Ignition of diesel fuel at low temperatures

As part of a research project funded by the Research Association for Combustion Engines (FVV), fundamental research on the ignition of diesel fuel at low temperatures was undertaken at the Institute for Combustion Engines (VKA) of RWTH Aachen University. The motivation for this project is the fact that new diesel engine generations have the tendency towards lower compression. One the one hand, combustion processes have the high potential to significantly reduce exhaust raw emissions, one the other hand, lower final compression pressures and temperatures aggravate the self ignition at cold ambient cases. Thus, in order to investigate cold startability and cold idle behaviour, the institute VKA has performed optical investigations using a combustion vessel as well as an optically accessible diesel engine.