The three most important parameters of fuel that determine the true worth of the fuel are Calorific Value, Engine Friendliness Number (EFN - the quality benchmark that identifies fuel quality from the point of view of wear and tear, corrosion, waste product generation) and CCAI which is a measure of ignition delay. Each of these parameters contributes independently and collectively to the true worth of fuel, which can be related to the Overall Thermal Efficiency of the fuel.

Of the three above, how a fuel ignites, combusts and imparts the energy to the moving parts of a diesel engine is the most critical. Under ideal conditions, the maximum power or energy of the diesel explosion must be transmitted at the right time and in full to the piston in the shortest time.

Till now, there was no instrument or technology that was available that could test the fuel under conditions analogous to the diesel engine combustion in a lab setting. Such an instrument has been under development for over a decade in Norway, under the Norwegian Maritime Academy. In the past few years this research instrument has also received support from the Japanese Marine Equipment Association (JSMEA).

The instrument consists of a combustion chamber in which the pressure temperature and the fuel injection characteristics can all be computer controlled to duplicate diesel engine combustion features. All parameters can be monitored and altered to suit requirements of experimentation. The Ignition Delay, Combustion Period, Rate of Heat Release - all these can be measured and controlled.

The incredible potential of such an instrument can be easily imagined. It will not be necessary to run a diesel engine to conduct these tests. With a touch at the keyboard the parameters can be altered to get desired results.

The first of these instruments is available at Viswa Lab Corporation and MTI will have access to this instrument on a continuous basis.