Investigations on Pollution Levels of Four Stroke Copper Coated Spark Ignition Engine with Alcohol blended Gasoline

Abstract

Alcohols are renewable fuels. They can be conveniently used in spark ignition engines. They have octane number (a measure of combustion quality in spark ignition engine) higher than gasoline. Alcohols are important substitutes for gasoline, in the context of fast depletion of fossil fuels, ever increase of pollution levels with fossil fuels and increase of economic burden due to import of crude petroleum the search for alternative fuels has become pertinent. Investigations were carried out to determine pollution levels of variable speed, variable compression ratio, four- stroke, single cylinder, spark ignition (SI) engine having copper coated engine [CCE, copper-(thickness, 250 ìm) coated on piston crown and inner side of cylinder head] provided with catalytic converter with sponge iron/manganese ore as catalyst with different test fuels of neat gasoline, gasohol (85% gasoline and 15% ethanol by volume) and methanol blended gasoline (85% gasoline and 15% methanol by volume) and compared with conventional engine (CE) with neat gasoline operation. Exhaust emissions of carbon mono oxide (CO), un-burnt hydro carbons (UBHC) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) were varied with different values of brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of the engine with different versions of the engine with test fuels with and without provision of the catalytic converter with sponge iron or manganese ore as catalyst. The engine was provided with catalytic converter with sponge iron and manganese ore as catalysts. There was provision for injection of air into the catalytic converter. The performance of the catalyst was compared with one over the other. Methanol blended gasoline decreased exhaust emissions effectively in comparison with gasohol with both versions of the engine. Catalytic converter with air injection significantly reduced pollutants with different test fuels on both configurations of the engine.