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Extensive experimental investigations done over a decade in different engine types demonstrated the capability of achieving high efficiency along with low levels of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and soot emissions with low temperature combustion (LTC) modes. However, the commercial application of LTC strategies requires several challenges to be addressed, including precise ignition timing control, reducing higher unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions. The lower exhaust gas temperatures with LTC operation pose severe challenges for after-treatment control systems. Among the available LTC strategies, Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) has emerged as the most promising strategy due to better ignition timing control with higher thermal efficiency. Nevertheless, the complexity of engine system hardware due to the dual fuel injection system and associated controls, high HC and CO emissions are the major limiting factors in RCCI.

Premixed charged compression ignition (PCCI) is a promising low temperature combustion strategy for achieving a simultaneous reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and soot emissions in diesel engines. However, early direct injection results in a significant penalty in fuel economy, high unburned hydrocarbon (HC), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, especially in small-bore diesel engines. In the present work, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) investigations are carried out in a small-bore diesel engine using a commercial CFD software, CONVERGE. The computational models are validated with experimental results at two different load conditions, 20% and 40% of rated load. The validated models are used to carry out parametric investigations on the effects of fuel injection parameters, namely the start of fuel injection timing, injection pressure, and spray cone angle on PCCI combustion.

The ignition quality of a fuel is described by its cetane number. Experimental methods used to determine cetane number employ Co-operative fuel research (CFR) engine and Ignition quality tester (IQT) which are expensive, have less repeatability and require skilled operation, and hence least preferred. There are many prediction models reported, which involve number of double bonds and number of carbon atoms whose determination is not direct. Using models that relate biodiesel composition to its cetane number is limited by the range of esters involved. Hence, a model to predict cetane number of biodiesels that addresses the limitations of the existing models, without ignoring the influence of factors such as degree of unsaturation and number of carbon atoms, is needed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) could be one such method.

Advanced low temperature combustion (LTC) modes are most promising to reduce green house gas emissions owing to fuel economy benefits apart from simultaneously reducing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from diesel engines. Various LTC strategies have been proposed so far and each of these LTC strategies have their own advantages and limitations interms of precise ignition control, achievable load range and higher unburned emissions. In the present work, a small single cylinder diesel engine is initially operated under conventional combustion mode at rated speed, varying load conditions to establish the base line reference data. Then, the engine is modified to operate under different LTC strategies including Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI) and Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI).

Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is one of the most promising low temperature combustion (LTC) strategies to achieve higher thermal efficiencies along with ultra low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter emissions. Small single cylinder diesel engines of air-cooled type are finding increasing applications in the agriculture pump-set and small utility power generation owing to their lower cost and fuel economy advantages. In the present work, a small single cylinder diesel engine is initially operated under conventional combustion mode at rated speed, varying load conditions to establish the base line reference data. Then, the engine is modified to operate under RCCI combustion mode with a newly designed cylinder head to accommodate a high pressure, fully flexible electronically controlled direct diesel fuel injection system, a low pressure gasoline port fuel injection system and an intake air pre heater.

Diesel fuels are complex mixtures of thousands of hydrocarbons. Since modeling their combustion characteristics with the inclusion of all hydrocarbon species is not feasible, a hybrid surrogate model approach is used in the present work to represent the physical and chemical properties of three different diesel fuels by using up to 13 and 4 separate hydrocarbon species, respectively. The surrogates are arrived at by matching their distillation profiles and important properties with the real fuel, while the chemistry surrogates are arrived at by using a Group Chemistry Representation (GCR) method wherein the hydrocarbon species in the physical property surrogates are grouped based on their chemical classes, and the chemistry of each class is represented by using up to two hydrocarbon species.

Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI) is a promising LTC strategy to reduce NOx and soot emissions without relying on after-treatment devices. One major drawback of PCCI is high HC and CO emissions resulting from fuel-wall impingement due to early injection of diesel. Narrow-angle direct injection (NADI) helps reduce the wall wetting of fuel. But it is effective only at lower loads. At mid and higher loads, it increases soot and CO emissions in small-bore engines due to the formation of fuel-rich pockets in the piston bowl region. This problem is addressed using a split injection strategy in the present work. A 3-D CFD model is developed and validated with experimental data at two load conditions. Simulations are performed using CONVERGE CFD software. Split injection strategies are explored using wide (148 deg) and narrow (88 deg) spray included angles.

Over the years, much progress has been made in automotive vehicle technology to achieve high efficiency and clean combustion. Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) is one of the most widely studied high-efficiency, clean combustion strategies. However, complex dual-fuel injection systems and associated controls, high unburned hydrocarbon (UHC), and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions limit RCCI use in practical applications. Recently, single fuel RCCI strategies are gaining more attention as the above shortcomings are effectively addressed. Homogeneous charge with direct injection (HCDI) is a single fuel RCCI strategy that results in high thermal efficiency and lower UHC and CO emissions. In HCDI, the port-injected diesel fuel vapour and air are inducted during the intake stroke and ignited with direct-injected diesel fuel near the end of the compression stroke. However, high oxides of nitrogen (NOx) make HCDI less viable for practical applications.

Biodiesel makes an attractive option to replace fossil diesel owing to its applicability in diesel engines without major modifications. An increase in NO emissions with biodiesel compared to diesel is a major concern for its wider use. Blending alcohols, such as methanol, with biodiesel is a potential remedy to mitigate NO formation, as suggested by experiments. However, computational investigations studying the effect of biodiesel-methanol blends on NO formation are scarce. A combined experimental and computational approach is adopted here to investigate the NO formation mechanism with neat biodiesel and biodiesel-methanol blend fueled light duty diesel engine. Firstly, a new compact kinetic model is utilized consisting of oxidation reactions for methyl butanoate and n-dodecane as a surrogate for biodiesel. A surrogate is defined to represent biodiesel based on a combined property and functional group based approach.

Reactivity-Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) is a promising low-temperature combustion (LTC) strategy to mitigate the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and soot emissions. However, the unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions are much higher in RCCI compared to the conventional diesel combustion (CDC). In this present work, multiple injections of the direct-injected (DI) diesel fuel are explored as a potential method to reduce the high HC and CO emissions. Although significant research works have been done in the past on RCCI combustion in different engine types, investigations on small air-cooled diesel engines are very limited. In the present work, a production light-duty air-cooled diesel engine is modified to run in RCCI, with diesel as the high-reactivity fuel and gasoline as the low-reactivity fuel. Before modifications, the engine is run in CDC with production settings. In RCCI, experiments are initially performed with single-pulse DI.

Premixed Charge Compression Ignition (PCCI) is one of the most promising low temperature combustion (LTC) strategies to achieve near zero oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions along with higher thermal efficiency. One of the major problems in diesel PCCI is a narrow operating load range because of very early ignition and knocking combustion at higher loads owing to higher reactivity of diesel fuel. Further, low volatile diesel resist vaporization, resulting in fuel spray wall wetting and higher unburned emissions in PCCI. Thus, high reactivity and low volatility of diesel fuel make it not suitable for PCCI combustion. The present work attempts to address these limitations, by blending diesel with high volatile and low reactive fuels, viz. gasoline and butanol at 10% and 20% blend levels by volume.

Simultaneous reduction of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and smoke emissions from diesel engines has always been a challenging task. In this research work, a relative comparison of diesel-water emulsion and water vapor induction methods has been made to examine NOx and smoke emissions reduction potential of a light-duty diesel engine. The water concentration was maintained at 6% of the total fuel in the emulsion and 6% of the total incoming air mass in the fumigation method. A stable diesel-water emulsion is prepared using commercially available surfactants, Span 80 and Tween 80 at 10% concentration. The stability of the emulsion was examined by visual inspection. The droplet size was quantified using dynamic light scattering technique and the emulsion was deemed stable for approximately 105 days on storage at room temperature. To generate water vapor in the intake manifold, 20 ultrasonic atomizers are utilized.