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DiMethyl Ether (DME) has been known to be an outstanding fuel for combustion in diesel cycle engines for nearly twenty years. DME has a vapour pressure of approximately 0.5MPa at ambient temperature (293K), thus it requires pressurized fuel systems to keep it in liquid state which are similar to those for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (mixtures of propane and butane). The high vapour pressure of DME permits the possibility to optimize the fuel injection characteristic of direct injection diesel engines in order to achieve a fast evaporation and mixing with the charged gas in the combustion chamber, even at moderate fuel injection pressures. To understand the interrelation between the fuel flow inside the nozzle spray holes tests were carried out using 2D optically accessed nozzles coupled with modelling approaches for the fuel flow, cavitation, evaporation and the gas dynamics of 2-phase (liquid and gas) flows.

This paper presents experimental results of the reduction of both particulate and NOx emitted from direct injection diesel engines by a two stage combustion process. The primary combustion is made very rich to reduce NOx and then the particulate is oxidized by strong turbulence generated during the secondary combustion. The rich mixture is formed by low pressure fuel injection and a small cavity combustion chamber configuration. The strong turbulence is generated by a jet of burned gas from an auxiliary chamber installed at the cylinder head. The results showed that NOx was reduced significantly while maintaining fuel consumption and particulate emissions. An investigation was also carried out on the particulate reduction process in the combustion chamber with the turbulence by gas sampling and in-cylinder observation with an optical fiber scope and a high speed camera.

This paper uses NO Reaction Kinetic to determine NO formation characteristics in diesel engines. The NO formation was calculated by Extended Zel'dovich Reaction Kinetics in a diffusion process. The results show that the NO formation rate is independent of the mixing of the combustion gas, and that internal EGR (combustion gas mixing in a cylinder) has no effect on NO reduction. The paper also shows the potential of two stage combustion, and its effect strongly depends on the time-scale of mixing. Additionally the paper investigates the mechanism of increased NOx emissions in high pressure fuel injection.

Recently, dimethyl ether (DME) has been attracting much attention as a clean alternative fuel, since the thermal efficiency of DME powered diesel engine is comparable to diesel fuel operation and soot free combustion can be achieved. In this experiment, the effect of ambient pressure on DME spray was investigated with observation of droplet size such as Sauter mean diameter (SMD) by the shadowgraph and image processing method. The higher ambient pressure obstructs the growth of DME spray, therefore faster breakup was occurred, and liquid column was thicker with increasing the ambient pressure. Then engine performances and exhaust emissions characteristics of DME diesel engine were investigated with various compression ratios. The minimum compression ratio for the easy start and stable operation was obtained at compression ratio of about 12.

Copper ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst, which reduces nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the presence of oxygen and hydrocarbons, was applied to actual diesel engine exhaust. Copper ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite effectively reduced NOx by 25% in normal engine operation, and by 80% when hydrocarbons in the exhaust were increased. Water in the exhaust gas decreased the NOx reduction efficiency, but oxygen and sulfur appeared to have only a small effect. Maximum NOx reduction was observed at 400°C irrespective of hydrocarbon species, and did not decrease with space velocity up to values of 20,000 1/h. THE PURPOSE of this paper is to evaluate the possibilities and problems in catalytic reduction of NOx in actual diesel engine exhaust. Here, a copper ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite (Cu-Z) catalyst was applied to diesel engine exhaust to examine the dependency of the NOx reduction efficiency on temperature and space velocity. The effects of oxygen, water and hydrocarbons were also examined.

A feasibility study of an LPG DI diesel engine has been carried out to study the effectiveness of two selected cetane enhancing additives: Di-tertiary-butyl peroxide (DTBP) and 2-Ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN). When more than either 5 wt% DTBP or 3.5 wt% 2EHN was added to the base fuel (100 % butane), stable engine operation over a wide range of engine loads was possible (BMEPs of 0.03 to 0.60 MPa). The thermal efficiency of LPG fueled operation was found to be comparable to diesel fuel operation at DTBP levels over 5 wt%. Exhaust emissions measurements showed that NOx and smoke levels can be significantly reduced using the LPG+DTBP fuel blend compared to a light diesel fuel at the same experimental conditions. Correlations were derived for the measured ignition delay, BMEP, and either DTBP concentration or cetane number. When propane was added to a butane base fuel, the ignition delay became longer.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is widely used in diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. To meet the strict emission regulations, e.g., Real Driving Emissions, the EGR system is required to be used at temperatures lower than the present ones. However, under cool conditions, an adhesive deposit forms on the EGR valve or cooler because of the particulate matter and other components present in the diesel exhaust. This causes sticking of the EGR valve or degradation of the heat-exchange performance, which are serious problems. In this study, the EGR deposit formation mechanism was investigated based on spatially- and time-resolved scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation. The deposit was formed in a custom-made sample line using real exhaust emitted from a diesel engine. The exhaust including soot was introduced into the sample line for 24 h (maximum duration), and the formed deposit was observed using SEM.

In this study, a homogeneous mixture of natural-gas and air was used in a compression ignition engine to reduce NOx emissions and improve thermal efficiency. In order to control ignition timing and combustion, a small amount of DME was mixed with the natural-gas. Engine performance and the exhaust characteristics were investigated experimentally. Results show the following: the engine can run over quite a large load range if a certain amount of DME is added into natural-gas. By optimizing the proportion of DME to natural-gas, NOx emissions can be lowered to near zero levels if the mixture is lean enough. Thermal efficiency is higher than that obtained with normal diesel fuel operation.

A urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system is used for the reduction of NOx emitted from diesel engines. Although this SCR catalyst can reduce NOx over a wide temperature range, improvements in NOx conversion at relatively low temperatures, such as under cold-start or low-load engine conditions, are necessary. A close-coupled SCR (cc-SCR), which was set just after the engine exhaust manifold, was developed to address this issue. The temperature of the SCR catalyst increases rapidly owing to the higher exhaust temperatures, and NOx conversion is then enhanced under cold-start conditions. However, since the diesel oxidation catalyst is not installed before the SCR catalyst, hydrocarbon (HC) emissions pass directly through the SCR catalyst and poison it, leading to lower NOx conversion. Therefore, the mechanism of NOx conversion reduction on HC-poisoned SCR catalysts are required to be studied.

One way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere is to use biodiesel fuel (BDF) [1]. BDF has the advantage of low smoke combustion, since its molecules contain oxygen. Meanwhile, BDF has the drawbacks of high viscosity and a high pour point that make it difficult to use at low temperatures. Dimethyl ether (DME) can be made from biomass, as well as from natural gas or coal; therefore, it is regarded as one of the biomass fuels. DME has low viscosity and a low boiling point, and smoke-free combustion can be obtained, since it has no carbon-carbon bond [2]. On the other hand, it has the disadvantage of low lubricity due to its low viscosity. When these fuels are blended together, the weaknesses of the fuels can be overcome. The objective of this research is to show that blending these two fuels is an effective way of bringing biomass-derived fuels into practical use.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is widely used in diesel engines to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. However, a lacquer is formed on the EGR valve or EGR cooler due to particulate matter and other components present in diesel exhaust, causing serious problems. In this study, the mechanism of lacquer deposition is investigated using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Deposition of temperature-dependent lacquers was evaluated by varying the temperature of a diamond prism between 80 and 120 °C in an ATR-FTIR spectrometer integrated into a custom-built sample line, which branched off from the exhaust pipe of a diesel engine. Lacquers were deposited on the diamond prism at 100 °C or less, while no lacquer was deposited at 120 °C. Time-dependent ATR-FTIR spectra were obtained for approximately 2 h from the beginning of the experiment.

For developing complicated after-treatment equipment for diesel-engine vehicles, such as urea-selective catalytic reduction (urea-SCR) systems, construction of a reaction model that can accurately predict ammonia (NH3) formation from urea is required. Hydrolysis of isocyanic acid (HNCO) is an important intermediate reaction in NH3 formation from urea. In our previous studies [1], a new rate constant for HNCO hydrolysis over fresh Cu-ZSM5 was derived using the measurements of the reaction rate of HNCO hydrolysis with high-purity HNCO formed from cyanuric acid. In this study, the reaction rates of the HNCO hydrolysis and NH3-SCR reactions were measured over a hydrothermally aged Cu-ZSM5 catalyst. A steady-state flow reactor equipped with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR) was employed to obtain the reaction rate of the HNCO hydrolysis and NH3-SCR reactions.

To meet the strict emission regulations for diesel engines, an advanced processing device such as a Urea-SCR (selective catalytic reduction) system is used to reduce NOx emissions. The Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test, which is implemented in the European Union, will expand the range of conditions under which the engine has to operate [1], which will lead to the construction of a Urea-SCR system capable of reducing NOx emissions at lower and higher temperature conditions, and at higher space velocity conditions than existing systems. Simulations are useful in improving the performance of the urea-SCR system. However, it is necessary to construct a reliable NOx reduction model to use for system design, which covers the expanded engine operation conditions. In the urea-SCR system, the mechanism of ammonia (NH3) formation from injected aqueous urea solution is not clear. Thus, it is important to clarify this mechanism to improve the NOx reduction model.

Diesel engines have better fuel economy over comparable gasoline engines and are useful for the reduction of CO2 emissions. However, to meet stringent emission standards, the technology for reducing NOx and particulate matter (PM) in diesel engine exhaust needs to be improved. A conventional selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system consists of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), diesel particulate filter (DPF), and urea-SCR catalyst. Recently, more stringent regulations have led to the development of SCR systems with a larger volume and increased the cost of such systems. In order to solve these problems, an SCR catalyst-coated DPF (SCR/DPF) is proposed. An SCR/DPF system has lower volume and cost compared to the conventional SCR system. The SCR/DPF catalyst has two functions: combustion of PM and reduction of NOx emissions.

Dimethyl ether (DME) is an oxygenated fuel with the molecular formula CH₃OCH₃, economically produced from various energy sources, such as natural gas, coal and biomass. It has gained prominence as a substitute for diesel fuel in Japan and in other Asian countries, from the viewpoint of both energy diversification and environmental protection. The greatest advantage of DME is that it emits practically no particulate matter when used in compression ignition (CI) engine. However, one of the drawbacks of DME CI engine is the increase carbon monoxide (CO) emission in high-load and high exhaust gas circulation (EGR) regime. In this study, we have investigated the CO formation characteristics of DME CI combustion based on chemical kinetics.

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.

In this study, spray images of LPG Blended Fuels (LBF) for DI diesel engines were observed using a constant volume chamber at high ambient temperature and pressure, and the spray characteristics of the fuel were investigated. The LBF spray started to vaporize at the injector tip and the outer downstream regions of the spray, like diesel fuel, because of the high temperature at these areas. There were more vaporized areas compared to diesel fuel. Sufficient fuel injection volume and volatility of LBF resulted in good fuel-air mixture, then, THC emissions decreased compared to diesel fuel at high load engine test conditions. Butane spray image could not be observed at the injector tip. It seems that the high temperature of the injector tip caused the butane spray to vaporize rapidly. Spray tip penetration with LBF and butane were equal or greater than with diesel fuel. The high volatility of LBF and butane had no noticeable effect on spray penetration.