Biodiesel in Fuel

The share of hybrid vehicles is steadily increasing. The project focuses on Plug-in-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which have an internal combustion engine and an electric motor with external charging option. Due to the increased electrical operation, the fuel remains in the tank for a longer time than usual. The behavior of the long-term stored fuels cannot be predicted so far.

The preceding project “Fuel Modifications II” focused on the determination of essential influencing factors and mechanisms causing deposits in injectors. Based on those results remedial suggestions were made for the fields of fuel composition and fuel additivation; fuel logistics; fuel systems of engines; technical properties of the injectors and engine operation. Subject of this project is the ranking of the aforementioned measures regarding their efficiency and the determination of optimum combinations of measures.

The use of Biodiesel (B100) is of particularly high ecological and economical interest when agricultural machinery is operated. An obstacle is the lacking approval of manufacturers of engines of emission standard EU TIER IV. Therefore, the University of Rostock – supported by industrial and agricultural engine manufacturer DEUTZ AG, Cologne – investigates the performance of Biodiesel in modern engine systems. The main objective of the project is the investigation of the effects of B100 to the exhaust gas aftertreatment systems. In this context it is an important aspect if and to which extent such systems are deactivated by trace elements such as P, K, Na and Ca which are contained in the fuels.