An experimental analysis of performance and exhaust emissions of a CRDI diesel engine operating on mixtures containing mineral and renewable components

The manuscript presents a comparative analysis of the performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine equipped with a Common Rail injection system. The engine is fueled with diesel-biodiesel mixtures containing 25% and 50% share (by volume) of renewable components. Conventional diesel is used as a reference. Turkey lard and rapeseed oil are used as raw materials and subjected to the single-stage transesterification process to obtain methyl esters. The experiments are performed on a medium-duty, turbocharged, inter-cooled, Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI) diesel engine. This study concentrates on one engine speed of 1500 rpm, typical for gen-set applications, and mid-load range from 100 Nm to 200 Nm. The scope of measurements covers the analysis of exhaust gasses concentration and engine efficiency parameters. In addition, the in-cylinder pressure measurements are performed in order to provide insight into the differences in combustion characteristics between examined fuel mixtures. The study reveals that the addition of the renewable component to fuel mixture positively affects a number of examined performance parameters as well as decreases the concentration of the examined toxic exhaust components, in the majority of cases.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Renewable Fuels for Internal Combustion Engines

The continuous need for systematization and open dissemination of knowledge on Renewable Fuels intended for use in Internal Combustion Engines forms the premise of the presented Special Issue titled “Renewable Fuels for Internal Combustion”. Experts in the field were encouraged to share their latest findings in the form of original research papers, case studies, or short reviews. Works targeting all aspects of the value chain were considered necessary, including the following: (liquid and gaseous) fuel production process, upgrading (catalytic and fractional blending), up to end, valorization in combustion engines (conventional and advanced concepts). Finally, techno-economic analyses aiming to valorize the value chain holistically were warmly encouraged to submit papers in this Special Issue of the Energies Journal. In this book, the reader will find successful submissions that present the latest findings from the discussed research field, encapsulated into nine chapters.© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioimaton|en=nonPeerReviewed

Surface TLR2 and TLR4 Expression on Mature Rat Mast Cells Can Be Affected by Some Bacterial Components and Proinflammatory Cytokines

The aim of our study was to determine whether some bacterial components as well as some proinflammatory cytokines can affect surface mast cell levels. By the use of flow cytometry technique, we documented that freshly isolated mature rat peritoneal mast cells do express surface TLR2 and TLR4 protein, but not CD14 molecules, and respond to stimulation with TLR2 and TLR4 ligands by cysteinyl leukotriene generation. The level of TLR2 protein is modulated by PGN and CCL5 treatment, but not by LPS, LAM, TNF, or IL-6. Surface mast cell TLR4 expression is affected by LPS, LAM, IL-6, and CCL5. Considering that TLR-mediated activation conditions not only engaged these cells in antibacterial defense and development of inflammation but also might influence allergic processes, our observations that surface TLR2 and TLR4 expression can be regulated both bacterial components and proinflammatory cytokines seem to be very intriguing and importance

Ultrasonographic caval indices do not significantly contribute to predicting fluid responsiveness immediately after coronary artery bypass grafting when compared to passive leg raising

IVC_PLR_dataset (XLSX 15 kb

Combustion of Gaseous Alternative Fuels in Compression Ignition Engines

The problem of alternative fuels for combustion engines has been growing in importance recently. This is connected not only with decreasing fossil fuel resources, but also with the growing concern for the natural environment and the fight against global warming. This paper discusses the possibility of utilizing alternative gaseous fuels in compression-ignition engines, using dual-fuel, gas-liquid operation strategy. Current state of the art of this technology had been introduced, along with its benefits and challenges to be countered. The discussion had been supported by authors own research experience on dual-fuel engines. The latest results of research on the impact of gas composition on combustion process in the Common Rail dual fuel engine had been presented, at the same illustrating the environmental benefits of using gaseous fuels. The Utilization of gaseous fuels with varying composition was illustrated systematically, starting with natural gas. The possibility of using fuels with lower content of methane (the so-called low-calorie gases) was shown by the impact of depleting natural gas with carbon dioxide. Industrial gases, such as syngas contain a large amount of hydrogen, carbon monoxide or higher hydrocarbons (ethane, propane). The possibility of fueling CI engines with these gasses was presented by the influence of enriching natural gas with mentioned components. The results cover engine dynamometer tests for different operating conditions with the analysis of the combustion process and detailed emission measurements discussion. The results of experimental studies were supplemented by simulation results, using mathematical models, developed by the authors for multi-fuel enginesr

Evaluating the Influence of Cetane Improver Additives on the Outcomes of a Diesel Engine Characteristics Fueled with Peppermint Oil Diesel Blend

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of cetane improvers on the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition engine fueled with a 20% peppermint bio-oil/diesel blend (P20). It is hypothesized that the low viscosity and boiling point of peppermint oil could improve the atomization characteristics of the fuel. However, the usage of peppermint oil is restricted due to its low cetane index. To improve this, Diethyl Ether (DEE) and Di-tertiary Butyl Peroxide (DTBP) are added to the P20 blend. The tests are performed in a single-cylinder naturally aspirated water-cooled diesel engine and results indicate that NOx emission for P20 + DEE and P20 + DTBP is decreased by 10.4% and 9.8%, respectively, when compared to P20 at full load condition. Among these two cetane improvers, DTBP is more effective in reducing the CO, HC and smoke emission and the performance of the engine was reported to be higher for P20 + DTBP blends.© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Emissions from a medium-duty crdi engine fuelled with diesel : biodiesel blends

In the present work, biofuels produced from different raw fatty materials have been proposed as a dominant fuel component in biodiesel–diesel fuel blends. Biofuels were produced from pork lard and rapeseed oil by alkali transesterification using methyl alcohol. Blends of biofuels in volumetric proportions of 60 and 80% of the biocomponent and the remaining part of the conventional fuel were used in a compression ignition engine designed for medium-duty vehicles. The experiments were conducted at two engine rotational speeds (1500 and 3000 rpm, respectively) and a set of load conditions (50, 100, and 200 Nm, respectively). The tests focused on engine efficiency parameters (brake-specific fuel consumption and brake fuel conversion efficiency) as well as exhaust gas emissions (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide were determined). The obtained results indicate that blends containing biocomponents produced from pork lard were characterized by superior fuel consumption and efficiency results, compared to blends containing biocomponents produced from rapeseed oil. In terms of exhaust emissions, biocomponents produced from pork lard were also characterized by lower emission of all of the examined components compared to rapeseed methyl ester–diesel blends. This study proposes that fuel components obtained from custom (animal) raw-fatty material can be an effective substitute for commonly used rapeseed oil methyl esters.© The Authors. Published by Exeley Inc. with Creative Commons licence (CC BY 4.0).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Effect of CNG in a fuel dose on the combustion process of a compression-ignition engine

Currently, one of the major trends in the research of contemporary combustion engines involves the potential use of alternative fuels. Considerable attention has been devoted to methane, which is the main component of Natural Gas (NG) and can also be obtained by purification of biogas. In compression-ignition engines fired with methane or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), it is necessary to apply a dual-fuel feeding system. This paper presents the effect of the proportion of CNG in a fuel dose on the process of combustion. The recorded time series of pressure in a combustion chamber was used to determine the repeatability of the combustion process and the change of fuel compression-ignition delay in the combustion chamber. It has been showed that NG does not burn completely in a dual-fuel engine. The best conditions for combustion are ensured with higher concentrations of gaseous fuel. NG ignition does not take place simultaneously with diesel oil ignition. Moreover, if a divided dose of diesel is injected, NG ignition probably takes place at two points, as diesel oil

Ternary fuel mixture of diesel, rapeseed oil and tyre pyrolytic oil suitable for modern CRDI engines

The focus on seeking alternative fuels for combustion engines has been on the environmental and political scene for many years. Simultaneously there is a more and more serious problem of non-degradable waste utilization. In the present work an attempt has been made to asses both of those aspects by proposing a tailor-made, 3-component mixture consisting of mineral diesel, crude rapeseed oil and waste tyre pyrolytic oil. It was proven that the addition of pyrolytic oil can improve some basic drawbacks of rapeseed oil / diesel mixtures like high density and viscosity or low cold filter plugging point. On the basis of maximum bio-component share and optimum physicochemical properties a best fuel sample (40% mineral diesel oil, 55% rapeseed oil and 5% pyrolytic oil fraction) had been selected for engine tests, performed on a light-duty multi-cylinder Compression Ignition (CI) engine with electronic, Common Rail (CR) injection system. The steady state tests were performed for two rotational speeds and two injection strategies (single and sequential fuel injection), for each of which a full load sweep was performed. The engine research included in-cylinder pressure analysis along with efficiency estimation and exhaust gas emission measurements. The research confirmed the assumption that the selected fuel mixture is suitable for modern CI engines. The specific fuel consumption was similar or lower for the tested fuel compared to standard diesel, except the cases were sequential injection was incorporated. Emissions remained on similar levels as for both fuels except Total HydroCarbons (THC) at sequential injection operation points, which correlated with lower fuel conversion efficiency

Influence of nanoparticles of platinum on chicken embryo development and brain morphology

Platinum nanoparticles (NP-Pt) are noble metal nanoparticles with unique physiochemical properties that have recently elicited much interest in medical research. However, we still know little about their toxicity and influence on general health. We investigated effects of NP-Pt on the growth and development of the chicken embryo model with emphasis on brain tissue micro- and ultrastructure. The embryos were administered solutions of NP-Pt injected in ovo at concentrations from 1 to 20 μg/ml. The results demonstrate that NP-Pt did not affect the growth and development of the embryos; however, they induced apoptosis and decreased the number of proliferating cells in the brain tissue. These preliminary results indicate that properties of NP-Pt might be utilized in brain cancer therapy, but potential toxic side effects must be elucidated in extensive follow-up research