Trade-off Improvements by Combining EGR and Supercharging Ignited by Next Generation Bio-alcohol Blended FAME Fuels in Diesel Dual Fuel Operation Using Natural Gas

• Main Authors: Yasufumi Yoshimoto, Eiji Kinoshita, Takeshi Otaka
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-08-01
• Series: Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering
• Subjects: diesel dual fuel operation; alternative fuel; fatty acid methyl ester; next generation bio-alcohol; EGR; supercharging
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmech.2020.00067/full

Studies in diesel dual fuel operation (DDF), introducing compressed natural gas (CNG) from the intake pipe and ignited by a liquid fuel injection in the combustion chamber have been conducted with conventional diesel engines. The present study investigated the effects of trade-off improvements between NOx and smoke emissions with next generation bio-alcohol blended FAME fuel ignition in DDF with a combination of EGR and supercharging. The CNG supply rates were set at 0% (diesel operation) and at 41–44% (DDF) on a heat energy basis, the boost pressures were set to two conditions with supercharger operation: 100 kPa (naturally aspirated operation, N/A) or 120 kPa (supercharged operation, S/C), and the EGR rates were varied from 0 to 25%. Blended fuels with a base fuel vs. alcohol ratio of 7: 3 were prepared using what in the following is termed PLME containing equal proportions of methyl palmitate (PME) and methyl laurate (LME) as the base fuel. The next generation bio-alcohols used here were iso-pentanol (C5) and iso-butanol (C4), and the engine performance, combustion characteristics, and exhaust emissions were investigated with iso-pentanol blended PLME (termed PLiP30), iso-butanol blended PLME (PLiB30), and neat PLME, as the ignition fuel. The results showed that with all ignition fuels, the DDF combining cooled EGR and supercharging improved the trade-off relation between NOx and smoke emissions significantly while maintaining relatively high brake thermal efficiencies.