Performance and emissions of an automotive diesel engine using a tire pyrolysis liquid blend

A tire pyrolysis liquid (TPL) fuel produced in a continuous auger reactor on pilot scale was blended at 5 vol.% (5TPL) with commercial diesel fuel (100D) and tested in a 4-cylinder, 4-stroke, turbocharged, intercooled, 2.0 L Nissan diesel automotive engine (model M1D) with common-rail injection system. The engine performance and exhaust emissions were obtained for both the 5TPL blend and the commercial diesel fuel. Experiments were conducted in four operating modes that simulate the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Both brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency seemed to be deteriorated by the composition and the properties of the TPL blend at low engine load, while at higher engine load the values of these parameters were almost equal for both fuels. Total hydrocarbon (THC) emissions followed the same pattern than that of the specific fuel consumption since they were higher for 5TPL at low engine load but similar for both fuels when the engine load increased. NOx emissions were higher for 5TPL than those for 100D in three operating modes (U10, EU8 and EU16), while no significant differences were found in the other mode (U9). In addition, 5TPL led to higher smoke opacity respect to those found for 100D in all operating modes. Combustion duration was slightly longer for 5TPL than 100D. This work could be considered as a contribution for strengthening and encouraging the waste tire pyrolysis for the production of liquid fuels which could be used in automotive engines in very limited concentrations. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.