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Synthetic fuels (e-fuels) synthesized from H2 and CO by renewable electricity are expected as the next- generation diesel fuels and two types of e-fuels have received extensive attention: Fischer-Tropsch (FT) fuel and Oxymethylene dimethyl ether (OME). In this study the effects of OME blending ratios with 0 to 50 vol.% in FT fuels on combustion, emissions and spray characteristics in diesel engines are investigated. The results suggest that the OME blends to FT fuels suppressed the deterioration in combustion efficiency under low intake oxygen concentration conditions. The smoke emissions of FT fuels and OME blended fuels were both lower than those of diesel fuel and decreased with the increase in the OME blend ratio, and the soot-NOx trade-off relation in diesel engines can be improved.

Diesel combustion and emissions with four kinds of oxygenated agents as main fuels were investigated. Significant improvements in smoke, particulate matter, NOx, THC, and thermal efficiency were simultaneously realized with the oxygenates, and engine noise was also remarkably reduced for the oxygenates with higher ignitability. The improvements in the exhaust emissions and the thermal efficiency depended almost entirely on the oxygen content in the fuels regardless of the oxygenate to diesel fuel blend ratios and type of oxygenate. The unburned THC emission and odor intensity under starting condition with an oxygenate were also much lower than with conventional diesel fuel.

Palm oil has the important advantage of productivity compared to other vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil and soybean oil. However, the cold flow performance of palm oil methyl ester (PME) is poorer than other vegetable oil based biodiesel fuels. Previous research by the authors has shown that ethanol blending into PME improves the cold flow performance and considerably reduces smoke emission. The reduced smoke may be expected to allow an expansion in the EGR limit and lead to reduced NOx. This paper experimentally analyses the influence of EGR on smoke and NOx emissions from the diesel combustion with PME/ethanol blended fuel. The mechanisms in the smoke reduction are also analyzed.

The effect of after-injection on exhaust gas emissions from a DI diesel engine with a common rail injection system was experimentally investigated for a range of operating conditions. The results showed that over the whole of the operating range, some reduction in smoke emissions can be achieved with after-injection, without deterioration in thermal efficiency and other emission characteristics. The optimum quantity of after-injection for smoke reduction is 20% of the total fuel supply, and the optimum timing is just after the main injection. Visualization in a bottom view type engine showed that with after-injection, soot formation in the main-injection decrease more due to a smaller quantity of fuel than without after-injection, and soot formation with after-injection is insignificant.

To determine the engine noise reduction methods, an engine noise research was conducted experimentally with a PCCI diesel engine. The engine employed in the experiments was a supercharged, single-cylinder DI diesel engine with a high pressure common rail fuel injection system. The engine noise was sampled by two microphones and the sampled engine noise was averaged and analyzed by an FFT sound analyzer. The engine was equipped with a pressure transducer and the combustion noise was calculated from the power spectrum of the FFT analysis of the in-cylinder pressure wave form and the cross power spectrum of the sound pressure of the engine noise. It is well known that the maximum pressure rise rate is the main parameter related to the engine noise. The PCCI engine was operated at a 1.0 MPa/°CA maximum pressure rise rate to eliminate the effects of the maximum pressure rise rate, and parameters which had the dominant effect on engine noise and combustion noise were determined.

Forced ignition with glow plugs has great potential for the utilization of alcohol fuels in diesel engines. However, the installation of glow plugs may cause misfiring or knocking in parts of the operating range. This paper presents an analysis of the factors influencing the ignition characteristics of ethanol in a glow plug-assisted diesel engine; these factors may be classified into two categories: the factors related to the temperature history of the drop lets before contact with the glow plug, and those related to the probability of contact. By optimizing these factors, the combustion difficulties were successfully eliminated over the whole operating range, and engine performance comparable with conventional diesel operation was achieved.

When fuel is vaporized and mixed well with air in the cylinder of premixed diesel engines, the mixture auto-ignites in one burst resulting in strong combustion noise, and combustion noise reduction is necessary to achieve high load premixed diesel engine operation. In this paper, an engine noise analysis was conducted by engine tests and simulations. The engine employed in the experiments was a supercharged single cylinder DI diesel engine with a high pressure common rail fuel injection system. The engine noise was sampled by two microphones and the sampled engine noise was averaged and analyzed by an FFT sound analyzer. The engine was equipped with a pressure transducer and the combustion noise was calculated from the power spectrum of the FFT analysis of the in-cylinder pressure wave data from the cross power spectrum of the sound pressure of the engine noise.