Engine Working Conditions Research Articles

Model based design of a turbo-compound bottomed to internal combustion engine exhaust gas

Abstract The transportation sector is living a new era, where the conventional powertrains based on thermal engines are flanked by innovative ones, based on electric and hybrid systems. This revolutionizes the behaviour and the driving habits, as well as the figure of the whole propulsive system, which should integrate different energy sources on board and the energy demand for propulsion, auxiliaries, ancillary components, vehicle needs, etc. But, for heavy-duty vehicles, it is very difficult to abandon in the short and mean term the reciprocating combustion engine technology. Also, for passenger cars and light duty vehicles, the pure electric propulsion seems to put in more evidence limits not only technological. In this panorama, the development of very high efficiency engines is mandatory to fit the emissions targets, both referred to pollutant emission and CO2. In this regard, waste heat recovery into mechanical or electrical energy is one of the most promising options to reduce fuel consumption. It is of particular interest for heavy duty engines, where the operation does not suffer so much the transient phases, and hybrid powertrains, where the energy recovered can be stored in electrical form and used for all the necessities of the vehicles. In this paper, a waste heat recovery system based on an additional turbine placed in the exhaust line of a turbocharged internal combustion engine has been studied. The auxiliary turbine is designed thanks to a model-based approach. The performance map of the turbine has been calculated referring to the thermodynamic conditions of the engine exhaust gases as input parameters. The so-designed component is then integrated with an engine model, and the benefits of a turbo-compound technology bottomed to the engine were assessed. In this way, the potential power recoverable from the turbine is evaluated under design and off-design conditions. The integration with engine model allowed to estimate the side effects related to backpressure increase on the engine exhaust manifold (which leads to an overconsumption or an underrating of the engine torque), as well as the equilibrium change on the turbocharger shaft. Definitively, the final overall engine performances are assessed including the need for a bypass which, in certain engine working conditions, must exclude the recovery.

Experimental study on the comparative performance of R1233zd(E) and R123 for organic rankine cycle for engine waste heat recovery

ABSTRACT The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is an effective way for engine waste heat recover (WHR). The selection of the working fluid is crucial. In recent years, low GWP and ODP working fluid have been invented. For R123, which is commonly used in engine ORC-WHR system, the alternative working fluid is R1233zd(E). In order to explore the performance of R123 and R1233zd(E) when applied to ORC-WHR system, this study conducted experimental studies of R123 and R1233zd(E) under a wide range of engine working conditions. The experiments were carried out under seven sets of engine working conditions with gradually increasing loads. Variable operating parameter experiments were carried out for R123 and R1233zd(E) at each engine load. The selected operating parameters include expander speed and superheat degree. The experimental results show that R123 has higher output power and thermal efficiency compared to R1233zd(E) at all engine conditions.The maximum output power and thermal efficiency of R123 are 1.55 kw and 5.81% respectively.The maximum output power and thermal efficiency of R1233zd(E) are 1.43 kw and 5.29% respectively. Taking the net output power as the evaluation index, the optimal expander speed of R123 is higher than that of R1233zd(E) under the same engine working condition, and the superheat degree has little effect on the net output power.

An Adaptive Estimation Approach for Integrating Real-World Operation Dynamics in Engine-Out NOx Emission Modeling of a Wheel Loader

Accurately predicting engine-out nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions on-board is crucial for effective emission control in heavy-duty engines. Real-world engine operating conditions, especially in non-road applications with frequent dynamic changes, can significantly affect NOx emission characteristics. However, these engine emission characteristics are conventionally measured on steady-state or regulated driving cycles, which may not fully reflect the emission levels under real-world operational dynamics. This highlights the necessity of integrating engine performance during transient operation into the NOx prediction model to enhance the accuracy of on-board predictions. This paper introduces a novel data-driven model to predict engine-out NOx emissions during the construction activities of a wheel loader. This paper begins by addressing discrepancies between steady-state map predictions and on-board NOx measurements. To bridge these gaps, the model identifies engine transient operating conditions by analyzing the time derivatives of engine speed and torque. The model structure integrates steady-state and transient emission maps, with the transient map being iteratively refined using the Kalman filter principle, thereby improving its accuracy and robustness in response to engine dynamics. The proposed method maintains a model structure that is easily implemented and similar to conventional steady-state emission maps, while also enabling online self-learning for model parameter updates. Model validation shows that the model has high prediction accuracy and the ability to differentiate between steady-state and transient engine working conditions during construction activities.

Effect of nano-graphene lubricating oil on particulate matter of a diesel engine

Nano-graphene lubricating oil with appropriate concentration shows excellent performance in reducing friction and wear under different working conditions of diesel engines, and has been widely concerned. Lubricating oil has a significant impact on particulate matter (PM) emissions. At present, there are few studies on the impact of nano-graphene lubricating oil on the physicochemical properties of PM. In order to comprehensively evaluate the impact of nano-graphene lubricating oil on diesel engines, this paper mainly focused on the effects of lubricating oil nano-graphene additives on the particle size distribution and physicochemical properties of PM. The results show that, compared with pure lubricating oil, the total number of nuclear PM and accumulated PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil is significantly increased. The fractal dimension of PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil increases and its structure becomes more compact. The average fringe separation distance of basic carbon particles decreases, the average fringe length increases. The degree of ordering and graphitization of basic carbon particles are higher. The fringe tortuosity of basic carbon particles decreases, and the fluctuation of carbon layer structure of basic carbon particles decreases. Aliphatic substances in PM are basically unchanged, aromatic components and oxygen functional groups increase. The initial PM oxidation temperature and burnout temperature increase, the maximum oxidation rate temperature and combustion characteristic index decrease, and the activation energy increases, making it more difficult to oxidize. This was mainly caused by the higher graphitization degree of PM of nano-graphene lubricating oil and the increased content of aromatic substances.

Role of Vanadium in Thermal and Hydrothermal Aging of a Commercial V2O5-WO3/TiO2 Monolith for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx: A Case Study

In recent years, increased attention to air pollutants such as NOx has led the scientific community to focus meaningfully on developing strategies for NOx reduction. Selective catalytic reduction of NOx by ammonia (NO SCR by NH3) is currently the main method to remove NOx from diesel engine exhaust emissions. The catalysts with typical V2O5-WO3/TiO2 (VWTi) composition are widely used in NH3-SCR for their high NOx conversion activity, low cost, and robustness, especially concerning sulfur poisoning. However, in real diesel engine working conditions, the thermal and hydrothermal aging of catalysts can occur after several hours of operation at high temperature, affecting the catalytic performance. In this study, the stability of a commercial VWTi monolith, self-supported and containing glass fibers and bentonite in its matrix, was investigated as a case study. In laboratory conditions, NO SCR tests were performed for 50 h in the range of 150 to 350 °C. Subsequently, the VWTi monolith was thermally and hydrothermally aged at 600 °C for 6 h. The thermal aging increased the NOx conversion, especially at low temperature (<250 °C), while the hydrothermal aging did not affect the SCR. The differences in NOx conversion before and after aging were associated with the change in vanadium and tungsten oxide surface coverage and with the reduction in the surface area of catalysts. In order to correlate the change in SCR activity with the modifications occurring after aging processes, the monolithic samples were characterized by several techniques, namely XRD, SSA and pore analysis, TPR, XPS, Raman, TGA and SEM/EDX.

ПАРАМЕТРИЗАЦИЯ ТРУДОВЫХ ФАКТОРОВ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОЙ БЕЗОПАСНОСТИ ПРОИЗВОДСТВЕННЫХ СИСТЕМ

The article shows that an important parameter of economic security, which de-termines the need to change the quantitative composition of personnel, their competencies and skills, is the ratio of the production program and product portfolio with it, as well as the intro-duction of new production technologies. To plan and predict the required quantity and quality of labor resources, it is necessary to accurately determine the time periods in which technological changes in production will occur, as well as significant changes in the product portfolio. However, there is a difficulty in this issue, because constantly changing requirements for products and ways to bring them to consumers force enterprises to adapt personnel to new working conditions of jet engines. This means that existing skill deficiencies are a trigger for development measures. And the insufficient involvement of personnel in the process of training and improving the level of competence should be considered as the main reason hindering the sustainable development of an industrial enterprise. The approach presented in this article provides support for personnel development planning in order to eliminate the mentioned disadvantages of reactive personnel structure formation.

Ready-to-use graphene-related material-added multi-grade oils: characterization and performance in car engine working conditions.

The need for energy efficiency is leading to the growing use of additives to enhance the performance of oil in automotive engines. Great interest is focused on nano-additives even if to date there is still no practical use in commercial liquid lubricants. Herein, the potential of industrially scalable and low-cost graphene-related materials (GRMs) as additives to enhance the performance of oil in automotive engines is explored. The use of polyalkylmethacrylate dispersants, the most common key additives to formulate "green technology" lubricant oils liquid-processed GRM, is explored, investigating the role of the lateral size and the chemical analysis in the stability of the lubricant GRM dispersions. Showing the maximum duration of stability and a production method that avoids the use of strong oxidants, rheological tests were then focused on multilayered graphene flakes with sub-micrometre lateral size mixed in two commercial oil grades (5W-30 and 5W-40) under conditions similar to those of engine operation. The addition of such a filler increases the viscosity without affecting the Newtonian fluid behavior, while four-ball tests show a reduction in wear, indicating improved lubrication performance. Finally, preliminary bench-test on a commercial car engine showed increased power output corresponding to enhanced engine efficiency. The results clearly indicate the effective improvement in lubricating commercial oils due to GRM additives.

In-cylinder air mass flow estimation of gasoline engines based on map self-learning

Accurate in-cylinder air mass flow estimation is important for reducing emissions and improving the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines. Especially, the air-fuel ratio (AFR) control for gasoline engines is directly affected by the air mass flow estimation, which is used in feedforward control. At present, the transient air intake estimation for an engine is much more complex than the steady-state case. In practice, the working conditions of gasoline engines are always changeable to adapt to different traffic conditions, so it is important to improve the air intake estimation under the transient conditions. In order to improve the accuracy of intake air estimation, an appropriate filtering method is designed to eliminate the periodic fluctuations of the signals. And an estimation method based on the map self-learning algorithm is proposed, which considers the full working state of the engine, especially the transient conditions. The convergence of the proposed algorithm is guaranteed theoretically, and the method is designed to realize real-time identification and recursively correct of the volumetric efficiency value. The parameters of the observer are designed and adjusted through experiments to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm. With the continuous recursion of the algorithm, the accuracy of the air intake estimation will be improved and the error will be reduced. At last, the proposed strategy is analyzed and verified by a large number of experiments on the engine test bench to show its promising potentials.

Achieving reasonable waste heat utilization in all truck operating conditions via a dual-pressure organic rankine cycle and its operating strategy

The engine of truck contains multiple waste heat sources. Waste heat recovery (WHR) in truck is a necessary approach to achieve energy saving and cleaner production. These heat sources vary transiently and have thermal management requirements. Therefore, effective waste heat utilization should fulfill both waste heat recovery and thermal management requirements. The dual-pressure organic Rankine cycle (DPORC) is suitable for complex and fluctuating heat sources. Furthermore, a suitable operation strategy is essential for the reasonable waste heat utilization under all engine working conditions and complex road conditions. Therefore, this study designs a DPORC-WHR system and its operation strategy. The essence of this operating strategy is that the evaporation pressure of system can be regulated at different engine loads, thus regulating the heat exchange of each waste heat source. The goal of this operating strategy is to control the waste heat utilization of exhaust gas, coolant and charge air to near 100% at all operating conditions. The dynamic model is established to validate the effectiveness of the proposed DPORC-WHR system and its operation strategy. The results show that the utilization rate of coolant, charge air and exhaust gas is greater than 87.47%, 88.34% and 95.45% respectively for all engine operating conditions. Under the road conditions tested, the DPORC-WHR system can improve engine BTE by 5.98%. The temperature of the coolant and charge air after heat exchange, superheat degree and pressure can be maintained within the target range. This study provides a basis for the operation and control of ORC-WHR system after coupling with the vehicle in the future.

Evaluation and Simulation Analysis of Mixing Performance for Gas Fuel Direct Injection Engine under Multiple Working Conditions

Gas fuel direct injection (DI) technology can improve the control precision of the in-cylinder mixing and combustion process and effectively avoid volumetric efficiency reduction in a compressed natural gas (CNG) engine, which has been a tendency. However, compared with the port fuel injection (PFI) method, the former’s mixing path and duration are shortened greatly, which often leads to poor mixing uniformity. What is worse, the in-cylinder mixing performance would be seriously affected by engine working conditions, such as engine speed and load. Based on this situation, the fluid mechanics software FLUENT is used in this article, and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the injection and mixing process in a gas-fueled direct injection engine is established. A quantitative evaluation mechanism of the in-cylinder mixing performance of the CNG engine is proposed to explore the influencing rule of different engine speeds and loads on the mixing process and performance. The results indicate that phase space analysis can accurately reflect the characteristics of the mixture mixing process. The gas fuel mixture rapidly occupies the cylinder volume in the injection stage. During the transition stage, the gas fuel mixture is in a highly transient state. The diffusion stage is characterized by the continuous homogenization of the mixture. The in-cylinder mixing performance is linearly dependent on the engine’s working condition in the phase space.

In-Cylinder Pressure Estimation from Rotational Speed Measurements via Extended Kalman Filter.

Real-time estimation of the in-cylinder pressure of combustion engines is crucial to detect failures and improve the performance of the engine control system. A new estimation scheme is proposed based on the Extended Kalman Filter, which exploits measurements of the engine rotational speed provided by a standard phonic wheel sensor. The main novelty lies in a parameterization of the combustion pressure, which is generated by averaging experimental data collected in different operating points. The proposed approach is validated on real data from a turbocharged compression ignition engine, including both nominal and off-nominal working conditions. The experimental results show that the proposed technique accurately reconstructs the pressure profile, featuring a fit performance index exceeding 90% most of the time. Moreover, it can track changes in the engine operating conditions as well as detect the presence of cylinder-to-cylinder variations.

Study on the corrosion and wear behaviors of cylinder liner in marine diesel engine burning low sulfur fuel oil

The use of low sulfur fuel oil causes the abnormal corrosion and wear of cylinder liner in marine diesel engine. Marine diesel engine cylinder liner material and marine diesel engine cylinder oil were taken as test material and test oil, respectively. Static immersion test, electrochemical test and corrosion wear tests were carried out by simulating the different working conditions of marine diesel engine. To analyze the corrosion behaviors of cylinder liner in marine diesel engine, its corrosion mass loss, polarization curve, electrochemical impedance plots, surface morphology and composition distribution were examined. Also, the electrochemical corrosion volume loss and friction volume loss were analyzed quantitatively to reveal the mechanism of interaction between corrosion and friction. The results showed that the severity of corrosion caused to cylinder liner varied under different working conditions of marine diesel engine, with the water, oxygen and acid in cylinder oil as the main causes for the corrosion of cylinder liner. There was an interaction occurring between the corrosion and wear of cylinder liner in marine diesel engine, and the interaction volume loss ΔV between the corrosion and wear to the total wear volume loss VT (ΔV/VT) was 13.9%. The promotion volume loss rate of wear on corrosion Vmc was about 3.86% of the total volume loss VT (Vmc/VT). The promotion volume loss rate of corrosion on wear Vcm was about 10.02% of the total volume loss VT (Vcm/VT). The interaction between the corrosion and wear was an important factor affecting the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of marine diesel engine cylinder liner. This study provides theoretical reference for suppressing the corrosion and wear behaviors of cylinder liner in the marine diesel engine burning low sulfur fuel oil.

Simultaneous Measurement of Multiparameter of Diesel Engine Exhaust Based on Mid-Infrared Laser Absorption Spectroscopy

Exhaust parameters of an engine carry vital information that can help to understand its transient duty cycles. We developed a mid-infrared wavelength modulation spectroscopic sensor for simultaneous measurement of exhaust temperature, pressure, and NO and NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> concentrations by using two quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) for the first time. The dual-channel signals were demodulated and normalized respectively with a specially designed digital lock-in amplifier, achieving calibration-free measurements to adapt to the harsh and variable working conditions of diesel engines. Two-line thermometry was performed using a newly selected spectral line pair of NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> (1629.85 and 1630.33 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-1</sup> ). Simultaneous measurement of the quadruple parameter of diesel exhaust, i.e. temperature, pressure, and NO and NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> concentrations, was first achieved using only three spectral lines and a developed multi-parameter inversion algorithm. The feasibility of the sensor was demonstrated in field tests in an in-service vehicle. Exhaust temperature, pressure, and NO and NO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> concentrations were obtained continuously with 0.1 s time intervals, which clearly show these parameters in the transition and steady stages of the engine, respectively. The method and results can be used to evaluate the engine operation performance and combustion diagnostics.

An ANN-PSO-Based Method for Optimizing Agricultural Tractors in Field Operation for Emission Reduction

Aiming at the serious problem of agricultural tractor emission pollution, especially the limitation of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) and soot emissions, we took an agricultural diesel engine as the research object, and a diesel engine combustion chamber model was established for both simulated calculations and experimental verification analysis. The in-cylinder pressure and heat release obtained from the combustion chamber model simulation calculations were within 6% error of the experimental data. The overall trend of change was basically consistent. The established model can simulate the working conditions of the experimental engine relatively well. An artificial neural network (ANN) was also established as an agent model based on the indentation rate, tab depth, and combustion chamber depth as the input, and NOx and soot as the output. The decision coefficients of the ANN model were R2 = 0.95 and 0.93, with corresponding Mean Relative Error (MRE) values of 10.13 and 8.18%, respectively, which are within the generally required interval, indicating that the obtained ANN model has good adaptability and accuracy. On the basis of the general particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, an improved PSO algorithm was proposed, in which the inertia factor is continuously adjusted with the help of the skip line function in the optimization process so that the inertia factor adapts to different rates and adjusts the magnitude of the corresponding values in different periods. The improved PSO algorithm was used to optimize the optimal input parameter matching of the agent model to form a new combustion chamber structure, which was imported into CONVERGE CFD software for emission simulation and comparison with the emissions of the original combustion chamber. It was found that the NOx reduction was about 1.21 g·(kW·h)−1, and the soot reduction was about 0.06 g·(kW·h)−1 with the new combustion chamber structure. The ANN + PSO optimization method proved to be effective in reducing the NOx and soot emissions of diesel engine pollutants, and it may also provide a reference and ideas for the design and development of relevant agricultural engine combustion chamber systems.

Fast average prediction method based on the upper -lower limit theory for ship’s mechanical noise

The equipment loads include acoustic excitation and mechanical excitation which is characterized by acceleration, and a reliable prediction method of mechanical noise is important to control the hull vibration noise and improve the accuracy of hydroacoustic detection. To address the issue, an accurately and efficiently predicting method is proposed and verified by the hydroacoustic experiments which included the three different diesel engine working conditions. In the method, for the acceleration loads with complete information, an equivalent load model and a gradient meshing model are used to identify the generalized forces, and the mechanical noise is predicted by the identified load and acoustic BEM. For the acceleration loads with missing partly information, the interval theory and the energy superposition method are introduced to calculate the mechanical noise, and the upper-lower limit theory and the average method are proposed to determine the range of mechanical noise and average value. The effect of acoustic excitation generated by diesel engines on mechanical noise is also discussed in detail. The results of hydroacoustic experiments show that the identified forces and mechanical noise can be obtained by the present method, with an error nearby 1 dB, under the accelerations with complete information. For the average acceleration, the range of mechanical noise is obtained and the average sound power is used to represent the ship's mechanical noise, with an error of less than 3 dB. The experimental results also reveal that the effect of acoustic cavity resonance should be included in low frequencies.

Dispersion stability and wear properties of nano-CeO2 as lubricating oil additives for engines

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the dispersion stability and the wear properties of lubricating oil blends added with modified nanometer cerium oxide (CeO2) at high temperature.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, CeO2 was self-made and it was chemically modified. The dispersion stability of CeO2 in lubricating oil was studied. And the wear test of lubricating oil blends added with modified CeO2 was carried out at high temperature.FindingsThe results showed that CeO2 was successfully modified by oleic acid and stearic acid. The dispersion stability of modified CeO2 in lubricating oil was improved. Adding modified nano-CeO2 with the concentration less than 50 ppm into the lubricating oil can improve the wear properties of friction pairs in different extent. With the increase of the amount of CeO2, the wear properties increased first and then decreased. The lubricating oil blend added with 25 ppm CeO2 has the best wear properties.Originality/valueThe raw material CeO2 in this paper is self-made and its shape and size are well controlled. Research on the addition of nano-CeO2 to the engine low viscosity finished lubricants is lacking. It is of great significance to study the dispersion stability and tribological properties of nano-lubricants under the new background of low viscosity of lubricating oil and close to the real engine working conditions. It has certain significance to promote the development of nano-lubricants for engines.

The Effect of Thermal Barrier Coatings on Diesel Engine Performance

The performance of internal combustion engines should be improved depending on some technological requirements and rapid increase in the fuel expenses. On the other hand, the improvements in engine materials are forced by using alternative fuels and environmental requirements. Therefore, the performances of engine materials become increasingly important. For improving the performance of engine, thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are a promising step forward. In this experimental study, alumina – (40 %) titania and nickel - chromium are used as the thermal barrier materials. The purpose of using these materials is to reduce the heat loss from engine. TBCs are done by atmospheric plasma spraying technique. Engine working conditions are maintained constant before and after coating. The results showed a reduction in specific fuel consumption. CO and HC emissions are slightly more than the conventional coated diesel engine at low and medium loads but lesser at higher loads whereas NOx is reduced. Keywords: YSZ; TBC; LHR engines; Diesel engine

Starting Control of Free Piston Stirling Linear Generator System Based on FOC

Aiming at the problem of poor system dynamic performance caused by low parameter matching in the coordinated control of Stirling engine and linear generator in the starting stage control of free piston Stirling linear generator system, a joint control method of free piston Stirling permanent magnet synchronous linear generator system based on field orientation control is proposed, based on the theoretical derivation of the mathematical model of the system and the principle of controller parameters setting, the simulation experiments of the system starting stage under several Stirling engine working conditions are carried out under simulation. The experimental results show that the stability and rapidity of the system are improved, and the dynamic response speed of generator parameters under different working conditions is accelerated, what fully verifies the correctness and effectiveness of the method. It provides an effective way to improve the control performance of the system and stabilize the power generation operation.

Study on the lubrication of piston skirt-cylinder liner under the engine working conditions of different speeds and loads

The working condition (speed and load) of internal combustion engine is one of important factors affecting the lubrication performance of piston skirt-cylinder liner. In actual normal use, the working condition of internal combustion engine is constantly changed under different speeds and loads. However, the current lubrication performance of piston skirt-cylinder liner is analyzed generally under only one or several working conditions of internal combustion engine, in which the working conditions does not cover full range of different engine speeds and loads. In addition, it is generally assumed in current studies that the piston skirt is fully lubricated in all strokes of an engine working cycle. In this paper, a four-stroke internal combustion engine is taken as the research object, the lubrication performance of piston skirt-cylinder liner under full working condition range of internal combustion engine with different engine speeds and loads are analyzed, in which the lubrication status of piston skirt is determined by considering the actual lubricating oil transport. The results show that there are differences in the lubrication performance of piston skirt-cylinder liner under different working conditions of internal combustion engine. The rated working condition of internal combustion engine may not be the most unfavorable working condition to the lubrication performance of piston skirt. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the lubrication performance of piston skirt under full working condition range of internal combustion engine with different speeds and loads when the piston assembly is designed.

Multi‐fuel performance and emission characteristics of an optimized thermal barrier coated diesel engine

AbstractOwing to the depletion of world oil reserves and increased environmental issues, engine modifications amid alternative fuels to improve performance are alluring a lot of attention nowadays. More than half of the total energy generated in the internal combustion engines are dissipated from the system through frictional losses, engine part cooling, exhaust, etc. The minimisation of these energy losses through heat transfer can improve the engine performance to an extent. The finest alternative for minimizing the energy losses through heat dissipations from the engine is with the use of thermal barrier coated (TBC) combustion chambers. In this paper optimum working condition of a single cylinder Kirloskar diesel engine with a ceramic thermal barrier coating (Yttria‐stabilized zirconia) on the piston was determined using Design of Experiments (DOE) software and predictions were validated experimentally. Further the multi‐fuel performance of a diesel engine with ceramic coated piston was also analyzed. The fuels used were diesel, pure biodiesel and optimized biodiesel blend B20. The optimum working condition was determined by using central composite design method in Design Expert‐7 software. The B20 fuel with TBC engine resulted to the maximum efficiency. Further it was validated experimentally by performing experiment at rated revolutions per minute (RPM) in a Kirloskar made single cylinder direct injection computerized diesel engine. Eventually a mathematical equation for the relationship between brake power, brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency was derived using DOE software.