In support of the Daimler SuperTruck I team’s 55% brake thermal efficiency (BTE) pathway goal, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory performed an experimental investigation of the potential efficiency and emissions benefits of dual-fuel advanced combustion approaches on a modified heavy-duty 15-L Detroit™ DD15 engine. For this work, a natural gas port fuel injection system with an independent injection control for each cylinder was added to the DD15 engine. For the dual-fuel strategies investigated, 65%–90% of the total fuel energy was supplied through the added port fuel injection natural gas (NG) fueling system. The remaining fuel energy was supplied by one or more direct injections of diesel fuel using the production high pressure diesel fueling system. The production DD15 air handling system and combustion geometry were unmodified for this study. Efficiency and emissions with dual-fuel strategies including both low temperature combustion (LTC) and non-LTC approaches such as dual fuel direct-injection were investigated along with control authority over combustion phasing. Parametric studies of dual-fuel NG/diesel advanced combustion were conducted in order to experimentally investigate the potential of high-efficiency, dual-fuel combustion strategies to improve BTE in a multi-cylinder engine, understand the potential reductions in engine-out emissions, and characterize the range of combustion phasing controllability. Characterization of mode transitions from mixing-controlled diesel pilot ignition to kinetically controlled ignition is presented. Key findings from this study included a reproducible demonstration of BTE approaching 48% at up to a 13-bar brake mean effective pressure with significant reductions in engine-out NOx and soot emissions. Additional results from investigating load transients in dual-fuel mode and initial characterization of particle size distribution during dual-fuel operation are presented.
DempseyACurranSWagnerR.A perspective on the range of gasoline compression ignition combustion strategies for high engine efficiency and low NOx and soot emissions: effects of in-cylinder fuel stratification. Int J Engine Res2016; 17(8): 897–917.
9.
WissinkMLCurranSJRobertsGMusculusMPMounaïm-RousselleC.Isolating the effects of reactivity stratification in reactivity-controlled compression ignition with iso-octane and n-heptane on a light-duty multi-cylinder engine. Int J Engine Res2018; 19(9): 907–926.
10.
KokjohnSHansonRSplitterDReitzR.Fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI): a pathway to controlled high-efficiency clean combustion. Int J Engine Res2011; 12: 209–226.
11.
ReitzRDDuraisamyG.Review of high efficiency and clean reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion in internal combustion engines. Prog Energy Combust Sci2015; 46: 12–71.
12.
PaykaniAKakaeeAHRahnamaPReitzRD.Progress and recent trends in reactivity-controlled compression ignition engines. Int J Engine Res2016; 17(5): 481–524, 2016.
13.
HanXZhengMTjongJ.Clean combustion enabling with ethanol on a dual-fuel compression ignition engine. Int J Engine Res2015; 16: 639–651.
14.
CurranSHansonRWagnerR. Effect of E85 on RCCI performance and emissions on a multi-cylinder light-duty diesel engine. SAE technical paper 2012-01-0376, 2012.
15.
DempseyAWalkerNReitzR.Effect of piston bowl geometry on dual fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) in a light-duty engine operated with gasoline/diesel and methanol/diesel. SAE Int J Engines2013; 6: 78–100.
16.
NiemanDDempseyAReitzR.Heavy-duty RCCI operation using natural gas and diesel. SAE Int J Engines2012; 5: 270–285.
17.
WalkerNRWissinkMLDelVescovoDAReitzRD.Natural gas for high load dual-fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition in heavy-duty engines. J Energy Resour Technol2015; 137(4): 042202.
18.
DelVescovoDKokjohnSReitzR.The effects of charge preparation, fuel stratification, and premixed fuel chemistry on reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion. SAE Int J Engines2017; 10(4): 1491–1505.
19.
WalkerNRChuahyFDReitzRD.Comparison of diesel pilot ignition (DPI) and reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) in a heavy-duty engine. In: ASME 2015 internal combustion engine division fall technical conference, Houston, TX, 8–11 November 2015, vol. 57274, V001T03A016. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
20.
LiuJYangFWangHOuyangMHaoS.Effects of pilot fuel quantity on the emissions characteristics of a CNG/diesel dual fuel engine with optimized pilot injection timing. Appl Energy2013; 110: 201–206.
21.
StoreyJCurranSLewisS, et al. Evolution and current understanding of physicochemical characterization of particulate matter from reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion on a multicylinder light-duty engine. Int J Engine Res2017; 18(5–6): 505–519.
22.
LucachickGCurranSStoreyJPrikhodkoVNorthropW.Volatility characterization of nanoparticles from single and dual-fuel low temperature combustion in compression ignition engines. Aerosol Sci Technol2016; 50(5): 436–447.
23.
DahodwalaMJoshiSKoehlerEWFrankeM. Investigation of diesel and CNG combustion in a dual fuel regime and as an enabler to achieve RCCI combustion. SAE technical paper 2014-01-1308, 2014.
24.
NiemanDMorrisAMiwaJDentonB. Methods of improving combustion efficiency in a high-efficiency, lean burn dual-fuel heavy-duty engine. SAE technical paper 2019-01-0032, 2019.
25.
ZhangYSagalovichIDe OjedaWIckesAWallnerTWickmanD.Development of dual-fuel low temperature combustion strategy in a multi-cylinder heavy-duty compression ignition engine using conventional and alternative fuels. SAE Int J Engines2013; 6(3): 1481–1489.
PrikhodkoVCurranSBaroneT, et al. The contribution of lubricant to the formation of particulate matter with reactivity controlled compression ignition in light-duty diesel engines. SAE Int J Fuels Lubr2010; 3(2): 946–955.
29.
StoreyJCurranSDempseyA, et al. The contribution of lubricant to the formation of particulate matter with reactivity controlled compression ignition in light-duty diesel engines. Emiss Control Sci Technol2015; 1: 64–79.
30.
GiechaskielBDilaraPSandbachEAnderssonJ.Particle measurement programme (PMP) light-duty inter-laboratory exercise: comparison of different particle number measurement systems. Meas Sci Technol2008; 19(9): 5401.
31.
BaroneTLStoreyJMYongquistADSzybistJP.An analysis of direct injection spark-ignition (DISI) soot morphology. Atmos Environ2012; 49: 268–274.
32.
Moses-DeBuskMCurranSJLewisSSAConnatserRMStoreyJME. Impacts of air-fuel stratification in ACI combustion on particulate matter and gaseous emissions. Emiss Control Sci Technol2019; 5(3): 225–237.
33.
NithyanandanKGaoYWuHLeeCLiuFYanJ. An optical investigation of multiple diesel injections in CNG/diesel dual-fuel combustion in a light duty optical diesel engine. SAE technical paper 2017-01-0755, 2017.
34.
LiuJYangFWangHOuyangMHaoS.Effects of pilot fuel quantity on the emissions characteristics of a CNG/diesel dual fuel engine with optimized pilot injection timing. Appl Energy2013; 110: 201–206.
35.
DempseyACurranSStoreyJ, et al. Particulate matter characterization of reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) on a light duty engine. SAE technical paper 2014-01-1596, 2014.
36.
StoreyJCurranSLewisS, et al. Evolution and current understanding of physicochemical characterization of particulate matter from reactivity controlled compression ignition combustion on a multi-cylinder light-duty engine. Int J Engine Res2016; 18(5–6): 505–519.
37.
BenajesJGarcíaAMonsalve-SerranoJBoronatV.An investigation on the particulate number and size distributions over the whole engine map from an optimized combustion strategy combining RCCI and dual-fuel diesel-gasoline. Energy Convers Manag2017; 140: 98–108.
38.
BenajesJGarcíaAMonsalve-SerranoJBoronatV.Gaseous emissions and particle size distribution of dual-mode dual-fuel diesel-gasoline concept from low to full load. Appl Therm Eng2017; 120: 138–149.
39.
HansonRKokjohnSSplitterDReitzR. An experimental investigation of fuel reactivity controlled PCCI combustion in a heavy-duty engine. SAE technical paper 2010-01-0864, 2010.
40.
KassaMHallCIckesAWallnerT.Modeling and control of fuel distribution in a dual-fuel internal combustion engine leveraging late intake valve closings. Int J Engine Res2017; 18(8): 797–809.
41.
WangBPammingerMVojtechRWallnerT.Impact of injection strategies on combustion characteristics, efficiency and emissions of gasoline compression ignition operation in a heavy-duty multi-cylinder engine. Int J Engine Res2020; 21(8): 1426–1440.
