Transient testing of soy methyl ester fuels in an indirect injection, compression ignition engine

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Abstract
An evaluation of the exhaust emissions from a compression ignition engine for fuels composed of 100 and 30% methyl esters of soy oil (SME) is described. These fuels were compared with a low‐sulfur, petroleum #2 diesel fuel in a Caterpillar 3304, prechamber, 75 kW diesel engine, operated over heavy‐ and light‐duty transient test cycles developed by the United States Bureau of Mines. More than 60 h of testing was performed on each fuel. The objective was to determine the influence of the fuels upon diesel particulate matter (DPM) and gaseous emissions. The effect of a modern diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) also was determined in an effort to minimize emissions. Neat SME produced a higher volatile fraction of the DPM, but much less carbon soot fraction, leading to overall DPM reductions of 23 to 30% for the light‐ and heavy‐duty transients. The DOC further reduced the volatile fraction and the total DPM. The SME fuel reduced gaseous emissions of CO by 23% and hydrocarbons by over 30% without increasing NOx. The DOC further reduced CO and hydrocarbon levels. Mutagenicity of the SME exhaust was low. Results indicate that SME fuel, used with a proper DOC, may be a feasible emission reduction technology for underground mines.

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