Fuel Quality Requirements for Reduction of Diesel Emissions

In the present study, the effect of fuel properties in terms of cetane number, density, tail end volatility, sulphur content and aromatic content on particulate matter (PM), soluble organic fraction( SOF) of PM and gaseous CO, HC and NO, was studied. From different refinery streams, using blending correlation, a fuel matrix was formulated. Experiments were conducted on both direct injection (DI) and in-direct injection(IDI) engines using a steady state test cycle. The results of the study indicated that sulphur content and density were observed to be important from the point of view of particulate emissions. The increase in cetane number of the fuel reduced the gaseous emissions of HC, CO and NO,. Particulate matter was observed to be composed of 13-22% of soluble organic fraction (SOF). Both fuel and lubricant oil were seen to be contributing equally to the formation of SOF.