Development of Fuel Consumption Correction Factors for GTL Synthetic Diesel Fuel in Diesel Vehicles under Field Operating Conditions

This study develops and experimentally justifies speed-dependent fuel consumption correction factors for gas-to-liquid (GTL) synthetic diesel fuel used in existing diesel vehicles. The experimental basis of the research was field testing of an ISUZU NQR71PL diesel vehicle operated with conventional petroleum diesel fuel and GTL synthetic diesel fuel under comparable conditions. The main performance indicators included maximum vehicle speed, acceleration time up to 60 km/h, and steady-speed fuel consumption at 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 km/h. The results showed that the maximum speed of the vehicle remained practically unchanged when GTL fuel was used, whereas the acceleration time increased moderately from 15.91 s to 16.86 s. The volumetric fuel consumption of GTL fuel was higher than that of petroleum diesel by 4.56-6.10%, depending on the speed mode. This increase is mainly associated with the lower density of GTL fuel and the corresponding decrease in fuel mass delivered per unit volume. Based on the obtained results, speed-dependent correction factors for GTL fuel consumption were calculated and an average factor of 1.055 was proposed for preliminary operational accounting. The study confirms that GTL synthetic diesel fuel can be used in existing diesel vehicles without major structural modifications; however, separate fuel-consumption norms should be established for its practical implementation.