The Effect of Fuel Property on Nanostructure of Soot Particles from Diesel Engine

Abstract

The effect of fuel property on nanostructure of soot particles from small DI diesel engine was investigated experimentally. By using fuel oil A and light oil as test fuels, the soot nanostructure was examined by laser Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The analysis of Raman spectra of soot showed that graphitic crystallites in soot particles from fuel oil A were smaller than those in particles from light oil. This finding was substantiated by the results of observation using TEM images. We assumed that the difference in the size of graphitic crystallites was attributed to a gap in sulfur contents in the two fuels.