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To improve engine performance parameters such as smoke, NOx, and BSFC in a DI diesel engine, water-in-gas oil emulsified fuel was used without high pressure or high injection rate. It was confirmed that when compared with high pressure and high injection rate operation with gas oil, emulsified fuel gives significant reductions in NOx concentration, improved fuel economy, and reduced smoke density at ordinary injection pressure and retarded timings.

To get accurate indicator diagrams without the use of pressure transducers, the strain and the displacement of the various parts of engine structures that would have some relationship with the pressure variation in the cylinder were measured and analyzed mathematically. By measuring the strain of the cylinder head bolts, the horizontal displacement of the crank shaft end, and the vertical displacement of the intake valve stem, we realized that the indicator diagrams could be obtained easily without a passage from the interior to the outside of the combustion chamber. Accurate indicator diagrams were estimated by applying the pressure-strain diagram obtained from the static pressure test in the cylinder to the strain variation in the cylinder head bolts. On this occasion, the accuracy of the estimated indicator diagrams could be improved by providing the cylinder head system with a one degree freedom vibration system.

This paper presents a theory and its experimental validation for air entrainment changes into fuel sprays in DI diesel engines. The theory predicts air entrainment changes for a variety of swirl speeds, number of nozzle holes, nozzle diameters, engine speeds, injection speeds and fuel densities. The formulae of the theory are simple non-dimensional equations, which apply for different sized engines. Experiments were performed to compare theoretical predictions and experimental results in six different engines varying from 85 to 800mm bore. All results showed good agreement with the theoretical predictions for shallow-dish piston engines. However the agreement became poor in the case of deep cavity piston engines. With the theory, it is possible to interpret a variety of combustion phenomena in diesel engines, providing additional understanding of diesel combustion processes.

To clarify the microcrystal structure of soot particulate in the combustion chamber, we examined sampling methods which freeze the reaction of sample specimens from the combustion chamber and collected the soot particulates on microgrids. We investigated the microcrystal structure with a high resolution transmission electron microscope. The results were: the particle size distribution and the microcrystal structure of the soot particulates is little different for the cooled freezing method and room temperature sampling. The typical layer plane structure which characterizes graphite carbon is not observed in the exhaust of diesel engines, but some particulates display a somewhat similar layer plane structure. The structure of soot particulate is a turbostratic structure as the electron diffraction patterns show polycrystals. The soot particulates in the combustion chamber is similar to exhaust soot particulates.

This paper deals with the effects of flash-boiling injection of various kinds of fuels on spray characteristics, combustion, and engine performance in DI and IDI diesel engines. It is known that spray characteristics change dramatically at the boiling point of fuel. When the fuel temperature increases above the boiling point, the droplet size decreases apparently and the spray spreads much wider. At higher fuel temperatures, above the boiling point, the apparent effects are a lower smoke density and improved thermal efficiency at higher loads, resulting from the shorter combustion duration; it is thus possible to obtain a markedly improved engine performance in engines with a low air-utilization chamber. Remarkable changes in heat release with the increase in fuel temperature are; an increase in premised combustion quantity and shortening of the combustion duration. The changes in smoke emission and thermal efficiency for different engine types are also considered in this paper.

Exhaust particulate in diesel engines is affected by fuel properties, but the reason for this is not clear. Interest in using low-grade fuels in diesel engines has made it necessary to understand the particulate formation mechanism and factors to decrease it. Particulate formation has been reported to start with thermal cracking of the fuel to lower boiling point hydrocarbons followed by condensation polymerization and production of benzene ring compounds; the formation of particulate takes place via polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This report investigates the amount and configuration of particulate with a fluid reaction tube and in a nitrogen atmosphere, and analyzes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) of fuels with different molecular structure and carbon number.

Exhaust particulate in diesel engines are affected by fuel properties, especially the aromatic hydrocarbon content and distillation properties, but the reasons for this are not clear. The process of particulate formation has been reported to start with a thermal cracking of the fuel to lower boiling point hydrocarbons followed by condensation polymerization and production of benzene ring compounds; the formation of particulate takes place via polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The fuel properties affect diesel engine particulate because the thermal cracking and condensation polymerization of various fuels are different.

A critical factor in improving performance of crankcase-scavenged two-stroke gasoline engines is to reduce the short-circuiting of the fresh charge to the exhaust in the scavenging process. To achieve this, the authors developed a reciprocating exhaust control valve mechanism and direct air-fuel injection system. This paper investigates the effects of exhaust control valve and direct air-fuel injection in the all aspect of engine performance and exhaust emissions over a wide range of loads and engine speeds. The experimental results indicate that the exhaust control valve and direct air-fuel injection system can improve specific fuel consumption, and that HC emissions can be significantly reduced by the reduction in fresh charge losses. The pressure variation also decreased by the improved combustion process. CRANKCASE SCAVENGED two-stroke gasoline engines suffer from fresh charge losses leading to poor fuel economy and it is a reason for large increases of HC in the exhaust.

Extensive experiments were conducted on a low emission DI diesel engine by using Dimethyl Carbonate (DMC) as an oxygenate fuel additive. The results indicated that smoke reduced almost linearly with fuel oxygen content. Accompanying noticeable reductions of HC and CO were attained, while a small increase in NOx was encountered. The effective reduction in smoke with DMC was maintained with intake charge CO2, which led to low NOx and smoke emissions by the combined use of oxygenated fuel and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Further experiments were conducted on an optically accessible combustion bomb and a thermal cracking set-up to study the mechanisms of DMC addition on smoke reduction.

This paper presents results of experiments to reduce smoke emitted from direct Injection diesel engines by strong turbulence generated during the combustion process. The turbulence was created by jets of burned gas from an auxiliary chamber installed in the cylinder head. Strong turbulence, which was induced late in the combustion period, enhanced the mixing of air with unburned fuel and soot, resulting in a remarkable reduction of smoke and particulate; NOx did not show any increase with this system, and thermal efficiency was improved at high loads. The paper also shows that the combination of EGR and water injection with this system effectively reduces the both smoke and NOx.

This paper investigates engine performance with a stable emulsified fuel including frying oil, composed of vegetable oils discarded from restaurants and households. To reduce the oil viscosity, equal proportions of used frying oil and gas oil were mixed and emulsions of this blended fuel and water were prepared. Performance tests of a single cylinder DI diesel engine showed that the Nox concentration and smoke density both reduced without worsening BSFC with water to fuel volume ratios of 15∼30% at a rated output. The engine was also operated with transesterified fuel from used frying oil, the so called “biodiesel”. The BSFC of neat biodiesel was lower than with gas oil at high loads and retarded injection timings, while the smoke density was reduced at all operating conditions.

This investigation reports diesel engine performance of water-in-gas oil emulsified fuel and gas oil at compression ratios of 13.6, 15.6, and 17.0. It was confirmed that without worsening the specific fuel consumption, low compression ratios with emulsified fuel operation result in significant reductions in NOx concentration, reduced maximum combustion pressure, and decreased smoke density when compared with the 17.0 compression ratio for gas oil operation.

Transesterified fuels (biodiesel fuels; BDF) from vegetable oils are alternative fuels for diesel engines, they are renewable and offer potential reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Many studies have reported that exhaust from BDF has equal or higher NOx concentrations while HC and PM emissions are significantly lower than with gas oil. The aim of the present investigation is to achieve drastic reductions in NOx emissions. Performance tests of a single cylinder DI diesel engine were conducted using water emulsified fuels from BDF and gas oil with varying water addition rates combined with cooled EGR. The result showed that at a rated output, the emulsified gas oil with water to base fuel volume ratio of 30% reduced NOx (from 1020ppm) to 190ppm with the 21% EGR condition maintaining the minimum BSEC value achieved with EGR free gas oil operation. However, the smoke density increased by 28%.

This investigation reports engine performance, combustion characteristics, and exhaust emissions with alternative diesel fuels of blends of vegetable oil and various fuel additives (fuel improving agents). To improve the oil viscosity and distillation characteristics, the study used liquid oxygenated agents with lower boiling points and higher volatility than gas oil. The experiments used rapeseed oil and eight kinds of oxygenates: ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-methoxyethanol, 2-ethoxyethanol, 2-butoxyethanol, and dibutyl ether. An ordinary small single cylinder DI diesel engine was used and the blending ratio was defined as the volume %; the proportion of oxygenate in the fuel was from 0% (neat rapeseed oil) to 29 or 33%. The results showed that all of the above oxygenates except ethanol and 2-methoxyethanol had good solubility in rapeseed oil (by manual mixing) at room temperature.

This investigation reports how water emulsification influences spray characteristics, combustion characteristics, and engine performance and emissions using equal proportions of rapeseed oil and gas oil as the base fuel. The experiments used two types of DI diesel engines with different combustion chambers and injection systems. The results showed that the NOx emissions and smoke densities with the emulsified fuel decreased remarkably although the spray angle decreases and atomization becomes poorer due to increasing kinematic viscosity. To discuss the influence of water addition on evaporation, ignition, and combustion characteristics, basic experiments with single droplets suspended from a quartz bar were also performed. The experiments used an electric furnace maintained at high temperatures (1133K) at atmospheric pressure. The quartz bar used has a spherical suspending part (0.6 mm diameter), and droplets were placed manually, quickly, in the chamber.

This paper investigates the performance, combustion characteristics, and emissions of a small single cylinder DI diesel engine with biodiesel fuel (BDF) derived from unused rape, soybean, and palm oils. Compared with ordinary gas oil, the BDFs showed similar brake thermal efficiencies, better ignitability, and considerably reduced smoke densities, while the NOx emissions were somewhat higher. The injection characteristics and engine performance were also examined using neat Methyl Oleate (OME) and OME-Methyl Palmitate (PME) blends. Basic experiments of suspended single droplets were performed to evaluate the differences in ignition, combustion, and soot formation characteristics of these fuels. The results showed shorter ignition lags and combustion durations for the OME droplets blended with PME and the soot formation rate with OME is about 13% that of gas oil droplets.

This investigation reports how rapeseed oil blended with gas oil influences performance and emissions of a small single cylinder DI diesel engine. The paper also investigates evaporation and combustion characteristics of the blended fuels with basic experiments of single droplet evaporation on a hot plate and suspended droplet combustion. The results showed that the smoke density decreased when the rapeseed oil addition rates, y are equal to or higher than 50%. Compared with gas oil operation, equal proportions of gas oil and rapeseed oil (y=50%) or fuels with lower rapeseed oil ratios showed quite similar BSEC (specific energy consumption) and combustion characteristics. The droplet evaporation experiments on a hot plate showed that the maximum boiling rate point of the blend with equal proportions of gas oil and rapeseed oil is about 720K, intermediate between the two fuels. The results of the suspended droplet combustion showed different trends in ignitability.

Many of the promissing alternative fuels have relatively low cetane numbers, and may-result in combustion variation problems. This paper presents the chracteristics of the cycle-to-cycle combustion variations in diesel engines, and analyzes and evaluates the mechanism. Combustion variations appear in various forms, such as variations in ignition lag, indicated mean effective pressure, maximum combustion pressure, or rate of heat release. These variations are clearly correlated, and it is possible to represent the combustion variations by the standard deviation in the combustion peak pressure. The combustion variations are random (non-periodic), and are affected by ethanol amount, intake air temperature, engine speed and other various operating conditions.

This paper investigates the combined effect of EGR and emulsified fuels on engine performance. The influence of intake air temperature (25∼86°C) on engine performance was examined prior to uncooled EGR experiments. Compared with gas oil, emulsified fuel gave simultaneous improvements in NOx concentration, smoke density, and specific fuel consumption (BSFC) over the tested range. The effect of EGR on engine performance were investigated with various water to fuel ratios at two load conditions (BMEP=0.52MPa and 0.26MPa). It was confirmed that at 11% EGR with the emulsified fuel at the rated output resulted in a significant reduction in NOx concentration without worsening smoke density and BSFC.

Since there is a trade-off relationship between NOx and particulates in exhaust gas emitted from a diesel engine, simultaneous reduction of the amounts of NOx and particulates in a combustion chamber is difficult. However, the amount of particulates produced in the combustion process could be reduced in a state of almost complete combustion, and the amount of NOx produced during the combustion process could be reduced by the use of a catalyst and reducing agent in the exhaust process. It has been demonstrated that the use of ethanol as a reducing agent on a silver-base catalyst in the presence of oxygen is an effective means for reducing NOx, although the mechanism of the reduction has not been elucidated. Therefore, in the present study, an NOx-reduction apparatus was conducted, and model experiments on NOx reduction were carried out in an atmosphere simulating exhaust gas emitted from a diesel engine and at the same catalyst temperature as that in a combustion chamber.