Methodology and Results of Testing an Impact of F-34 Fuel on the Engine Reliability

Abstract

An application of the new kind of the fuel for the diesel engine requires to conduct the qualification tests of the engines powered by this his fuel which allow assessing an impact of fuel on the engine reliability. Such a qualification test of the piston and turbine engines of the aircraft stationed on the ground and land vehicles is described in the NATO standardisation agreement (STANAG) 4195 as the AEP-5 test. The methodology and selected results of the qualification tests of the SW-680 turbocharged multi-purpose diesel engine fuelled with F-34 fuel have been presented in this paper. A dynamometric stand with the SW-680 engine has been described. Based on the preliminary results of the investigation it has been found that a change in a type of the fuel from IZ-40 diesel fuel into F-34 kerosene-type one has reduced a maximum engine torque by about 4%. This has been primarily due to a lower fuel density of F-34 by about 3%. Finally, it has been found that this does not require any modifications of the engine settings. The qualification tests AEP-5 of the engine powered by F-34 fuel with the default settings have been carried out on the dynamometric stand during forty 10-hour cycles repeated. The engine performances have been measured prior to the first cycle of the tests and after every 20^th cycles of the engine operation. The results of the SW-680 engine testing according to the AEP-5 procedure have failed to show a significant impact of the operating time of the engine powered by F-34 fuel on its operating performance and an emission of the toxic compounds. It has been found that F-34 fuel can be used instead of the diesel fuel.