Abstract
This research investigates the influence of the pilot injection on the combustion, thermal efficiency and exhaust emissions in a single cylinder diesel engine fueled with the light cyclic oil (LCO) which has a very low cetane index. The engine used in the experiments is equipped with the common-rail type fuel injection system. The results show that the LCO brings higher rate of pressure-rise, higher NO_x and lower smoke emissions compared to diesel fuel because of a longer ignition delay due to the lower cetane index. However, the pilot injection enables the engine to operate on the LCO smoothly without causing the too high rate of pressure-rise.
