Effects of Oxygen Enrichment and Fuel Emulsification on Diesel Engine Performance and Emissions

Conference · Mon Sep 30 04:00:00 EDT 1991

OSTI ID:5482924

Sekar, R. R. ^[1]; Marr, W. W. ^[1]; Cole, R. L. ^[1]; Marciniak, T. J. ^[1]; Schaus, J. E. ^[2]

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1. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
2. Autoresearch Laboratories, Inc., Chicago, IL (United States)

Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), in cooperation with AutoResearch Laboratories, Inc. (ALI), has completed a series of tests on a single-cylinder, direct-injection diesel engine coupled to an oxygen-enriching membrane system. The data from the first series of tests using bottled oxygen have been previously reported. That series of tests included no examination of the effects of changing the injection timing, which is an important operating parameter that affects NO_x emissions and efficiency. In the second test series, the subject of this paper, the effects of injection timing were investigated. In addition, an oxygen-enriching membrane was used to supply combustion air. Use of bottled oxygen in any real diesel engine application would be a safety hazard, so bottled oxygen is unlikely to be used in commercial engine applications. For this reason, it is important to demonstrate an engine system with an on-line oxygen enriching device. Tests were conducted with #2 and #4 diesel fuels. The data indicated that NO_x emissions increase when the oxygen level is increased from 21 to 27%, but retarding the injection timing by 11 degrees crank angle significantly reduced the NO_x emissions. The effect on NO_x reduction of retarding the injection timing is greater at higher oxygen levels. The water emulsification of the fuels also reduced NO_x emissions significantly. It was shown in both series of tests that oxygen-enriched combustion air reduced particulate emissions, smoke, and ignition delay. The effect on ignition delay resulted in a favorable NO_x vs. fuel consumption trade-off when the injection timing was changed. The collective data lead to the conclusion that an optimum set of the major operating variables, including (1) oxygen level in the combustion air, (2) water level in the fuel, and (3) injection timing, could lead to a diesel engine system that has (i) significantly lower particulates, smoke, and NO_x emissions, without loss of efficiency; (ii) the ability to use lower-cost heavy liquid fuels; and (iii) the potential for increasing the power output by as much as 50% with only a nominal increase (about 15%) in peak cylinder pressure.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5482924
• Report Number(s): ANL/CP--73728; CONF-910927--1; ON: DE91016520
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330102* -- Internal Combustion Engines-- Diesel
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DIESEL ENGINES
DIESEL FUELS
EFFICIENCY
ENGINES
ENRICHMENT
HEAT ENGINES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN ENRICHMENT
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PERFORMANCE
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WATER