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The future of diesel-engine-powered passenger cars and light-duty vehicles in the United States depends on their ability to meet Federal Tier 2 and California LEV2 tailpipe emission standards. The experimental purpose of this work was to examine the potential role of fuels; specifically, to determine the sensitivity of engine-out NOx and particulate matter (PM) to gross changes in fuel formulation. The fuels studied were a market-average California baseline fuel and three advanced low sulfur fuels (<2 ppm). The advanced fuels were a low-sulfur-highly-hydrocracked diesel (LSHC), a neat (100%) Fischer-Tropsch (FT100) and 15% DMM (dimethoxy methane) blended into LSHC (DMM15). The fuels were tested on modern, turbocharged, common-rail, direct-injection diesel engines at DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors. The engines were tested at five speed/load conditions with injection timing set to minimize fuel consumption.

This paper reports on Ford's participation in the PNGV ‘Ad Hoc’ Diesel Fuel Test program - Phase I. The purpose of this program was to assess the potential benefits of various fuel properties aimed at reducing engine-out emissions of NOx and particulates to meet LEV2 and Tier 2 emission standards. Four alternative fuels were evaluated using a Ford 1.2L DIATA diesel engine: 1) California Certification fuel (CARB), 2) low sulfur hydro-cracked fuel (LSHC), 3) LSHC fuel with a 15% Dimethoxy Methane blend (DMM), and 4) neat Fischer-Tropsch (FT100) fuel. Design of Experiments (DOE) and conventional techniques were used to evaluate the fuels at five speed and load conditions. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), injection rail pressure, and beginning of injection (BOI) timing were controlled during the tests. Steady-state engine performance, emissions, and cylinder pressure (combustion) data were recorded for each fuel.