Research Projects

Diesel engines of direct injection type are preferred prime movers in transport, agriculture and industrial sectors because of better fuel economy/lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emission benefits than their gasoline counterparts. Conventional high-temperature, heterogeneous diesel combustion systems suffer from higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions and a trade-off between them. Current stringent BS-VI emission norms are met with combined in-cylinder and after-treatment control systems that are expensive and reduce fuel economy. The state-of-the-art in-cylinder emission control methods for diesel engines include combustion mode modifications and adopting suitable fuel and thermal management strategies. In-cylinder emission control through fuel modifications by utilizing alternative fuels in neat form or blends with conventional gasoline and diesel provides dual benefits of emission control and conservation of petroleum fuel. Biodiesel has emerged as the most promising replacement to fossil diesel among the available alternative fuels due to its renewability, cleaner-burning and carbon-neutral nature, easy adaptation, and indigenous availability. The bi-directional NOx-PM problem with conventional diesel combustion has been reduced to a uni-directional higher NOx emission problem with biodiesel. Biodiesel can be produced from various indigenous vegetable oil and animal fat sources, including waste vegetable oil, making it a flexible fuel choice. The present study aims to develop a multi-mode and flexi-fuel strategy-based diesel engine operated with fuels produced from waste resources and blends to achieve high efficiency and clean combustion. A production light-duty stationary diesel engine and an automotive diesel engine would be modified to run in a multi-mode and flexi-fuel strategy through suitable intake and fuel injection system modifications. Depending on the engine operating conditions, the combustion mode will be switched between biodiesel-diesel blend operated conventional combustion and biodiesel-diesel and plastic pyrolysis oil-gasoline like fuels operated dual fuel LTC mode. Utilizing biodiesel and plastic pyrolysis oil in multi-mode combustion is envisaged to address the shortcomings of biodiesel and RCCI combustion simultaneously in terms of high NOx and high unburned hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, respectively.