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As a type of alternative fuel, biodiesel has advantages in reducing greenhouse gases and ensuring energy security. Compared with petroleum diesel, biodiesel has different lower calorific value, oxygen content and octane number that would raise problems when the unoptimized common rail diesel engine is fueled with biodiesel or its petroleum diesel blends. Among these problems, decreasing full load torque output and increasing NOx and BSFC are significantly important. Fuel injection parameter calibration and optimization experiments are carried out in an in-line 6-cylinder 8.82 liter turbocharged and intercooled common rail diesel, which is equipped with Denso ECD-U2 fuel injection system, SCR (Selective catalytic reduction) and DPF (diesel particulate filter). To avoid after-treatment apparatus' coupling influence and re-calibration, emission measure point is set in front of catalysts. The experiment adopts B20 biodiesel as test fuel.

This study examines fuel auto-ignitability and shows a method for determining fuel performance for HCCI combustion by doing engine experiments. Previous methods proposed for characterizing HCCI fuel performance were assessed in this study and found not able to predict required compression ratio for HCCI auto-ignition (CRAI) at a set combustion phasing. The previous indices that were studied were the Octane Index (OI), developed by Kalghatgi, and the HCCI Index, developed by Shibata and Urushihara. Fuels with the same OI or HCCI Index were seen to correspond to a wide range of compression ratios in these experiments, so a new way to describe HCCI fuel performance was sought. The Lund-Chevron HCCI Number was developed, using fuel testing in a CFR engine just as for the indices for spark ignition (research octane number and motor octane number, RON and MON) and compression ignition (cetane number, CN).

The distribution of EGR between the cylinders of an internal combustion engine has been shown to have large impact on the engine emissions. Especially at high EGR, the combustion reacts sensibly to variations in the EGR-rate. A cylinder that receives excessive EGR produces soot emissions while a cylinder with too little EGR has increased NOX-formation. It is therefore important to have knowledge about the mixing of air and EGR in an engine. This study compares two different EGR-mixing measurement methods. The first is based on CO2 measurement with standard probes, placed at 36 different locations in the intake manifold of the engine. The second method uses a laser beam and a detector to gain information about the mixing with a high time-resolution. Additionally, 1-D simulations are used to gain information about the mixing process. To vary the mixing process on the engine, two different air/EGR mixers are used and their mixing performance is evaluated.

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a promising concept that can be used to reduce NOx and soot emissions in combustion engines, keeping efficiency as high as for diesel engines. To be able to accurately control the combustion behavior, more information is needed about the auto-ignition of fuels. Many fuels, especially those containing n-paraffins, exhibit pre-reactions before the main heat release event, originating from reactions that are terminated when the temperature in the cylinder reaches a certain temperature level. These pre-reactions are called low temperature heat release (LTHR), and are known to be affected by engine speed. This paper goes through engine speed effects on auto-ignition temperatures and LTHR for primary reference fuels. Earlier studies show effects on both quantity and timing of the low temperature heat release when engine speed is varied.

Supercomputer simulations substantiate a high potential of the new compressive combustion principle based on supermulti-jets colliding with pulse, which was previously proposed by us and can maintain high compression ratio for various air-fuel ratios. An original governing equation extended from the stochastic Navier-Stokes equation lying between the Boltzmann and Langevin equations is proposed and the numerical methodology based on the multi-level formulation proposed previously by us is included. For capturing instability phenomena, this approach is better than direct numerical simulation (DNS) and large eddy simulation (LES). A simple two-step chemical reaction model modified for gasoline is used. A small engine having a semispherical distribution of seventeen jets pulsed is examined here. Pulse can be generated by a rotary plate valve, while a piston of a short stroke of about 65mm is also included.

Jojoba bio-diesel is one of the most promising bio-fuels to replace gas oil in diesel engines. Therefore, the main object of the present work was to measure and correlate the pressure rise ignition delay of jojoba bio-diesel and its blends with gas oil behind incident shock waves in a shock tube. For this purpose, a shock tube test set up was designed and manufactured. It was fully instrumented for delay measurement with two piezo-electric pressure transducers, dual mode charge amplifier, data acquisition card and a computer with suitable LabVIEW software. The test variables included the type of fuel (percentage of Jojoba bio-diesel in the blend with gas oil), equivalence ratio, ignition temperature and ignition pressure. It was found that jojoba bio-diesel exhibited a lower ignition delay in comparison with that of gas oil. Rich or lean mixtures produce long delays, whilst the minimum delay occurred near the stoichiometric mixture.

The objective of the present research was to analyze the effects of using oxygenated fuels (FAMEs or biodiesel fuels) on injected fuel spray and soot formation. A 3-D numerical study which using the KIVA-3V code with modified chemical and physical models was conducted. The large-eddy simulation (LES) model and KH-RT model were used to simulate fuel spray characteristics. To predict soot formation processes, a model for predicting gas-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) precursor formation was coupled with a detailed phenomenological particle formation model that included soot nucleation from the precursors, surface growth/oxidation and particle coagulation. The calculated liquid spray penetration results for all fuels agreed well with the measured data. The spray measurements were conducted using a constant volume chamber (CVC), which can simulate the ambient temperature and density under real engine conditions.

Global concerns over pollution have led to increasingly strict emissions legislation targeting small engines, which currently pollute at a much greater level than modern multi-cylinder automotive engines. Closed-loop control may be required to meet many future legislation requirements; however, such systems can be impractical due to high added component costs. A necessary component for closed-loop engine control is an oxygen sensor. Existing automotive oxygen sensors are too large, require too much power, and are far too expensive to be suitable for the vast majority of the global small engine applications; therefore, some manufacturers have developed smaller and/or unheated versions based on their existing sensors to meet this emerging need. The ability to miniaturize resistive based sensors well below that of traditional Nernst (zirconia based) oxygen sensors affords the opportunity to meet future emissions standards with less of an impact on cost.

Increasing the efficiency and durability of internal combustion engines is one of the major concerns of engineers in the development of modern road vehicles. Emission legislations are becoming intensively strict each year, forcing manufacturers to deploy sophisticated engine control strategies. The engine coolant temperature is conventionally controlled with mechanical elements such as wax-thermostat and belt-driven mechanical water-pump, which result in engine temperature fluctuations and delayed response to variable inputs. Variable coolant temperature is beneficial; it can decrease the hydrodynamic frictional losses of lubricated engine parts in light duty conditions. Moreover it improves performance and protects engine parts from thermal stresses and sealing failure in heavy duty conditions. In this paper the feasibility of controlling coolant temperature is examined in different driver demand conditions using electric flow-control valve replacing conventional thermostat.

In each operating state and operating environment, optimum ignition is ensured by continuously analyzing sensor values. Engine manufacturers continue to be faced with the challenge of ensuring that the machine runs as smoothly and quietly as possible. Increased spark duration and higher energy of the ignition spark enable improved combustion of the gasoline-air mixture in the combustion compartment. This article describes an electrical ignition process using an array of multiple coils and a magnetic generator that is rotating in sync with the machine. During this process the magnetic field temporarily flows through the coils and generates a sequence of magnetic flow variations per rotation. This induces corresponding half-waves of alternating voltage in the coils of the ignition module. This article describes a way to use these half-waves for prolonging the ignition spark, leading to a booster effect.

In order to reduce the smoke emission of PME/1-butanol blend by increasing the 1-butanol content, PME/1-butanol blend is tested using a DI diesel engine with jerk-type fuel injection pump. With PME/1-butanol blend, there is no problem on the start-ability and stability of the engine operation up to 60 mass% of 1-butanol. On the other hand, with gas oil/1-butanol blend, there is no problem on those up to 40 mass% of 1-butanol. The PME/1-butanol blend has longer ignition delay compared with PME due to the low cetane number of 1-butanol. With increasing 1-butanol content, the smoke emissions of PME/1-butanol blend decrease although the HC and CO emissions increase due to the longer ignition delay.

Using the PULSE platform for vibration analysis, which has been developed as an advanced solution for vibration measurements, the Robust Diagnostic Concept (RDC) was elaborated. The PULSE setup is designed to aid in fault diagnosis of a vehicle gearbox - the main part of a vehicle powertrain. Time Domain, Continuous Wavelet Transformation Technique (CWT), FFT and order analysis measurements are used for detection of an artificial pitting defect in a gear by tracking the gearbox response at accelerated speed and different loads. The test stand is equipped with three dynamometers; the input dynamometer serves as the internal combustion engine, the output dynamometers introduce the load on the flanges of the output joint shafts. The pitting defect is manufactured on the tooth side of the fifth speed gear on the intermediate shaft. The effect of temperature on the vibration measurements was also investigated to study its impact on the fault diagnosis.

This paper describes the influence of different kinds of FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) on the smoke emissions of a small single cylinder DI diesel engine and the soot formation characteristics in suspended single droplet combustion. The study used eight kinds of commercial FAME and diesel fuel blends. The tested FAMEs are saturated fatty acids with 8 to 18 carbon molecule chains, and with three different double bonds with C18. The results show that with all the FAME mixtures here, the brake thermal efficiencies with the FAME-diesel fuel blends were similar to neat diesel fuel operation while the smoke emissions with all of the tested FAME-diesel fuel blends were lower. To examine the differences in the soot formation characteristics, measurements of the formed soot mass were also performed with a basic experimental technique with suspended single droplet combustion. The soot was trapped on a glass fiber filter, and the mass of the filter was measured with an electronic microbalance.

In order to improve the cold flow properties of coconut oil biodiesel and to reduce the lifecycle CO2 emission by using bio-alcohol at biodiesel manufacturing, varying the types of alcohol used at transesterification was examined. The pour point of coconut oil ester decreases as the carbon number of alcohol increases. Among 5 ester fuels, the pour point of coconut oil isobutyl ester (CiBE) made from isobutanol is lowest, −12.5 °C, compared to that of coconut oil methyl ester (CME), highest, −5 °C. The pour point of coconut oil 1-butyl ester (CBE) is −10 °C, second lowest. Furthermore, CBE, CiBE, CME and JIS No.2 diesel fuel (gas oil) were tested using a DI diesel engine. CBE and CiBE have shorter ignition delay compared to the gas oil although slightly longer than CME. CBE and CiBE have the same thermal efficiency and NOx emissions compared to the gas oil. HC, CO and Smoke emissions of coconut oil ester fuels slightly increase when the ester molecule carbon number increases.

The market potential for products such as scooters and small motorcycles is already self-sustaining. However, other applications for small engines can be more fragmented with a wide variety of requirements for the engine control unit. Consequently, the engine control unit can be designed to accommodate more features than are necessary for a given application to cover a broader market. The flip side of this approach is to design the engine control unit for a limited application reducing the market size. Neither approach creates a cost efficient product for the producer. It either supplies the market with an electronic control unit that has features not being utilized (wasted costs) or a unit that has limited capabilities reducing the economies of scale (higher costs). When these designs are developed using discrete components these inefficiencies are exacerbated.

For handheld power tools, a four-stroke engine allows compliance with exhaust emissions regulations although four-stroke engines available tend to have unfavorable power to weight. The requirement for a low cost diecast block compromises valve sizes and port flow. While dynamic valve train limitations restrict maximum engine speeds. The use of a rotary valve as opposed to poppet valves avoids these issues and results in an engine with competitive performance. The engine block can be diecast and the engine can operate up to 14,000 rpm without valve related issues. This paper describes the evolution of a rotary valve concept and its application to two 35cc handheld development engines. The HRCV35 is based on a belt driven rotary valve horizontally mounted parallel to the crankshaft axis. The VRCV35 is based on a gear driven rotary valve vertically mounted on the cylinder axis. In both configurations, the rotary valve exposes inlet and exhaust ports providing unrestricted flow.

For a small general purpose engine, the authors have studied on “combustion noise”, the mechanical noise originating from combustion. The purpose of this study is to clarify the mechanisms of combustion noise generation. The engine used in this study was a 4-stroke air-cooled single-cylinder engine with the typical characteristics of 3.5 kW-class small general purpose engines, which was specifically designed for experiments. We analyzed the operational behaviors of parts such as the crankshaft, the flywheel and the crankcase during the time of occurrence of combustion noise. Results of the analysis showed that the primary component of combustion noise in small general purpose engines is radiated from the flywheel connected to the crankshaft, and that the vibration mode that radiates the noise is excited by bending deformation of the crankshaft under explosion load. Based on these results, this paper will also discuss the effect of the stiffness of the main bearings on combustion noise.

In a Formula SAE car, as for almost all racecars, suppressing or limiting the action of the differential mechanism is the technique mostly adopted to improve the traction exiting the high lateral acceleration corners. The common Limited Slip Differentials (LSDs) unbalance the traction torque distribution, generating as a secondary effect a yaw torque on the vehicle. If this feature is electronically controlled, these devices can be used to manage the attitude of the car. The yaw torque introduced by an electronically controlled LSD (which can also be called SAD, “Semi-Active Differential”) could suddenly change from oversteering (i.e. pro-yaw) to understeering (i.e. anti-yaw), depending on the driving conditions. Therefore, controlling the vehicle attitude with a SAD could be challenging, and its effectiveness could be low if compared with the common torque vectoring systems, which act on the brake system of the car.

Electrical power and efficiency are decisive factors to minimise payoff time of cogeneration units and thus increase their profitability. In the case of (small-scale) cogeneration engines, low-NOx operation and high engine efficiency are frequently achieved through lean burn operation. Whereas higher diluted mixture enables future emission standards to be met, it reduces engine power. It further leads to poor combustion phasing, reducing engine efficiency. In this work, an engine concept that improves the trade-off between engine efficiency, NOx emissions and engine power, was investigated numerically. It combines individual measures such as lean burn operation, overexpanded cycle as well as a power- and efficiency-optimised intake system. Miller and Atkinson valve timings were examined using a detailed 1D model (AVL BOOST). Indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) was improved while maintaining effective compression ratio constant.

Over recent years, demands for fuel-efficient vehicles have increased with the rise of the fuel price and public concerns on environment. Recently, application of lightweight materials is increasing in the automobile industry in order to improve mass reduction and consequently fuel efficiency. On this particular study, with a goal of developing a Lightweight Fixed Steering Column, it was identified an opportunity to replace fixed steering column metallic upper and lower brackets by polymeric material. In order to fulfill NVH, Crash, Durability and Performance requirements, a DFSS methodology has been applied. As a result, It was achieved ∼51% of mass reduction, ∼10% of performance improvement with ∼14% of cost increase.