Particulate matter emissions from a heavy duty vehicle fuelled by petroleum diesel and used cooking oil blends

Fuel characteristic and exhaust particulate emissions tests were carried out for a EURO5 compliant Heavy Duty Vehicle operating on both pure petroleum diesel (PD) and used cooking oil (C2G Ultra Biofuel) PD blends under real world driving conditions. Fuel tests showed that fuel temperature, substitution ratio and engine speed play a key role in determining the spray characteristics of the Ultra Biofuel blends. However, under real world operating conditions, the Bioltec fuel blending system was found to overcome these effects by using lower C2G Ultra Biofuel:PD substitution ratios during cold start and low speed conditions. Overall the fuel tests suggested it to be convenient to operate the engine on blends with Ultra Biofuel content up to 80% to avoid higher fuel consumption and higher pollution load on the exhaust after treatment system, particularly at low temperatures and rpm. In the real world tests, average substitution ratios of 85% were achieved, with close to 100% Ultra Biofuel achieved for high speed steady state conditions, with no negative impact on particulate emissions. The vast majority (60-80%) of the particulate mass within the exhaust was found within size fractions below 2.5 μm for both fuels and was thus within the respirablem range. The PD produced around twice the concentration of particulates within these finer fractions compared to the equivalent trips using the blended fuel. Thermo-gravimetric Analysis demonstrated that the PD produced higher concentrations of black carbon (soot) and the Ultra Biofuel blends more organic carbon within the particulates. The tests demonstrate that when using an effective fuel substitution strategy, Ultra Biofuel has the potential to reduce both lifecycle CO2 and respirable particulate emissions leading to potential climate and air quality benefits

Emissions from a HGV Using Used Cooking Oil as a Fuel under Real World Driving Conditions

To maximize CO2 reduction, refined straight used cooking oils were used as a fuel in Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) in this research. The fuel is called C2G Ultra Biofuel (C2G: Convert to Green Ltd) and is a fully renewable fuel made as a diesel replacement from processed used cooking oil, used directly in diesel engines specifically modified for this purpose. This is part of a large demonstration project involving ten 44-tonne trucks using C2G Ultra Biofuel as a fuel to partially replace standard diesel fuels. A dual fuel tank containing both diesel and C2G Ultra Biofuel and an on-board fuel blending system-Bioltec system was installed on each vehicle, which is able to heat the C2G Ultra Biofuel and automatically determine the required blending ratio of diesel and C2G Ultra Biofuel according to fuel temperature and engine load. The engine was started with diesel and then switched to C2G Ultra Biofuel under appropriate conditions. Exhaust emissions were measured using PEMS (Portable Emission Measurement Systems) on one of the trucks under real world driving conditions. Comparisons of emissions between neat diesel mode and blended fuel mode were made. The results show that C2G Ultra Biofuel can reduce particulate matter (PM) and CO emissions significantly compared to the use of pure diesel

Fuel Spray, Engine Deposit and Real Driving Emissions Analysis of Heavy Duty Trucks Using Used Cooking Oil as a Fuel

The current project represents the first attempt to test the environmental performance of the direct utilisation of purified used cooking oil as a fuel in a heavy goods vehicle under real world driving conditions. The properties of the used cooking oil were different from those of petroleum diesel (PD) standards however, its heat value, carbon footprint reduction potential and low cost were the key incentives driving it’s use as a fuel. The current research was a collaborative project between Convert to Green (C2G), the fuel provider, the United Biscuits Midlands Distribution Centre, the heavy goods vehicle provider and the University of Leeds as the scientific consultant and research executor. The brand of used cooking oil was Convert to Green Ultra-biofuel (C2G UBF) tested on a Mercedes-Benz EURO 5 emissions standard compliant 44 tonne articulate heavy goods vehicle (HGV). The HGV was modified for on-board UBF heating and mixing with PD. UBF was heated by heat recovery from the engine cooling system. The results showed that the UBF/PD blending ratio was 0.845 as a journey average for the entire test series. However, the HGV was recorded to run on 100% UBF at steady high speed on the M1 motorway in the Midlands region of the UK. There were no discernible deficiencies in the HGV’s performance or its traction effort. Nevertheless a slight increase in specific fuel consumption (SFC) was detected for the blended fuel. Engine durability, combustion chamber deposits and maintenance frequency were not affected by the UBF content in the fuel. Although the engine technology was designed to suppress particulate matter (PM) within the combustion process, the use of blended UBF further reduced the tailpipe PM emissions compared to the use of PD. Carbon monoxide emissions decreased when using the blended fuel, while nitrogen oxides, total hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide increased compared to PD emissions. The benefits of UBF utilisation as a fuel lie in the huge carbon savings and reduced PM emissions when compared to the use of PD as well as its use in providing a cost effective fuel supply and waste management technique

Evaluation of the effect of fuel properties on the fuel spray and jet characteristics in a HGV DI diesel engine operated by used cooking oils

Fuel injection systems in modern diesel engines are designed and built to comply with very stringent environmental standards. They should also meet the highest level of fuel economy. Drivability, rapid response and easy and accurate control are a common demand. Changing the fuel characteristics could affect the performance of the fuel injection system. This study focuses on the evaluation of fuel spray characteristics of straight used cooking oil (SUCO) and its blends with petroleum diesel (PD) as a surrogate for pure PD. Used cooking oil blends have quite different physical properties from those of pure PD. Data for the lower heating value (LHV), density and viscosity were obtained from laboratory analysis. These data were merged with the physical and thermodynamic conditions of the diesel engine of interest to evaluate the dynamic behaviour of the fuel jet in 360° of crank rotation namely, the compression stroke, and the power stroke including the injection process. Engine operational conditions were calculated using a diesel dual thermodynamic cycle taking into account fuel injection adjustment at three different speeds, namely, idle speed, maximum torque speed and rated power speed. The results showed that fuel jet characteristics vary with SUCO content in the fuel blend. Two ranges of SUCO content in the blends were distinguished, 0 – 80% SUCO content and 80 – 100% SUCO content. Both showed a constant rate of change of jet characters per 10% increase in SUCO content in the fuel blend. Lower rates of change of fuel characters were observed at 0-80% SUCO content. The higher the temperature, the lower the rate of change of fuel jet characteristics

Real world emissions performance of a HDD truckwith SCR NOx control

Air quality issues and Real Driving Emissions (RDE) in urban areas of cities Factors that influence RDE. Experimental equipment HDD truck RDE test for Euro V with SR

Determination of carbon footprint using LCA method for straight used cooking oil as a fuel in HGVs

In order to improve energy supply diversity and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, sustainable bio-fuels are strongly supported by EU and other governments in the world. While the feedstock of biofuels has caused a debate on the issue of sustainability, the used cooking oil (UCO) has become a preferred feedstock for biodiesel manufacturers. However, intensive energy consumption in the trans-esterification process during the UCO biodiesel production has significantly compromised the carbon reduction potentials and increased the cost of the UCO biodiesel. Moreover, the yield of biodiesel is only ∼90% and the remaining ∼10% feedstock is wasted as by-product glycerol. Direct use of UCO in diesel engines is a way to maximize its carbon saving potentials. This paper, as part of the EPID (Environmental and Performance Impact of Direct use of used cooking oil in 44 tonne trucks under real world driving conditions) project, presents the life cycle analysis of Straight UCO (SUCO) in terms of CO2 and energy consumption, compared with the UCO biodiesel and petroleum diesel. The UK carbon calculator developed by UK Department for Transport was used for the calculations. The results show that SUCO renewable fuel can reduce the WTW carbon footprint by 98% compared to diesel and by 52% compared to the UCO biodiesel

Countering Violence against Women in Iraqi Kurdistan: State-Building and Transnational Advocacy

The struggle against gender-based violence in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region has witnessed some significant achievements since the late 1990s. A subject long excluded from public discourse in the region, it has now moved increasingly into the mainstream, compelling the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to take legal and practical measures against such practices as honor killings, female genital mutilation, and domestic violence. This article traces the sources of these shifts in the KRG's stance, looking especially at the role of transnational women's rights networks in the region. It highlights these networks’ successful strategy of binding their cause to the KRG's endeavor to legitimize and consolidate its contested sovereignty over the Kurdistan Region. In doing so, the paper addresses an underexplored subject in the literature on women's rights campaigns in the Kurdistan Region and contributes to the study of transnational advocacy as a source of normative change