Effects of Aromatics Content and 90% Distillation Temperature of Diesel Fuels on Flame Temperature and Soot Formation

In this study, the effects of fuel properties, aromatics content and 90% distillation temperature T₉₀, on flame temperature and soot formation were studied using a rapid compression machine (RCM). Aromatics content and T₉₀ distillation temperature were parameters isolated from influence of each other, and from cetane number. A fuel spray was injected in the RCM combustion chamber by a single nozzle hole. The ignition and combustion processes of diesel spray were observed by a high-speed direct photography. Flame temperature and KL factor (which indicates the soot concentration), were analyzed by the two-color method. The rate of heat release was analyzed from indicated diagrams. The fuels with aromatics content showed higher flame temperature. The fuel with highest T₉₀ distillation temperature showed highest flame temperature.