Methods to Improve the Spray Characteristics of n-Butanol by Visualization of Spray in a Port Injector

Abstract

Generally, fossil fuels are non-renewable and depleting day by day. The usage of renewable fuels reduces global warming. Alcohols are renewable in nature and used in SI engines due to their good combustion properties like antiknock and flame velocity. Ethanol, methanol, and butanol are commonly used alcohols. Ethanol is widely used in countries, where it is abundant. Butanol is gaining more attention due to its combustion properties being similar to gasoline and its corrosion less behavior when compared to ethanol. Butanol injection in the intake port through port injectors will form a plume, which leads to high emission. The high viscosity of butanol is the reason behind such plume which is the major cause of poor vaporization, less fuel efficiency, and high hydrocarbon emissions. Methods like heating of butanol to high temperatures, increasing the injection pressure and blending of butanol with less viscous fuels like gasoline and ethanol can be accomplished to obtain a better fuel spray. This particular work reveals the visualization of the spray of butanol with different fuel temperatures, injection pressure and the blending of butanol with gasoline and ethanol. Further, it can be a knowledge base for utilizing renewable butanol effectively in automotive engines for achieving low emission and high fuel efficiency.