Publication

Power and Mobility (P&M)
2019

COMBUSTION STRATEGIES FOR LOW-CETANE FUELS

by Michael Tess; Eric Gingrich; Steve Stoll

Abstract

The effects of advanced fuel injection strategies on the combustion behavior of an unblended low-cetane synthetic jet fuel (Sasol isoparaffinic kerosene, POSF 7629, derived cetane number 31) were investigated in a single-cylinder research engine (SCRE) at several speeds and loads. The most significant finding of the current work is that the introduction of a small pulse of fuel prior to the main fuel injection event, termed a close-coupled pilot (CCP) injection, effectively mitigates the relatively longer ignition delay time of the DCN 31 fuel. Therefore, a potential technical solution exists that would permit the use of low-cetane jet fuels in military ground vehicles if the operational scenario required it.