Computer modelling of automobile engine performance as the source of implications for automobile technology management

The need for finding the replacement for fossil fuels causes several technical and technological problems in the engine construction as well as the fuel production and its standardisation. This particularly concerns biofuels. The variety of biological resources and possible conversion routes leads to the multiplication of fuel properties. The regional dependence of biomass resources might cause interregional incompatibility of fuels, which should be avoided. Our previous studies have shown that computer modelling is capable of providing information on the dependence of engine performance upon the type of the fuel used, also under conditions of simulation of road tests. Based on computer simulations of the given engine cycle, the impact of the use of biofuels on carbon dioxide emissions from a diesel and gasoline engine was analysed. The tested fuels were: gasoline 95, diesel, ethanol, DME dimethyl ether, and FAME fatty acid methyl esters. The differences in CO₂ emissions of the tested fuels were large (up to 17%), but none of the analysed fuels exceeded the maximum emission limits allowed by legal regulations. The results of such simulations might be used for planning the development of various types of engines -possibly adjustable to fuels of various origin, as well as for planning the fuel composition assuring the best performance in a wide spectrum of engine constructions. (paper)