Butanol Diesel Research Articles

Pollutant emissions from New European Driving Cycle with ethanol and butanol diesel blends

In this study, regulated gaseous emissions, smoke opacity and particle concentration derived from diesel fuel and two blends with alcohols (10% of ethanol and 16% of butanol) have been studied. A turbocharged, direct injection (DI), diesel engine equipped with common rail, injection system and EGR strategy was tested in test bench with road load simulation (RLS) during the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). The tests were carried out always measuring upstream of the diesel particle filter (DPF). Results show slight increases in NOx and THC emissions with alcohol blends whereas CO emissions were reduced with these fuels. Particle mass (PM) was estimated from both the smoke opacity and particle size distributions. In both cases, important benefits are observed with alcohol blends.

Effects of Fuel Supply Advance Angles on Performance of Engine Fueled with Butanol Diesel

The experiments of the fuel economy performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine fueled with butanol diesel were performed on a dual-cylinder direct injection diesel engine at different fuel supply advance angles. The results showed that whether the fuel supply advance angle is too large or too small, it will increase the fuel consumption. As the fuel supply advance angle is 20°CA, the brake specific fuel consumption is the best of the butanol diesel engine. When the supply advance angle becomes larger, the smoke and CO emissions can be reduced on the medium and high loads, but NOXemissions are significantly increased on a variety of load conditions. The engine will obtain the lowest HC emissions, as the fuel supply advance angle is 20°CA.

Influence of butanol–diesel blends on particulate emissions of a non-road diesel engine

Ultralow sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel was blended with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of butanol by volume. The effects of these blended fuels on physicochemical characteristics of particulate emissions and the cytotoxicity of particulate extracts from a single cylinder, direct injection stationary diesel engine were investigated with the engine working at a constant speed of 3000 revolutions per min (rpm) and at 25%, 50% and 75% of its maximum output power. The results indicated a decrease in particulate mass and elemental carbon (EC) emissions, while an increase in the proportion of organic carbon (OC) in the particles with an increase in butanol in the fuel. Compared to the ULSD, the total number concentrations of volatile and non-volatile particles were reduced significantly for blended fuels, whereas the number of particles with diameter less than 15nm increased for 15% and 20% butanol blends at low engine load. The increased total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) emissions, as well as their carcinogenic potency was also observed when the blends contained 15% and 20% butanol. In general, all the particle extracts showed a decline in cell viability with their increased dose and with the increased engine load while maintaining the same dose, based on the MTT assay.

Effects of port fuel injection (PFI) of n-butanol and EGR on combustion and emissions of a direct injection diesel engine

An experimental investigation was conducted on a direct injection (DI) diesel engine with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), coupled with port fuel injection (PFI) of n-butanol. Effects of butanol concentration and EGR rate on combustion, efficiency, and emissions of the tested engine were evaluated, and also compared to a DI mode of diesel–butanol blended fuel. The results show butanol concentration and EGR rate have a coupled impact on combustion process. Under low EGR rate condition, both the peak cylinder pressure and the peak heat release rate increase with increased butanol concentration, but no visible influence was found on the ignition delay. Under high EGR rate condition, however, the peak cylinder pressure and the peak heat release rate both decrease with increased butanol concentration, accompanied by longer ignition delay and longer combustion duration. As regard to the regulated emissions, HC and CO emissions increase with increased butanol concentration, causing higher indicated specific fuel consumption (ISFC) and lower indicated thermal efficiency (ITE). It is also noted that butanol PFI in combination with EGR can change the trade-off relationship between NOx and soot, and simultaneously reduce both into a very low level. Compared with the DI mode of diesel–butanol blended fuel, however, the DI diesel engine with butanol PFI has higher HC and CO emissions and lower ITE. Therefore, future research should be focused on overcoming the identified shortcomings by an improved injection strategy of butanol PFI.

Study on performance and emissions of a passenger-car diesel engine fueled with butanol–diesel blends

In this work, the commercially available diesel fuel (Bu00), butanol(20%)–diesel(80%) (by vol.) (Bu20), butanol(30%)–diesel(70%) (Bu30), and butanol(40%)–diesel (60%) (Bu40) fuels were tested. Experiments were conducted on a high-speed direct injection (DI) diesel engine for passenger-car application for varied loads at two representative engine speeds. The results showed that butanol–diesel blends slightly increased combustion pressure and accelerated burning rate. As fueled by the Bu40 blend, the maximum power output of the engine cannot be affected. Besides, butanol–diesel blends increased BSFC and brake thermal efficiency. Moreover, the effects of butanol addition on diesel engine exhaust emissions were varied with loads. Under low-load conditions, CO emissions obviously increased while NOx emissions decreased as butanol blending ratio increased. Under high-load conditions, on the contrary, CO emissions decreased but NOx emission increased. For the 40% butanol–diesel blend, in addition, HC emissions were higher than the neat diesel and lower percentage of butanol–diesel blends, especially at low-load. It is interesting that smoke decreased significantly at all conditions with the use of butanol–diesel blends, and the more butanol blending ratio the less smoke. Overall butanol is a potentially promising biofuel, which could be used conveniently up to high blending ratio with diesel fuel in diesel engines.

Experimental study on the performance of and emissions from a low-speed light-duty diesel engine fueled with n-butanol–diesel and isobutanol–diesel blends

The effects of isobutanol- and n-butanol-enriched diesel fuel on the diesel engine performance and emissions are investigated. Neat diesel, 15% isobutanol–85% diesel, 30% isobutanol–70% diesel, 15% n-butanol–85% diesel, and 30% n-butanol–70% diesel blends are investigated in this study. The tests were carried out at light and medium loads and a fixed low engine speed, and by using various combinations of the exhaust gas recirculation rate and the injection timing to investigate the effect of the molecular structure difference on soot formation. The results show that n-butanol–diesel blends give a longer ignition delay than isobutanol–diesel blends do. Hence isobutanol has a higher peak cylinder pressure and a higher premixed heat release rate than n-butanol does. Adding butanol (isobutanol and/or n-butanol) to diesel fuel is able to decrease the soot emissions substantially, while the change in the nitrogen oxide emissions varies slightly. Soot emissions from n-butanol–diesel blends are lower than those from isobutanol–diesel blends. Introducing exhaust gas recirculation and retarding the injection timing are effective approaches to decrease the nitrogen oxide emissions. However, a high exhaust gas recirculation rate leads to a loss in the fuel efficiency. The combination of a low exhaust gas recirculation rate, later injection and butanol blends can achieve low-temperature combustion and simultaneously decrease the nitrogen oxide and soot emissions.

Pollutant emissions from engine starting with ethanol and butanol diesel blends

The starting is a special transient process of engine operation, which is included in the New European Driving Cycle of light duty vehicles (NEDC). This is a critical operation mode of diesel engines with respect to pollutant emissions and to stability of the combustion process. In this work, a turbocharged, direct injection (DI), diesel engine equipped with common rail injection system and EGR strategy was tested during the starting. The engine was tested at relatively cold and warm start. Pollutant emissions (HC, NOx, smoke opacity and particle size distributions), in-cylinder pressure and operating parameters such as rotation speed, relative fuel–air ratio and EGR valve position were registered during the tests. The engine was fueled with a pure low sulfur diesel fuel, and blended with ethanol and butanol. Fuel blends were prepared with the same oxygen content (~3.3% in mass). The results show that alcohol diesel blends lead to a positive effect on the reduction in the smoke opacity and particle concentration during warm engine start with similar nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. At cold start, blends tested produced combustion instabilities. This fact, jointly with inefficient operation of the diesel oxidation catalyst, produced an increase of all regulated pollutant emissions.

Combustion noise radiation during the acceleration of a turbocharged diesel engine operating with biodiesel or n-butanol diesel fuel blends

In the current study, experimental tests were conducted on a turbocharged truck diesel engine in order to investigate the mechanism of combustion noise radiation during various accelerations and for various fuel blends. With this aim, a fully instrumented test bed was set up in order to capture the development of key engine and turbocharger parameters. Apart from the baseline diesel fuel, the engine was operated with a blend of diesel with either 30 vol % biodiesel or 25 vol % n-butanol. Analytical diagrams are provided to explain the behaviour of combustion noise radiation in conjunction with the cylinder pressure, the pressure rise rates, the frequency spectrum and the turbocharger and governor–fuel pump responses. The blend of diesel fuel with n-butanol exhibited the highest noise emissions throughout each of the transient tests examined, with differences up to 4 dBA from those with neat diesel operation. On the other hand, the biodiesel blend was found to behave marginally noisier than neat diesel oil but without a clear trend established throughout the transient events.

Effects of butanol–diesel fuel blends on the performance and emissions of a high-speed DI diesel engine

An experimental investigation is conducted to evaluate the effects of using blends of n-butanol (normal butanol) with conventional diesel fuel, with 8%, 16% and 24% (by volume) n-butanol, on the performance and exhaust emissions of a standard, fully instrumented, four-stroke, high-speed, direct injection (DI), Ricardo/Cussons ‘Hydra’ diesel engine located at the authors’ laboratory. The tests are conducted using each of the above fuel blends or neat diesel fuel, with the engine working at a speed of 2000 rpm and at three different loads. In each test, fuel consumption, exhaust smokiness and exhaust regulated gas emissions such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and total unburned hydrocarbons are measured. The differences in the measured performance and exhaust emission parameters of the three butanol–diesel fuel blends from the baseline operation of the diesel engine, i.e., when working with neat diesel fuel, are determined and compared. It is revealed that this fuel, which can be produced from biomass (bio-butanol), forms a challenging and promising bio-fuel for diesel engines. The differing physical and chemical properties of butanol against those for the diesel fuel are used to aid the correct interpretation of the observed engine behavior.

Utilization of palm oil alkyl esters as an additive in ethanol–diesel and butanol–diesel blends

This research focuses on the use of biodiesel as an additive in diesohol preparation. Three types of biodiesel—methyl, ethyl, and butyl esters—were prepared from palm oil through transesterification using a conventional base catalyst. Ethanol is generally used to blend in diesohol; however, butanol is another alcohol which has higher solubility in diesel than ethanol and it can improve the fuel properties of the blends. Therefore, a comparative study of phase stability, the dependence of solubility on temperature (10, 20, and 30 °C), and an evaluation of some basic fuel properties according to the ASTM of diesel–biodiesel–ethanol and diesel–biodiesel–butanol three-component systems at different component concentrations was done. We found that the use of butanol in diesohol could solve the problem of fuel instability at low temperatures because of its higher solubility in diesel fuel. In addition, the fuel properties results indicated that blends containing butanol have properties closer to diesel than those of blends containing ethanol.