A systematic study of the influence of 1-pentanol as the renewable fuel blended with diesel on the reactivity controlled compression ignition engine characteristics and Trade-off study with variable fuel injection pressure

Abstract

Compared to conventional CI engines, the analysis on the advanced low-temperature combustion technologies like RCCI engines produces better thermal efficiency with a simultaneous reduction in smoke and oxides of nitrogen emissions. The purpose of this study is to examine the reactivity-controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engine characteristics using diesel as the high reactivity and 1-pentanol as low reactivity fuel. To analyse the influence of operating parameters (i.e., fuel injection pressure (FIP) (500, 750, and 1000 bar), an experiment was performed on a water-cooled single-cylinder engine (modified) for brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of 2 and 4 bar at a constant speed of 2000 rpm. During the initial suction stroke, 1-pentanol (10%, 20%, and 30% energy share) is injected into the port. Tests were conducted at varying proportions (energy share) to calculate the optimum proportion of diesel and 1-pentanol. The findings were analyzed and mapped under the same working conditions as diesel fuel, and a 2.5% gain (max) in thermal efficiency is observed while utilizing a 1-pentanol blend in contrast to diesel. Smoke opacity (7.82%) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) (3.42%) emissions were also lowered while employing the 1-pentanol/diesel blend. The ideal combination for minimizing emissions is the D70A30 blend at BMEP of 4 bar with a FIP of 1000 bar. According to this study, standard fossil fuel can be efficiently substituted with a 1-pentanol/diesel fuel combination in an RCCI engine.