Effect of Coolant Temperature on Performance and Emissions of a Compression Ignition Engine Running on Conventional Diesel and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)

To meet future goals of energy sustainability and carbon neutrality, disruptive changes to the current energy mix will be required, and it is expected that renewable fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), will play a significant role. To determine how these fuels can transition from pilot scale to the commercial marketplace, extensive research remains needed within the transportation sector. It is well-known that cold engine thermal states, which represent an inevitable portion of a vehicle journey, have significant drawbacks, such as increased incomplete combustion emissions and higher fuel consumption. In view of a more widespread HVO utilization, it is crucial to evaluate its performance under these conditions. In the literature, detailed studies upon these topics are rarely found, especially when HVO is dealt with. Consequently, the aim of this study is to investigate performance and exhaust pollutant emissions of a compression ignition engine running on either regular (petroleum-derived) diesel or HVO at different engine thermal states. This study shows the outcomes of warm-up/cool-down ramps (from cold starts), carried out on two engine operating points (low and high loads) without modifying the original baseline diesel-oriented calibration. Results of calibration parameter sweeps are also shown (on the same engine operating points), with the engine maintained at either high or low coolant temperature while combustion phasing, fuel injection pressure, and intake air flow rate are varied one-factor at a time, to highlight their individual effect on exhaust emissions and engine performance. HVO proved to produce less engine-out incomplete combustion species and soot under all examined conditions and to exhibit greater tolerance of calibration parameter changes compared to diesel, with benefits over conventional fuel intensifying at low coolant temperatures. This would potentially make room for engine recalibration to exploit higher exhaust gas recirculation, delayed injection timings, and/or lower fuel injection pressures to further optimize nitrogen oxides/thermal efficiency trade-off.