Critical review of the effects of diesel fuel composition and properties on engine performance and pollutant emissions

Theodoros C. Zannis, Elias A. Yfantis, Dimitrios T. Hountalas, Roussos G. Papagiannakis, Yiannis A. Levendis

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

During recent years, the exacerbation of greenhouse effect in conjunction with the continuous increase of world fleet of vehicles and the crude oil prices stirred interest towards the improvement of vehicle mileage and the reduction of engine-emitted pollutants. It is well known that diesel engines indicate the highest fuel economy and thus, the highest CO2 reduction potential compared to all other thermal engines due to their higher thermal efficiency. However, diesel engine particulate and NOx emissions are higher compared to modern spark-ignited engines. For this reason, the reduction of pollutant emissions and specifically, PM and NOx emissions without increase of specific fuel consumption or without improvement of fuel economy is a difficult task which necessitates the implementation of immediate and drastic measures. A direct mean for the reduction of diesel-emitted pollutants without simultaneous deterioration of fuel economy is the reformulation of conventional diesel fuel. One promising path for improving the behavior of diesel oil is the blending with synthetically or biologically renewable oxygenated fuels. However, since the characteristics of the initial conventional fuels affect directly the behavior of the resulting mixtures, it is of utmost importance the optimization of the chemical composition and properties of the initial conventional fuel. A vast number of experimental and theoretical studies has been conducted in the past, which examined the effect of chemical synthesis and physical and chemical properties of diesel oil on diesel engine exhaust emissions.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationAdvances in Energy Research
PublisherNova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages165-223
Number of pages59
Volume19
ISBN (Electronic)9781633216938
ISBN (Print)9781611220100
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Diesel engine
  • Fuel
  • Performance
  • Pollutant emissions

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