Combustion characteristics and emissions for IC engines using diesel type fuel

The effects of a standard ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel and a new, ultra-clean synthetic gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel on the performance, combustion, and emissions of a single cylinder, direct injection, and diesel engine were studied under different operating conditions with addition of simulated reformer product gas, referred to as reformed EGR (REGR). GTL fuel led to a higher brake thermal efficiency compared to ULSD but the differences depended on the engine condition and EGR/REGR level and composition. The combustion pattern was significantly modified when the REGR level was increased. An optimal combination of GTL and REGR significantly improved NO_x and smoke emissions. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering (Montreal, Quebec, Canada 8/23-27/2009).