Control of Diesel Exhaust Emissions in Underground Coal Mines - Single-Cylinder Engine Optimization for Water-in-Fuel Miscroemulsions

The increased use of diesel-powered equipment in underground mines has prompted interest in reducing their exhaust pollutants. Control of particulate emissions without substantial penalties in other emissions or fuel consumption is necessary. This paper describes test results on a prechaaber, naturally-aspirated, four-cycle diesel engine in which two different concentrations of water-in-fuel emulsions were run. The independent variables comprising the test matrix were fuel, speed, load, injection timing, injection rate, and compression ratio. The dependent variables of the experiment included particulate and gaseous emissions and engine thermal efficiency. Regression analysis was performed on the data to determine how particulate emissions were affected by fuel and engine parameters. Results of this analysis indicated that substantial reductions in particulate emissions could be obtained by utilizing water-in-fuel emulsions.