Combustion of biodiesels and other fuels in a heavy-duty diesel engine studied by simultaneous high-speed imaging, spectroscopy and heat release

A combination of high-speed imaging, spectroscopic imaging and thermodynamicalcharacterization techniques has been applied to an optically accessible, heavy-duty dieselengine. The engine is equipped with a common-rail fuel injection system and has been run onregular diesel and three different biodiesels, as well as on (supposedly) low-sootingoxygenated fuels, two-component fuel and synthetic diesel. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)has been simulated by using a mixture of 15% O2 in nitrogen. The general goal is studying theeffects of fuel composition and EGR on the injection and combustion processes and engineperformance, in order to get a more complete picture of diesel engine combustion.