Investigating Spray Characteristics of Synthetic Fuels: Comparative Analysis with Gasoline

Abstract

Article Investigating Spray Characteristics of Synthetic Fuels: Comparative Analysis with Gasoline Weidi Huang 1,2, Mitsuharu Oguma 2, Koichi Kinoshita 2, * , Yohko Abe 2, and Kotaro Tanaka 1,3 1 Carbon Recycling Energy Research Centre, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi 316-8511, Japan 2 Research Institute for Energy Conservation, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Namiki 1-2-1, Tsukuba 305-8564, Japan 3 Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi 316-8511, Japan * Correspondence: koichi-kinoshita@aist.go.jp Received: 13 March 2024; Revised: 22 May 2024; Accepted: 31 May 2024; Published: 5 June 2024 Abstract: Studying synthetic fuels is imperative due to their potential to offer sustainable alternatives to conventional fossil fuels, thereby addressing environmental concerns, enhancing energy security, and facilitating the transition to cleaner and more efficient transportation systems. This study presents an experiment analysis concentrating on spray characteristics of five types of synthetic fuels (bio-naphtha, EtG, G40, bio-ethanol, and DMC) in a comparison with gasoline. The experiment was conducted ranging from non-evaporated conditions to evaporated conditions, to thoroughly assess the spray behavior of the tested fuels. Results showed that EtG and G40 share similar properties with conventional gasoline. The discharge coefficient (Cd) was found to increase closely linearly with the square root of fuel density. Under non-evaporated condition (Ta = 25 °C), except for DMC, the spray tip penetration of other fuels deviates within ±5% compared to gasoline. Under evaporated condition (Ta = 200 °C), EtG maintains a spray tip penetration within ±5% of gasoline, while bio-naphtha, G40, and DMC fall within ±10% of gasoline. Notably, bio-ethanol shows a 12% higher penetration compared to gasoline, likely due to its slower evaporation and higher latent heat of vaporization.