Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

In-line with growing interests in renewable fuels by the industry and governments, the proposed researchtargets the efficient and clean combustion of biofuels, fuel blends, and conventional fuels. The expertise andresources of our Clean Diesel Engine Laboratory (CDEL) are to be fully utilized, with the additional thrustfrom the industrial partners, to make significant improvements and breakthroughs in burning a wide range offuels at an engine cycle efficiency significantly exceeding the current diesel engines. The collaborative researchaims to provide future directions of new engine development for the automotive and power productionindustry.Commensurate with biofuel property variations, advance fuel delivery techniques are to be developed andverified. With improved mixing, the biofuel ignition is to be tightly controlled. Dynamic exhaust gasrecirculation and boost control are to be developed at existing engine combustion and control researchplatforms at CDEL. The variable valve actuation is to be tested to improve the biofuel mixing and ignition; itproduces an effectively variable compression ratio that can raise the engine fuel efficiency substantially via ahigh expansion ratio engine. Extensive efforts will be made in collaboration with Ford to raise the enginepower and efficiency under the clean combustion of biofuels. The renewable fuels application challenges inengines demands new control and hardware improvements, including tolerating a higher cylinder pressureunder elevated boost and loads.The improved understanding on mixing, ignition, and combustion for renewable fuels, especially under thepreviously less attainable or even unattainable conditions will help the entire industry to improve the biofuelengine design. The efficient use of renewable fuels, including the non-food alcohol fuels and the otherbio-fuels, shall help to lower the CO2 footage. Researches are to be made jointly with the industry on smartdiesel and gasoline production engines to improve the clean and efficient combustion of sustainable fuels.