Potential for reducing emissions in a diesel engine by fuelling with conventional biodiesel and Fischer–Tropsch diesel

Abstract A gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel derived from Low Temperature Fischer–Tropsch process has been tested in an automotive diesel engine fulfilling Euro 4 emissions regulations. Both regulated and non-regulated emissions have been compared with those of a commercial diesel fuel, a commercial biodiesel fuel and a GTL–biodiesel fuel (30% and 70% v/v, respectively) in order to check blending properties, synergistic effects and compatibility between first and second generation production technologies for biofuel consumption in current diesel engines. After presenting a detailed literature review, and confirming that similar efficiencies are attained with the four tested fuels under identical road-like operating conditions (this meaning fuel consumption is inversely proportional to their heating values), significant reductions in smoke opacity, particulate matter emissions and particle number concentration were observed with both GTL and biodiesel fuels, with small changes in NO x emissions. Compared with the reductions in PM emissions derived from the use of biodiesel fuels, those derived from using GTL fuels were quite similar, despite its lower soot emissions reductions. This can be explained by the lower volatile organic fraction of the PM in the case of GTL. By adequately blending both fuels, a considerable potential to optimise the engine emissions trade-off is foreseen.

[1]  Octavio Armas,et al.  Effect of alternative fuels on exhaust emissions during diesel engine operation with matched combustion phasing , 2010 .

[2]  Axel Munack,et al.  Comparison of exhaust emissions and their mutagenicity from the combustion of biodiesel, vegetable oil, gas-to-liquid and petrodiesel fuels , 2009 .

[3]  Juha Heikkilä,et al.  Nanoparticle emissions from a heavy-duty engine running on alternative diesel fuels. , 2009, Environmental science & technology.

[4]  André Faaij,et al.  Outlook for advanced biofuels , 2006 .

[5]  Richard Hugh Clark,et al.  Engine performance and emissions from the combustion of low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthetic diesel fuel and biodiesel rapeseed methyl ester blends , 2009 .

[6]  Zhen Huang,et al.  Particle size distribution from a GTL engine. , 2007, The Science of the total environment.

[7]  Francisco Payri,et al.  Characterisation of the Injection-Combustion Process in a Common Rail D.I. Diesel Engine Running with Sasol Fischer-Tropsch Fuel , 2000 .

[8]  O. Armas,et al.  Influence of Mini-tunnel Operating Parameters and Ambient Conditions on Diesel Particulate Measurement and Analysis , 1999 .

[9]  Magín Lapuerta,et al.  Diesel particulate emissions from used cooking oil biodiesel. , 2008, Bioresource technology.

[10]  Arántzazu Gómez,et al.  Uncertainties in the determination of particle size distributions using a mini tunnel–SMPS system during Diesel engine testing , 2007 .

[11]  Liu Shenghua,et al.  Study on the Performance and Emissions of a Compression Ignition Engine Fuelled with Fischer-Tropsch Diesel Fuel , 2006 .

[12]  T. Wu,et al.  COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GAS-TO-LIQUID (GTL) AS AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL USED IN A DIRECT INJECTION COMPRESSION IGNITION ENGINE , 2007 .

[13]  M. Lapuerta,et al.  Thermogravimetric analysis of diesel particulate matter , 2007 .

[14]  Robert L. McCormick,et al.  Fischer-Tropsch Diesel Fuels - Properties and Exhaust Emissions: A Literature Review , 2003 .

[15]  Zhen Huang,et al.  Physical and Chemical Properties of GTL−Diesel Fuel Blends and Their Effects on Performance and Emissions of a Multicylinder DI Compression Ignition Engine , 2007 .

[16]  George B. Murphy,et al.  Characterization of petroleum fractions , 1935 .

[17]  José M. Desantes,et al.  Effect of the Properties of Several Fuels on the Injection and Combustion Process in HSDI Diesel Engines , 2002 .

[18]  D. Geller,et al.  Influence of fatty acid methyl esters from hydroxylated vegetable oils on diesel fuel lubricity. , 2005, Bioresource technology.

[19]  O. Armas,et al.  Diagnosis of DI Diesel combustion from in-cylinder pressure signal by estimation of mean thermodynamic properties of the gas , 1999 .

[20]  David B. Kittelson,et al.  On-line measurements of diesel nanoparticle composition and volatility , 2003 .

[21]  André L. Boehman,et al.  NOx emissions of alternative diesel fuels: A comparative analysis of biodiesel and FT diesel , 2005 .

[22]  Octavio Armas,et al.  Effect of biodiesel fuels on diesel engine emissions , 2008 .

[23]  G. Knothe,et al.  LUBRICITY OF COMPONENTS OF BIODIESEL AND PETRODIESEL. THE ORIGIN OF BIODIESEL LUBRICITY , 2005 .

[24]  Koji Kitano,et al.  GTL Fuel Impact on DI Diesel Emissions , 2007 .

[25]  Greg Rideout,et al.  The Effect of Fuel Type and Aftertreatment Method on Ultrafine Particle Emissions from a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine , 2007 .

[26]  Yijun Lu,et al.  Influence of the Feed Gas Composition on the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis in Commercial Operations , 2007 .

[27]  Rudolf Maly,et al.  Emissions Performance of GTL Diesel Fuel and Blends with Optimized Engine Calibrations , 2005 .

[28]  Robert L. McCormick,et al.  Fuel Additive and Blending Approaches to Reducing NOx Emissions from Biodiesel , 2002 .

[29]  Jan Czerwinski,et al.  Injection, Combustion and (Nano) Particle Emissions of a Modern HD-Diesel Engine With GTL, RME & ROR , 2007 .

[30]  Ichiro Sakata,et al.  Effects of GTL fuel properties on DI diesel combustion , 2005 .

[31]  P. Mcmurry,et al.  Relationship between particle mass and mobility for diesel exhaust particles. , 2003, Environmental science & technology.

[32]  Juhun Song,et al.  Examination of the oxidation behavior of biodiesel soot , 2006 .

[33]  Joan M. Ogden,et al.  Societal lifecycle costs of cars with alternative fuels/engines , 2004 .

[34]  Stefan Pischinger,et al.  Potential of Synthetic Fuels in Future Combustion Systems for HSDI Diesel Engines , 2006 .

[35]  Mitsuharu Oguma,et al.  The Possibility of Gas to Liquid (GTL) as a Fuel of Direct Injection Diesel Engine , 2002 .

[36]  Patrik Soltic,et al.  Experimental investigation of mineral diesel fuel, GTL fuel, RME and neat soybean and rapeseed oil combustion in a heavy duty on-road engine with exhaust gas aftertreatment , 2009 .

[37]  M. Dry,et al.  Present and future applications of the Fischer–Tropsch process , 2004 .

[38]  C. Westbrook,et al.  Chemical kinetic modeling study of the effects of oxygenated hydrocarbons on soot emissions from diesel engines. , 2006, The journal of physical chemistry. A.

[39]  A. Megaritis,et al.  Effect of Gas-to-Liquid Diesel Fuels on Combustion Characteristics, Engine Emissions, and Exhaust Gas Fuel Reforming. Comparative Study , 2006 .

[40]  Octavio Armas,et al.  Kinetic Modelling of Gaseous Emissions in a Diesel Engine , 2000 .

[41]  D. Leckel,et al.  Diesel Production from Fischer−Tropsch: The Past, the Present, and New Concepts , 2009 .

[42]  Robert L. McCormick,et al.  Combustion of fat and vegetable oil derived fuels in diesel engines , 1998 .

[43]  Imad A. Khalek,et al.  Comparative emissions performance of sasol Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel in current and older technology heavy-duty engines , 2000 .