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The relationship between gasoline properties and vehicle particulate matter emissions was investigated, for the purpose of constructing a predictive model. Various chemical species were individually blended with an indolene base fuel, and the solid particulate number (PN) emissions from each blend were measured over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). The results indicated that aromatics with a high boiling point and a high double bond equivalent (DBE) value tended to produce more PN emissions. However, high boiling point components with low DBE values, such as paraffins, displayed only a minor effect on PN. Upon further analysis of the test results, it was also confirmed that low vapor pressure components correlated with high PN emissions, as might be expected based on their combustion behavior. A predictive model, termed the “PM Index,” was constructed based on the weight fraction, vapor pressure, and DBE value of each component in the fuel.

Research was conducted on cold startability with a focus on the vaporization characteristics of ethanol blended fuel (E85). Cold startability was tested with a conventional gasoline engine with standard calibration data by using gasoline and E85 of which RVP is adjusted to be equivalent to gasoline. The test engine started successfully when the gasoline was used, but failed to start when the E85 was used. A further analysis of this result indicated the fact that E85 displays lower vaporization than gasoline under cold conditions even if the RVP of both fuels are the same. The research determined that the formation of an air fuel mixture with minimum of 2 vol% fuel concentration is necessary for a successful engine start. The effects of increasing compression ratio and cranking speed as means of enhancing fuel vaporization were investigated and no major impacts ware observed.

The research discussed in this paper revealed a strong correlation between the anti-oxidation performance of engine oils and sludge production. The results of NOx bubbling tests and engine bench tests showed that the main factors in the deterioration of anti-oxidation performance are heat, air, NOx, and unburnt fuel. Detailed analysis indicated that the rate of deterioration of anti-oxidation performance could be expressed as formulas. The use of these deterioration rate formulas to calculate the deterioration in anti-oxidation performance in a real engine showed that the formulas could be employed in a monitoring system. The use of these estimation methods of oil anti-oxidation performance by the engine control unit (ECU) would enable onboard estimation of oil deterioration.

In this research project, technology for estimating the base number (BN) deterioration, used as an index for judging engine oil deterioration, was developed. A detailed investigation using a NOx bubbling unit was carried out, and as a result it was found that the speed at which the BN falls was determined mainly by heat and NOx. In addition, a detailed analysis was carried out, and it was found that the reduction speed can be expressed using the differential rate law. A study of the possibility of estimating reduction of the BN in an actual engine was carried out using a BN deterioration equation. The results of this study showed that it was possible to adequately estimate the BN deterioration. This indicated that it is possible to estimate the reduction of the BN on-board by the electronic control unit (ECU).