The feasibility of a variety of future diesel fuels.

Over the coming decades the global vehicle fleet will be forced to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions; for most light-duty applications it seems that partial or full electrification is the most likely route to enable this. In the case of heavy-duty applications, particularly long-distance freight which is set to continue its growth in the future, electrification is far more challenging meaning that these operations will continue to rely upon the combustion engine and a liquid or gaseous fuel for far longer. Therefore, a significant opportunity exists to sustainably de-carbonise this growing segment of transportation through the use of low-carbon fuels, either advanced biofuels or synthetic power-to-liquid/gas (i.e. e-fuels utilising renewably generated energy) or combinations of them. To add further complexity, this move to a low-carbon future must be achieved whilst ensuring that local air-quality and public health is not adversely impacted. This project will therefore aim to experimentally investigate a range of novel sustainable low-carbon fuels for heavy-duty engines, working in partnership with BP International Ltd.

This project will focus on testing in a dedicated heavy-duty compression ignition research facility model fuels that are representative of those derived from sustainable feedstocks (such as lignocellulosic biomass, municipal solid waste, algae and microorganisms) obtained via thermochemical conversion technologies such as pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction. In addition, this will include investigating the reactivity and impact on pollutant formation of novel oxygenated compounds, such as alkyl dioxolanes for improved combustion characteristics of sustainable fuel blends, and which have not previously been considered renewable fuels for heavy duty transportation. The prototype fuels will be investigated using a specially modified heavy-duty diesel research engine incorporating a novel low volume fuel system for high-pressure injection of novel compounds of currently limited availability or unconventional physical properties, by performing combustion and emissions experiments, analysing and interpreting heat release and emissions data, and potential further chemical characterisation of exhaust particulate matter.