Experimental Investigation of Gaseous Emissions and Hydrocarbon Speciation for MF and MTHF Gasoline Blends in DISI Engine

Abstract

Article Experimental Investigation of Gaseous Emissions and Hydrocarbon Speciation for MF and MTHF Gasoline Blends in DISI Engine Rafiu K. Olalere 1,2, Gengxin Zhang 1, and Hongming Xu 1,3, * 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK 2 Department Mechanical Engineering, Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu 02341, Nigeria 3 State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China * Correspondence: h.m.xu@bham.ac.uk Received: 8 November 2023 Accepted: 25 March 2024 Published: 28 March 2024 Abstract: With the increasing shortage of fossil energy, the development of engines urgently requires alternative fuels. Gaseous emissions of a gasoline direct injection spark ignition engine fueled with blends of 2-methylfuran (MF 20% vol. and gasoline 80% vol.) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF 20% vol. and gasoline 80% vol.) were experimentally investigated using Gasmeth FTIR. Experiments were conducted at air-fuel ratio (λ = 1) and at engine speed of 1500 rpm using the fuels optimised spark timing. Effects of fuel injection sweeps (180–280 °CA BTDC) on the emission characteristics of blends were investigated at the intermediate load of 5.5 bar IMEP. Hydrocarbon emission (HC) for gasoline is about 41% and 16% higher compared to MF20 and MTHF20 respectively. Carbon monoxide emission for the fuels increases as the injection timing is retarded but the Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions was observed to reduce with the retarded injection timing. Both MF20 and MTHF20 recorded high NOx emissions compared to gasoline. The results indicated ethylene (25–26%) as the major component of the HC speciation in the fuels investigated. The unburnt furan samples for blend fuels were determined to be less than 3% of HC emissions, which could be considered a safe level for exposure.