A global awareness of internal combustion engine exhaust emissions has resulted in diesel engine manufacturers considering advanced engine technologies and the use of alternative fuels, such as methanol, to address this important issue.
Within this paper, the continued development of a methanol engine, based upon the Navistar DT-466 diesel engine, is outlined. A hot surface ignition (glow plug) system is used to assist in methanol ignition allowing the methanol engine to produce favorable NOx and particulate emissions, without increased unburned fuel emissions, compared to the baseline diesel version. Performance and efficiency correspond to that of the diesel engine.
In addition to fuel consumption and emissions behavior, the design features of the methanol engine, such as cylinder head modifications, hot surface ignition systems and the methanol fuel injection system are presented. Furthermore, the influence of important engine parameters such as swirl level, compression ratio, injection timing and glow plug electrical power on the engine performance and emissions are demonstrated.