Diesel Fuel Properties and Engine Performance

It may be necessary to increase the percentage yield of diesel fuel from crude oil to meet demands if diesel powered passenger cars achieve increased sales penetration. To assess the performance properties of products that might be produced to meet this increased demand, tests were conducted with diesel fuels of varying 10% recovered point (365°-520°F) (185-271°C), 95% recovered point (520°-750°F) (271-399°C) and aromatics content (15-40%) in U.S. and European light- and heavy-duty engines. The effects on emissions, power and fuel consumption were relatively small indicating that fuels within the range tested provide satisfactory performance.