Abstract
In-cylinder blending of gasoline and diesel to achieve reactivity- controlled compression ignition (RCCI) has been shown to reduce NOX and soot emissions while maintaining or improving brake thermal efficiency as compared with conventional diesel combustion (CDC). The RCCI concept has an advantage over many advanced combustion strategies in that the fuel reactivity can be tailored to the engine speed and load, allowing stable low-temperature combustion to be extended over more of the light-duty drive cycle load range. However, the current range of the experimental RCCI engine map investigated here does not allow for RCCI operation over the entirety of some drive cycles. A multi-mode RCCI strategy is employed where the engine switches from RCCI to CDC when speed and load fall outside of the experimentally determined RCCI range. The potential for RCCI to reduce drive cycle fuel economy and emissions is not clearly understood and is explored here by simulating the fuel economy and emissions for a multi-mode RCCI-enabled vehicle operating over a variety of US drive cycles using experimental engine maps for multi-mode RCCI, CDC, and a 2009 port-fuel injected gasoline engine. Simulations are completed assuming a conventional mid-size passenger vehicle with an automatic transmission. RCCI fuel economy simulation results are compared with the same vehicle powered by a representative 2009 PFI gasoline engine over multiple drive cycles. Engine-out drive cycle emissions are compared to CDC, and observations regarding relative gasoline and diesel tank sizes needed for the various drive cycles are also summarized.
