Study of diesel Engine Performance Using High Sulfur Fuel

While most of the industrialized world's diesel fuel usage for on-highway applications is shifting toward ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) (≤ 50 ppm) or “sulfur-free” (≤ 15 ppm) content fuel, some markets for high-sulfur diesel (HSD) fuel still persist. Among these are off-roadway engines, marine, military fuel use worldwide, and general diesel fuel use in the Middle East and in some developing markets. A stock-production medium-duty engine underwent a dynamometer durability test with high-sulfur (10,000 ppm) diesel to approximate the worst case for sulfur content among global road fuels, and medium-high sulfur diesel (3,000 ppm) for engine break-in. Testing was completed successfully; however performance degradation with these fuels was observed which might have practical significance in other diesel applications for these markets.