The apparatus opens new possibilities for studying the detonation characteristics of fuels. Also, the tests can be conducted on a few millimeters of fuel.

As it becomes more and more difficult to find "easy" oil, various alternative fuels are introduced to the markets. These fuels have chemical properties that are different from the traditional gasoline and diesel fuels so that engine efficiency and other engine behaviors may be affected To improve engine efficiency and to identify which alternative fuel is the cleanest fuel solution, it is necessary to compile information about the ignition delay, which governs auto-ignition in spark-ignition (SI), compression-ignition (CI) and homogeneous charge compression-ignition (HCCI) engines. In this study, we measured ignition delay on the Rapid Compression Machine (RCM). RCM is a single-stroke device, which compresses uniform mixtures to engine-like condition. We can interpret from the pressure the detailed heat release process. A comprehensive ignition delay database of toluene/n-heptane mixtures and gasoline/ethanol mixtures was established The data allow us to calculate the auto-ignition behavior in engines. Depending on application the correct choice of alternative fuels may be made.

This revised edition of Taylor's classic work on the internal-combustion engine incorporates changes and additions in engine design and control that have been brought on by the world petroleum crisis, the subsequent emphasis on fuel economy, and the legal restraints on air pollution. The fundamentals and the topical organization, however, remain the same. The analytic rather than merely descriptive treatment of actual engine cycles, the exhaustive studies of air capacity, heat flow, friction, and the effects of cylinder size, and the emphasis on application have been preserved. These are the basic qualities that have made Taylor's work indispensable to more than one generation of engineers and designers of internal-combustion engines, as well as to teachers and graduate students in the fields of power, internal-combustion engineering, and general machine design.