Search Results

For the purpose of developing onboard gasoline reforming technology for higher octane number fuel on demand, octane number enhancement of gasoline surrogate by aerobic oxidation using N-hydroxyphthalimide catalyst was investigated. At first, octane numbers of the oxygen-containing products from alkane and aromatic compound were estimated using a fuel ignition analyzer. As a result, not only alcohol but also ketones and aldehydes have higher octane numbers than the original alkanes and aromatic compound. Next, gasoline surrogate was oxidized aerobically with N-hydroxyphthalimide derivative catalyst and cobalt catalyst at conditions below 100 °C. As a result, fuel molecules were oxidized to produce alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, and carboxylic acids. N-hydroxyphthalimide derivative catalyst with higher solubility in gasoline surrogate has higher oxidation ability. Furthermore, the estimated octane number of the oxidized gasoline surrogate improves 17 RON.

It is known that lean combustion is effective as one of the ways which improves thermal efficiency of a gasoline engine. In the interest of furthering efficiency, the use of leaner mixtures is desired. However, to realize robust lean combustion it is necessary to reduce combustion cyclic variation while managing the emission nitrogen oxides. In this study, combustion analysis was carried out focusing on cyclic variations of the heat release of lean combustion. Since the initial flame kernel growth speed has a great effect on the indicated mean effective pressure, laminar flame speed (LFS) around the spark plug was analyzed. Infrared absorption spectrophotometry was used for the measurement of a fuel concentration around the spark plug. Moreover, a LFS predicting formula, which can be used in an area leaner than before, was drawn from detailed chemical reaction calculation results, and the LFS around the spark plug was also calculated through the use of this formula.

Compression ignition combustion with a lean mixture has high potential in terms of high theoretical thermal efficiency and low NOx emission characteristics due to low combustion temperatures. In particular, a Dual-Fuel concept is proposed to achieve high ignition timing controllability and an extended operation range. This concept controls ignition timing by adjusting the fraction of two fuels with different ignition characteristics. However, a rapid combustion process after initial ignition cannot be avoided due to the homogenous nature of the fuel mixture, because the combustion process depends entirely on the high reaction rate of thermal ignition. In this study, the effect of mixture stratification in the cylinder on the combustion process after ignition based on the Dual-Fuel concept was investigated. Port injection of one fuel creates the homogeneous mixture, while direct injection of the other fuel prepares a stratified mixture in the cylinder at the compression stroke.

In practical lean burn engines used to date, the use of a stratified air-fuel configuration, with a comparatively rich mixture in the vicinity of the spark plugs, has resulted in the stable combustion of an overall lean mixture. However, because a comparatively rich mixture is burned during the first half of combustion, NOx emissions are not reduced sufficiently. This research focused on a form of lean burn with homogeneous premixture that would be able to balance low NOx emissions with combustion controllability. It is widely known that homogeneous lean premixed gas has poor flame propagation characteristics. To determine the dominant cause of this, this study investigated the combustion properties of a single-cylinder engine while changing the compression ratio and intake temperature. As a result, the primary cause of combustion fluctuation, the abnormal cycle has a low TDC temperature compared to that of other cycles.

Gasoline includes various kinds of chemical species. Thus, the reaction model of gasoline components that includes the low-temperature oxidation and ignition reaction is necessary to investigate the method to control the combustion process of the gasoline engine. In this study, a gasoline combustion reaction model including n-paraffin, iso-paraffin, olefin, naphthene, alcohol, ether, and aromatic compound was developed. KUCRS (Knowledge-basing Utilities for Complex Reaction Systems) [1] was modified to produce paraffin, olefin, naphthene, alcohol automatically. Also, the toluene reactions of gasoline surrogate model developed by Sakai et al. [2] including toluene, PRF (Primary Reference Fuel), ethanol, and ETBE (Ethyl-tert-butyl-ether) were modified. The universal rule of the reaction mechanisms and rate constants were clarified by using quantum chemical calculation.

It is important in the application of bio-ethanol in homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines to investigate the HCCI combustion characteristics of ethanol. As the inhibitory mechanism of ethanol on HCCI combustion is a key factor, simulated chemical reactions are necessary. In this study, chemical reaction simulations in the combustion chamber of a rapid compression machine (RCM) were performed in order to investigate the inhibitory mechanism of ethanol on the HCCI combustion of heptane. The sensitivity analysis results suggested that the OH radical consumption reaction by ethanol that occurs would inhibit the cool flame reaction of heptane. Furthermore, visualization of HCCI combustion with the RCM was conducted using a quartz glass combustion chamber head and ICCD camera. As a result, the cool flame luminescence intensity of heptane was reduced by the addition of ethanol.

Bio-ethanol is one of the candidates for automotive alternative fuels. For reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, it is important to investigate its optimum combustion procedure. This study has explored effect of ethanol fuels on HCCI-SI hybrid combustion using dual fuel injection (DFI). Steady and transient characteristics of the HCCI-SI hybrid combustion were evaluated using a single cylinder engine and a four-cylinder engine equipped with two port injectors and a direct injector. The experimental results indicated that DFI has the potential for optimizing ignition timing of HCCI combustion and for suppressing knock in SI combustion under fixed compression ratio. The HCCI-SI hybrid combustion using DFI achieved increasing efficiency compared to conventional SI combustion.

Bio-ethanol is one of the most promising alternative fuels for vehicles. It is important for the spread of bio-ethanol to investigate its ignition quality and its optimum combustion procedure. It is particularly important for the application of bio-ethanol to a homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine to investigate the HCCI combustion characteristics of ethanol. In this study, the inhibiting effects of ethanol on the HCCI combustion of heptane were investigated by using a rapid compression machine (RCM) under various conditions. The results indicate that ethanol effectively retarded the hot ignition period of HCCI combustion due to its effective retardation of the cool flame period. The hot ignition peak period for 30 wt% ethanol/70 wt% heptane was more delayed than that of PRF having an octane number of 60 under the ϕ=0.4 condition.

A new method for controlling fuel ignition quality has been developed. A cetane improver, such as organic peroxide, is added to a base fuel to create a fuel with higher ignition quality. The cetane improver in the fuel is then decomposed using a catalyst. This process lowers the ignition quality. To demonstrate this concept, the effects of a cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) addition and its catalytic decomposition on fuel ignition quality were investigated. It was found that addition of CHP improved ignition quality in the base fuel, and that following catalytic decomposition, the ignition quality was reduced below that of the base fuel.

The objective of this study is to clarify the effects of fuel properties on the stratified-charge combustion of direct-injection gasoline engine with EGR. A single-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine, based on a Toyota D-4 engine, was used. First, the effects of EGR on the stratified-charge combustion of direct-injection gasoline engine were investigated under various conditions. As a result, 20% EGR can drastically reduce NOx emission without reducing the IMEP under the stratified-charge combustion. Next, paraffin, olefin, naphthene and ether having a boiling point of approximately 50 °C and paraffin, olefin and aromatic compounds having a boiling point of approximately 100°C were used for fuel to investigate the effects of fuel properties on the stratified-charge combustion of a direct-injection gasoline engine with EGR. As a result, the effects of fuel properties on the stratified-charge combustion of direct-injection gasoline engine were maintained by the use of EGR.

The objective of this study is to improve the ignition quality of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) in order to utilize LPG as a diesel fuel. First, the relationship between the cetane numbers and ignition delay periods of primary standard fuels (mixtures of n-cetane and heptamethylnonane) and diesel fuels were investigated by measuring the ignition delay periods using a constant volume combustion chamber. As a result, it was found that a good relationship between the cetane numbers and ignition delay periods could be obtained for a 550°C combustion chamber temperature and 4MPa pressure. Also, the cetane number estimation equation was established using the ignition delay data of n-paraffins. Next, the constant volume combustion chamber was modified to evaluate the ignition delay period of LPG with a cetane number improver, and these cetane numbers were then estimated.

In order to clarify the effects of fuel properties on the mixture formation under the stratified-charge combustion condition in a direct-injection gasoline engine, fuel concentration measurement in the vicinity of the ignition plug was established using a fast response flame Ionization detector (FID). A single-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine, for which a Toyota D-4 engine was modified, was used. Paraffin, olefin, naphthene and ether having a boiling point of approximately 50°C, and paraffin, olefin and an aromatic compound having a boiling point of approximately 100°C were used as candidate fuels. As a result, the effect of boiling point on the mixture formation was clarified.

Experiments using a single-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine were conducted to evaluate pure substances and refinery feedstocks in order to clarify the effects of fuel properties on the combustion and emission of the direct-injection gasoline engine. Under the stratified charge combustion conditions, olefins had shorter mass-burning periods with a higher indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP), lower hydrocarbon (HC) emissions and higher NOx emissions than other substances. The boiling point affected the mass-burning periods and the HC emissions of paraffins. Aromatic compounds caused poor combustion and smoke production. Under the homogeneous stoichiometric combustion conditions, the combustion of substances was affected by both their boiling points and their chemical properties. Also, a shorter mass-burning period induced a higher IMEP and a lower coefficient of variance of the IMEP.

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.