The Effects of Pilot Fuel Quality on Dual Fuel Engine Ignition Delay

The effects of changes in the cetane number of diesel liquid pilot fuels on the ignition delay period in dual fuel engines were investigated experimentally. Different pilot fuel quantities were employed with commercially pure methane, propane and low heating value gaseous fuel mixtures of methane with nitrogen or carbon dioxide over a range of engine load. The ignition delay variation with increased gaseous fuel admission showed a strong dependance on both the quantity and the quality of the pilot fuel used. It was found that the use of high cetane number pilot liquid fuels permitted smaller pilot quantities to be used satisfactorily. Engine operation on propane and low heating value gaseous fuels improved in comparison with dual fuel engine operation employing common diesel fuels.