Transportation Research

Our recent and on-going projects include:

• The effect of oxygenated fuel additives on diesel engine combustion and emissions, including biodiesel (methyl soyate/diesel fuel blends)
• Ultra-clean transportation fuels, investigation of Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuels
• Hydrogen assisted combustion in SI and CI engines
• Impact of refinery integration of coal-based streams on gasoline and diesel fuels
• Fuel and lubricant interactions, particularly involving effects of soot loading on lubricant performance and properties
• Impacts of fuel formulation and combustion conditions on the surface chemistry, nanostructure and oxidative reactivity of diesel soot
• Impacts of gasoline composition on homogeneous charge compression ignition engine performance

Past projects include:

• Alternative Fuels and Reformulated Fuels
  • Examination of Dimethyl Ether as an Alternative Utility Fuel
  • Effect of Oxygenated Cetane Improver on Diesel Engine Combustion and Emissions
  • Development of a Dimethyl Ether (DME)-Fueled Shuttle Bus Demonstration Project
  • Reformulated Clean Burning Diesel Demonstration Program
• Low Heat Rejection Diesel Engine
• Vegetable Oil Lubricants
• Heterogeneous NO_x Catalysis
• Catalytic Combustion and Catalytically Stabilized Combustion
• Advanced Thermally Stable Jet Fuels
• Flame - Material Interactions

Current and Pending Support

CURRENT

“Fuel Formulation Impacts on Gasoline HCCI and the Factors that affect and Control Fuel Performance,” ConocoPhillips, PI: A.L. Boehman, 8/1/07-7/31/10.

“Clean and Efficient Diesel Locomotive,” US DOE (subcontract from General Electric), PI: A.L. Boehman, 10/1/09-9/30/10, $250,000, 2.5 weeks summer, and co-funded by Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, 7/1/09-6/30/10.

“Impact of Biodiesel Fueling on Diesel Soot Characteristics and the Potential Influence on Engine Lubricant of these Soot Characteristics,” National Biodiesel Board, PI: A.L. Boehman, 6/1/08-5/31/10.

“Determination of the Underlying Cause of the Biodiesel NOx Effect in Common Rail Diesel Engines,” Cornell University (Northeast Sun Grant Initiative), co-PIs: A.L. Boehman and D.C. Haworth, 7/1/08-6/30/10.

“Sasol-Penn State Alliance: Research and Training of a Student in the Area of Thermal Oxidative Stability of Jet Fuel and Fabrication of Batch and Flow Reactor Systems,” Sasol Fuel Chemistry Group, PI: A.L. Boehman, 6/1/09-12/31/09.

PENDING

“The Roles of Surface Chemistry and Nanostructure in the Oxidation of Diesel Soot for Improved Fuel Efficiency and Clean Diesel Technology,” National Science Foundation, co-PIs: A.L. Boehman, 4/1/10-3/31/13.

“Ignition and Kinetics Studies of Biofuels,” National Science Foundation, PI: A.L. Boehman, 4/1/10-3/31/13.
“Efficient Clean Combustion Using Dimethyl Ether in a Turbodiesel Engine,” Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – AFIG program, PI: A.L. Boehman, 4/1/10-3/31/12.