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Abstract
This thesis focuses on how high sulfur content diesel fuel impacts the operation of a Tier 4 Interim diesel engine designed to run on Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). This was explored because U.S. nuclear power plants have these engines as their secondary backups and each of the 99 U.S. nuclear power plants has up to 50,000 gallons of high sulfur diesel in emergency tanks that these engines would be run on. The 4.5L 99 HP test engine was run at 30%, 90% and 60% load, with sulfur concentrations of ULSD, 50 PPM, and 100 PPM. The 30% load tests showed as sulfur content was increased, the exhaust system temperatures also increased, with a maximum difference of 50°C. The 90% load test showed the same but with only a maximum difference of 20°C. The 60% load tests showed the 100 PPM sulfur fuel with the lowest exhaust system temperatures, the ULSD with the median, and 50 PPM with the highest. The DPF differential pressure soot loading rate of 0.03 g/L-hr was lower than the time-based rate of 0.06 g/L-hr, meaning the time parameter would trigger a regeneration first. The engine’s power output was constant, except for the 100 PPM fuel at 60% load, where a few runs showed the power output 10 HP lower than normal. This research concludes that the impact of up to 100 PPM fuel sulfur concentration was minimal on the test engine’s operational characteristics. Specifically, the engine would be put into regeneration by the time based soot loading, before any parameter that was influenced by sulfur concentration triggered it.