Evaluation of the NO x emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines with the addition of cetane improvers

Abstract

The exhaust emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines (HDDEs) contribute to the degradation of ambient air quality; therefore, environmental agencies have created stringent emissions standards. Since the implementation of these standards, overall engine and fuel technology improvements have created a significant reduction in emissions. This study was completed in order to evaluate oxides of nitrogen (NO _x ) emissions from fuels with and without cetane-improving additives in recent and early production electronically controlled HDDEs. Five engines spanning the model years from 1991 to 2004 were tested using the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) dynamometer cycle with both petroleum-based diesel and B20 as the neat fuel. It was found that the additives had the most impact on reducing emissions at low engine powers, but the engine power range with an NO _x benefit varied between engines. The cetane improvers were found only to reduce NO _x below a cylinder gas density of 35kg/m³ at top dead centre. The lower compression ratio of the 1992 DDC S60 engines reduced the cylinder gas density and provided a larger optimal operating range for the cetane improvers. The cetane improvers reduced NO _x at low engine powers and cylinder gas density for the B20 fuel but were less effective than for the neat petroleum fuels.

Keywords

diesel fuel additives cetane improver emissions heavy-duty diesel engine

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

CFR Title 40 Part 86–89, Office of Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC, 2006.

‘Notice of filing of consent decree under the clean air act.’ Federal Register, vol. 63, no. 212, Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC, 1998.

Majewski

W. A.

Khair

M. K.

Diesel emissions and their control, 1st edition (SAE International 2006).

Tamanouchi

Morihisa

Yamada

Iida

Sasaki

Sue

‘Effects of fuel properties on exhaust emissions for diesel engines with and without oxidation catalyst and high pressure injection.’ SAE paper 970758, 1997.

Owen

Coley

Automotive fuels reference book, 2nd edition (SAE International 1995).

Ullman

T. L.

Mason

R. L.

Montalvo

D. A.

‘Effects of fuel aromatics, cetane number, and cetane improver on emissions from a 1991 prototype heavy-duty diesel engine.’ SAE paper 902171, 1990.

Mann

Kvinge

Wilson

‘Diesel fuel effects on emissions – towards a better understanding.’ SAE paper 982486, 1998.

Eckerle

Lyford-Pike

Stanton

LaPointe

Whitacre

Wall

‘Effects of methyl ester biodiesel blends on NO _x emissions.’ SAE paper 2008-01-0078, 2008.

Alam

Song

Acharya

Boehman

Miller

‘Combustion and emissions performance of low sulfur, ultra low sulfur and biodiesel blends in a DI diesel engine.’ SAE paper 2004-01-3024, 2004.

10.

Shih

‘Comparison of the effects of various fuel additives on the diesel engine emissions.’ SAE paper 982573, 1998.

11.

Kullnowski

Henly

Growcott

‘Diesel fuel additives to meet worldwide performance and emissions requirements.’ SAE paper 932737, 1998.

12.

Lange

Cooke

Gadd

Zurner

Schlogl

Richter

‘Influence of fuel properties on exhaust emissions from advanced heavy-duty engines considering the effect of natural and additive enhanced cetane number.’ SAE paper 972894, 1997.

13.

Ryan

Buckingham

Dodge

Olikara

‘The effects of fuel properties on emissions from a 2.5 gm NO _x heavy-duty diesel engine.’ SAE paper 982491, 1998.

14.

Barbier

‘Evaluation of cetane improver effects on regulated emissions from a passenger car equipped with a common rail diesel engine.’ SAE paper 2000-01-1853, 2000.

15.

McCormick

Alvarez

Graboski

Tyson

Vertin

‘Fuel additive and blending approaches to reducing NO _x emissions from biodiesel.’ SAE paper 2002-01-1658, 2002.

16.

McCormick

Tennant

Hayes

Black

Ireland

McDaniel

Williams

Frailey

Sharp

‘Regulated emissions from biodiesel tested in heavy-duty engines meeting 2004 emission standards.’ SAE paper 2005-01-2200, 2005.

17.

Sheehan

Dunahay

Benemann

Roessler

‘A look back at the U.S. Department of Energy aquatic species program – biodiesel from algae.’ Report NREL/TP-580–24190, National Renewable Energy Laboratories, Golden, Colorado, USA, 1998.

18.

Sharp

C. A.

‘The effect of biodiesel fuels on transient emissions from modern diesel engines. Part I, regulated emissions and performance.’ SAE paper 2000-01-1967, 2000.

19.

Graboski

M. S.

Ross

J. D.

McCormick

R. L.

‘Transient emissions from No. 2 diesel and biodiesel blends in a DDC series 60 engine.’ SAE paper 961166, 1996.

20.

Szybist

Boehman

‘Behavior of a diesel injection system with biodiesel fuel.’ SAE paper 2003-01-1039, 2003.

21.

Tat

Van Gerpen

Soylu

Canakci

Monyem

Wormley

‘Speed of sound and isentropic bulk modulus of biodiesel at 21 °C from atmospheric pressure to 35 MPa.’

J. Am. Oil Chemists’ Soc. 77 (3) (2000): 285–289.

22.

Cheng

Upatnieks

Mueller

‘Investigation of the impact of biodiesel fuelling on NO _x emissions using an optical direct injection diesel engine.’

Int. J. Engine Res. 7 (4) (2006): 297–319 DOI: 10.1243/14680874JER05005.

23.

Ban-Weiss

Chen

Buchholz

Dibble

‘A numerical investigation into the anomalous slight NO _x increase when burning biodiesel; a new (old) theory.’

Fuel Processing Technol. 88 (2007): 659–667.

24.

Higgins

Siebers

Mueller

Aradi

‘Effects of an ignition-enhancing, diesel-spray evaporation, mixing, ignition, and combustion.’ In Proceedings of the 27th International Symposium on

Combustion.

25.

Kobori

Kamimoto

Aradi

‘A study of ignition delay of diesel fuel sprays.’

Int. J. Engine Res. 1 (2000): 29–39 DOI: 10.1243/1468087001545245.

26.

Gibble

J. C.

Comparison of heavy-duty engine emissions between an on-road route and engine dynamometer simulated on-road cycle MS Thesis, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia, USA, 2003.