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The Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition concept for dual-fuel engines has multiple challenges of which some can be overcome using Variable Valve Actuation approaches. For various fuel combinations, the engine research community has shown that running dual-fuel engines in RCCI mode, improves thermal efficiency and results in ultra-low engine-out nitrous oxides and soot. However, stable RCCI combustion is limited to a certain load range, depending on available hardware. At low loads, the combustion efficiency can drop significantly, whereas at high loads, the maximum in-cylinder pressure can easily exceed the engine design limit. In this paper, three VVA measures to increase load range, improve combustion efficiency, and perform thermal management are presented. Simulation results are used to demonstrate the potential of these VVA measures for a heavy-duty engine running on natural gas and diesel.

This paper focusses on the application of bioalcohols (ethanol and butanol) derived from seaweed in Heavy-Duty (HD) Compression Ignition (CI) combustion engines. Seaweed-based fuels do not claim land and are not in competition with the food chain. Currently, the application of high octane bioalcohols is limited to Spark Ignition (SI) engines. The Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) combustion concept allows the use of these low carbon fuels in CI engines which have higher efficiencies associated with them than SI engines. This contributes to the reduction of tailpipe CO2 emissions as required by (future) legislation and reducing fuel consumption, i.e. Total-Cost-of-Ownership (TCO). Furthermore, it opens the HD transport market for these low carbon bioalcohol fuels from a novel sustainable biomass source. In this paper, both the production of seaweed-based fuels and the application of these fuels in CI engines is discussed.