Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel Fuels Research Articles

Glycerol Monooleate (GMO): A Valuable Biobased Lubricity and Pour Point Enhancer Blend Component for the ULSD Fuel.

Novel value-added usage of glycerol (biodiesel coproduct) derivatives has been indispensable due to the extensive production of biodiesel. The physical properties of ultralow-sulfur diesel (ULSD) improved with the addition of technical-grade glycerol monooleate (TGGMO) with increasing concentration from 0.01 to 5 wt %. The influence of increasing concentration of TGGMO was studied on the acid value, cloud point, pour point, cold filter plugging point, kinematic viscosity, and lubricity of its blend with ULSD. The results showed improved lubricity for the blended ULSD with TGGMO as shown by the reduced wear scar diameter from 493 to 90 μm. The low-temperature flow properties were also improved as shown by lower pour points of -36 °C for the 1% TGGMO/ULSD blend compared to -25 °C for ULSDTGGMO blends in ULSD of up to 1 wt %, which met the ASTM standard D975 specifications. We also investigated the blending effect of the pure-grade monooleate (PGMO, purity level >99.98%) on the physical properties of ULSD at a blend concentration of 0.5 and 1.0%. Compared to PGMO, TGGMO significantly improved the physical properties of ULSD with increasing concentration from 0.01 to 1 wt %. Nevertheless, PGMO/TGGMO did not significantly affect the acid value, cloud point, or cold filter plugging point of ULSD. A comparison between TGGMO and PGMO showed that TGGMO improves the ULSD fuel lubricity and pour point more effectively than PGMO. PDSC data indicated that although addition of TGGMO will lower the oxidation stability slightly, it is still better than the addition of PGMO. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data showed higher thermal stability and lesser volatility for TGGMO blends compared to those for PGMO blends. The cost effectiveness of TGGMO makes it a better ULSD fuel lubricity enhancer than PGMO.

Characterization of chemical fingerprints of ultralow sulfur fuel oils using gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry

With the implementation of stringent environmental regulations, high sulfur fuel oils (HSFO) are shifted to very low (VLSFOs) and ultralow sulfur fuel oils (ULSFOs). The current understanding of these fuels is far from sufficient. The chemical fingerprints of these oils are significantly altered by desulfurization processes, and sulfur-containing compounds present in these oils are in low or extremely low concentrations. These changes pose challenges for petroleum analysis. The ULSFOs studied were limited to distillates. Like conventional fuel oils, ULSFOs are diverse. ULSFOs do not just include distillates but can be a mixture of multiple oil products. The present work measured and compared the physical and chemical properties of ULSFOs with conventional fuels. Gas chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-QTOF-MS) was applied to characterize the chemical fingerprints of ULSFOs. Polycyclic aromatic sulfur heterocycles (PASHs) and their alkylated homologues were determined in considerable abundance in the oils with ≤ 1,000 ppm and ≤ 500 ppm of total sulfur. The chromatographic profiles of ULSFOs were obviously different from that of crude oil and high sulfur fuel oil. Most of PASHs are barely detectable in ≤ 10 ppm S ultralow sulfur diesel fuels (ULSDs), which were subject to deep desulfurization. Some dibenzothiophene isomers such as 4-methyldibenzothiophene,4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene and 2,4,6-trimethyldibenzothiophene naturally occur in relatively high abundance and are the most refractory to the refinery process due to the methyl steric hindrance. These refractory species were clearly detected in ≤ 10 ppm S ULSDs while other PASHs are barely detectable. Certain compounds with special chemical fingerprints in ULSFOs and ULSDs have potential suitability as diagnostic molecular markers for associated oil spill characterization and identification.

Marine Ancillary Diesel Engine Emissions Reduction Using Advanced Fuels

Large transoceanic ships use marine ancillary diesel engines for generating electricity, which, on the other hand, produce a remarkable amount of harmful emissions during the combustion process. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) establishes standards that limit the amount of harmful emissions produced during the engine combustion cycle in maritime transport. Because of this restriction, new alternative fuels entered the market. Experiments had been performed with various testing fuels created from biodiesel and ULSD-F (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel-Fuel) in the ratios of 0%, 50%, 80%, and 100%. During the tests, the engine ran at different speeds and loads so that the mixed fuel influence on engine operation could be observed in detail and investigated.

Analysis of Combustion Conditions for Sustainable Dual-Fuel Mixtures

The scientific contribution is focused on the analysis and optimization of combustion conditions concerning the dual-fuel mixtures. The greatest attention was paid to the temperature of intake air when a mixture of ethanol and gasoline created the applied fuel. An experimental fuel mixture was added into the intake pipe and ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel (ULSDF) was added directly into the engine cylinder using the CR (common rail) injection system. The article analysed the medium- and high-level operational engine load, whereby the engine timing parameters originally corresponded to a conventional diesel engine. The obtained results of the performed analysis showed that the temperature of intake air affected the following operational parameters: delay of ignition, pressure rise rate in the engine cylinder and the maximum level of pressure in the engine cylinder. Lower values of the intake air temperature enabled higher injection speeds for the ethanol–sustainable mixture (ESM), especially at high engine loads. An increase in the injection speed was possible due to lower charge air temperature. While there were reduced nitrogen oxide emissions, we also noted a reduction in both carbon monoxide emissions and the total amount of unburned hydrocarbon emissions.

Formulation and tribological behavior of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels microemulsified with glycerin

The lubricity of diesel is a fundamental parameter, as it has a direct impact on the engine operation, working life and wear of the parts. Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels (ULSD) have low lubricity due to the removal of polar compounds resulted from the desulfurization process. This study evaluated the impact of glycerin addition on the lubrication properties of ULSD microemulsion fuel. Lubricity tests were developed in High Frequency Reciprocating Rig (HFRR). The results showed that, when compared to the ULSD reference fuel with 10 ppm sulfur, the addition of glycerin at the highest concentration was capable to double the percentage of lubricant film formation, reduce by 48% the wear scar formed in the steel ball and promote the reduction in the values of roughness parameters by approximately 50%.

Performance of Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel Additives and its Side Effects

Performance of Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel Additives and its Side Effects

New Approach for Catalytic Production of Ultralow-Sulfur Diesel Fuels Using Binary Composed Catalysts Consisting of Cobalt Nanoparticles

The global trend is orientated toward the production of diesel fuels composed of as low as 50 ppm (0.05 g/L) or even less sulfur compounds. As a result, the current study is orientated toward the g...

Complex analysis focused on influence of biodiesel and its mixture on regulated and unregulated emissions of motor vehicles with the aim to protect air quality and environment

The main task of this study is to perform a complex analysis dealing with influence of biodiesel and its mixture on regulated and unregulated gaseous emissions of diesel engine, which is installed in a motorcar as a driving unit determined for standard road traffic. As a real technical platform intended for realisation of the required experiments, a motor vehicle equipped with the TDI engine was chosen because just this kind of engine was directly affected by the affair “dieselgate”. This type of piston combustion engine is widely used in the traffic, together with negative impacts on the air quality. Various diesel fuel mixtures, which represented the applied experimental fuels, were created by mixing of the ultra-low sulphur diesel fuel (ULSDF) with the biodiesel, using different mixture ratios. The individual experiments were performed during a 13-mode test cycle especially developed for the diesel engine in such a way, so that it was possible to identify influence of the engine loading and engine speed on the regulated and unregulated gaseous emissions of the given TDI diesel engine. It is possible to say according to the obtained results that a higher portion of the biodiesel in the fuel mixture reduces the amount of the hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particulate matters (PM) in the gaseous emissions, but it increases volume of the nitrogen oxides (NOX). A higher portion of the biodiesel causes a growth of the formaldehyde emissions and acetaldehyde emissions in the case of unregulated diesel engine emissions. The same trend is also typical for the 1,3-butadiene, propene and ethene. The biodiesel additive increases emissions of benzene; however, it reduces emissions of the toluene and xylene within the aromatic substance emissions. The obtained results confirm a fact that all the gaseous emissions are influenced by the engine operational regimes, especially by the engine loading status.

Surface Wetting-Driven Separation of Surfactant-Stabilized Water-Oil Emulsions.

Four fluorocarbon polymers including polytetrafluoroethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride were coated on a stainless steel felt to separate emulsified water droplets from ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuels. The original fuel treated with clay to remove additives was additized again with four known surfactants including pentaerythrityoleate, (octadecadienoic acid) dipolymer, (octadecadienoic acid) tripolymer, and monoolein individually. The different surfactants adsorbed on the fuel-water interface reduce the interfacial intension with different intensities. The separation efficiency at various surfactant concentrations was used to evaluate the coalescence effect exerted by these coatings. It was found the separation was both surfactant- and coating-dependent. A fluoro-polyurethane coating (FC1) stood out to counteract the adverse effect of all the surfactants. Solid free energy was then measured using acid-base and Kaelble-Uy adhesion theories for all the coatings, but its correlation with coalescence was not found at all. Coating aging in surfactant-additized fuel on the coating's water wettability was also examined to better understand how historical wetting affects separation. A tumbled model for fluorocarbons was identified that well-explained the continuous decline of the water contact angle on the FC1 coating in fuel. Subject to the challenge of the foreign environment, the fluoroalkyl chains of the polymer tilt to expose the carbonyl groups underneath, resulting in favored coalescence separation in the presence of surfactants.

Reduction of the NOx emissions in vehicle diesel engine in order to fulfill future rules concerning emissions released into air

In the past period occurred information about a fact that in some of the motorcars was installed a software, which enabled to hide the over-limit values of the nitrogen oxides during the emission testing process. This affair is called “dieselgate”. It is a well-known fact that the actual emission limits are very hard and there is arising a serious problem for automobile factories to meet the demanding emission requirements. The emission standard Euro is an obligatory standard, which is valid within the European Union. On the present there is valid the newest standard Euro 6, which should help to eliminate most of the undesirable substances that are influencing quality of air. However, already in this year or during the next year 2018 there will be implemented a new, stricter emission standard Euro 7 in the EU. From this reason started to be used some of the alternative fuels in this branch. There was performed a study, which investigated emissions of the vehicle diesel engine during application of the experimental fuels. The experimental engine was equipped with the turbocharging and with the direct fuel injection. The different testing fuels were created using the ratios 0%, 50%, 80% and 100% between the biodiesel and the ULSDF (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel), whereas the individually mixed fuels were marked B0:U100, B50:U50, B80:U20 and B100:U0. The first kind of the applied fuel is the pure ULSDF and the last fuel is the pure biodiesel. The experimental measurements were performed at the different engine loading levels and various engine speeds in order to investigate an influence of the mixed fuels on the engine operational characteristics.

Ecological analysis related to creation of gaseous emissions within transport focused on fulfilment of the future emission standards

Questions of ecology in the area of transport are always very topical because the newest emission standards concerning the piston combustion engines are very hard with regard to protection of the environment and human health. Nowadays the most often used driving units that are applied within the road transport as well as in the marine transport are the diesel engines. In the last period occurred information about a fact that in some of the motorcars was installed a software, which enabled to hide the over-limit values of the nitrogen oxides during the emission testing process. This affair is called “dieselgate”. It is a well-known fact that the actual emission limits are very hard and there is arising a serious problem for automobile factories to meet the demanding emission requirements. Therefore it was elaborated an ecological analysis or study concerning the gaseous emissions produced in the road transport. This analysis is based on application of the experimental fuels. As the experimental combustion engine it was chosen just such kind of the motorcar engine, which is relevant to the cause “dieselgate”, i.e. the diesel piston combustion engine. The testing fuels were created by mixing of the biodiesel and the ULSDF (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel), using various mutual ratios between these fuels. The individual measurements were performed at the various engine loading levels and engine speeds in order to investigate an influence of the experimental fuels on the real operational characteristics of the given testing engine.

Method for reduction of the NOX emissions in marine auxiliary diesel engine using the fuel mixtures containing biodiesel using HCCI combustion

The marine auxiliary diesel engines installed in the large transoceanic ships are used in order to generate the electricity but at the same time these engines are able to produce a significant amount of the harmful exhaust gas emissions. Therefore the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) concluded an agreement, which has to control generating of gaseous emissions in maritime transport. From this reason started to be used some of the alternative fuels in this branch. There was performed a study, which investigated emissions of the auxiliary marine diesel engine during application of the experimental fuels. The different testing fuels were created using the ratios 0%, 50%, 80% and 100% between the biodiesel and the ULSDF (Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel). The experimental measurements were performed at the different engine loading levels and various engine speeds in order to investigate an influence of the mixed fuels on the engine operational characteristics.

Photoassisted Desulfurization Induced by Visible-Light Irradiation for the Production of Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Using Nanoparticles of CdO

The heterogeneous photocatalytic desulfurization processes have been paid wide attention due to their effectiveness in removing the condensed organo-sulfur compounds. Such methods may gain greater consideration via utilizing the visible light in general and sun spectrum in particular. This research work aims to produce low sulfur diesel fuel through a catalyzed photochemical route using nanoparticles of CdO under the visible-light irradiation. Two various structures of CdO were prepared in this study by both the chemical precipitation and autoignition techniques. The structural and morphological characteristics of the obtained cadmium oxides were determined via different tools of analyzes. The production of a low sulfur diesel fuel was then investigated under various operating parameters, such as type of light source, catalyst-to-feed dosage, and reaction time. The effect of adding oxidizing agents at different concentrations on the desulfurization process was also studied. After the maximum sulfur remova...

Influence of boron addition to alumina support by kneading on morphology and activity of HDS catalysts

CoMo-catalysts modified by boron were studied. Boron was added to alumina support by kneading. Supports and catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption, XPS, IR-spectroscopy of adsorbed CO. Catalysts were tested in hydrotreating of straight-run diesel fuel with 5vol.% catalytic cracking gasoil (initial S content was 2750ppm). It is found that boron has no significant influence on textural characteristics of catalysts. However, it increases slab length and visualization degree of active component, while stacking number remains unchanged (preferential formation of monolayers). Difference in morphology is caused by changes of Lewis acidity and generation of Brønsted acid sites. It is found that all catalysts with boron provide production of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels (less than 10ppm). The catalyst with a boron content of 2wt.% combines high activity in HDS and HDN.

OXIDATION OF COMMERCIAL PETRONAS DIESEL WITH TERT-BUTYL HYDROPEROXIDE OVER POLYMOLYBDATE ALUMINA SUPPORTED CATALYST MODIFIED WITH ALKALINE EARTH METALS

Due to strict environmental legislation for ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels, increasing technical and operational challenges are imposed to conventional hydrodesulfurization (HDS) technology. Therefore, catalytic oxidative desulfurization (Cat-ODS) has been suggested to be an alternative method to replace a conventional method which is hydrodesulfurization. In this study, catalytic oxidation of commercial diesel was performed using an oil-soluble oxidant, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), over polymolybdate supported on alumina MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst. A commercial Petronas diesel with 440 ppmw of total sulfur was employed to evaluate the elimination of sulfur compounds. Besides, the percentage of sulfur removal was measured by (GC-FPD). Alkaline earth metals, such as Calcium (Ca), Barium (Ba) and Strontium (Sr) were introduced on the surface of MoO3-PO4/Al2O3. The results showed that the catalytic activity decreased in the order, Ca/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3>Sr/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3> Ba/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3. The Ca/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst was characterized by XRD and FESEM. XRD results showed that the best catalyst was highly amorphous while FESEM micrograph illustrated an aggregation and agglomeration of various particle sizes. The catalytic activity of Ca/MoO3-PO4/Al2O3 catalyst with various Ca/Mo ratios were also studied. When the Ca/Mo ratio was 15:85, the sulfur removal was the highest (79%) at 45°C, 30 min and O/S molar ratio 3.0 with solvent = dimetylformamide (DMF), diesel/solvent ratio = 1.0.

바이오디젤과 디젤 연기입자의 광학특성 및 무차원 광소멸계수 측정에 관한 연구

The dimensionless extinction constants of smoke particles produced from burning of soy methyl ester (B100) biodiesel and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuels were measured. To this end, optical measurements of smoke volume fraction with the aid of a He-Ne laser at 633 nm were compared to the simultaneous gravimetric measurements. The average value of measured dimensionless extinction constants at 633 nm was 11.8 for biodiesel smoke particles and 11.1 for diesel smoke particles, respectively whose values are very comparable withing the range of measurement uncertainty (± 10.1%). The analysis of Raman spectroscopy revealed that overall characteristics of light extinction between particles produced from each fuel may differ from each other.

Preparation and Fuel Properties of Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) Seed Oil Ethyl Esters and Blends with Ultralow-Sulfur Diesel Fuel

Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.) is a widely distributed winter annual with a high seed oil content (36%) and is suitable as an off-season rotational crop in the midwestern United States. Erucic [(13Z)-docosenoic] acid (36.2%) is the most abundant constituent in the oil, with unsaturated and very long-chain (20+ carbons) fatty acids comprising most of the remaining content. In a previous study, we described field pennycress seed oil methyl esters (FPMEs). Here, we report field pennycress seed oil ethyl esters (FPEEs) along with the properties of blends of FPMEs and FPEEs (B2–B20) in petrodiesel. These results are compared to American and European biodiesel and petrodiesel fuel standards. FPEEs were characterized by excellent low-temperature properties (cloud point of −15 °C), high cetane number (61.4), high kinematic viscosity (5.65 mm2/s), and low oxidative stability (induction period of 4.6 h). Both kinematic viscosity and oxidative stability did not meet EN 14214 limits but were within the ranges ...

Lubricity Improvement of the Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel Fuel with the Biodiesel

Ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel is essential requirement as per the emission regulation. With the adoption of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process, the diesel fuel loses its inherent lubricity, however certain amount of lubricity of diesel fuel is needed to save several engine components from wear and failure. Though the loss of lubricity of the diesel fuel is observed with the removal of sulfur, it is mainly due to the loss of nitrogen and oxygen based polar trace compounds which are also removed in the HDS process. Unrefined biodiesels having little amount of monoglycerides (<0.8%) and free fatty acids also show better lubricity and fuel properties to be used as fuel lubricant. Biodiesel are also considered as the suitable blending compound with the diesel. This study found that the biodiesel blends up to 20% with the diesel fuel can effectively reduce both the wear of the tribo-contact surfaces as well as the friction coefficient. The use of biodegradable fuel lubricant has set away the threat of environment pollution by the diesel additives which are derived chemically. The oxidation stability and the low temperature properties of both the biodiesel and the vegetable oils can be improved with some chemical modification. It can be concluded that the use of biodiesel with the diesel fuel can be an appropriate option for effective engine lubrication system where only the fuel has to provide the required lubricity.

A new method for reactivating the supported deep hydrotreatment CoMo/Al2O3 and NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts after oxidative regeneration

A new method for the reactivation of CoMo/Al2O3 and NiMo/Al2O3 catalysts for the deep hydrotreatment of diesel fuel after the oxidative regeneration stage involves impregnating regenerated catalysts with aqueous solutions of such chelating compounds as citric and oxalic acids, ethyleneglycol, and diethyleneglycol with subsequent drying. The activity of reactivated catalysts subjected to such treatment can be higher than for fresh samples. The effect of the nature and amount of introduced chelates on the activity of the IK-GO-1 catalyst in the hydrotreatment of straight-run diesel fuel is studied. Treating an oxidized sample with a solution containing both citric acid and glycol at the optimum molar ratio of total chelate compounds to total metals (0.5–1.0) yields the best results. Regenerated catalysts thus enable the production of ultralow sulfur diesel fuels (10 ppm) at an initial hydrotreatment temperature 10–15°C lower than for catalysts after their oxidative regeneration and 3–4°C lower than for fresh catalysts.

Influence of an iron-based fuel-borne catalyst on physicochemical and toxicological characteristics of particulate emissions from a diesel engine

Metal-based fuel-borne catalysts (FBCs) have been used with diesel fuels to effectively reduce soot and diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions from both on-road and off-road applications. However, there is a lack of detailed investigations on the potential changes in the properties of particulates, when FBCs-doped fuels are combusted in diesel engines. This study fully evaluates the potential impacts of ferrocene-doped ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuels on physical, chemical and toxicological characteristics of the particulates emitted by a single cylinder, direct-injection diesel engine working at a constant speed and at three engine loads. The results indicated that ferrocene-doped fuels could effectively reduce the particulate mass and elemental carbon (EC) emissions, while increasing the proportion of both organic carbon (OC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in particles. Particle-phase PAHs and n-alkanes emissions increased with an increase of Fe in the fuels. Ferrocene addition also led to lower soot ignition temperature and activation energy. However, the total number emissions of particles from ferrocene-doped fuels dramatically increased due to the formation of Fe-rich nuclei mode particles. Compared to pure ULSD, the particles emitted from ferrocene-doped fuels showed a slight decline in cell viability. The Fe in the particles and the changes in chemical composition of particulates are thought to be responsible for the variation of cell viability.