Impact of SME blended fuel combustion on soot morphological characteristics in a diesel engine

The soot morphological study and NOx emissions of soybean oil methyl ester (SME) in a passenger diesel vehicle were investigated experimentally. The soot morphological characteristics were conducted at various injection pressures, engine speeds and engine loads. Soot sampling and image processing analysis with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to investigate the influence on particulate morphologies. The dimensions of average primary particles and the size of the radius of gyration were gradually decreased as injection pressures increased at all operating engine conditions. The average radius of gyration was increased with increasing engine load, while the average primary particle size decreased. NOx emissions were gradually increased with the increasing injection pressure at all operating engine conditions.