Diesel-water Emulsion Emissions and Performance Evaluation in Public Buses in Attica Basin

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the performance and airborne emissions of a diesel-water emulsion in 4 public buses operated in the area of Athens. The fuels used were a typical automotive diesel from the Greek market, a low sulfur diesel and a diesel-water emulsion of 13 % v/v water in low sulfur diesel. The fuels were characterized by exposing their physicochemical properties according to EN 590. The measurements of emissions of carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide did not show any significant differences among the three fuels. The effects on NO_x emissions can be termed as mixed, bearing also in mind that they represent engine operation at no load. The beneficial effect of the emulsified diesel fuel could be readily observed in the case of smoke opacity emissions.