Course description
This course provides a thorough introduction to gasoline and diesel fuel technology and how fuel specifications are evolving to meet vehicle and environmental needs. It combines broad overviews of the background and future trends with sufficient technical detail for those actively involved with today's specification issues.
Presentations cover fundamentals of fuel combustion in gasoline and diesel engines, and how vehicles are evolving to provide lower emissions and fuel consumption: fuel specifications, their purpose and how they are developed; the tests used to measure fuel properties and how specifications are changing driven by vehicle developments and regulatory pressures including biofuels: an overview of refining processes, and the use of additives. The future outlook for alternative vehicles and fuels, as well as conventional vehicle developments will also be addressed.
What you will learn
- Gasoline and diesel fuel performance in the engine including their effects on exhaust emissions.
- How specifications and other regulations are developed and used to define fuel performance.
- How fuels are refined and blended to meet fuel specifications including the use of additives.
- Environmental issues and how vehicles and fuels are changing to respond to these, including the practicalities of using biofuels in gasoline and diesel.
- How vehicles and fuels are expected to evolve in the future.
Please note: a laptop and up-to-date version of Office would be an advantage in order to engage in market data; however it is not essential.
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Suitability
This course is for those who want to understand how fuels are produced and their performance controlled through specifications, and how vehicles and fuels are evolving to meet society’s demands for improved environmental performance, including:
- Personnel from the oil, biofuel, additive and motor industries
- Staff involved with the quality, supply, refining, technical service and marketing of automotive fuels including use of additives.
- Those involved in future planning including industry policy makers, legislators.
Content
Course Content
Fundamentals
- Gasoline and diesel engine combustion
- Basics of fuel chemistry
- Key elements of engine design
- Introduction to fuel specifications, how they are set, test procedures
- How emissions are measured and controlled
- The basics of refining transportation fuels
- Background to alternative fuels and biofuels
Fuel Specifications
- Overview of fuel specifications and how they are evolving
- Gasoline specifications including octane number, volatility and stability
- Diesel specifications including cetane number, cold flow, lubricity
- Regulations for biofuels
- Practicalities of using biofuels in gasoline and diesel; ethanol, ethers, biodiesel.
- Fuel blending including a simple blending exercise
Fuel Additives
- Use of additives to meet specifications including diesel cold flow, lubricity, cetane.
- Use of multi-functional additives to provide 'fit for purpose' performance or to differentiate a fuel in the market, including detergent additives to keep engines clean.
Vehicle and Fuels
- Emission control in gasoline and diesel vehicles, including use of aftertreatment
- How fuels affect vehicle performance and emissions
- The importance of sulphur reduction for aftertreatment performance
- Trends for the future; how vehicles are evolving and the impact on fuel choice and specifications