Engine & vehicle modeling for fuel assessment under local driving conditions

Automotive biofuels offer a promising alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Accurate evaluation of combustion and emissions in IC engines and vehicles is crucial. This research aimed at developing and validating an engine and vehicle simulation methodology to assess the fuel effect on vehicle consumption and emissions considering different driving cycles and the road slope (barely evaluated for fuels widely used in emerging markets). Two blends were tested: 20 % biodiesel (B20) and 20 % hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO20) with Ultra-Low-Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). A light-duty diesel vehicle model was developed in GTSuite (R), using emission maps from a calibrated steady-state engine model. Good agreement with experiments was found. Road slope in local DC significantly increased fuel consumption and CO, CO2, NOx, and PN emissions, reducing HC. Compared to ULSD, B20 reduced PN and HC by 27-35 % and 12-22.5 %, respectively. HVO20 had a smaller effect on PN but reduced HC emissions by up to 19.5 %. Neither blend significantly affected CO and CO2. B20 slightly increased NOx and fuel consumption, while HVO20 had no significant impact on these.