Cooperative Fuel Research Engine Research Articles

An Investigation on Sensitivity of Ignition Delay and Activation Energy in Diesel Combustion

The auto-ignition process plays a major role in the combustion, performance, fuel economy, and emission in diesel engines. The auto-ignition quality of different fuels has been rated by its cetane number (CN) determined in the cooperative fuel research engine, according to ASTM D613. More recently, the ignition quality tester (IQT), a constant volume vessel, has been used to determine the derived cetane number (DCN) to avoid the elaborate, time consuming, and costly engine tests, according to ASTM D6890. The ignition delay (ID) period in these two standard tests and many investigations has been considered to be the time period between start of injection (SOI) and start of combustion (SOC). The ID values determined in different investigations can vary due to differences in instrumentation and definitions. This paper examines the different definitions and the parameters that effect ID period. In addition, the activation energy dependence on the ID definition is investigated. Furthermore, results of an experimental investigation in a single-cylinder research diesel engine will be presented, while the charge density is kept constant during the ID period. The global activation energy is determined and its sensitivity to the charge temperature is examined.

A computational methodology for formulating gasoline surrogate fuels with accurate physical and chemical kinetic properties

Gasoline is the most widely used fuel for light duty automobile transportation, but its molecular complexity makes it intractable to experimentally and computationally study the fundamental combustion properties. Therefore, surrogate fuels with a simpler molecular composition that represent real fuel behavior in one or more aspects are needed to enable repeatable experimental and computational combustion investigations. This study presents a novel computational methodology for formulating surrogates for FACE (fuels for advanced combustion engines) gasolines A and C by combining regression modeling with physical and chemical kinetics simulations. The computational methodology integrates simulation tools executed across different software platforms. Initially, the palette of surrogate species and carbon types for the target fuels were determined from a detailed hydrocarbon analysis (DHA). A regression algorithm implemented in MATLAB was linked to REFPROP for simulation of distillation curves and calculation of physical properties of surrogate compositions. The MATLAB code generates a surrogate composition at each iteration, which is then used to automatically generate CHEMKIN input files that are submitted to homogeneous batch reactor simulations for prediction of research octane number (RON). The regression algorithm determines the optimal surrogate composition to match the fuel properties of FACE A and C gasoline, specifically hydrogen/carbon (H/C) ratio, density, distillation characteristics, carbon types, and RON. The optimal surrogate fuel compositions obtained using the present computational approach was compared to the real fuel properties, as well as with surrogate compositions available in the literature. Experiments were conducted within a Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine operating under controlled autoignition (CAI) mode to compare the formulated surrogates against the real fuels. Carbon monoxide measurements indicated that the proposed surrogates accurately reproduced the global reactivity of the real fuels across various combustion regimes.

Octane Rating of Natural Gas-Gasoline Mixtures on CFR Engine

In the last years new and stricter pollutant emission regulations together with raised cost of conventional fuels resulted in an increased use of gaseous fuels, such as Natural Gas (NG) or Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), for passenger vehicles. Bi-fuel engines represent a transition phase product, allowing to run either with gasoline or with gas, and for this reason are equipped with two separate injection systems. When operating at high loads with gasoline, however, these engines require rich mixtures and retarded combustions in order to prevent from dangerous knocking phenomena: this causes high hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions together with high fuel consumption. With the aim to exploit the high knock resistance of NG maintaining the good performances of gasoline, the authors experienced, in a previous work [1], the simultaneous combustion of NG-gasoline mixtures on a series production Spark Ignition (SI) engine, obtaining, with respect to pure gasoline operation, strong reduction in pollutant emissions, noticeable efficiency increase and no significant power losses. In order to ascertain the knock resistance increase due to the addition of natural gas to gasoline, and given the total absence of such information in the scientific literature, the authors decided to carry out a dedicated experimental campaign: a standard Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine, properly upgraded to inject both fuels in the intake duct, has been employed to determine the Motor Octane Number (MON) of several fuel mixtures following the ASTM Standard D2700. The results showed a non-linear relation between mixture knock resistance and natural gas concentration, correctly interpolated by a polynomial law. The correlation found can be usefully implemented in knock onset prediction sub-models for thermodynamic engine simulation, or used in future works involving the simultaneous combustion of natural gas and gasoline in a SI engine.

Combined Impact of Branching and Unsaturation on the Autoignition of Binary Blends in a Motored Engine

The impact of a branched and unsaturated compound (diisobutylene) mixed with simple hydrocarbons such as n-heptane and isooctane in binary blends on the autoignition behavior were investigated in a modified cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine at an equivlanece ratio of 0.5 and intake temperature of 120 °C. From this test condition, a homogeneous charge of fuel and intake air can be achieved. The test fuels were prepared by addition of 5–20 vol % diisobutylene into n-heptane and isooctane. The engine compression ratio (CR) was gradually increased from the lowest point to the point where significant high temperature heat release (HTHR) was observed, and this point is also referred to as the critical compression ratio (CCR). Heat release analysis showed that each n-heptane blend had a noticeable low temperature heat release (LTHR), which was not observed in the isooctane blends. The gradual addition of diisobutylene into each primary reference fuel contributed to retarded high temperature heat release in these binary blends, increasing the in-cylinder temperature and decreasing formation of CO. The 15 and 20 vol % blends of diisobutylene in isooctane were not able to reach high temperature heat release in the CFR engine system under these test conditions. The fundamental ignition behavior such as CCR and calculated % LTHR show the impact of the presence of the C–C double bond on ignition reactivity. Species concentration profiles obtained in condensed products from the engine exhaust were measured via gas chromatrography–mass spectrometry and −flame ionization detector. The major intermediate species for each blend were captured at a compression ratio selected just before the high temperature heat release was observed. Most intermediate species were derived from n-heptane and isooctane, while diisobutylene rarely participated in forming any major species, with the exception of the formation of 4,4-dimethyl-2-pentanone. Addition of diisobutylene exhibited opposite trends with regard to the abundance of intermediate species when blended with n-heptane versus with isooctane, due to the different degree of oxidation reactivity of n-heptane in comparison to isooctane.

Design and Analysis of a Modified CFR Engine for the Octane Rating of Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG)

This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study of a modified Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine that allows both the Research and Motor octane numbers (RON and MON) of any arbitrary Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) mixture to be determined. The design of the modified engine incorporates modern hardware that enables accurate metering of different LPG mixtures, together with measurement of the in-cylinder pressure, the air-fuel ratio and the engine-out emissions. The modified CFR engine is first used to measure the octane numbers of dif ferent LPG mixtures. The measured octane numbers are shown to be similar to the limited data acquired using the now withdrawn Motor (LP) test method (ASTM D2623). The volumetric efficiency, engine-out emissions and combustion efficiency for twelve alternative LPG mixtures are then compared with equivalent data acquired with the standard CFR engine operating on a liquid fuel. Finally, the modified CFR engine is modelled using GT-Power. The full engine model contains empirical sub-models of the intake and exhaust systems, the gas exchange processes, the flame propagation and the in-cylinder heat transfer . The calibrated combustion models are used to determine the residual gas fraction and crank angle resolved mass fraction burned histories during octane rating for both gaseous and liquid fuels. Overall, this analysis suggests that the performance of the modified CFR engine is consistent with that of the standard engine operating on a conventional, liquid fuel.

Octane Response in a Downsized, Highly Boosted Direct Injection Spark Ignition Engine

Increasingly strict government emissions regulations in combination with consumer demand for high performance vehicles is driving gasoline engine development towards highly downsized, boosted direct injection technologies. In these engines, fuel consumption is improved by reducing pumping, friction and heat losses, yet performance is maintained by operating at higher brake mean effective pressure. However, the in-cylinder conditions of these engines continue to diverge from traditional naturally aspirated technologies, and especially from the Cooperative Fuels Research engine used to define the octane rating scales. Engine concepts are thus key platforms with which to screen the influence of fundamental fuel properties on future engine performance. ‘ULTRABOOST’, a collaborative research project which is co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK's innovation agency, is a downsized, highly boosted, 2.0L in-line 4 cylinder prototype engine, designed to achieve 35% CO2 emissions reduction without compromising the performance of a 5.0L V8 naturally aspirated production engine. To probe engine response to fuel, a matrix of 14 formulations was tested at several engine conditions. This is the first in a series of fuel related papers and focuses on the engine's response to the research octane number (RON). The knock limited spark advance was determined for a series of fuels with RON varying from 95 to 112; octane was shown to provide 5 or 10° crank angle advance in knock limited spark advance at 2000 and 3000 rpm, respectively. This study demonstrates that fuel octane quality continues to be important for the performance of emerging downsized engine technologies. Furthermore, the trend for continued engine downsizing will increase the potential performance benefit associated with knock resistant fuels.

Combustion time of the oxygenated and non-oxygenated fuels in an Otto cycle engine

Speed flame propagation in Otto cycle engines is one of the principal characteristics of fuel and is fundamental in defining the ignition advance. The greater the propagation speed the less the negative work required to compress the mixture before the piston reaches the top dead center and the higher the cycle’s efficiency. This paper presents experimental results of time measurements of the fuel’s ignition and the maximum pressure rating in the combustion chamber of a Cooperative Fuel Research engine specially instrumented. The combustion duration measurements of oxygenated and non-oxygenated fuels were taken as a function of the compression ratio (8:1, 10:1 and 12:1) and lambda (λ). The speed flame propagation in the combustion chamber is significantly changed with the change of the lambda different compression ratios. The VNG has a maximum in the speed flame propagation in the stoichiometric region (λ = 1.0) in all compression rates in this study. Similar behavior occurs with ethanol and gasohol, but only in compression ratio 12:1. Ethanol and gasohol have the higher rate of flame propagation for all compression ratios measured as compared to the non-oxygenated (isooctane) and oxygenated fuels (MTBE and TAEE).

Investigation of biofuels from microorganism metabolism for use as anti-knock additives

This paper investigates the anti-knock properties of biofuels that can be produced from microorganism metabolic processes. The biofuels are rated using Research Octane Number (RON) and Blending Research Octane Number (BRON), which determine their potential as additives for fuel in spark ignition (SI) engines. Tests were conducted using a single-cylinder Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine and performance of the biofuels was compared to primary reference fuels (PRFs). The investigated fuels include 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, 2-methylpropan-1-ol (isobutanol), and limonene. Results show that 3-methyl-2-buten-1-ol, 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol, and 2-methylpropan-1-ol (isobutanol) sufficiently improve the anti-knock properties of gasoline.

Pressure Sensitivity of HCCI Auto-Ignition Temperature for Oxygenated Reference Fuels

The current research focuses on creating a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) fuel index suitable for comparing different fuels for HCCI operation. One way to characterize a fuel is to use the auto-ignition temperature (AIT). The AIT can be extracted from the pressure trace. Another potentially interesting parameter is the amount of low temperature heat release (LTHR) that is closely connected to the ignition properties of the fuel. The purpose of this study was to map the AIT and the amount of LTHR of different oxygenated reference fuels in HCCI combustion at different cylinder pressures. Blends of n-heptane, iso-octane, and ethanol were tested in a cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine with a variable compression ratio. Five different inlet air temperatures ranging from 50 °C to 150 °C were used to achieve different cylinder pressures and the compression ratio was changed accordingly to keep a constant combustion phasing, CA50, of 3 ± 1 deg after top dead center (TDC). The experiments were carried out in lean operation with a constant equivalence ratio of 0.33 and with a constant engine speed of 600 rpm. The amount of ethanol needed to suppress the LTHR from different primary reference fuels (PRFs) was evaluated. The AIT and the amount of LTHR for different combinations of n-heptane, iso-octane, and ethanol were charted.

The Cooperative Fuels Research Engine: Applications for Education and Research

The Cooperative Fuels Research Engine: Applications for Education and Research

The NOx and N2O Emission Characteristics of an HCCI Engine Operated With n-Heptane

This paper presents the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission characteristics of a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine modified to operate in homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion mode. N-heptane was used as the fuel in this research. Several parameters were varied, including intake air temperature and pressure, air/fuel ratio (AFR), compression ratio (CR), and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rate, to alter the HCCI combustion phasing from an overly advanced condition where knocking occurred to an overly retarded condition where incomplete combustion occurred with excessive emissions of unburned hydrocarbons (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO). NOx emissions below 5 ppm were obtained over a fairly wide range of operating conditions, except when knocking or incomplete combustion occurred. The NOx emissions were relatively constant when the combustion phasing was within the acceptable range. NOx emissions increased substantially when the HCCI combustion phasing was retarded beyond the optimal phasing even though lower combustion temperatures were expected. The increased N2O and UHC emissions observed with retarded combustion phasing may contribute to this unexpected increase in NOx emissions. N2O emissions were generally less than 0.5 ppm; however, they increased substantially with excessively retarded and incomplete combustion. The highest measured N2O emissions were 1.7 ppm, which occurred when the combustion efficiency was approximately 70%.

An experimental study on the effect of hydrogen enrichment on diesel fueled HCCI combustion

This paper experimentally investigates the influence of hydrogen enrichment on the combustion and emission characteristics of a diesel HCCI engine using a modified Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine. Three fuels, n-heptane and two middle distillates with cetane numbers of 46.6 and 36.6, are studied. The results show that hydrogen enrichment retards the combustion phasing and reduces the combustion duration of a diesel HCCI engine. Besides, hydrogen enrichment increases the power output and fuel conversion efficiency, and improves the combustion stability. However, hydrogen enrichment may narrow the operational compression ratio range and increase the knocking tendency. Both the overall indicated specific CO emissions (isCO) and CO emissions per unit burned diesel fuel mass are reduced by hydrogen enrichment. Although hydrogen enrichment decreases the overall indicated specific unburned hydrocarbon emissions (isHC), it does not significantly affect the HC emissions per unit burned diesel fuel mass.

Effects of different cetane number enhancement strategies on HCCI combustion and emissions

Cetane number is the accepted indicator for quantifying the autoignition characteristics of diesel fuels in compression ignition engines. Diesel fuel specifications typically require a minimum cetane number to achieve satisfactory combustion behaviour in conventional diesel engines. In contrast, a high cetane number fuel may not be beneficial for implementing high efficiency, clean combustion strategies such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI). The purpose of this study was to investigate cetane number effects on HCCI combustion and emissions. The experiments were conducted in a single-cylinder, variable compression ratio, cooperative fuel research engine operated in HCCI combustion mode. The fuels were finely atomized and partially vaporized in the intake manifold. The base fuel was a low cetane refining stream derived from oil sands sources. Three different methods were employed to increase the base fuel cetane number, namely hydroprocessing, cetane improver addition, and blending with a renewable fuel component. Results show that the three methods of cetane number enhancement produce significantly different HCCI combustion behaviour. The hydroprocessed fuels exhibited more stable and complete combustion than the base fuel, which resulted in a wider operating region, reduced carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon, and nitrogen oxide (NO x) emissions, and lower indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC). The main disadvantages of the hydroprocessed fuels were the higher exhaust gas recirculation rates required to retard the combustion phasing, which limits the maximum indicated mean effective pressure for a given intake pressure, and increased knock intensity due to a faster combustion process. In comparison, the other two methods of fuel cetane enhancement increased ISFC compared to the base fuel. The addition of nitrate cetane improver resulted in higher NO x emissions, while blending with a renewable fuel component increased hydrocarbon emissions. The experimental data provide evidence that the magnitude and phasing of low temperature heat release, as well as fuel volatility, play important roles in HCCI combustion.

Engine knock and combustion characteristics of a spark ignition engine operating with varying hydrogen and carbon monoxide proportions

Varying proportions of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (synthesis gas) have been investigated as a spark ignition (SI) engine fuel in this paper. It is important to understand how various synthesis gas compositions effect important SI combustion fundamentals, such as knock and burn duration, because in synthesis gas production applications, the compositions can vary significantly depending on the feedstock and production method. A single cylinder cooperative fuels research (CFR) engine was used to investigate the knock and combustion characteristics of three blends of synthesis gas (H 2/CO ratio); 1) 100/0, 2) 75/25, and 3) 50/50, by volume. These blends were tested at three compression ratios (6:1, 8:1, and 10:1), and three equivalence ratios (0.6, 0.7, and 0.8). It was revealed that the knock limited compression ratio (KLCR) of a H 2/CO mixture increases with increasing CO fraction, for a given spark timing. For a given equivalence ratio and spark timing, a 50%/50% H 2/CO mixture produced a KLCR of 8:1 compared to a 100% H 2 condition, which produced a KLCR of 6:1. The burn duration and ignition lag is also increased with increasing CO fraction. The results from this work are important for those considering using synthesis gas as a fuel in SI engines. It reveals that although CO is a slow burning fuel, higher CO fractions in synthesis gas can be beneficial, because of its increased resistance to knock, which gives it the potential of producing higher indicated efficiencies through the utilization of an engine with a higher compression ratio.

COMBUSTION MODEL FOR SPARK IGNITION ENGINES OPERATING ON GASOLINE-ETHANOL BLENDS

This article presents a phenomenological combustion model using turbulent flame propagation theory developed by Keck and coworkers, 1974. The model was adapted to work with gasoline-ethanol blends, following correlations presented by Bayraktar,2005. New sub-models were introduced for intake valve velocity and combustion efficiency. These allow simulating the effect of compression ratio, spark timing and fuel change. Results show good agreement with the ones in the original work as well as with experimental results in a Cooperative Fuels Research (CFR) engine.

Evaluation of a combustion model for the simulation of hydrogen spark-ignition engines using a CFD code

The present work deals with the evaluation of a combustion model that has been developed, in order to simulate the power cycle of hydrogen spark-ignition engines. The motivation for the development of such a model is to obtain a simple combustion model with few calibration constants, applicable to a wide range of engine configurations, incorporated in an in-house CFD code using the RNG k– ɛ turbulence model. The calculated cylinder pressure traces, gross heat release rate diagrams and exhaust nitric oxide (NO) emissions are compared with the corresponding measured ones at various engine loads. The engine used is a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine fueled with hydrogen, operating at a constant engine speed of 600 rpm. This model is composed of various sub-models used for the simulation of combustion of conventional fuels in SI engines; it has been adjusted in the current study specifically for hydrogen combustion. The basic sub-model incorporated for the calculation of the reaction rates is the characteristic conversion time-scale method, meaning that a time-scale is used depending on the laminar conversion time and the turbulent mixing time, which dictates to what extent the combustible gas has reached its chemical equilibrium during a predefined time step. Also, the laminar and turbulent combustion velocity is used to track the flame development within the combustion chamber, using two correlations for the laminar flame speed and the Zimont/Lipatnikov approach for the modeling of the turbulent flame speed, whereas the (NO) emissions are calculated according to the Zeldovich mechanism. From the evaluation conducted, it is revealed that by using the developed hydrogen combustion model and after adjustment of the unique model calibration constant, there is an adequate agreement with measured data (regarding performance and emissions) for the investigated conditions. However, there are a few more issues to be resolved dealing mainly with the ignition process and the applicability of a reliable set of constants for the emission calculations.

An Experimental and Modeling Study of HCCI Combustion Using n-Heptane

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is an advanced low-temperature combustion technology being considered for internal combustion engines due to its potential for high fuel conversion efficiency and extremely low emissions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). In its simplest form, HCCI combustion involves the auto-ignition of a homogeneous mixture of fuel, air, and diluents at low to moderate temperatures and high pressure. Previous research has indicated that fuel chemistry has a strong impact on HCCI combustion. This paper reports the preliminary results of an experimental and modeling study of HCCI combustion using n-heptane, a volatile hydrocarbon with well known fuel chemistry. A Co-operative Fuel Research (CFR) engine was modified by the addition of a port fuel injection system to produce a homogeneous fuel-air mixture in the intake manifold, which contributed to a stable and repeatable HCCI combustion process. Detailed experiments were performed to explore the effects of critical engine parameters such as intake temperature, compression ratio, air/fuel ratio, engine speed, turbocharging, and intake mixture throttling on HCCI combustion. The influence of these parameters on the phasing of the low-temperature reaction, main combustion stage, and negative temperature coefficient delay period are presented and discussed. A single-zone numerical simulation with detailed fuel chemistry was developed and validated. The simulations show good agreement with the experimental data and capture important combustion phase trends as engine parameters are varied.

Combustion of n-butanol in a spark-ignition IC engine

Alcohols, because of their potential to be produced from renewable sources and because of their high quality characteristics for spark-ignition (SI) engines, are considered quality fuels which can be blended with fossil-based gasoline for use in internal combustion engines. They enable the transformation of our energy basis in transportation to reduce dependence on fossil fuels as an energy source for vehicles. The research presented in this work is focused on applying n-butanol as a blending agent additive to gasoline to reduce the fossil part in the fuel mixture and in this way to reduce life cycle CO2 emissions. The impact on combustion processes in a spark-ignited internal combustion engine is also detailed. Blends of n-butanol to gasoline with ratios of 0%, 20%, and 60% in addition to near n-butanol have been studied in a single cylinder cooperative fuels research engine (CFR) SI engine with variable compression ratio manufactured by Waukesha Engine Company. The engine is modified to provide air control and port fuel injection. Engine control and monitoring was performed using a target-based rapid-prototyping system with electronic sensors and actuators installed on the engine [1]. A real-time combustion analysis system was applied for data acquisition and online analysis of combustion quantities. Tests were performed under stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratios, fixed engine torque, and compression ratios of 8:1 and 10:1 with spark timing sweeps from 18° to 4° before top dead center (BTDC). On the basis of the experimental data, combustion characteristics for these fuels have been determined as follows: mass fraction burned (MFB) profile, rate of MFB, combustion duration and location of 50% MFB. Analysis of these data gives conclusions about combustion phasing for optimal spark timing for maximum break torque (MBT) and normalized rate for heat release. Additionally, susceptibility of 20% and 60% butanol–gasoline blends on combustion knock was investigated. Simultaneously, comparison between these fuels and pure gasoline in the above areas was investigated. Finally, on the basis of these conclusions, characteristic of these fuel blends as substitutes of gasoline for a series production engine were discussed.

A Simulation Model of a Four-Stroke Spark Ignition Engine Fueled With Landfill Gases and Hydrogen Mixtures

A simulation model for establishment of performance parameters of a spark ignition engine fueled with landfill gas, methane, and landfill gas-hydrogen mixtures is described. A two zone model was employed to estimate combustion duration, ignition lag, associated mass burning rates, and performance parameters for various operating conditions in an internal combustion engine. The modeling consists of two main modules: (a) a fuel-air and residual gas properties calculation, and (b) equilibrium combustion product properties calculation with 13 species of equilibrium combustion products. The fuel-air and residual gas module calculates gas properties required in compression stroke and the unburned zone of a combustion chamber. The equilibrium combustion products module calculates gas properties for the burned zone during combustion and expansion phases. In addition to engine parameters, combustion duration estimation methods were presented to accommodate the presence of high quantities of diluents such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen in methane to represent landfill gases, generally encountered in practice. Similarly, an effect of the addition of hydrogen in landfill gas on performance of a spark ignition engine was also incorporated in the model. The pressure traces and engine power output parameters were modeled and compared with the experimental observations obtained in a variable compression single cylinder four-stroke spark ignition co-operative fuel research engine for different fuels that include methane, landfill gas, and landfill gas-hydrogen mixtures and found satisfactory agreement. MATLAB was used as the programming software in the model.

Controlling n-Heptane HCCI Combustion With Partial Reforming: Experimental Results and Modeling Analysis

One potential method for controlling the combustion phasing of a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine is to vary the fuel chemistry using two fuels with different auto-ignition characteristics. Although a dual-fuel engine concept is technically feasible with current engine management and fuel delivery system technologies, this is not generally seen as a practical solution due to the necessity of supplying and storing two fuels. Onboard partial reforming of a hydrocarbon fuel is seen to be a more attractive way of realizing a dual-fuel concept, while relying on only one fuel supply infrastructure. Reformer gas (RG) is a mixture of light gases dominated by hydrogen and carbon monoxide that can be produced from any hydrocarbon fuel using an onboard fuel processor. RG has a high resistance to auto-ignition and wide flammability limits. The ratio of H2 to CO produced depends on the reforming method and conditions, as well as the hydrocarbon fuel. In this study, a cooperative fuel research engine was operated in HCCI mode at elevated intake air temperatures and pressures. n-heptane was used as the hydrocarbon blending component because of its high cetane number and well-known fuel chemistry. RG was used as the low cetane blending component to retard the combustion phasing. Other influential parameters, such as air/fuel ratio, EGR, and intake temperature, were maintained constant. The experimental results show that increasing the RG fraction retards the combustion phasing to a more optimized value causing indicated power and fuel conversion efficiency to increase. RG reduced the first stage of heat release, extended the negative temperature coefficient delay period, and retarded the main stage of combustion. Two extreme cases of RG composition with H2/CO ratios of 3/1 and 1/1 were investigated. The results show that both RG compositions retard the combustion phasing, but that the higher hydrogen fraction RG is more effective. A single-zone model with detailed chemical kinetics was used to interpret the experimental results. The effect of RG on combustion phasing retardation was confirmed. It was found that the low temperature heat release was inhibited by a reduction in intermediate radical mole fractions during low temperature reactions and during the early stages of the negative temperature coefficient delay period.