Lubricating oil effects on the transient performance of a turbocharged diesel engine

The modeling of transient turbocharged diesel engine operation appeared in the early seventies and continues to be in the focal point of research, due to the importance of transient response in the everyday operating conditions of engines. The majority of research has focused so far on issues concerning thermodynamic modeling, as these directly affect performance and pollutants' emissions. On the other hand, issues concerning the dynamics of transient operation are usually over-simplified, possibly for the sake of speeding up program execution time. In the present work, an experimentally validated transient diesel engine simulation code is used to study and evaluate the importance of the lubricating oil properties (oil-type, viscosity, temperature) on the transient response of a turbocharged diesel engine. It is revealed how the lubricating oil affects mechanical friction and hence, the speed response as well as the other interesting parameters, e.g. fuel pump rack position or turbocharger operating point for load-change schedules typical in the European Transient Cycles for heavy-duty engines. Particularly under low ambient conditions, the high oil viscosity is responsible for a significant increase in the respective frictional losses worsening the engine transient response.     

Emission characteristics of a turbocharged diesel engine fueled with gas-to-liquids

Emission characteristics of a turbocharged, intercooled, heavy-duty diesel engine operating on neat gas-to-liquids (GTL) and blends of GTL with conventional diesel were investigated and a comparison was made with those of diesel fuel. The results show that nitrogen oxides (NO _x ), smoke, and particulate matter (PM) emissions can be decreased when operating on GTL and diesel-GTL blends. Engine emissions decrease with an increase of GTL fraction in the blends. Compared with diesel fuel, an engine operating on GTL can reduce NO _x , PM, carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbon (HC) by 23.7%, 27.6%, 16.6% and 12.9% in ECE R49 13-mode procedure, respectively. Engine speed and load have great influences on emissions when operating on diesel-GTL blends and diesel fuel in the turbocharged diesel engine. The study indicates that GTL is a promising alternative fuel for diesel engines to reduce emissions. Translated from Transactions of CSICE, 2006, 24(6): 489–493 [译自: 内燃机学报]     

Availability analysis of a turbocharged diesel engine operating under transient load conditions

A computer analysis is developed for studying the energy and availability performance of a turbocharged diesel engine, operating under transient load conditions. The model incorporates many novel features for the simulation of transient operation, such as detailed analysis of mechanical friction, separate consideration for the processes of each cylinder during a cycle (“multi-cylinder” model) and mathematical modeling of the fuel pump. This model has been validated against experimental data taken from a turbocharged diesel engine, located at the authors’ laboratory and operated under transient conditions. The availability terms for the diesel engine and its subsystems are analyzed, i.e. cylinder for both the open and closed parts of the cycle, inlet and exhaust manifolds, turbocharger and aftercooler. The present analysis reveals, via multiple diagrams, how the availability properties of the diesel engine and its subsystems develop during the evolution of the engine cycles, assessing the importance of each property. In particular the irreversibilities term, which is absent from any analysis based solely on the first-law of thermodynamics, is given in detail as regards transient response as well as the rate and cumulative terms during a cycle, revealing the magnitude of contribution of all the subsystems to the total availability destruction.     

Experimental and simulation analysis of the transient operation of a turbocharged multi-cylinder IDI diesel engine

An experimental and theoretical analysis is carried out to study the response of a multi-cylinder, turbocharged, IDI (indirect injection) compression ignition engine, under transient operating conditions. To this aim, a comprehensive digital computer model is developed which solves the governing differential equations individually for each cylinder, providing thus increased accuracy over previous ‘single-cylinder’ simulations. Special attention has been paid for diversifying the transient operation from the steady-state one, providing improved or even new relations concerning combustion, heat transfer to the cylinder walls, friction, turbocharger and aftercooler operation, and dynamic analysis for the transient case. An extended steady state and transient experimental work is conducted on a specially developed engine test bed configuration, located at the authors' laboratory, which is connected to a high-speed data acquisition and processing system. The steady-state measurements are used for the calibration of the individual submodel constants. The transient investigation includes both speed and load changes operating schedules. During each transient test four major measurements are continuously made, i.e. engine speed, fuel pump rack position, main chamber pressure and turbocharger compressor boost pressure. The hydraulic brake coupled to the engine possesses a high mass moment of inertia and long nonlinear load-change times, which together with the indirect injection nature of the engine are important challenges for the simulation code. Explicit multiple diagrams are given to describe the engine and turbocharger transient behaviour including smoke predictions. The agreement between experimental and predicted responses is satisfactory, for all the cases examined, proving the validity of the simulation process, while providing useful information for the engine response under various transient operations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of tobacco seed oil methyl ester in a turbocharged indirect injection diesel engine

Vegetable oils and their methyl/ethyl esters are alternative renewable fuels for compression ignition engines. Different kinds of vegetable oils and their methyl/ethyl esters have been tested in diesel engines. However, tobacco seed oil and tobacco seed oil methyl ester have not been tested in diesel engines, yet. Tobacco seed oil is a non-edible vegetable oil and a by-product of tobacco leaves production. To the author's best knowledge, this is the first study on tobacco seed oil methyl ester as a fuel in diesel engines.In this study, potential tobacco seed production throughout the world, the oil extraction process from tobacco seed and the transesterification process for biodiesel production were examined. The produced tobacco seed oil methyl ester was characterized by exposing its major properties. The effects of tobacco seed oil methyl ester addition to diesel No. 2 on the performance and emissions of a four cycle, four cylinder turbocharged indirect injection (IDI) diesel engine were examined at both full and partial loads. Experimental results showed that tobacco seed oil methyl ester can be partially substituted for the diesel fuel at most operating conditions in terms of performance parameters and emissions without any engine modification and preheating of the blends.     

Experimental study of combustion noise radiation during transient turbocharged diesel engine operation

Diesel engine noise radiation has drawn increased attention in recent years since it is associated with the passengers’ and pedestrians’ discomfort, a fact that has been acknowledged by the manufacturers and the legislation in many countries. In the current study, experimental tests were conducted on a truck, turbocharged diesel engine in order to investigate the mechanism of combustion noise emission under various transient schedules experienced during daily driving conditions, namely acceleration and load increase. To this aim, a fully instrumented test bed was set up in order to capture the development of key engine and turbocharger variables during the transient events. Analytical diagrams are provided to explain the behavior of combustion noise radiation in conjunction with cylinder pressure (spectrum), turbocharger and governor/fuel pump response. Turbocharger lag was found to be the main cause for the noise spikes during all test cases examined, with the engine injection timing calibration and the slow adjustment of cylinder wall temperature to the new fueling conditions playing a vital role. The analysis was extended with a quasi-steady approximation of transient combustion noise using steady-state maps, in order to better highlight the effect of dynamic engine operation on combustion noise emissions.     

Analysis of the dynamic response improvement of a turbocharged diesel engine driven alternating current generating set

Reliability of electric supply systems is among the most required necessities of modern society. Turbocharged diesel engine driven alternating current generating sets are often used to prevent electric black outs and/or as prime electric energy suppliers. It is well known that turbocharged diesel engines suffer from an inadequate response to a sudden load increase, this being a consequence of the nature of the energy exchange between the engine and the turbocharger. The dynamic response of turbocharged diesel engines could be improved by electric assisting systems, either by direct energy supply with an integrated starter–generator–booster (ISG) mounted on the engine flywheel, or by an indirect energy supply with an electrically assisted turbocharger. An experimentally verified zero dimensional computer simulation method was used for the analysis of both types of electrical assistance. The paper offers an analysis of the interaction between a turbocharged diesel engine and different electric assisting systems, as well as the requirements for the supporting electric motors that could improve the dynamic response of a diesel engine while driving an AC generating set. When performance class compliance is a concern, it is evident that an integrated starter–generator–booster outperforms an electrically assisted turbocharger for the investigated generating set. However, the electric energy consumption and frequency recovery times are smaller when an electrically assisted turbocharger is applied.     

Study of combustion and emission characteristics of turbocharged diesel engine fuelled with dimethylether

An experimental study of a turbocharged diesel engine operating on dimethyl ether (DME) was conducted. The combustion and emission characteristics of the DME engine were investigated. The results show that the maximum torque and power of DME are greater than those of diesel, particularly at low speeds; the brake specific fuel consumption of DME is lower than that of diesel at low and middle engine speeds, and the injection delay of DME is longer than that of diesel. However, the maximum cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate and combustion noises of the DME engine are lower than those of diesel. The combustion velocity of DME is faster than that of diesel, resulting in a shorter combustion duration of DME. Compared with the diesel engine, NO_x emission of the DME engine is reduced by 41.6% on ESC data. In addition, the DME engine is smoke free at any operating condition.     

Study of combustion and emission characteristics of turbocharged diesel engine fuelled with dimethylether

An experimental study of a turbocharged diesel engine operating on dimethyl ether (DME) was conducted. The combustion and emission characteristics of the DME engine were investigated. The results show that the maximum torque and power of DME are greater than those of diesel, particularly at low speeds; the brake specific fuel consumption of DME is lower than that of diesel at low and middle engine speeds, and the injection delay of DME is longer than that of diesel. However, the maximum cylinder pressure, maximum pressure rise rate and combustion noises of the DME engine are lower than those of diesel. The combustion velocity of DME is faster than that of diesel, resulting in a shorter combustion duration of DME. Compared with the diesel engine, NO _x emission of the DME engine is reduced by 41.6% on ESC data. In addition, the DME engine is smoke free at any operating condition. __________ Translated from Transactions of CSICE, 2006, 24(3): 193–199 [译自: 内燃机学报]     

Effect of advanced injection timing on emission characteristics of diesel engine running on natural gas

There has been a growing concern on the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, whose consequence is global warming. The sources of greenhouse gases have been identified, of which the major contributor is the combustion of fossil fuel. Researchers have intensified efforts towards identifying greener alternative fuel substitutes for the present fossil fuel. Natural gas is now being investigated as potential alternative fuel for diesel engines. Natural gas appears more attractive due to its high octane number and perhaps, due to its environmental friendly nature. The test results showed that alternative fuels exhibit longer ignition delay, with slow burning rates. Longer delays will lead to unacceptable rates of pressure rise with the result of diesel knock. This work examines the effect of advanced injection timing on the emission characteristics of dual-fuel engine. The engine has standard injection timing of 30° BTDC. The injection was first advanced by 5.5° and given injection timing of 35.5° BTDC. The engine performance was erratic on this timing. The injection was then advanced by 3.5°. The engine performance was smooth on this timing especially at low loading conditions. The ignition delay was reduced through advanced injection timing but tended to incur a slight increase in fuel consumption. The CO and CO₂ emissions were reduced through advanced injection timing.     

Combustion characteristics of a charcoal slurry in a direct injection diesel engine and the impact on the injection system performance

The paper presents the research results pertaining to the renewable biomass charcoal-diesel slurries and their use as alternative fuels for combustion in diesel generating plants. The utilization of charcoal slurry fuel aims to reduce diesel oil consumption and would decrease fossil green house emissions into the atmosphere. The paper investigates the formulation, emulsification, sprays, combustion, injection system operation, and subsequent wear with charcoal-diesel slurries. In the research, cedar wood chips were used for the production of charcoal to be emulsified with diesel oil. The slurry’s viscosity of 27 cP achieved the target (<100 cP) and gave prospects of good spray atomization and while maintaining a high calorific value. Thermal analysis studies found that cedar wood will oxidize about 75% of its original mass by 450 °C. Charcoal slurry displayed a high vaporization rate of 75% by wt. at 300 °C. Engine investigations showed that the top combustion pressure at 1200 rpm and 100% load (7.8 brake mean effective pressure (bmep)) was 79 bar for diesel fuel and 78 bar for the charcoal slurry fuel. From the injection and heat release history was found an ignition delay of 1.7 ms for diesel that increased to 2.1 ms for the slurry fuel. A higher net heat release for charcoal slurry was observed, up to 180 J/crank angle degrees (CAD) compared with the diesel at 145 J/CAD The maximum combustion temperature reached 2300 K for diesel and 2330 K for slurry. The heat fluxes for both fuels have similar values and trends during the entire cycle showing the good compatibility of charcoal slurry with a diesel type combustion and low soot radiation. The exhaust temperatures were about 40-50 °C higher for charcoal slurry at 19° before top dead center (BTDC) injection timing. The engine’s bsfc increased as expected due to the lower heating value of the slurry fuel. The smoke Bosch no. was lower for the slurry fuel at any load, and is believed that the oxygen from the charcoal had a beneficial effect. The measured emissions of slurry fuel were better at 13° BTDC than those of diesel fuel with the original engine settings and the remaining 6-10% oxygen content in the charcoal is thought to have a paramount role in helping the diffusion type combustion and diminishing the particulate matter formation. As the load was increased, the amount of time it took to notice a decline in engine efficiency decreased. This was due to the injector sticking open which was seen by a sharp increase in the exhaust temperature. The internal flow into the injector had the tendency to form deposits on the injector’s seat that were critical to the functionality of the injector. In order to alleviate this problem, a reduced charcoal particle size together with a new injector design were produced resulting in stable engine efficiency at 50% load for a period of 90 min without injector sticking. Even with improvements, the needle’s seat into the injector body showed an accelerated wear 4-8 times faster than that in normal operation with diesel fuel and this cannot be sustained for long operational cycles. The investigations have proven that the new charcoal-diesel slurry can produce adequate sprays and burn with very good results in a direct injection diesel engine. The critical aspect of operation is the internal flow into the injector with the tendency to form deposits and wear in the injector.     

Effect of injection timing on the exhaust emissions of a diesel engine using diesel–methanol blends

Environmental concerns and limited resource of petroleum fuels have caused interests in the development of alternative fuels for internal combustion (IC) engines. For diesel engines, alcohols are receiving increasing attention because they are oxygenated and renewable fuels. Therefore, in this study, the effect of injection timing on the exhaust emissions of a single cylinder, naturally aspirated, four-stroke, direct injection diesel engine has been experimentally investigated by using methanol-blended diesel fuel from 0% to 15% with an increment of 5%. The tests were conducted for three different injection timings (15°, 20° and 25 °CA BTDC) at four different engine loads (5 Nm, 10 Nm, 15 Nm, 20 Nm) at 2200 rpm. The experimental test results showed that Bsfc, NO_x and CO₂ emissions increased as BTE, smoke opacity, CO and UHC emissions decreased with increasing amount of methanol in the fuel mixture. When compared the results to those of original injection timing, NO_x and CO₂ emissions decreased, smoke opacity, UHC and CO emissions increased for the retarded injection timing (15 °CA BTDC). On the other hand, with the advanced injection timing (25 °CA BTDC), decreasing smoke opacity, UHC and CO emissions diminished, and NO_x and CO₂ emissions boosted at all test conditions. In terms of Bsfc and BTE, retarded and advanced injection timings gave negative results for all fuel blends in all engine loads.     

Effect of injection parameters on the combustion and emission characteristics in a common-rail direct injection diesel engine fueled with waste cooking oil biodiesel

The objective of this paper was to study the effects of the injection pressure and injection timing on the combustion and emission characteristics in a single-cylinder common-rail direct injection (CRDI) diesel engine fueled with waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel and commercial diesel fuel. The fuel property including fatty acid composition for the biodiesel were measured and compared with those of the conventional diesel fuel. The engine tests were conducted at two injection pressures (80 and 160 MPa) and different injection timings from −25 to 0 crank angle degree (CAD) after top dead center (aTDC) under two different engine loads. The results showed that the indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) with respect to the injection timings of the biodiesel was higher than that of the diesel fuel under all experimental conditions. The peak cylinder pressure and the peak heat release rate of the biodiesel were slightly lower, while the ignition delay was slightly longer under all operating conditions. In terms of emissions, the biodiesel had benefits in reduction of smoke, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC) emissions especially with high fuel injection pressure. The nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions of the biodiesel were relatively higher than those of the diesel under all experimental conditions.     

Investigating the emissions during acceleration of a turbocharged diesel engine operating with bio-diesel or n-butanol diesel fuel blends

Control of transient emissions from turbocharged diesel engines is an important objective for automotive manufacturers, since stringent criteria for exhaust emission levels must be met as dictated by the legislated transient cycles. On the other hand, bio-fuels are getting impetus today as renewable substitutes for conventional fuels (diesel fuel or gasoline), especially in the transport domain. In the present work, experimental tests are conducted on a turbocharged truck diesel engine in order to investigate the formation mechanism of NO (nitric oxide) and smoke under various accelerating schedules experienced during daily driving conditions. To this aim, a fully instrumented test bed was set up in order to capture the development of key engine and turbocharger variables during the transient events using ultra-fast response instrumentation for the instantaneous measurement of the exhaust NO and smoke opacity. Apart from the baseline diesel fuel, the engine was operated with a blend of diesel fuel with 30% bio-diesel, and a blend of diesel fuel with 25% n-butanol. Analytical diagrams are provided to explain the behavior of emissions development in conjunction with turbocharger and fueling response. Unsurprisingly, turbocharger lag was found to be the main culprit for the emissions spikes during all test cases examined. The differences in the measured exhaust emissions of the two bio-fuel/diesel fuel blends, both leading to serious smoke reductions but also NO increases compared with the baseline operation of the engine were determined and compared. The differing physical and chemical properties of bio-diesel and n-butanol against those of the diesel fuel, together with the formation mechanisms of NO and soot were used for the analysis and interpretation of the experimental findings concerning transient emissions.     

Comparative study of turbocharged diesel engine emissions during three different Transient Cycles

Starting from the 1980s (diesel‐engined) vehicles have been tested for exhaust emissions, prior to type approval, using sophisticated standardized transient tests (Transient Cycles). These are usually characterized by long duration consisting of both speed and load changes under varying operating schedules. In the present work, a fast and, relatively, easy to apply approach was developed in order to be able to make a first approximation of the engine performance and emissions during a speed/torque vs time Transient Cycle. The procedure is based on a previous steady‐state experimental investigation of the engine for the formulation of polynomial expressions of all interesting engine properties with respect to engine speed and torque. Correction coefficients are then applied, based on experiments conducted on the engine under study, to account for transient discrepancies. Using the developed algorithm, a comparative study was conducted for the European, American and the Worldwide heavy‐duty Transient Cycles. It was revealed for the current engine that the European ETC, being the most aggressive and having the shortest idling period, is also the most demanding in terms of absolute emissions (g), particularly soot. At the same time, the importance of abrupt transients (primarily experienced during urban driving) on engine emissions was highlighted. A comparative analysis was also performed that detailed the individual technical and transient characteristics of each cycle. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study on the effect of hydrogen enriched intake air on the characteristics of a diesel engine fueled with ethanol blended diesel

This work aims to replace conventional diesel fuel with low and no carbon fuels like ethanol and hydrogen to reduce the harmful emission that causes environmental degradation. Pursuant to this objective, this study investigated the performance, combustion, and emission characteristics of the diesel engine operated on dual fuel mode by ethanol-diesel blends with H₂ enriched intake air at different engine loads with a constant engine speed of 1500 rpm. The results were compared to sole diesel operation with and without H₂ enrichment. The ethanol/diesel was blended in v/v ratios of 5, 10, and 15% and tested in a diesel engine along with a 9 lpm H₂ flow rate at the intake manifold. The results revealed that 10% ethanol with 9 lpm H₂ combination gives the maximum brake thermal efficiency, which is 1% and 4.8% higher than diesel with and without H₂ enrichment, respectively. The brake specific fuel consumption of the diesel-ethanol blends with H₂ flow increased with increasing ethanol ratio in the blend. When the ethanol ratio increased from 5 to 10%, in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate were increased, whereas HC, CO, and NO_x emissions were decreased. At maximum load, the CO and HC emission of 10% ethanol blend with 9 lpm H₂ case decreased by about 50% and 28.7% compared to sole diesel. However, NO_x emission of the same blend was 11.4% higher than diesel. From the results, the study concludes that 10% ethanol blended diesel with a 9 lpm H₂ flow rate at the intake port is the best dual-fuel mode combination that gives the best engine characteristics with maximum diesel replacement.     

The comparison of engine performance and exhaust emission characteristics of sesame oil–diesel fuel mixture with diesel fuel in a direct injection diesel engine

The use of vegetable oils as a fuel in diesel engines causes some problems due to their high viscosity compared with conventional diesel fuel. Various techniques and methods are used to solve the problems resulting from high viscosity. One of these techniques is fuel blending. In this study, a blend of 50% sesame oil and 50% diesel fuel was used as an alternative fuel in a direct injection diesel engine. Engine performance and exhaust emissions were investigated and compared with the ordinary diesel fuel in a diesel engine. The experimental results show that the engine power and torque of the mixture of sesame oil–diesel fuel are close to the values obtained from diesel fuel and the amounts of exhaust emissions are lower than those of diesel fuel. Hence, it is seen that blend of sesame oil and diesel fuel can be used as an alternative fuel successfully in a diesel engine without any modification and also it is an environmental friendly fuel in terms of emission parameters.     

Effect of hydrogen addition to intake air on combustion noise from a diesel engine

This study investigates the characteristics of combustion noise from a diesel engine with hydrogen added to intake air. The engine noise with hydrogen addition of 10 vol% to the intake air was lower than that with diesel fuel alone at late diesel-fuel injection timings. A transient combustion-noise-generation model was introduced to discuss noise characteristics based on energy conversion from combustion impact to noise via structure vibration. The results show that the maximum combustion impact energy had a predominant effect on the maximum engine noise power for each cycle. Therefore, the combustion noise largely contributed to the total engine noise in an early stage of the expansion stroke. The dependences of engine noise on the diesel-fuel injection timing for different hydrogen fractions are discussed considering the characteristics of maximum combustion impact energy for each frequency.     

Numerical simulation of biodiesel fuel combustion and emission characteristics in a direct injection diesel engine

The effect of the physical and chemical properties of biodiesel fuels on the combustion process and pollutants formation in Direct Injection (DI) engine are investigated numerically by using multi-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation. In the current study, methyl butanoate (MB) and n-heptane are used as the surrogates for the biodiesel fuel and the conventional diesel fuel. Detailed kinetic chemical mechanisms for MB and n-heptane are implemented to simulate the combustion process. It is shown that the differences in the chemical properties between the biodiesel fuel and the diesel fuel affect the whole combustion process more significantly than the differences in the physical properties. While the variations of both the chemical and the physical properties between the biodiesel and diesel fuel influence the soot formation at the equivalent level, the variations in the chemical properties play a crucial role in the NO _x emissions formation.