Search Results (38)

Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) is one of the solutions for replacing fossil diesel with a clean and renewable fuel in compression ignition (CI) engines. This study focuses on the benefits of using HVO-fueled engines in Brazil concerning CO₂ emissions, compared with other alternatives in the Brazilian energy matrix. The analysis includes CO₂ emissions from the Brazilian diesel fleet over the last 10 years considering conventional diesel fuel, traditional biofuels, and the anticipated introduction of HVO into the Brazilian market. The proposal involves neat HVO as well as blends of fossil diesel, biodiesel, and HVO (up to 50% by vol.), these blends being more realistic for their practical deployment. Considering the Brazilian diesel fleet over the past 10 years (2015–2025), net CO₂ emissions would have been reduced by 77.4% if 100% HVO had been used, while a reduction of 54.4% would have occurred with the blend containing 50% of HVO. Moreover, the use of 100% HVO for this fleet from 2015 would lead to 366.5 and 652.4 Mton of CO₂ in 2030 and 2035, respectively, compared with 1621.5 and 2885.9 Mton if 100% fossil diesel is used. The economic analysis suggests that fuel cost savings of approximately 12 USD billion could be reached in 2035 under favorable HVO production scenarios. This is a favorable projection, with positive values for all blends and pure HVO, indicating economic feasibility. Full article

In the era of depletion of fossil fuels, there is an intensive search for renewable fuels for the internal combustion engine, which is the most efficient thermal machine in the power range of several kW to several MW. Hence, this article discusses the results of research on the combustion of renewable fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and the rapeseed methyl ester (RME) with the addition of hydrogen, injected in its gaseous form into the intake manifold. The thermodynamic analysis presented in the article discusses progress in the combustion process of these fuels depending on the hydrogen content. The parameters for diesel fuel combustion are given as a reference point. Based on the obtained results, one can conclude that adding hydrogen increases the maximum combustion pressure in the cylinder and significantly accelerates the combustion process in the premixed combustion phase, thus reducing the share of the diffusion combustion phase. This significantly affects exhaust toxic emissions. In connection with this, a shortening of the flame kernels development phase was observed, calculated as the time expressed by the crank angle, to release heat of 10%, and a slight extension of the main combustion phase, managed as the period of the heat released from 10 to 90% was observed as well. Full article

The search for low-emission fuels has increased interest in hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a renewable diesel substitute. This study examines the lubricity of HVO, diesel, and their blends using a four-ball tester, with scuffing load as the main evaluation criterion. Five fuel samples were tested: diesel, neat HVO, and blends containing 25%, 50%, and 75% HVO by volume. The results show that blending HVO with diesel improves lubricity at moderate concentrations, with the 25% HVO blend exhibiting the highest scuffing load. In contrast, neat HVO demonstrated significantly reduced lubricity—its scuffing load was 24% lower than diesel’s—confirming the negative impact of the absence of polar and aromatic compounds. The scuffing load did not decrease linearly with increasing HVO content, suggesting synergistic effects in certain blends. Viscosity increased with HVO content, but it did not directly correlate with improved lubricity. These findings indicate that chemical composition plays a dominant role over viscosity in determining lubricating performance. The study provides new insights into the tribological behavior of HVO–diesel blends and demonstrates that scuffing load testing offers a practical method for preliminary lubricity assessment of renewable fuels. Full article

The FuelEU Maritime Regulation, part of the European Union’s (EU’s) Fit for 55 initiative, aims to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the maritime sector. This study assesses the feasibility of alternative fuels for the Estonian pilot fleet using a Well-to-Wake (WtW) life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Operational data from 18 vessels, sourced from the Estonian State Fleet’s records, were analyzed, including technical specifications, fuel consumption patterns, and operational scenarios. The study focused on marine diesel oil (MDO), biomethane, hydrogen, biodiesel, ammonia, and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), each presenting distinct trade-offs. Biomethane achieved a 59% GHG emissions reduction but required a volumetric storage capacity up to 353% higher compared to MDO. Biodiesel reduced GHG emissions by 41.2%, offering moderate compatibility with existing systems while requiring up to 23% larger storage volumes. HVO demonstrated a 43.6% emissions reduction with seamless integration into existing marine engines. Ammonia showed strong potential for long-term decarbonization, but its adoption is hindered by low energy density and complex storage requirements. This research underscores the importance of a holistic evaluation of alternative fuels, taking into account technical, economic, and environmental factors specific to regional and operational contexts. The findings offer a quantitative basis for policymakers and maritime stakeholders to develop effective decarbonization strategies for the Baltic Sea region. Full article

Nowadays, emissions from internal combustion engines are a relevant topic of investigation, taking into account the continuous reduction of emission limits imposed by environmental regulatory agencies around the world, obviously as the result of earnest studies that have pointed out the impact on the human health of high levels of contaminants released into the environment. Over recent years, the use of biofuels has contributed to attenuating this environmental issue; however, new problems have been raised, such as NOx emissions tend to increase as the biofuel percentage in the fuel used in engines increases. In this research, the emissions of a compression ignition internal combustion engine modeled as a variable volume reactor with homogeneous combustion were numerically investigated. To analyze the combustion process, a detailed kinetics model tailored specifically for this purpose was used. The kinetics model comprised 30,975 chemical reactions involving 691 chemical species. Mixtures of fuel surrogates were then created to represent the fuel used in the Brazilian fuel marketplace, involving (i) fossil diesel—“diesel A”, (ii) soybean diesel—“biodiesel”, and (iii) hydrotreated vegetable oil— “HVO”. Surrogate species were then selected for each of the aforementioned fuels, and blends of those surrogates were then proposed as mixture M1 (diesel A:biodiesel:HVO—90:10:0), mixture M2 (diesel A:biodiesel:HVO—85:15:0), and mixture M3 (diesel A:biodiesel:HVO—80:15:5). The species allowed in the kinetics model included all the fuel surrogates used in this research as well as the target emission species of this study: total hydrocarbons, non-methane hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, soot, and soot precursors. When compared to experimental trends of emissions available in the literature, it was observed that, for all the proposed fuel surrogates blends, the numerical approach performed in this research was able to capture qualitative trends for engine power and the target emissions in the whole ranges of engine speeds and engine loads, despite the CO and NOx emissions at specific engine speeds and loads. Full article

This investigation employed the diffused back-illumination (DBI) technique to analyze the spray characteristics of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel at three injection pressures and compared them with conventional diesel fuel. The results showed that as the injection pressure increased, the peak injection rates of both the HVO and diesel increased. At injection pressures above 120 MPa, the injection rates of both fuels were nearly identical, though differences were observed at lower pressures. Increasing the injection pressure reduced the injection delay. The HVO fuel exhibited a shorter spray tip penetration, lower equivalence ratio, larger spray angle, and spray volume, but its spray angle stability was lower than that of diesel. The ambient gas entrainment rate primarily occurred in two stages, significantly influenced by the spray breakup development stage. For diesel sprays, the injection pressure mainly affected the equivalence ratio near the nozzle with minimal downstream impact. Dent’s model provided better predictions of the penetration distance for diesel, while Hiroyasu’s model was more accurate in predicting the penetration distance of the HVO at 120 MPa and 180 MPa. Inagaki’s model performed better in predicting the spray angle for diesel, whereas Hiroyasu’s model was more accurate for the HVO spray angle predictions. Through this research, a better understanding of the spray characteristics of green fuels will be achieved, providing a reference for the design and optimization of new generation engines. Full article

Approximately 25% of global carbon emissions come from food production. Renewable fuels are crucial for curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from vehicles, non-road machines, and agricultural machinery. Tractors, key to modern farming, are central to these efforts. As agriculture strives for sustainability, alternative fuels like methanol and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) are arousing interest because they are renewable and offer potential for blending for use in diesel engines. Methanol and HVO have limited solubility in direct mixing, so the addition of a co-solvent is essential. This study addresses the research gap regarding the properties of HVO and methanol blends with co-solvents. It investigated the impact of three co-solvents, 1-dodecanol, 1-octanol, and methyl butyrate, on the miscibility of HVO and methanol. The experimental measurements cross-varied the co-solvent type with different blending ratios (MeOH5 and MeOH10). Investigated parameters include fuel density, kinematic viscosity, distillation properties, and surface tension. The co-solvents enabled the formation of a singular, clear, and homogeneous phase in methanol-HVO blends. The co-solvent 1-dodecanol demonstrated the highest solubilizing capacity for MeOH5 and MeOH10 blends, followed by 1-octanol. Adding co-solvents led to increased fuel density, decreased kinematic viscosity, and small changes in surface tension. These findings contribute to the optimization of methanol–HVO fuel blends for efficient and environmentally friendly use in vehicles, non-road machinery, and agricultural machinery. Full article

The significance and challenges of hydrotreatment processes for vegetable oils have recently become apparent, encompassing various reactions like decarbonylation, decarboxylation, and hydrogenation. Heterogeneous noble or transition metal catalysts play a crucial role in these reactions, offering high selectivity in removing oxygen and yielding desired hydrocarbons. Notably, both sulphided and non-sulphided catalysts exhibit effectiveness, with the latter gaining attention due to health and toxicity concerns associated with sulphiding agents. Nickel-based catalysts, such as NiP and NiC, demonstrate specific properties and tendencies in deoxygenation reactions, while palladium supported on activated carbon catalysts shows superior activity in hydrodeoxygenation. Comparisons between the performances of different catalysts in various hydrotreatment processes underscore the need for tailored approaches. Transition metal phosphides (TMP) emerge as promising catalysts due to their cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness. Ultimately, there is an ongoing pursuit of efficient catalysts and the importance of further advancements in catalysis for the future of vegetable oil hydrotreatment. Full article

Methanol and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) are complementary in the context of achieving ultra-low emission levels via low temperature combustion. HVO is a high-quality fuel fully compatible with compression ignition engines. Standalone methanol combustion is relatively straight-forward according to the Otto principle, with a spark ignited or in conventional dual-fuel (“liquid spark”) engines. These two fuels have by far the largest reactivity span amongst commercially available alternatives, allowing to secure controllable partially premixed compression ignition with methanol–HVO emulsification. This study investigates the corrosion of aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, and a special alloy of MoC210M/25CrMo4+SH, exposed to different combinations of HVO, HVO without additives (HVOr), methanol, and emulsion stabilizing additives (1-octanol or 1-dodecanol). General corrosive properties are well determined for all these surrogates individually, but their mutual interactions have not been researched in the context of relevant engine components. The experimental research involved immersion of metal samples into the fuels at room temperature for a duration of 60 days. The surfaces of the metals were inspected visually and the dissolution of the metals into fuels was evaluated by analyzing the fuels’ trace metal concentrations before and after the immersion test. Furthermore, this study compared the alterations in the chemical and physical properties of the fuels, such as density, kinematic viscosity, and distillation properties, due to possible corrosion products. Based on these results, methanol as 100% fuel or as blending component slightly increases the corrosion risk. Methanol had slight dissolving effect on aluminum (dissolving Al) and carbon steel (dissolving Zn). HVO, HVOr, and methanol–HVOr–co-solvents were compatible with the metals. No fuels induced visible corrosion on the metals’ surfaces. If corrosion products were formed in the fuel samples, they did not affect fuel parameters. Full article

The aim of the research was to determine the potential of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in reducing nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions from the Perkins 854E-E34TA compression ignition engine. The concentrations of these toxic exhaust gas components were measured using the following analyzers: AVL CEB II (for NOx concentration measurement) and Horiba Mexa 1230 PM (for PM measurement). The measurements were carried out in the ESC test on a compression ignition engine with direct fuel injection and a turbocharger. The engine had a common rail fuel supply system and met the Stage IIIB/Tier 4 exhaust emission standard. Two fuels were used in the tests: diesel fuel (DF) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). As part of the experiment, the basic indicators of engine operation were also determined (torque, effective power, and fuel consumption) and selected parameters of the combustion process, such as the instantaneous pressure of the working medium in the combustion chamber, maximum pressures and temperatures in the combustion chamber, and the heat release rate (HRR), were calculated. The tests were carried out in accordance with the ESC test because the authors wanted to determine how the new generation HVO fuel, powering a modern combustion engine with a common rail fuel system, would perform in a stationary emission test. Based on the obtained research results, the authors concluded that HVO fuel can replace diesel fuel in diesel engines even without major modifications or changes in engine settings. Full article

In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to compare the environmental performances of a conventional bulk carrier (baseline vessel) and a wind-energy-optimised bulk carrier equipped with modern on-board technologies working in synergy (future vessel). Fossil fuels was used for the baseline vessels, whereas the future vessel used liquefied biogas (LBG) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as marine fuels. The entire life cycle phases of the vessels, namely, construction, operation, maintenance, and end-of-life, were included. The results showed that the future vessel could reduce 31.23% energy consumption, compared to the baseline model. Furthermore, the significant reduction in CO₂ (48.6%), NO_X (88.6%), SO_X (100.0%), and black carbon (94.0%) in the tank-to-wake phase was achieved owing to energy-saving technologies working in synergy and alternative fuels. This study emphasizes the vital role of energy efficiency, technologies, and alternative fuels to achieve the zero-emission ambition of the maritime industry. Furthermore, the impacts of ship construction, maintenance, and end-of-life need to be fully considered in order to decarbonize vessel from a life cycle perspective. Full article

The research provides a comparative theoretical investigation of the operational characteristics of an electric semi-truck and vehicles powered by conventional combustion engines using diesel fuel, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), and methane (including biomethane) in the dual fuel configuration. The Volvo tractor units that are offered for retail in 2024, namely the Volvo FH Electric, Volvo FH500 in dual fuel configuration, and Volvo FH500TC Diesel Euro VI, were chosen for comparison. The considerations encompassed include the road tractor’s mass, energy usage, power-to-weight ratio, dynamics, ability to recharge or refuel, payload restrictions, impact on logistics expenses, compliance with regulations on drivers’ working hours, and a report on carbon dioxide emissions. The study concludes by discussing and drawing conclusions on the competitiveness of different drive types in truck tractors, specifically in relation to identifying the most suitable areas of application. Synthetic conclusions demonstrate the high effectiveness of the electric drive in urban and suburban conditions. However, vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines using renewable fuels fill the gap in energy-intensive drives in long-distance transport. Full article

The positive effect of decarbonizing the transport sector by using bio-based fuels is high. Currently, biodiesel and ethanol are the two biofuels that are blended with fossil fuels. Another technology, namely, hydroprocessing, is also gaining momentum for producing biofuels. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) produced using this process is a potential drop-in fuel due to its improved physiochemical properties. This study aimed to reduce the fossil diesel content by blending 20% and 30% HVO and 5%, 10% and 15% waste cooking oil biodiesel on a volume basis. The blends were used to conduct a thorough performance examination of a single-cylinder compression ignition engine. The thermal efficiency of the engine was enhanced by the addition of biodiesel to the blend. The efficiency increased as the proportion of biodiesel in the mix increased, although it was still less efficient than diesel. The maximum improvement in thermal efficiency of 4.35% was observed with 20% blending of HVO and 15% blending of biodiesel compared with 20% blending of HVO and diesel. However, the HC (decrease of 30%), CO (decrease of 23.5%) and smoke (decrease of 21.1%) emissions were observed to be the lowest with 30% blending of HVO and 15% blending of biodiesel. A fuzzy-logic-based Taguchi method and Grey’s method were then applied to find the best blend of HVO, biodiesel and diesel. The combination of the two methods made it easier to carry out multi-objective optimization. The brake thermal efficiency (BTE), smoke and NO emissions were selected as the output parameters to optimize the HVO and biodiesel blend. The optimization study showed that 30% blending of HVO and 15% blending of biodiesel was the best blend, which was authenticated using the confirmation experiment. Full article

The aim of the study was to determine impact of commercially available hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and its mixture (HVO5, where 5% (v/v) HVO and 95% (v/v) FDD) with diesel fuel (FDD) on the power, torque, fuel consumption, and exhaust gas composition of an atmospheric internal combustion diesel engine used in off-road applications. Diesel fuel was used as the comparative fuel. Testing was realized in a full-load mode on the KOHLER KDI 1903 M 3-cylinder diesel engine on a SIERRA CP-Engineering engine test bench. The AVL SESAM FTIR exhaust gas analytical system was used to determine exhaust gas emissions, while the AVL KMA Mobile fuel consumption measuring device was used to measure fuel consumption. Research showed that the lowest power and torque readings were obtained with FDD, while HVO showed a slightly higher result compared to the fossil diesel fuel. At the same time, the highest hourly fuel consumption was observed running on HVO5, while the lowest was observed with FDD. Increases in carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions were observed for HVO5 compared to those of FDD. The CO content in emissions increased by an average of 3.0% using HVO and by an average of 36% using HVO5, but the NO_x content in the emissions increased by an average of 3.0% using HVO and by an average of 8.8% using HVO5. The reduction by an average of 60% using HVO in emissions was found in the case of hydrocarbons (HC). Research confirmed that the physicochemical properties of HVO could leave an impact on the main engine performance parameters and exhaust emissions. Full article

To meet future goals of energy sustainability and carbon neutrality, disruptive changes to the current energy mix will be required, and it is expected that renewable fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), will play a significant role. To determine how these fuels can transition from pilot scale to the commercial marketplace, extensive research remains needed within the transportation sector. It is well-known that cold engine thermal states, which represent an inevitable portion of a vehicle journey, have significant drawbacks, such as increased incomplete combustion emissions and higher fuel consumption. In view of a more widespread HVO utilization, it is crucial to evaluate its performance under these conditions. In the literature, detailed studies upon these topics are rarely found, especially when HVO is dealt with. Consequently, the aim of this study is to investigate performance and exhaust pollutant emissions of a compression ignition engine running on either regular (petroleum-derived) diesel or HVO at different engine thermal states. This study shows the outcomes of warm-up/cool-down ramps (from cold starts), carried out on two engine operating points (low and high loads) without modifying the original baseline diesel-oriented calibration. Results of calibration parameter sweeps are also shown (on the same engine operating points), with the engine maintained at either high or low coolant temperature while combustion phasing, fuel injection pressure, and intake air flow rate are varied one-factor at a time, to highlight their individual effect on exhaust emissions and engine performance. HVO proved to produce less engine-out incomplete combustion species and soot under all examined conditions and to exhibit greater tolerance of calibration parameter changes compared to diesel, with benefits over conventional fuel intensifying at low coolant temperatures. This would potentially make room for engine recalibration to exploit higher exhaust gas recirculation, delayed injection timings, and/or lower fuel injection pressures to further optimize nitrogen oxides/thermal efficiency trade-off. Full article