Research Projects

Diesel engines are widely used in transportation and industrial applications, but their operation is becoming challenging due to stringent emission regulations. The scientific community has been exploring alternative low-temperature combustion (LTC) strategies, such as reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) combustion, which uses two fuels with different reactivity to control combustion phasing. Researchers have studied various fuel combinations, and adding methanol under dual fuel mode can significantly improve efficiency and emission. Methanol's low heating value and high latent heat of vaporization effectively suppress excessive combustion temperature, resulting in low NOx emissions. It also offers high convenience and safety in storage and usage. High reactivity biodiesel in RCCI engines has gained popularity when blended with diesel, making it a unique approach to meet current strict emission regulations. This has inspired the study of methanol-biodiesel dual fuel in RCCI engines. However, the expense of fuel used and its numerous experimental runs are major drawbacks that need to be resolved carefully. A cost-effective optimization approach for accurate selection of low and high reactivity fuels will encourage the scientific community in engine combustion research. Computational tools will benefit traditional modes of combustion in the RCCI regime. The Center for Automotive Research (CAR) at IIT BHU is actively conducting research on RCCI mode combustion, and the applicant is eager to join the institute to fulfill the objectives of the proposed work. The CAR at IIT BHU has basic facilities like the RCCI combustion engine and combustion and emission analysis systems, which will be helpful during postdoctoral work.