Ethanol Content In Gasoline Research Articles

Selection of the Effective Characteristic Spectra Based on the Chemical Structure and Its Application in Rapid Analysis of Ethanol Content in Gasoline.

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy analysis is one of the most rapid detection methods for determining ethanol content in gasoline. Wavelength selection is a key step in the multivariate calibration analysis of NIR spectroscopy. To improve detection accuracy of ethanol content in gasoline and provide a simpler interpretation, we established NIR spectroscopy, a rapid analysis method based on the effective characteristic spectra. Five effective characteristic spectral bands were used according to the molecular structure of ethanol, followed by the development of four modeling schemes. The four modeling schemes spectra, NIR full spectra, and variable importance projection (VIP) spectra were used for modeling and analysis. The model was established based on the effective characteristic spectra without the interference spectra of aromatic hydrocarbons, achieving the best model performance. In addition, the model was further evaluated by internal cross-validation and external validation. The model’s evaluation parameters were as follows: the root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) was 0.6193, the correlation coefficient of internal cross-validation (RCV2) was 0.9995, the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) was 0.5572, and the correlation coefficient of external prediction validation (RP2) was 0.9995. The effective characteristic spectra model had smaller RMSEP and RMSECV values, and larger RCV2 and RP2 values compared to the full spectra and VIP spectra models. In conclusion, the effective characteristic spectra model had the highest accuracy and could provide rapid analysis of the ethanol content in gasoline.

Experimental comparative study on combustion, performance and emissions characteristics of ethanol-gasoline blends in a two stroke uniflow gasoline engine

Ethanol, an alternative fuels based on alcohol for spark ignition engines, can be used by mixing with gasoline at the proper ratios, and which reducing exhaust emissions by an increase in oxygen content. Although there are many studies conducted on the use of ethanol in internal combustion engines, no studies have been conducted on the use of ethanol in two-stroke uniflow gasoline engines so far. In this experimental study, performance, emission and combustion characteristics of ethanol/gasoline blends (range of ethanol 10% v–50% v) were examined in a two-stroke uniflow gasoline engine at 1800 1/min and full load. In cylinder pressures, heat release rates, mass fraction burnt, engine torque, break specific fuel consumptions, delivery ratio, scavenging efficiency, carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbon (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions were investigated. The combustion phasing was advanced after adding ethanol due to the higher burning velocity. Delivery ratio and scavenging efficiency have increased due to the faster evaporation of ethanol than gasoline. Break thermal efficiency (BTE) decreased because of the decreased net work, and break specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased because ethanol had lower heating value (LHV) than gasoline. CO, HC, CO2 and NOx emissions decreased with the increase in the ethanol content in gasoline.

Estimating the urban environmental impact of gasoline-ethanol blended fuels in a passenger vehicle engine.

A large portion of urban emissions in developing countries come from old gasoline vehicles driven in metropolitan areas. The present study aimed to develop models to estimate the environmental impact of different contents of gasoline and ethanol mixtures (pure gasoline; 25, 50, 75% ethanol blended to gasoline; and 100% ethanol) in a flex-fuel engine. We tested the blended fuel using three different speeds and recorded the GHG emissions and engine output data. The data mining approach was used to develop environmental impact predictive models. The ethanol content in gasoline; the engine rotational speed 900, 2000, and 3000 rpm; and λ were used as attributes. The classification target was the environmental impact concerning the CO2 emission ("low," "average," and "high"). We employed the Random forest algorithm to develop predictive models. The mean values of CO2 concentrations for all studied fuel content were above 2.47% of the volume. The trees' models (accuracy 73%, κ =0.61) showed three alternatives for predicting the environmental impact based on the ethanol blend, the engine rotation, λ, and the air-fuel ratio. Such models might help policymakers develop educational campaigns to reduce short- and medium-term urban commuter traffic pollution in countries that lack suitable urban transportation.

Modelling of a Brazilian ethanol plant: impact of the bagasse use and the ethanol dehydration on energy efficiency and sustainability

Ethanol has a large share in Brazilian primary energy consumption and plays a significant role in the mitigation of the emissions from combustion engines, as national regulations advance towards increasing anhydrous ethanol content in gasoline or by the direct use of hydrated ethanol as fuel. A simulation of a sugarcane ethanol plant with a regular yield of 85.3 L of ethanol per ton of cane was carried out. The investigated process starts from the cultivation of sugarcane to the production of hydrated and/or anhydrous ethanol. The study considered that bagasse can be either burnt for cogeneration or used as feedstock for the enzymatic hydrolysis system. Additionally, alternative energy sources (such as natural gas (NG) burnt in a boiler or electricity from the Brazilian National Interconnected System (NIS)) are considered in order to cover the domestic demand in cases where biomass lacked for energy purposes. Net energy ratio (NER), fossil energy ratio (FER) and total CO2 emission were modelled through central composite designs to assess scenarios in which the fraction of bagasse sent to hydrolysis (x1) and hydrated ethanol sent to dehydration (x2) both varied between 0 and 100%. The application of statistical tools (ANOVA, Student’s t test and R2) showed that x1 caused significant variations on the investigated parameters, while x2 proportioned mild effects. NER varied in the range 0.795–0.984, with an optimal value being found at (x1, x2) equal to (81.82, 0) and (36.67, 0) when the system is coupled to NIS and a NG boiler, respectively. FER was verified as high as 11.910 with energy from NIS to produce hydrated ethanol with maximal cogeneration from the bagasse. It diminished to 3, when around 40% of bagasse is sent to enzymatic hydrolysis instead for the cogeneration system and NG complements the domestic demand.

Sources of Particulate Matter Emissions Variability From a Gasoline Direct Injection Engine

Particulate matter (PM) emissions from gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are a concern due to the health effects associated with ultrafine PM. This experimental study investigated sources of PM emissions measurement variability observed in previous tests and also examined the effect of ethanol content in gasoline on PM emissions. Some engine operating parameters (fuel and oil temperature, positive crankcase ventilation filtration) and test conditions (dilution air conditions) were studied and controlled but could not account for the level of measurement variability observed. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) measurements of gas phase hydrocarbon emissions provided evidence that changes in fuel composition were responsible for the variability. Exhaust emissions of toluene and ethanol were correlated positively with PM emissions, while emissions of isobutylene correlated negatively. Exhaust emissions of toluene and isobutylene were interpreted as markers of gasoline aromatic content and gasoline volatility, respectively. Tests conducted with gasoline containing added toluene (10% v/v) supported this hypothesis and led to the overall conclusion that the PM emissions variability observed can be attributed to changes in the composition of the pump gasoline being used. Tests conducted with gasoline containing added ethanol (10% and 30% v/v) found that increasing ethanol fuel content increased PM emissions at the steady-state operating condition utilized.

Fuzzy Logic Based Traffic Signal Control

This paper focuses on the effect on emissions in smaller engines such as bikes, by using a blend of ethanol and gasoline at NO LOAD condition and its comparison with the engine running on gasoline only. The exhaust emissions of the 4 stroke Kawasaki boxer model engine were tested and evaluated by using blend of 5%, 7% and 10% ethanol and results are plotted. The results showed that the increase in HC emissions at full acceleration and decrease at partial acceleration is observed with increase in ethanol content in gasoline. CO emission decrease to less extent at full acceleration and decrease to a greater extent at partial acceleration with increase in ethanol content in gasoline. NOX decreases by fewer rates at full acceleration and by high rate at partial acceleration with increase in ethanol content in gasoline. This paper presents various types of pollutions emitted by vehicles, their effect on human health and various measures to curb the pollution by use of alternate fuels. Keywords: Carbon Dioxide-Co2 , Carbon Monoxide-Co, Ethanol, Emission, Hydrocarbon-Hc, Nitrogen Oxide-Nox, Oxygen-O2 , Spark Ignition Engine

Ethanol in gasoline fuel blends: Effect on fuel consumption and engine out emissions of SI engines in cold operating conditions

Ethanol is considered a clean and renewable alternative fuel for SI engines when used in blends with gasoline in different fractions to increase oxygen content, thus decreasing exhaust emissions of incomplete combustion products and dependency on fossil fuels. However, the scientific literature on fuel consumption and exhaust emissions of last generation SI engines during cold operating conditions and using ethanol/gasoline blends is far from comprehensive. In this experimental investigation, ethanol obtained from grape pomace was used in fuels prepared by blending it in increasing ratios (10, 20 and 30 vol.%) with oxygen-free gasoline. These ethanol/gasoline blended fuels were used to assess emissions and energy consumption of a motorcycle equipped with a large displacement four–stroke SI engine. Fuel consumption and exhaust emissions were measured during the cold transient over the execution of chassis–dynamometer tests, and calculated as a function of oxygen content of all ethanol/gasoline test fuels. Significant reductions in cold emission factors compared to the commercial gasoline were associated with well–defined percentages of ethanol content in gasoline fuel blends.

Determination of ethanol in gasoline by high-performance liquid chromatography

This study employed non-aqueous reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with refractive-index detection and methanol as a mobile phase to quantify the ethanol content in gasoline. The advantages of HPLC are its good separation versatility, high resolution, relatively short analysis time, and automation. Standard samples were prepared to obtain a standard curve and partial validation. Accuracy, precision, linearity, selectivity for methanol (adulterant), and measurement uncertainty were investigated. In the partial validation analysis, the accuracy of the proposed method was identified as its main advantage over the reference method.

Thermal behavior and kinetics assessment of ethanol/gasoline blends during combustion by thermogravimetric analysis

The use of ethanol as a fuel or as an additive blended with gasoline is very important for most countries, which aim to reduce the heavy dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate greenhouse gases emission. An increased use of ethanol-gasoline blends has placed great relevance on acquiring knowledge about their physical and chemical properties. Thus, knowledge of such properties favors a better understanding of the effect of the percentage of ethanol/gasoline blends on engine performance. Thence, the present study has established a correlation between activation energy and synergetic effects, obtained by a thermal analysis, and ethanol content in gasoline for different blends in order to use this technique as a tool to classify these blends in the process in order to obtain useful energy in spark ignition engines. For such a purpose, a kinetic study has been conducted through a simultaneous thermal analysis system – TGA (thermogravimetry analysis) and DTA (differential thermal analysis) by following the methodology of non-isothermal tests. Thermogravimetric tests were performed and fuel activation energies for gasoline, ethanol, and percentages of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, and 75% (%v) ethanol mixed with gasoline, which was achieved by the model free kinetics. The analysis results suggest that the theoretical curves characteristics of the thermal decomposition of ethanol-gasoline blends are rather different due to their ethanol content. Furthermore, it was observed significant interactions and synergistic effects, especially regarding those with low ethanol percentage. In conclusion, the thermal analysis techniques can be used as a tool for liquid fuel rating.

Detection of Automotive Emissions Status using Fuzzy Inference System

The adoption of a fuzzy control system to determine the emission values of CO, CO2, NOx, HC and O2 from an SI engine is studied depending upon the air fuel ratio (A/F), as known that the emission values are highly related to A/F ratio, the target of the combustion process in the internal combustion engine is to be as close to stoichiometric as possible, however the driving conditions play a significant role in the value of this ratio. Fuzzy logic is used to represent, interpret, and compute vague and/or subjective information of automotive emissions. Fuzzy logic approach uses human language and thinking strategies in a way for decision making based on domain expert knowledge, and rules of thumb even for systems without any mathematical model. I. Introduction The study of the SI engine's emissions is an important issue to the automotive manufacturers as these emissions affect the environment from one side and because the limits of these emissions is controlled according to the regulations set by many agencies like EPA (1). Fuel consumption and emission models using vehicle speed and acceleration levels as input variables were studied in (2), the models were found to produce vehicle emissions that were consistent with the ORNL data. The use of 3 way catalytic converter which promotes the reduction of nitrogen oxides and the oxidation of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons in gasoline-fueled vehicles was discussed in (3). Controlling the air-fuel ratio with an oxygen sensor used with a three-way catalyst showed a significant reduction of CO, NOx, emissions (4). The effect of the change in driver's behavior and the variability associated with individual driving styles like duration of acceleration events showed significant differences in measured emissions (5). The effect of the air-fuel equivalence ratio and ethanol content in gasoline showed that CO and HC emission content were reduced with an increase of ethanol content, this was due to oxygen enrichment coming from ethanol (6). It was noticed in (7) that NOx emission was closely related to the equivalence ratio, such that NOx emission reaches a maximum near the stoichiometric condition and NOx emission depends on the engine operating condition rather than the ethanol content in gasoline. Finally , The cold starting emission levels were studied in (8) using ethanol blended with gasoline, the study showed that for best cold-start emissions the ethanol content in gasoline should be at least 20 percent but no greater than 30 per cent. Fuzzy logic (9) is a well-established methodology that is effective for systematic handling of deterministic uncertainty and subjective information. Fuzzy logic is useful especially when a mathematical model of a system is not available and rules of the thumb from domain experts are available (10). It has been successfully used to solve challenging industrial and medical problems in practice, some of which are very difficult to solve without it. Using Fuzzy rule based approach in this paper is dependent upon air fuel ratio as an input to the system to well define the values of the five major engine emissions. This system makes it easy to know exactly the values at any operating condition which can be used in the future with the ECM to reduce emissions. In this paper the reasoning is implemented using MATLAB Fuzzy toolbox. The detecting task of the proposed system is performed by the Inference Engine that evaluates all the rules in a knowledge Base and combines the weighted consequents of all relevant rules into a single output fuzzy set that shows the status of an emission. That set is then defuzzified to produce a crisp emission status value. The automotive emission status detector is experience-based as experience plays a key role in the design of the Detector.

A simple contactless impedance probe for determination of ethanol in gasoline

A contactless impedance probe with either a planar or a tubular detection cell has been developed and tested for rapid determination of the ethanol content in gasoline. The probe cell is connected as a capacitor determining the frequency of an electronic astable multivibrator. The multivibrator frequency depends on the permittivity of the test gasoline in the detection cell which is strongly influenced by the ethanol content as one of the major polar additives. The ethanol concentrations obtained with the impedance probe agree, within the reliability interval, with those obtained by GC–MS measurements and fall into the limits recommended by the appropriate European Standard. The gasoline samples are analyzed without any pretreatment.

Cold-start emissions of an SI engine using ethanol–gasoline blended fuel

The effects of ethanol–gasoline blended fuel on cold-start emissions of an SI engine were studied. During cold-start, the ECU controls fuel injection rate based on cooling water temperature and intake air temperature, which were carefully controlled during the experiment. More ethanol content in the blended fuel makes the air–fuel mixture leaner and also affects the RVP value. The engine could be started stably with E5, E10, E20, and E30. The HC and CO emissions decreased significantly with more ethanol than 20% added. However, for E40 the engine idling became unstable because the air–fuel mixture was too lean. Therefore, the ethanol content in gasoline for best cold-start emissions was determined to be at least 20 per cent but no greater than 30 per cent.

Environmental and Economic Evaluation of Bioenergy in Ontario, Canada

We examined life cycle environmental and economic implications of two near-term scenarios for converting cellulosic biomass to energy, generating electricity from cofiring biomass in existing coal power plants, and producing ethanol from biomass in stand-alone facilities in Ontario, Canada. The study inventories near-term bio-mass supply in the province, quantifies environmental metrics associated with the use of agricultural residues for producing electricity and ethanol, determines the incremental costs of switching from fossil fuels to biomass, and compares the cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas (GHG) and air pollutant emissions abatement achieved through the use of the bioenergy. Implementing a biomass cofiring rate of 10% in existing coal-fired power plants would reduce annual GHG emissions by 2.3 million metric tons (t) of CO2 equivalent (7% of the province’s coal power plant emissions). The substitution of gasoline with ethanol/gasoline blends would reduce annual provincial light-duty vehicle fleet emissions between 1.3 and 2.5 million t of CO2 equivalent (3.5–7% of fleet emissions). If biomass sources other than agricultural residues were used, additional emissions reductions could be realized. At current crude oil prices ($70/barrel) and levels of technology development of the bioenergy alternatives, the biomass electricity cofiring scenario analyzed is more cost-effective for mitigating GHG emissions ($22/t of CO2 equivalent for a 10% cofiring rate) than the stand-alone ethanol production scenario ($92/t of CO2 equivalent). The economics of biomass cofiring benefits from existing capital, whereas the cellulosic ethanol scenario does not. Notwithstanding this result, there are several factors that increase the attractiveness of ethanol. These include uncertainty in crude oil prices, potential for marked improvements in cellulosic ethanol technology and economics, the province’s commitment to 5% ethanol content in gasoline, the possibility of ethanol production benefiting from existing capital, and there being few alternatives for moderate-to-large-scale GHG emissions reductions in the transportation sector.