New Technique for Cleaner, More Efficient Diesel Engines

Mark Musculus, an engine combustion scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, led a study that outlines the science base for auto and engine manufacturers to build the next generation of cleaner, more efficient diesel engines using low-temperature combustion (LTC). Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines, but they still have serious pollutant emissions problems. Using new optical diagnostic techniques, Musculus and his colleagues identified the sources of key pollutants - carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons - from diesel LTC engines.

Transcript

00:00:01 the pollution regulation limits that are facing the diesel engine are quite difficult to reach and Industry recognizes this from the beginning it wasn't clear how we would be able to reach these targets and so we tried a number of different approaches in parallel as an industry as a community one of these approaches of Promise is low temperature combustion this one is

00:00:24 appealing because it can use more standard diesel engine Hardware without exhaust after treatment devices uh although Al exhaust after treatment can be useful and helpful there are some uncertainties about long-term viability and expense of those devices and so engine manufacturers were looking for other ways to achieve low pollutant emissions while maintaining high

00:00:52 efficiency and low temperature combustion is one way to do that Sania National Laboratories is well positioned for this type of research because we developed a number of tools for studying technological aspects related to National Security issues and those tools we found could be applied to combustion so low temperature combustion is a way to reduce the temperatures so that we

00:01:17 don't have those hot regions that make one of the pollutants nitrogen oxides and at the same time it provides extra time for the fuel to mix with the air so that we don't have regions with too much fuel then end up making smoke and in that way low temperature combustion solves both of those problems the part that's missing is a scientific understanding and that's what our tools

00:01:40 our Optical diagnostic tools at the combustion research facility of sandan National Laboratories can provide