New green fuel technology derived from bio-based oil so-called Bio-Hydrogenated Diesel or BHD has been successfully formulated and evaluated with the Euro IV light-duty pick-up diesel common-rail engines and vehicles. Research program has been separated into 4 main working groups which compose of the fuel formulation group, the material compatibility group, the engine and fuel system evaluation group and the vehicle emission/drive-ability and durability group. The effects of target BHD blended fuel on advance technology diesel engine compared with standard biodiesel B5 fuel used in Thailand have been fully evaluated by a reputable car manufacturer and national oil company in Thailand.
The formulation of BHD target could achieve the requirement of Department of Energy Business (DOEB), Ministry of Energy Thailand diesel specification both physical and chemical properties. The emission and performance tests were also conducted according to the European standard cycle (NEDC), in order to find the optimum ratio of BHD blended in diesel fuel. The material compatibility of BHD blended fuels with various materials, such as metal, rubber and resin, have been investigated systematically such as tensile strength, elongation, color intensity, rust and corrosion etc. The results show no differences compared to the diesel B5.
The engine performance and durability such as torque, combustion pressure, thermal efficiency, injection volume, power loss, wear, and other properties were investigated by specific test cycles such as high speed and composite cycle. Preliminary results show no significant differences between the BHD blended fuel and the diesel B5. While, the 2 test cycles such as high speed and composite patterns common-rail fuel system simulation test had also been conducted to prove the effect of fuel quality on the critical common-rail part i.e. injector command piston, supply pump parts. The visual inspection could not discriminate the effect of BHD target fuel and the reference B5 fuel.
The 3 test vehicles were conducted the NEDC emission test from initial to 100,000 km of durability test at every 20,000 km periodically. The purpose is to prove the potential of BHD-target fuel as a promising fuel for advance diesel common-rail technology. In addition, the vehicle drive-ability such as acceleration and hesitation are also taken into account.