Combustion Characteristics Of Diesel Research Articles

Study on slurry forming performance and slurry combustion characteristics of diesel modified coal

In this study, modified low rank coal water slurry (M-LRCWS) was prepared by using diesel modified low rank coal (LRC) and compared with low LRC water slurry (LRCWS) to investigate the slurry formation mechanism and combustion characteristics of coal water slurry. Meanwhile, the combustion kinetics of coal-water slurry was investigated using kinetic methods to probe the combustion reaction mechanism. The results showed that the slurry formation concentration of LRC was 70 %, while the slurry formation concentration of M-LRCWS was 72 %, which was an increase of 2 %. The diesel modification positively affected the stability of CWS. The comprehensive combustion characteristics index of the same slurry deteriorated with increasing heating rate. At the same heating rate, M-LRCWS has better combined combustion performance, higher flammability and more stable ignition performance. Combustion kinetics calculations showed that the reaction activation energies were 105.50 kJ/mol for M-LRCWS and 99.59 kJ/mol for LRCWS using the FWO method, and 93.48 kJ/mol for M-LRCWS and 92.68 kJ/mol for LRCWS using the Starink method. The activation energy of M-LRCWS is slightly higher than that of LRCWS, which indicates that the diesel fuel is encapsulated in the coal particles and it is difficult to activate the substance. As a result, the dispersion system is more stable and favorable for storage and transportation. The physical functions of LRCWS and M-LRCWS were calculated using the Achar differential equation and the Coats-Redfern integral equation, and the results showed that both LRCWS and M-LRCWS followed the tertiary reaction (F3) mechanism.

Optical study on the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel-biodiesel-alcohol blend fuels on a constant volume combustion chamber

The rapid increase in automobile ownership has brought about an increase in pollutant emissions, the blending of alcohols can effectively reduce conventional pollutant emissions from diesel engines. However, alcohols have poor inter-solubility with diesel fuel. This study investigates the effects of blending different alcohols on the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel, with biodiesel as the cosolvent. The results show that among the three alcohols, blending methanol has the best improvement in the gas-liquid phase spray characteristics, followed by ethanol and propanol. The GL-SCA and GL-SPA of the methanol blends are 8.2 % and 2.3 % larger than those of the ethanol blends, and 19 % and 11.9 % larger than those of the propanol blends, respectively. Among the four fuels, fuel blended with methanol emits the least normalized sum KL, 45 % less than that of diesel, 23.8 % less than that of ethanol blended fuel, and 35.3 % less than that of propanol blended fuel.

Influence of spray-to-spray interaction after wall impingement of spray flames on diesel combustion characteristics

The influence of spray-to-spray interaction after wall impingement of spray flames on the combustion characteristics in high pressure and high temperature ambient gas like in combustion chambers of diesel engines was examined with a constant volume vessel. Fuel was injected onto a flat wall from two nozzles to form two parallel, adjacent sprays in the vessel, causing the spray-to-spray interaction after the wall impingement. The combustion was analyzed with the rate of heat release calculated from the pressure transition in the vessel and the spray flame was visualized by high-speed video. The 310 nm UV light images of the chemiluminescence from OH radicals are recorded to demonstrate the reaction activity in the spray flame. The images of transmitted light throughout the constant volume vessel were recorded to visualize the soot formation and oxidation processes as well as to quantify the soot concentrations as the KL factors. The results showed that the rate of heat release from the main combustion decreases and the afterburning increases with the spray-to-spray interaction after the wall impingement of the spray flame. Combustion suppression with the spray-to-spray interaction occurred in all the conditions of the experiments here when changing the distance from the nozzle to the impinging wall between 25 and 40 mm and the fuel injection pressures between 100 and 200 MPa. Inside the spray-to-spray interaction zone, the chemiluminescence from OH radicals is weaker, supporting the inactive combustion due to difficulties of the air entrainment, and the lower transmitted light intensities with larger KL factors, indicating higher soot concentrations. The spray-to-spray interaction zone on the impingement wall advances toward the inside of the vessel between the sprays and it moves away from the wall, entraining the unutilized air and causing a relatively active combustion as well as rapid soot oxidation during the late afterburning stage.

The role of charge reactivity in ammonia/diesel dual fuel combustion in compression ignition engine

This study investigates the combustion characteristics of diesel–NH3–air mixture in compression ignition engine. Three different levels of ammonia energy ration (AER) were used for the investigation: 0 % AER (pure diesel), 30 % AER, and 50 % AER. Increasing AER leads to a rise in the initial peak of apparent heat release rate and promotes the prevalence of premixed combustion. Numerical simulations effectively capture the abrupt increase in maximum cylinder pressure (Pmax) from 7.4 to 7.9 MPa as AER increases from 0 to 30 %. Additionally, raising AER from 0 to 30 % extends a high-temperature region externally in the squish zone, attributed to the higher knocking propensity of the 30 % AER premixed charge. The ammonia-assisted diesel accomplish advanced diesel direct injection timing (SOID) at both heavy and medium load conditions. Under light load conditions, an increase in ITE is observed for AER = 50 % as SOID varies from −4 °CA to −10 °CA (ATDC). For medium and high load conditions, ITE monotonically increases with advancing SOID. The maximum ITE of 44.5 % is achieved at SOID = −12 °CA (ATDC) and AER = 30 %.

Visualization study on the ignition and combustion characteristics of methane/hydrogen ignited by diesel

Nowadays, internal combustion engine fuels need to shift from diesel and gasoline to clean fuels. As a low-carbon fuel, methane has attracted widespread attention. Diesel ignition of premixed methane is one of the measures to achieve effective application. However, limited by the equipment and the active reactivity of methane, there are few basic visualization studies on that, resulting in a lack of deep understanding of ignition and flame propagation processes. Therefore, this paper studies the diesel ignition and combustion characteristics of diesel-ignited methane and the promotion of 10 and 20% (volume fraction) hydrogen on combustion performance based on the rapid compression and expansion machine. The experimental results indicate that methane has a suppressive effect on the ignition of diesel. The combustion process can be mainly divided into the diesel ignition stage, the premixed combustion stage, and the fuel burnout stage. Blending 10% and 20% hydrogen has little effect on the diesel ignition stage, but has a relatively great impact on the premixed combustion stage. The flame propagation can be improved with hydrogen blending, but that is limited due to the effects of ignition and wall. The combustion duration can be shortened with hydrogen blending, mainly for the CA50-90, especially at a lower equivalence ratio. The combustion efficiency can be improved with hydrogen blending. Overall, the strategy of blending hydrogen is considered more suitable for large bore engines and the results can deepen the understanding of the combustion process of diesel-ignited methane/hydrogen/air mixtures and have value for the relevant engine development so that the energy shortage and environment pollution issues can be alleviated.

Effects of injection pressures on diesel combustion characteristics at low temperature combustion conditions in a constant volume combustion chamber

Effects of injection pressures on diesel combustion characteristics at low temperature combustion conditions in a constant volume combustion chamber

Combustion characteristics of RP-3 aviation kerosene/n-butanol blended fuel in a compression ignition engine

In order to meet the requirements of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to achieve the imperatives of energy conservation and emission reduction. This paper compares the combustion characteristics of diesel, RP-3/n-butanol blends in terms of heat release rate, in-cylinder pressure, temperature and fuel economy in a compression ignition engine, taking into account the advantages of lightweight structure, low fuel consumption and wide range of applications of aviation piston engines. The results certified the viability of applying RP-3 and RP-3/n-butanol blends in diesel engines. Adding n-butanol prolonged the ignition delay and shorten the combustion duration. Moreover, the peak of the pressure, temperature and apparent heat release rate (AHRR) increased. In addition, the blended fuel showed obvious diffusion combustion characteristics at high load. With the n-butanol increased, the combustion instability of the blended fuels decreased significantly, at low load. At n = 2400r/min, pme = 0.53 MPa, compared with diesel, the maximum heat release rate (MHRR) of R70B30 increased by 76.6 %, improving the combustion characteristics of the blended fuel. Moreover, the equivalent specific fuel consumption (ESFC) of RP-3 is 5.56–14.83 % lower than that of diesel, and the effective thermal efficiency (ETE) of RP-3 is 2.8–13.46 % higher than that of diesel under most working conditions.

Visualization study the cross spray and combustion characteristics of diesel and methanol in a constant volume combustion chamber at cold and flare flash boiling regions

To optimize the performance of diesel/methanol dual fuel engine, fundamental research on the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel/methanol dual direct injection was conducted in a constant volume combustion chamber. The injection pressures were set as at 60 MPa, 80 MPa, 100 MPa, while the ambient pressures were set as 4 MPa and 0.01 MPa, corresponding to cold and flare flash boiling regions, respectively. The results showed that diesel/methanol cross-collision accelerated the droplet interaction, promoting more uniform mixing. Compared to the cold region, the diesel/methanol collision spray had a larger axial and radial diffusion rate and evaporation rate in the flare flash boiling region. In addition, in the flare flash boiling region, the collision length, collision width, and spray projected area of both the liquid and gas phases were significantly greater than those in the cold region. With the increase in injection pressure, the spray obtained more kinetic energy, leading to a more intense collision process and more homogeneous fuel-gas mixing. Besides, a higher injection pressure shortened the mixing time of the fuel-air mixture before collision, resulting in a smaller equivalent ratio, a smaller ignition delay, a larger flame lift-off length, and a lower soot formation.

On ammonia/diesel dual-fuel combustion in optical engine

Ammonia-diesel dual-fuel combustion mode is one of the potential ways to achieve lower carbon emissions in compression ignition engines. In this work, the effects of ammonia addition on diesel combustion characteristics were experimentally investigated in an optical CI engine. The gaseous ammonia is introduced to the engine through a port injection while diesel is directly injection into the cylinder. A color high-speed camera was utilized to detect and differentiate between diffusion burning and lean-premixed ammonia combustion. Additionally, computational models were conducted and the findings were coupled with the experimental data. According to optical investigations, the lift-off distance is created during the diesel spray and progressively grows as the ammonia energy ratio (AER) rises. The findings indicate that, in comparison to pure diesel combustion mode, combustion in an ammonia environment exhibits prolonged ignition delay duration and lesser flame luminosity. Secondly, a multi-injection strategy for diesel fuel was used where the diesel pre-injection timing (SOPI) values adjusted from −30 °CA ATDC to −60 °CA ATDC). Advancing SOPI is an effective approach to suppress diesel diffusion flame and reduce soot production in the cylinder. For advanced SOPI, findings reveal that rich pockets have decreased drastically as the combustion progresses. With the advancement of SOPI, there is a notable a connection between the flame speed and the peak heat release rate, where a high flame speed correlates to a greater heat release rate peak. Finally, the ratio of pre-injection of diesel fuel (ROPI) varied from 0 to 100% as a mean to improve flame propagation. There is a crucial threshold of pre-injection (ROPI) mass ratio of 45%, at which the initial flame features alter considerably. As the ROPI exceeds 45%, the flame kernel appears as a visible flame near to the main injection timing (SOMI), indicating that the ignition delay duration is decreasing.

An experimental study the cross spray and combustion characteristics diesel and ammonia in a constant volume combustion chamber

Recently, the use of ammonia, a carbon-free fuel, in internal combustion engines, particularly in dual fuel dual direct injection engines, has attracted wide attention. However, the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel and ammonia dual direct injection especially on cross injections remain unclear. An optical study of diesel and ammonia spray and combustion was conducted using a constant-volume combustion chamber. The results revealed that spray tip penetration (STP) and spray projected area (SPA) of ammonia are lower than those of diesel, indicating that ammonia has a higher evaporation rate and a smaller diffusion rate than diesel. Besides, diesel and ammonia atomization was promoted through cross injection and collisions. As the cross injection interval increased, the liquid-phase STP of the collision spray increased, and its liquid-phase SPA decreased, while its vapor-phase SPA increased, promoting the diffusion and evaporation rates of the collision spray. In addition, increasing the interval of diesel and ammonia injection can shorten the ignition delay, and increase the flame lift-off length, leading to a more intense combustion process and less soot emissions. Therefore, the combustion and emission characteristics can be effectively improved by adjusting the injection timing of the two fuels reasonably.

Experimental Investigation into the Impact of Natural Gas-Diesel Mixture on Exhaust Emissions and Engine Performance in a Heavy-Duty Diesel Engine with Six Cylinders

In this study, experiments were conducted with a mixture of pure diesel and natural gas. In the experiments, a 6-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine with an engine displacement of 11,670 cc was used and the engine speed was kept constant at 660 rpm. At 660 rpm engine speed, the maximum torque value reached was 386 Nm. The 386 Nm torque value was accepted as 100% and experiments were carried out at torque ratios of 25, 50, 75 and 100%. In all experiments with natural gas mixture, natural gas was delivered to the combustion chamber at a pressure of 1.5 bar and a flow rate of 1.29 g/sec, pre-mixed with air from the intake manifold. The aim of this study is to investigate the combustion characteristics of pure diesel and natural gas mixtures in a heavy-duty diesel engine. According to the test results, the BTE value of natural gas - diesel blended fuel decreased by 157, 89, 53, 53 and 28% at 25, 50, 75, 100 torque values, respectively, compared to pure diesel. It was observed that at low torque values, natural gas - diesel blended fuel was very inefficient, but as the torque value increased, there were improvements in the BTE value of natural gas - diesel blended fuel, although it could not reach the BTE value of pure diesel. In the experiments with pure diesel, it was determined that the fuel consumption was 127, 68, 38, 17% less than the natural gas - diesel blended fuel at torque values of 25, 50, 75, 100%, respectively. The most significant change in exhaust emissions was observed in CO and UHC emissions. At maximum load, CO and UHC emissions were found to be 4.42 and 4.5 g/kWh for pure diesel and 19.9 and 11.9 g/kWh for natural gas blend, respectively.

Investigation of evaporation and combustion characteristics of diesel and fatty acid methyl esters emulsified fuel droplets

To address the problems of energy shortages and environmental pollution, biodiesel and its emulsified fuel have gained wide attention. In this work, the fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) emulsified water-in-oil fuel (BW) is thoroughly investigated using the droplet suspension experiment with a focus on the main characteristics of puffing/micro-explosion, droplet ignition delay and flame regime, etc. The role of water content at different ambient temperatures is examined in comparison to a counterpart blend of diesel/water (DW) fuel. Results show that the increase in water content and temperature has a significant promotion effect on the strength and number of puffing/micro-explosion process, however, the higher viscosity of BW leads to the lower values. And owing to the heat absorption by water evaporation, only the micro-explosion with high intensity induced by water nucleation has a favorable effect on the evaporation rate. There exists a critical concentration of water addition, after which the enhancement of evaporation is expected. Moreover, it is indicated that the diesel with water additives has a better atomization effect, and the size of child droplets generated by DW droplets breakup is smaller, which is in the range of 0.08–0.1 mm compared to the 0.09–0.13 mm for BW droplets. It has been shown that the increase in water content hinders the rise of droplet flame temperature, extends the ignition delay time, and shortens the maximum premixed-flame length. Compared to diesel droplets, the larger combustion rate of BW droplets is correlated with their shorter flame length and the higher boiling point of FAME.

Experimental investigation of the effects of diesel-bioethanol blends on combustion and emission characteristics in industrial burner

The increased rate of industrialization in various countries has increased the demand for fossil fuels, which are found in limited reserves and in specific countries. As a result, countries that lack these energy resources are experiencing an energy crisis. As a result, alternative fuels that are made locally within countries are needed, like alcohol.. Experiments were carried out in this research to examine the combustion and emission characteristics of diesel and bioethanol blends using an industrial 350 KW burner. Three different diesel/bioethanol ratios (DE-10, DE-15, and DE-25) were tested. Flame geometries, temperatures, and emissions for diesel/bioethanol blends were measured experimentally for each type of fuel to obtain a complete characterization of the combustion processes. The findings showed that an increase in the percentage of bioethanol in the fuel blends for DE-10, DE-15, and DE-25 reduced CO, UH, NOx, and soot emissions (by around 20%, 40%, and 45%), (by about 13%, 25%, and 43%), (by about 8%, 14%, and 22%), and (by about 16%, 33%, and 50%), respectively, compared to neat diesel combustion. However, because bioethanol has a lower heating value than diesel, As bioethanol percentages increased in the fuel mixture, exhaust temperature and maximum flame temperature decreased.

Characterization of diesel spray combustion under micro-hole and ultra-high injection pressure conditions-analyses of diffused back-illumination imaging and OH* chemiluminescence imaging

This study investigated the spray combustion characteristics of diesel fuel using the Diffuse Back-illumination Imaging (DBI), Direct Photographic, and OH* chemiluminescence methods under different injection pressures (100–300 MPa) and different hole diameters (0.07–0.133 mm). The results indicated that at a certain point, the downstream of the spray, which holds a strong turbulent mixing, starts to disappear gradually without bright flames due to the cool flame combustion process. Based on this process, the ignition timing was determined using the space integral of intensity and optical thickness through the DBI method, which was validated by the OH* chemiluminescence method. The utilization of a micro-hole diameter injector and ultra-high injection pressure can effectively reduce ignition delay. Significant oxidation processes were observed both downstream and upstream for the micro-hole injector under ultra-high injection pressure. A parameter utilizing spatially integrated natural luminosity to OH* chemiluminescence ratio showed that increasing injection pressure and reducing hole diameter effectively reduced soot under unit fuel oxidation conditions. And predicted model results of droplet diameter and equivalence ratio (Siebers' and Hiroyasu's model) were used to analyze the experimental results. These findings contribute to the understanding of spray combustion characteristics and inform the development of efficient and low-emission combustion systems.

Optical diagnostic study of internal and external EGR combined with oxygenated fuels of n-butanol, PODE3 and DMC to optimize the combustion process of FT synthetic diesel

With the introduction of carbon neutrality target, Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthetic fuels are coming back into the limelight as a kind of carbon–neutral fuel. However, the mismatch between the overly high cetane number (CN) and the relatively low vaporability of FT synthetic diesel is unfavorable to the soot emission control, which will make it difficult to meet more stringent fuel consumption and emission regulations in future applications. To investigate the potential of oxygenated fuels combined with different exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) introduction schemes to achieve high-efficiency and clean combustion of FT synthetic diesel, an optical diagnostic study was carried out based on high-speed photography and the two-color method. The results show that all three kinds of oxygenated fuels could suppress soot emissions via self-carrying oxygen and adjusting the physicochemical properties of the fuel blend. Compared with the combustion characteristics of FT synthetic diesel, the flame area and luminosity of oxygenated blends are reduced, and the in-cylinder temperature and soot KL factor are lowered. Among them, n-butanol exhibits a greater capability of soot control compared to polyoxymethylene dimethyl ethers (PODE3) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). In addition, introducing internal and external EGR to the engine fueled by n-butanol/FT synthetic diesel blend shows that with the increase of EGR rate, the external EGR exhibits a gradually stronger inhibiting effect on the heat release process and soot KL factor, while the internal EGR exhibits an inhibiting and then promoting effect. Moreover, the high ratio internal EGR shortens the ignition delay (ID) significantly due to the strong heating effect, which is unfavorable to the control of soot emission. The combination of oxygenated fuels and internal/external EGR could effectively optimize the combustion process of FT synthetic diesel and inhibit soot generation, but the EGR rate needs to be controlled within a proper range.

Determination of combustion and emission characteristics of liquid Fischer-Tropsch diesel fuel synthesized from coal in a diesel engine

Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis is a production method that processes a liquid diesel fuel from heavy carbon-containing organic compounds such as coal and biomass. FT synthesis is an essential process in demonstrating the usability of coal-to-liquid fuel in internal combustion engines. This study investigates the effects of using FT diesel fuel synthesized from coal on the combustion characteristics of a single-cylinder common-rail direct-injection diesel engine. The engine tests were conducted at 50% of the wide-open throttle position and fixed engine control parameters (cycle duration, fuel amount, start of injection timing, etc.). As a result of the study, it was observed that the combustion with the use of FT diesel fuel started (almost 1.5 °CA) and completed earlier according to the petroleum-based diesel (D100). The cyclic variations were more stable with FT diesel fuel. With the use of FT diesel fuel, the indicated mean effective pressure was 3% lower, peak cylinder gas pressure was slightly lower, and the combustion noise was 2–3 dB quieter compared to D100. The heat release was higher during the premixed combustion phase at the cycle durations of 67 ms and 55 ms, while it occurred very small at the cycle duration of 86 ms. Significant reductions in CO2 and NOx emissions, which are complete oxidation products, were obtained with FT diesel fuel compared to D100. The fuel properties, combustion characteristics and emission results showed that no further measures should be taken to use FT diesel in compression ignition engines. FT diesel fuel can be safely used as an alternative fuel.

Experimental study on the interactions of wall temperature and impingement distances and their effects on the impinged diesel spray ignition and combustion characteristics

This study examines the interactions of wall temperature and impingement distances and their effects on the impinged diesel spray ignition and combustion characteristics experimentally in a modified constant-volume combustion chamber. Four wall temperatures of 570 K, 620 K, 700 K, and 800 K, and four impingement distances that correspond to severe wall-wetting, slight wall-wetting, critical wall-wetting, and non-wall-wetting separately are tested. The results indicate increasing wall temperature can promote auto-ignition and the following combustion process, denoted by shorter ignition delays and higher flame area (FA) and spatially integrated natural luminosity (SINL) values, but the promotional effect generally weakens with the increase of the impingement distance. When the wall temperature is high enough, the spray/wall impingement can accelerate fuel evaporating and mixing with the entrained air, in which case decreasing the impingement distance is positive to auto-ignition and combustion. This trend is basically the opposite in low-wall temperature cases where the cooling effect plays a leading role. Besides, the normal distances from the ignition points to the wall decrease with the increment of the wall temperature, and the changes are more remarkable at lower impingement distances, which means that increasing the wall temperature may enhance auto-ignition and combustion in the near-wall region, probably leading to an enlarged temperature gradient in the boundary layer and strengthened heat transfer.

Spray and Combustion Characteristics of CTL-Diesel Fuel Blends in a Constant-Volume Combustion Chamber.

Coal-to-liquid (CTL) fuel is considered a promising alternative fuel for diesel engine applications in China owing to its excellent fuel properties. However, little research on the spray and combustion processes of CTL fuel has been scarce. Therefore, in this study, the spray and combustion characteristics of diesel fuel blends with different CTL fuel blending ratios were investigated in a constant-volume combustion chamber. The results show that under non-evaporation conditions (300 K), a longer spray tip penetration (STP) and enlarged spray cone angle (SCA) were obtained with a higher injection pressure owing to the enhanced turbulent interaction. The SCA of CTL fuel blending was larger than that of diesel fuel owing to its lower viscosity and slightly shorter STP. Under the evaporation condition (700 K), with an increase in the CTL mixing ratio, both the STP and SCA of the fuel exhibited a decreasing trend owing to the higher volatility. Meanwhile, as the CTL mixing ratio increased, the ignition delay period was shortened, and the flame lift-off length decreased, whereas both the integrated natural flame luminosity and combustion duration increased. The cetane number of CTL fuel plays an important role in the occurrence of these results.

Enhancement of combustion and emission characteristics of diesel using lavender oil blending

PurposeThis study aims at improving combustion process to reduce emissions. Emissions such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter and unburnt hydrocarbons are a result of incomplete combustion. These emissions have useful energy but cannot be reclaimed. Hence, to enhance combustion, effect of biofuel blending on diesel combustion was investigated.Design/methodology/approachEssential oils have been found easier for blending with diesel because of simple molecular structure compared to vegetable oils. Lavender oil is an essential oil which has not yet been studied by blending with diesel. The major constituents of lavender oil are linalyl acetate (cetane number improver) and linalool (nitrogen oxides reduction). A single-cylinder, four-stroke diesel engine was run by blending diesel with lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia oil [LAO]) in varying proportions, 5%, 10% and 15% by volume.FindingsHigher heat release rate (HRR) was observed using lavender oil blends compared to pure diesel. Compared to diesel, an increase in brake-specific fuel consumption using blends was observed. LAO15 has the lowest CO emissions at all loading conditions, 29.3% less at 100% load compared to diesel. LAO5 and LAO15 have 6.9% less HC emissions at 100% load condition compared to diesel. LAO15 has only 1.3% higher NOx emissions compared to diesel at 100% load condition. LAO5 has the lowest smoke content at all loading conditions.Research limitations/implicationsLavender oil was used directly without any processing. Tested on single-cylinder engine.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, currently, there is no published work on lavender oil–diesel combination. Lavender oil can provide a simple renewable solution for diesel additives with potential up to 15% blending.

Effect of ABE and butanol blends with n-dodecane in different volume ratios on diesel combustion and soot characteristics in ECN spray a conditions

This study investigates the feasibility of using Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol mixture (ABE) as a function of the volumetric ratios (20 %v, 30 %v, 40 %v, 50 %v blended with n-dodecane) in order to determine the most suitable ABE ratio for CI engines in comparison to a butanol/n-dodecane blend. The “New One Shot Engine” set-up was used to determine the lift-off length (LOL), ignition delay (ID) and soot concentration by means of OH* chemiluminescence and Diffused Back Illumination imaging at an ambient pressure and temperature of 60 bar and 900 K corresponding to ECN Spray-A conditions. It was found that ID and LOL increased, while soot concentration was reduced with the increase in concentration of ABE and Butanol in dodecane blends. The blends with the smallest content (20%) of ABE or Bu exhibited similar combustion characteristics to n-dodecane with a considerable reduction in soot, indicating that these blends can be considered as a Diesel substitute without any engine modifications.