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Fuel properties are a very important factor to reduce particulate matter (PM) and other emissions with diesel engines. Especially the effect of aromatic contents has been discussed, though details of the influence differ in different reports. In this study the mechanism of PM formation was investigated in a small direct injection diesel engine. The fuels tested were paraffinic hydrocarbons (C7∼C12) with different boiling points (98∼216 °C), and the blending of aromatic hydrocarbons (1∼4 rings) with paraffinic and olefinic hydrocarbons. The effect of the structure of fuels with the same carbon numbers (dodecane and dodecene) was also investigated. The results showed that the amount of SOF decreases to about one tenth of that of diesel oil when using low boiling point paraffinic hydrocarbons like heptane. However, the total amount of unburned hydrocarbon increases due to over-leaning of the mixture due to the early evaporation.

Early stage combustion systems, with lean homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), have been studied, with the intent to decrease the pollutant emission characteristics of DI diesel engines. Early stage combustion enables drastic reductions in both nitrogen oxides (NOx) and smoke emission, but the operating load range is restricted, due to combustion phenomena, such as unsteady combustion and knocking. In this study, we explored the possibility of broadening the operating load range in HCCI and reducing pollutant emissions using Dimethyl Ether (DME) fumigated through the intake pipe. However, the improvements in load range were found to be less than 0.1 MPa in brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), even when compression ratios were reduced and Methane with high octane number was mixed. Therefore, a DME premixed charge could be used only at light loads. At heavier loads a hybrid fuel system with a DME premixed charge and diesel fuel injection is necessary.