RESEARCHING SOOT-FREE DIESEL ENGINES
New Fuel-Injection Systems Could Save Diesels
It doesn’t take much to realize that diesel engines are taking a beating from electric vehicle corporations, environmental programs, and progressive lawmakers. However, diesel engines are a crucial part of the automotive industry considering they power around 70% of commercial transportation. A lot of big companies rely on diesel vehicles to transport their products around the world. As a result of this, many companies have been carrying out research for ways to remove the environmental issues caused by diesel engines. If scientists could remove the environmental problems caused, then diesel engines would be much more heavily considered when comparing to convention combustion engines.
One research company has found a way to prevent soot production caused by diesel combustion. The Sandia National Laboratories Combustion Research Facility recognized that harmful pollutants caused by diesel combustion could be significantly decreased by redesigning the internal fuel injection systems. The researchers proposed implementing a new system using “ducted fuel injections”. Essentially, the new system doesn’t spray the fuel directly into the cylinder, but rather into ducts, where mixed air is then pulled from the back of the ducts. This new design essentially creates an optimized air-to-fuel ratio, allowing cleaner burning and reduced production of soot byproduct.
These changes in design and reduction of soot is an excellent first step in cleaning diesel engines, however, there are additional steps required. A downside to this new design is that there’s the possibility of increasing NOx emissions. Once the soot is eliminated, then companies can figure out ways to reduce the NOx emissions from there. When the two halves are equally reduced, a virtually “clean-burning” diesel engine will be created. Additionally, this new design is easier to produce and would save tons of money for larger companies that rely on diesel. These companies are making huge leaps in research so stay tuned!
Photo Credits
“A traditional diesel engine from a 95′ Ford Fiesta Mk3” Photo by Timitrius on Flickr
“Pictured above is the proposed design for the ducted fuel injectors” Photo by Sandia National Laboratories
Cover Image provided by Sandia National Laboratories
