Low-octane gasolines (RON  50-70 range) are prospective fuels for gasoline compression ignition (GCI) internal combustion engines. GCI technology utilizing low-octane fuels has the potential to significantly improve well-to-wheel efficiency and reduce the transportation sector's environmental footprint by offsetting diesel fuel usage in compression ignition engines. In this study, ignition delay times of two low-octane FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasolines, FACE I and FACE J, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid compression machine over a broad range of engine-relevant conditions (650-1200 K, 20 and 40 bar and  = 0.5 and 1). The two gasolines are of similar octane ratings with anti-knock index, AKI = (RON + MON)/2, of  70 and sensitivity, S = RON-MON, of  3. However, the molecular compositions of the two gasolines are notably different. Experimental ignition delay time results showed that the two gasolines exhibited similar reactivity over a wide range of test conditions. Furthermore, ignition delay times of a primary reference fuel (PRF) surrogate (n-heptane/iso-octane blend), having the same AKI as the FACE gasolines, captured the ignition behavior of these gasolines with some minor discrepancies at low temperatures (T < 700 K). Multi-component surrogates, formulated by matching the octane ratings and compositions of the two gasolines, emulated the autoignition behavior of gasolines from high to low temperatures. Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine simulations were used to show that the PRF and multi-component surrogates exhibited similar combustion phasing over a wide range of engine operating conditions.

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Ammonia (NH 3), has been considered as a promising alternative energy carrier for automobile engines and gas turbines due to its production from renewable sources using concepts such as power-togas. Knowledge of the combustion characteristics of NH 3 /air and the formation of pollutants, especially NO x and unburned NH 3 , at intermediate temperatures is crucially important to investigate. Detailed understanding of ammonia reaction mechanism is still lacking. The present study reports ignition delay times of NH 3 /air mixtures over a temperature range of 1100-1600 K, pressures of 20 and 40 bar, and equivalence ratios of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0. The experimental results are compared to the literature mechanism of Mathieu and Petersen (2015), and reasonable agreement is observed. Detailed modeling for ammonia emissions is performed, and the NH 3 /air combustion is found to be potentially free from NO x and unburned NH 3 at fuel-rich conditions.

et al. (2018) A minimalist functional group (MFG) approach for surrogate fuel formulation. Combustion and Flame 192: 250-271. Available: http://dx. AbstractSurrogate fuel formulation has drawn significant interest due to its relevance towards understanding combustion properties of complex fuel mixtures. In this work, we present a novel approach for surrogate fuel formulation by matching target fuel functional groups, while minimizing the number of surrogate species. Five key functional groups; paraffinic CH3, paraffinic CH2, paraffinic CH, naphthenic CH-CH2 and aromatic C-CH groups in addition to structural information provided by the Branching Index (BI) were chosen as matching targets. Surrogates were developed for six FACE (Fuels for Advanced Combustion Engines) gasoline target fuels, namely FACE A, C, F, G, I and J. The five functional groups present in the fuels were qualitatively and quantitatively identified using high resolution 1 H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. A further constraint was imposed in limiting the number of surrogate components to a maximum of two. This simplifies the process of surrogate formulation, facilitates surrogate testing, and significantly reduces the size and time involved in developing chemical kinetic models by reducing the number of thermochemical and kinetic parameters requiring estimation.Fewer species also reduces the computational expenses involved in simulating combustion in practical devices. The proposed surrogate formulation methodology is denoted as the Minimalist Functional Group (MFG) approach. The MFG surrogates were experimentally tested against their target fuels using Ignition Delay Times (IDT) measured in an Ignition Quality Tester (IQT), as specified by the standard ASTM D6890 methodology, and in a Rapid Compression Machine [Type text] 2 (RCM). Threshold Sooting Index (TSI) and Smoke Point (SP) measurements were also performed to determine the sooting propensities of the surrogates and target fuels. The results showed that MFG surrogates were able to reproduce the aforementioned combustion properties of the target FACE gasolines across a wide range of conditions. The present MFG approach supports existing literature demonstrating that key functional groups are responsible for the occurrence of complex combustion properties. The functional group approach offers a method of understanding the combustion properties of complex mixtures in a manner which is independent, yet complementary, to detailed chemical kinetic models. The MFG approach may be readily extended to formulate surrogates for other complex fuels.

CitationAlabbad M, Issayev G, Badra J, Voice AK, Giri BR, et al. (2018) Autoignition of straight-run naphtha: A promising fuel for advanced compression ignition engines. Combustion and Flame 189: 337-346. Available: http://dx. AbstractNaphtha, a low-octane distillate fuel, has been proposed as a promising low-cost fuel for advanced compression ignition engine technologies. Experimental and modelling studies have been conducted in this work to assess autoignition characteristics of naphtha for use in advanced engines. Ignition delay times of a certified straight-run naphtha fuel, supplied by Haltermann Solutions, were measured in a shock tube and a rapid comparison machine over wide ranges of experimental conditions (20 and 60 bar, 620 -1223 K,  = 0.5, 1 and 2). The Haltermann straight-run naphtha (HSRN) has research octane number (RON) of 60 and motor octane number (MON) of 58.3, with carbon range spanning C3 -C9. Reactivity of HSRN was compared, via experiments and simulations, with three suitably formulated surrogates: a two-component PRF (n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, a threecomponent TPRF (toluene/n-heptane/iso-octane) surrogate, and a six-component surrogate. All surrogates reasonably captured the ignition delays of HSRN at high and intermediate temperatures. However, at low temperatures (T < 750 K), the six-component surrogate performed the best in emulating the reactivity of naphtha fuel. Temperature sensitivity and rate of production analyses revealed that the presence of cyclo-alkanes in naphtha inhibits the overall fuel reactivity. Zero-dimensional engine simulations showed that PRF is a good autoignition surrogate for naphtha at high engine loads, however, the six-component surrogate is needed to match the combustion phasing of naphtha at low engine loads.