Engine Thermal Efficiency Gain and Well-to-Wheel Greenhouse Gas Savings When Using Bioethanol as a Gasoline-Blending Component in Future Spark-Ignition Engines: A China Case Study

Abstract

In 2017, the Chinese government issued a strategic policy of nationwide use of bioethanol as a gasoline-blending component by 2020 for the consideration of reducing smog and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is highly relevant to estimate the benefits of well-to-wheel (WTW) GHG emission savings using future engine technologies. However, literature about the WTW GHG emissions for ethanol blends did not cover the engine efficiency gains in engines with future technologies. In a previous publication from the authors’ group, an empirical model was developed to predict the anti-knock property and engine thermal efficiency gains of ethanol blends in spark-ignition (SI) engines. This paper is a follow-up study, looking at not only the potential engine thermal efficiency gains but also WTW GHG emissions in future engine technologies. More specifically, a case study of adding bioethanol to two representative E10 fuels (main- and premium-octane-grade fuels) from China was conducted. It is assumed that future engin...