Clean Diesel Fuels

Engineer Steve McConnell prepares to mix clean diesel fuels for testing.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established low-sulfur diesel requirements in 2006 to help improve air quality. To meet these standards, advanced technology diesel engine vehicles are being developed that run on new, clean diesel fuels. New fuels also must be developed and evaluated to ensure that the engines run as cleanly as possible.

Argonne researchers are developing alternative clean diesel fuels using natural gas, coal, and renewable energy sources such as wood for raw material. The new fuels are being tested in new diesel cars at Argonne to ensure that the U.S. EPA regulations for particulate and other emissions are met, and that engine efficiency does not suffer.

Types of Clean Diesel Fuels

Clean diesel fuels are commonly grouped into three categories:

• Biodiesel, a fatty acid methyl ester, is commonly produced from soybean, yellow grease, or other sources of triglyceride through the transesterification process.
• Synthetic diesel fuel, typically produced from cellulosic sources (wood, plant, biomass material) is usually produced using the Fischer-Tropsch process.
• Renewable diesel fuel is produced using a proprietary thermal depolymerization production technology, where plant and/or animal fats are processed with hydrocarbon feedstocks. Renewable diesel fuels differ from alternative diesel fuels due to their renewable feedstock source.

Argonne Research Projects

Argonne researchers are focused on evaluating and improving the emissions, efficiency, and performance of both engines and vehicles operating on various clean diesel fuels..

Several projects are currently underway, including:

• Experimental investigation of biodiesel injection characteristics using a light-duty diesel injector
• Emissions, performance, and in-cylinder combustion analysis in light-duty and heavy-duty diesel engines operating on a Fischer-Tropsch, biomass-to-liquid fuel
• Comparing the performance of SunDiesel and conventional diesel in a light-duty vehicle and heavy-duty engine
• Working with the government of India to investigate the benefits of different biodiesel feedstocks on emissions and efficiency

Funding

This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Vehicle Technologies Program.

February 2010