscosity and a high pour point that make it difficult to use at low temperatures. Dimethyl ether (DME) can be made from biomass, as well as from natural gas or coal; therefore, it is regarded as one of the biomass fuels. DME has low viscosity and a low boiling point, and smoke-free combustion can be obtained, since it has no carbon-carbon bond [2]. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of low lubricity due to its low viscosity. When these fuels are blended together, the weaknesses of the fuels can be overcome. The objective of this research is to show that blending these two fuels is an effective way of bringing biomass-derived fuels into practical use.

Various premixed diesel combustion concepts are suggested as the way of simultaneous reduction of NOx and PM emission from diesel engines. However, every combustion concept has common problems, such as difficulty of ignition timing control, a great deal of HC and CO emissions and limiting the operation region to low load operation. The purpose of this study is to expand the operation region of Premixed Compression Ignition (PCI) combustion, which is a premixed diesel combustion concept that realizes the fuel injection around the top dead center. As a result of examining it with EGR, supercharging operation and low compression ratio piston, PCI combustion region was expanded to cover higher load operation. And the high load region was limited by not only stoichiometric air fuel ratio but also permissible maximum in-cylinder pressure.

In this study, measurement methods of aldehydes and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from off-road engine have been investigated. Also, their emission characteristics have been evaluated. By using high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC), aldehydes could be measured with small variation. Major aldehydes from off-road engine are formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Total aldehydes emission is not necessarily low compared to THC emission. The emission characteristics of aldehydes are similar to that of CO, THC and PM. For VOCs sampling, sampling tube with absorbent was better than sampling bag because some kinds of VOCs tend to become absorbed on the sampling bag. Except for 1,3-butadiene, VOCs could be measured with small variation by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Benzene, toluene and xylene were major species found in VOCs. The emission characteristics of VOCs were also similar to ones of CO, THC and PM.

The performance of a medium duty DME truck was evaluated by field tests and engine bench tests. The DME vehicle was given a public license plate on October 2004, after which running tests were continued on public roads and a test course. The DME vehicle could run the whole distance, about 500 km, without refueling. The average diesel equivalent fuel consumption of the fully loaded DME truck was 5.75 km/l, running at 80 km/h on public highways. Remedying several malfunctions that occurred in the power-train subsystems enhanced the vehicle performance and operation. The DME vehicle accumulated 13,000 km as of August, 2006 with no observed durability trouble of the fuel injection pump. Disassembly and inspection of the fuel injectors after 7,700 km operation revealed a few differences in the nozzle tip and the needle compared to diesel fuel operation. However, the injectors were used again after cleanup.

In this study, diesel exhaust emission characteristics were investigated as GTL (Gas To Liquid) fuel was applied to a heavy-duty diesel truck which had been developed to match a Japanese new long-term exhaust emission regulation (NOx < 2.0 g/kWh, PM < 0.027 g/kWh). The results in this study show that although the test vehicle has advanced technologies (e.g. high pressure fuel injection, oxidation catalyst, and urea-SCR aftertreatment system, etc.) which are applied to reduce diesel emissions, the neat GTL fuel has a great advantage to reduce particulate matter emissions and poly aromatic hydrocarbons. And regarding nano-size PM emissions, nuclei mode particles emitted during idling are significantly decreased by using the GTL fuel.

Biodiesel fuel has attracted much attention as a carbon neutral fuel because it is made from vegetable oil. Especially in Southeast Asia, there are numerous biofuel resources, such as palm oil and coconut oil, and it is desirable to utilize these for CO2 reduction. In this paper, we evaluate the properties of biodiesel fuel and biodiesel blended diesel oil. The low temperature performance of palm oil methyl ester (PME) is poor and it affects low temperature performance, even if the PME blending rate is low. The oxidation stability is a very important property of biodiesel fuel because degraded biodiesel fuel produces organic acids and polymeric substances. PME contains mainly saturated fatty acids methyl esters, so the oxidation stability is better than other fats and oils. When containing antioxidants such as beta carotene, biodiesel's oxidation stability is improved.

Fuel injection rate pattern represents an important factor for emissions reduction. In this study, fuel spray photography, combustion photography and experimental data analysis indicate. 1) effect of pilot injection 2) effect of a gradual shaped injection profile using nozzle needle lift control 3) effect of a boot shaped injection profile using pressure control Common rail type fuel injection equipment was used in these experiments, and the engine was single cylinder naturally aspirated D.I. diesel engine. As a result, we found out that it is important to control the pre-mixed combustion for NOx reduction and to activate the diffusion combustion for smoke, and various fuel injection rate patterns we studied have similar effect on combustion and emissions at the most suitable condition respectively.

It has been clarified that diesel fuel properties have a great effect on the exhaust emissions and fuel consumption of a conventional diesel combustion regime. And as other diesel combustion regimes are applied in order to improve exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, it can be supposed that the fuel properties also have significant effects. The purpose of this study is to propose the optimum diesel fuel properties for a premixed compression ignition (PCI) combustion regime. In this paper, the effect of the auto-ignitability of diesel fuels on exhaust emissions and fuel consumption was evaluated using a heavy-duty single-cylinder test engine. In all experiments, fuels were injected using an electronically controlled, common-rail diesel fuel injector, and most experiments were conducted under high EGR conditions in order to reduce NOx emissions.

In this study, a piezo disk was used to generate a cloud of n-decane fuel drops, which were mixed with air, then carried into a combustion chamber and ignited by a platinum wire. Microgravity data obtained at the Japan Microgravity Center (JAMIC) were compared to normal gravity data, all at 1Atm pressure and 20+/-1°C initial temperature. Under normal gravity the lean limit was found to be 7.6x106/mm3 (Φ = 1.0), and from this point the flame front speed steadily increased from 20cm/s up to a maximum flame front speed of 210cm/s at a fuel drop density of about 14x106/mm3 (Φ = 1.85). Microgravity data showed a much richer lean limit - about 14.5x106/mm3 (Φ = 1.9), and the flame front speed did not gradually rise to a peak value. Instead, the measurements indicated a peak value of about 250cm/s, with a steep increase followed by a gradual decrease at richer fuel air ratios. A cellular flame structure appeared, and the cell size decreased as the mixture density increased.

Flame propagation at elevated pressures for propane, butane and autogas (20% propane and 80% butane by mass) were investigated. Flame arrival time was measured using ionization probes installed along the wall of a cylindrical combustion chamber. Flame radius was also measured using a laser schlieren technique. Results showed that the flame front speed decreased with increasing initial pressure, and the initial pressure effect on maximum flame front speed was correlated by the relationship Sf = 175·pi-0.15 (for Φ=1.0). Characteristics of flame front speed between propane, butane and autogas were very similar, whereas at fuel-rich conditions flame front speed of butane and autogas were higher than that of propane. A thermodynamic model to predict flame radius and speed as a function of time was derived and tested using measured pressure-time curves.

The combustion mechanism of a fuel droplet cloud was studied by numerical simulation. We investigated how the flame front speed and combustion products changed depending on the equivalence ratio and initial temperature. Modeling was performed using the KIVA-III software package, a three dimensional analysis software used mainly for internal combustion engine applications. The computational domain was a horizontal 1x1x100 cell sector of a spherical combustion chamber and the fuel was n-decane. Results showed that when all the fuel droplets were assumed to have evaporated, the flame front speed increased from 28 cm/s to 152 cm/s as the equivalence ratio increased. The maximum flame front speed was reached at ϕ=1.1, beyond which it decreased (at richer overall equivalence ratios). With a constant equivalence ratio, the flame front speed decreased near the outside region, because the unburned gas was compressed by the expanding burned gas.

DME has lower energy content per unit volume than that of light oil (typical petroleum based diesel fuel). Roughly 1.8 times the quantity of DME is required to obtain equivalent content of light oil. DME also exhibits higher compressibility and much lower viscosity than light oil, so high pressure injection is not easy. Currently, DME engines have utilized a larger injection volume by enlarging the nozzle diameter with a relatively low injection pressure up to 60MPa. In order to obtain higher performance in future DME engines, high pressure fuel injection is considered essential, however the high pressure DME spray characteristics have not yet been understood. In this research, DME spray characteristics of high injection pressure up to 140MPa were examined using a constant volume vessel under engine-like temperature/pressure conditions.

DME as a fuel for compression ignition (diesel) engines has been actively studied for about ten years due to its characteristically low pollution and reputation as a “smokeless fuel”. During this time, the practical application is taking shape based on necessary tasks such as analysis of injection and combustion, engine performance, and development of experimental vehicles. At this moment, standardization of DME as a fuel was started under ISO in 2007. There are concerns regarding the impurities in DME regarding the mixing during production and distribution as well as their effect on additives for lubricity and odor. In this report, the effect of DME fuel impurities on performance of a DME powered diesel engine was investigated. The platform was a DME engine with common-rail fuel injection and was evaluated under partial load stable mode and Japanese transient mode (JE05) testing parameters.

The tasks to improve diesel emissions and fuel consumption must be accomplished with urgency. However, due to the trade-off relationship between NOx emissions, soot emissions and fuel consumption, clean diesel combustion should be achieved by both innovative combustion and fuel technologies. The objective of this study is to extend the clean diesel combustion operating range (Engine-out emission: NOx ≺ 0.2 g/kWh, Soot ≺ 0.02 g/kWh). In this study, performance of a single-cylinder test engine equipped with a hydraulic valve actuation system and an ultra-high pressure fuel injection system was investigated. Also evaluated, were the effects of fuel properties such as auto-ignitability, volatility and aromatic hydrocarbon components, on combustion performance. The results show that applying a high EGR (Exhaust gas recirculation) rate can significantly reduce NOx emission with an increase in soot emission.

In this study, advantages of GTL fueled DI diesel engine were observed, then, some cautionary areas, notably the aptitude for sealing materials, were investigated. Some advantages of using GTL as a diesel engine fuel include reduction of soot emission levels, power output and fuel consumption with GTL to conventional diesel fuel operation is equivalent, super-low sulfur content of GTL and its liquid state at normal temperature and pressure. However, there are some problems with putting GTL fuel on the market, such as lubricity, aptitude for sealing materials, high cetane index and high pour point. It is necessary to use additives to improve GTL's lubricity, and selecting the most appropriate type of lubricity improver is also important. The influence of GTL on the swelling properties of standard rubber materials seem basically the same, but it is necessary to notice on used rubbers.