Ethanol-gasoline Blends Research Articles

Impacts of low-temperature heat release on unstretched laminar burning velocity in advanced flex-fuel gasoline-ethanol engines

Improving brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of flex-fuel engines can contribute to decarbonizing conventional and hybridized vehicles running on spark-ignited (SI) engines. High compression ratio (CR) and burning velocity under exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) conditions can improve the engine BTE. Ethanol fuel, which has been attracting increasing attention recently, can improve brake thermal efficiency due to its high-octane number and fast laminar burning velocity (LBV). With higher CRs, low-temperature heat release (LTHR) occurs in the unburned mixture, which affects the compositions, oxidation, and in-cylinder temperature. Such thermodynamic changes on unstretched LBV have not been thoroughly investigated, especially in production-intent next-generation flex-fuel engines. This study aims to clarify the LTHR impacts on LBV under EGR conditions using ethanol-blended gasoline surrogate fuel SI engines. The testbed used a single-cylinder SI engine fueled by E0 (gasoline surrogate), E20 (20 % ethanol + 80 % E0 by volume), E40, E60, E85, and E100. Detailed chemical reaction calculations were conducted using the boundary conditions obtained from production-intent, strong-tumble flow, and flex-fuel engine experiments. This work predicted LTHR in an unburned mixture using a zero-dimensional detailed chemical reaction calculation. LBV is predicted by a 1D kinetic laminar flame code. As a result, LTHR proceeds before the main combustion. The results show that the temperature increase associated with LTHR increases the burning velocity, while the partial oxidants decrease the burning velocity. Moreover, this work examined higher CRs using detailed chemical reaction calculations, and the results show that fuels with higher ethanol blending ratios can increase LBV in the late combustion phase.

Evaluation of Impact of Additive-Blended Biofuels (ABFs) on Single-Cylinder Motorcycle Engines

The elimination of subsidies for conventional gasoline (E0) in Nigeria has led to a surge in fuel prices, prompting researchers to explore alternative automotive biofuels. Among the promising options are additive-blended biofuels, which can be used in spark ignition engines (S.I.E.). However, biofuels have limitations, such as lower energy density, compatibility issues, and potential infrastructure degradation. Additive-blended biofuels (ABFs) represent an advanced technology that can address these shortcomings and enhance the performance of blended biofuels in automotive engines. In this study, additives were prepared and added to ethanol-gasoline blends, which are referred to as additive-blended biofuels (ABFs). E0 and ABFs were then tested in a single-cylinder motorcycle engine on a chassis dynamometer to evaluate the performance and emission characteristics of ABFs at partial and full load respectively. It was found that ABFs exhibited an increase in engine torque (T), brake power (BP) and brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) by 42.3%, 25.2% and 48.3%, respectively over E0. In addition, ABFs showed a 40% reduction in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) compared to E0. On the other hand, the emission measurements showed that NOX and HC emissions were reduced by 76 % and 35.3 % respectively for ABFs compared to E0.

Experimentally Investigating the Potential of Iso-Stoichiometric GEM Blends as a Drop-in Replacement for E50 in SI Engines

Background: Research on alternative fuels for internal combustion engines is crucial due to climate change and energy security concerns. Ethanol-blended gasoline has been a popular alternative fuel, but biomass limitations restrict its widespread use. Methanol offers a solution as it can be produced from non-food sources, extending ethanol's availability. Objective: This study explores a ternary fuel blend consisting of gasoline, ethanol, and methanol as an alternative to binary gasoline-ethanol blend. The objective is to investigate if the isostoichiometric ternary blend offers equivalent fuel properties to E50 (Ethanol 50%, Gasoline 50% (v/v)) gasohol while potentially enhancing engine performance, reducing emissions, and improving combustion characteristics. Methods: A single-cylinder, four-stroke, port fuel injection spark ignition engine was used. The engine was tested with three fuels: pure gasoline, E50 blend, and an equivalent iso-stoichiometric GEM blends. Engine tests were conducted at constant load with varying engine speeds. Performance, emission, and combustion parameters were experimentally measured and compared across all fuels. Results: E50 and its equivalent blends improved brake thermal efficiency but increased brake specific fuel consumption compared to gasoline. It significantly reduced unburned hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions but slightly increased nitrogen oxide emissions. Conclusion: Formulated E50 equivalent blends have identical air to fuel ratio, lower heating values as conventional binary E50 gasoline-ethanol blends. The study suggests that iso-stoichiometric GEM blends have the potential to be a viable alternative drop-in fuel for E50 in internal combustion engines. The future advancements in GEM blends, particularly in optimizing ratios, could lead to patentable inventions.

Computational study on the impact of gasoline-ethanol blending on autoignition and soot/NOx emissions under low-load gasoline compression ignition conditions

In the present work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a single-cylinder gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine are performed to investigate the impact of gasoline-ethanol blending on autoignition, nitrogen oxide (NOx), and soot emissions under low-load conditions. In order to represent the test gasoline (RD5-87), a four-component toluene primary reference fuel (TPRF)+ethanol (ETPRF) surrogate (with 10% ethanol by volume; E10) is employed. A three-dimensional (3D) engine CFD model employing finite-rate chemistry with a skeletal kinetic mechanism (including NOx sub-mechanism), adaptive mesh refinement (AMR), and hybrid method of moments (HMOM) is adopted to capture the in-cylinder combustion phenomena and soot/NOx emissions. The engine CFD model is validated against experimental data for three gasoline-ethanol blends: E10, E30 and E100, with varying ethanol content by volume. Model validation is carried out for a broad range of start-of-injection (SOI) timings (−21, −27, −36, and −45 crank angle degrees (°CA) after top-dead-center (aTDC)) with respect to in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate, combustion phasing, NOx and soot emissions. For relatively later injection timings (−21 and −27 °CA aTDC), E30 yields higher amount of soot than E10; while the trend reverses for early injection cases (−36 and −45 °CA aTDC ). On the other hand, E100 yields the lowest amount of soot among all fuels irrespective of SOI timing. Further, E10 shows a non-monotonic trend in soot emissions with SOI timing: SOI-36>SOI-45>SOI-21>SOI-27, while soot emissions from E30 exhibit monotonic decrease with advancing SOI timing. NOx emissions from various fuels follow a trend of E10>E30>E100. On the other hand, NOx emissions increase as SOI timing is advanced for all fuels, with an anomaly for E10 and E100 where NOx decreases when SOI is advanced beyond −36 °CA aTDC. Detailed analysis of the numerical results is performed to investigate the soot/NOx emission trends and elucidate the impact of chemical composition and physical properties on autoignition and emissions characteristics.

Engine Performance and Emission Evaluation of Gasoline-Ethanol Fuel Blend in SI Engines Under Various Conditions of Load and Speed

Ethanol fuel is considered a renewable energy source with a lower global warming potential than gasoline. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the emissions and performance of gasoline-ethanol blends in SI engines under various conditions. A computerized 4s, 1cyl, VCR spark ignition engine is used for the tests to measure the performance of Gasoline-Ethanol (GE) blends in particular E-10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline). For measuring exhaust emissions as well as performance, regular gasoline fuel is used for the additional tests. Engine performance using ethanol-gasoline blended fuel has been evaluated at different working conditions: 1200–1800 rpm, AFR 0.9, STs 300, CR10:1. When vehicles running on ethanol-gasoline blend indicated a decrease in the amounts of HC, NOx, and CO exhaust gases while 3.9% increase in CO2 emissions as compared to unleaded gasoline fuel. Furthermore, it has been shown that the brake power, torque, specific fuel consumption increases when a Gasoline-Ethanol (GE) blend is used over regular gasoline fuel.

Numerical Analysis of the Effect of Ethanol-Gasoline Blends on a Single-Cylinder Spark-Ignition Engine Performance and Emissions

— With the rapid increase in the number of vehicles fueled by gasoline plying on the roads, there has been a rising need in the search for alternative fuels, which are more environmental friendly in order to reduce the amount of vehicular exhaust emissions. This can be achieved by using blended mixtures of gasoline with alcoholic fuels among which, ethanol is found to be most suitable due to its easy availability, low costs, safety and low impact on the engine performance. This study aims to investigate the performance of a single-cylinder, four-stroke spark-ignition engine using different ethanol-gasoline blends, namely E0, E10, E20 and E30. The engine's torque, brake power, brake thermal efficiency, brake-specific fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions were analysed using numerical simulation. Results revealed that raising the proportion of ethanol in the fuel mixture resulted in reduced brake power and torque upto 16% as a result of decrease in calorific value of the mixture. The engine's brake thermal efficiency decreased by upto 3% while the brake-specific fuel consumption increased upto 12% with increase in ethanol concentration. Exhaust emissions, including NOx and HC, were found to be influenced by engine speed, with NOx emissions increasing and HC emissions decreasing as speed increased. The study also revealed that increasing ethanol concentration in the fuel resulted in reduced engine exhaust emissions by upto 47% and 10% for NOX and HC emissions respectively. The study concluded that among all the blends used, optimum performance was obtained for E30 blend with reduction in exhaust emissions but at the expense of slight reduction in engine performance.

Optimization of intelligent charge compression ignition engine in hybrid electric powertrain by adaptive equivalent consumption management strategy

Dual fuel intelligent charge compression ignition (ICCI), taking advantage of two direct injection fuel supply systems, substituted low-carbon fuels for conventional fuels, improving fuel economy and emissions. This study focused on the application of the ICCI engine on the power-split hybrid powertrain and carried out the influence of the real-time energy management strategy on ICCI engine performance. Taking the ideal solution calculated by dynamic programming (DP) as the benchmark, equivalent fuel consumption minimum strategy (ECMS) and adaptive equivalent fuel consumption minimum strategy (AECMS) were compared in aspects of ICCI engine performance and state of charge (SOC) control robustness. The results showed that AECMS had better performance on SOC control, where the maximum deviation from the ideal control by DP was lower than 0.5 % during the charge sustaining stage, and the maximum deviation during the charging and discharging stages was no more than 1.5 %. In terms of engine performance control, the accumulative fuel consumption increased by no more than 20 %, and the average E85 (85 % ethanol in ethanol-gasoline blend) substitution ratio reduced by less than 8 %. Despite consuming a high proportion of E85, the accumulative fuel mass consumption of the hybrid powertrain was still 4 % lower than the conventional diesel vehicle.

Evaluation of ethanol-gasoline blends in SI engines using experimental and ANN techniques

Fuel combustion has become a major global concern, with much research focusing on the various emissions resulting from different types of fuels. Due to the harmful pollutant emissions from fossil fuels, the world has turned to renewable and alternative fuels to limit toxic emissions and greenhouse effects. Ethanol is a biofuel that, when used in spark ignition engines with gasoline can improve the octane number, combustion efficiency, and produce less emissions. The current research studies the effect of different ethanol blends E0, E5, E10, and E15 with gasoline 92 on engine performance parameters and emissions of a GX35 four-stroke engine at different engine speeds. The results along the speed range reveal that increasing ethanol amount leads to an average increase of 2.7%, 1%, and 1.1% in brake power (BP), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), and CO2 emissions, respectively. Meanwhile, it causes an average decrease of 28 °C, 3%, 15 ppm, and 0.18% in exhaust gas temperature (EGT), brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), HC, and CO emissions respectively. Moreover, the current study develops an Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) model for predicting the performance and emissions of spark ignition (SI) engines. Python programming language is used for ANN coding to train and validate the ANN model with E15. Regression plots were generated to visualize the correlation between the target and predicted data, indicating outstanding performance. The results confirmed the model’s reliability for BP, EGT, CO, CO2, and HC parameters with R2 values more than 0.99 and with acceptable performance for BSFC and BTE with R2 of 0.9339, and 0.9708, respectively. To ensure that the is no overfitting during the ANN study, we used different statistical methods, such as validation set, cross-validation, and learning curves.

Effects of exhaust gas recirculation and ethanol-gasoline blends on combustion and emission characteristics of spark ignition engine

The combined influences of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and ethanol-gasoline blends on the combustion process and emissions of a single-cylinder spark ignition engine were numerically examined. Four different EGR values were employed, i.e. 0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 10%, to reveal the effect of EGR on engine performance. The engine was operated at a load of 100% and a speed of 3000 rpm. The peak values of in-cylinder pressure and temperature gradually decreased as increasing the EGR ratios. These peaks move towards the TDC as increasing the ethanol fraction in blends due to high oxygen in the mixture and burning flame speed in the cylinder. Ethanol fractions ranging from 5% to 15% can effectively improve the negative effects of EGR ratios. When increasing the ethanol fraction, the CO2 rapidly increased and concentrated around the TDC. The NOx emissions are significantly increased with increasing ethanol fraction. In the case of pure gasoline, the NOx emissions are substantially suppressed and exhibit a remarkably low value as increasing the EGR ratios. The best combination for diluting NOx emissions to a very low level is ethanol fraction ranging from E5 to E10, while the EGR rates range from 5% to 10%.

Comparative Review on the Production and Purification of Bioethanol from Biomass: A Focus on Corn

In the contemporary era, conventional energy sources like oil, coal, and natural gas overwhelmingly contribute 89.6% to global CO2 emissions, intensifying environmental challenges. Recognizing the urgency of addressing climate concerns, a pivotal shift towards renewable energy, encompassing solar, wind, and biofuels, is crucial for bolstering environmental sustainability. Bioethanol, a globally predominant biofuel, offers a versatile solution, replacing gasoline or integrating into gasoline–ethanol blends while serving as a fundamental building block for various valuable compounds. This review investigates the dynamic landscape of biomass generations, drawing insightful comparisons between the first, second, third, and fourth generations. Amid the drive for sustainability, the deliberate focus on the initial generation of biomass, particularly corn, in bioethanol production is grounded in the current dependence on edible crops. The established utilization of first-generation biomass, exemplified by corn, underscores the necessity for a comprehensive examination of its advantages and challenges, allowing for a nuanced exploration of existing infrastructure and practices. To produce bioethanol from corn feedstock, various milling methods can be employed. Thus, this paper delves into a comparative assessment of dry-milling and wet-milling processes scrutinizing their efficiency, environmental impact, and economic feasibility.

Investigation of performance and emission characteristics using ethanol-blended gasoline fuel as a flex-fuel in two-wheeler vehicle mounted on a chassis dynamometer

Abstract This study investigated the performance and emissions of flex fuels in a 110-cc BS6-compliant fuel-injected two-wheeler without ethanol adaptation adjustments. The tests were carried out under controlled conditions on a chassis dynamometer at 1000, 2000 and 3000 r.p.m. using ethanol blends from 10% ethanol (E10) to 85% ethanol (E85). Parameters examined included brake power (BP) output, brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC), peak in-cylinder pressure and exhaust temperature. Emissions, including carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and unregulated emissions, were also assessed. As the percentages of the ethanol blend increased from E10 to E85, there was a noticeable improvement in power output. At 1000 r.p.m., the BP ranged from 2.4 to 4.6 kW for different blends. The BSFC and the peak in-cylinder pressure followed a similar pattern, indicating enhanced performance and fuel efficiency with higher ethanol concentrations. Interestingly, using E85 at 1000 r.p.m. resulted in a significant 41.08% reduction in exhaust temperature compared with E10, although this difference decreased with higher blend percentages. Furthermore, replacing E10 with E85 at 1000 r.p.m. reduced CO and HC emissions by 9.17% and 38.34%, respectively. In contrast, NOx emissions increased at all r.p.m. levels with higher-ethanol blends, peaking at a 415 parts per million increase at 3000 r.p.m. However, unregulated emissions decreased significantly with increased r.p.m. and ethanol content. In summary, the use of flex-fuel blends in a two-wheeler resulted in a modest increase in BP output, improved fuel efficiency and lower CO and HC emissions. These findings are vital for optimizing ethanol blend utilization in two-wheeler engines under low-load conditions, considering both performance and environmental aspects.

Performance and Emission Analysis of Ethanol-Petrol Blends in Single-Cylinder Engines: A Sustainability Perspective

This study investigates the blending of ethanol and petrol in the Indian subcontinent, addressing the urgent need for sustainable fuel alternatives amid rising energy demands and environmental concerns. Ethanol, as a renewable biofuel, presents a viable option for enhancing the efficiency of internal combustion engines while reducing harmful emissions. Given the significant air pollution issues prevalent in urban areas of India, optimizing fuel blends can substantially improve engine performance and contribute to cleaner air. The primary objectives of this research include analyzing the impact of different ethanol-petrol blends on the performance of a single-cylinder petrol engine, assessing key performance metrics such as brake power, Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP), Brake Mean Effective Pressure (BMEP), and Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTHE). Emission analysis was conducted to measure hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), oxygen (O₂), and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) across various blends, quantifying the environmental impact of each. Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) was employed to rank the fuel blends based on their performance and emissions, helping identify the most effective blend for optimal engine operation. Additionally, the sustainability of ethanol blending as an alternative fuel solution in the Indian automotive sector was assessed. The study recorded key performance indicators and emissions using standardized techniques, with GRA calculating Grey relational coefficients to measure the degree of similarity between observed data and desired outcomes. This approach facilitated the ranking of blends, ultimately identifying the optimal ethanol-petrol blend. The findings revealed significant variations in both performance and emissions across different blends, indicating that ethanol blending holds substantial promise as a sustainable solution for the Indian automotive sector. These insights align with recent studies on the benefits of biofuels in enhancing engine performance and reducing emissions, providing valuable guidance for optimizing ethanol-petrol blends to improve sustainability in energy consumption.

Does ethanol-blended gasoline policy improve air quality in China?

Ethanol-blended gasoline has been increasingly adopted worldwide as a strategy to address pressing concerns related to energy security and air pollution. This study focuses on exploring how the pilot policy of promoting ethanol-blended gasoline for vehicles affects air quality. Using a panel dataset comprising daily air quality measurements spanning the period 2016–2020, we employ a staggered difference-in-difference (DID) approach to investigate the impact of this policy. The results reveal a significant improvement in air quality after the implementation of ethanol-blended gasoline policy. On average, the air quality index experiences a reduction of 9.71 units, accompanied by decreases in the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, CO, and NO2 by 9.15 μg/m3, 10.28 μg/m3, 0.14 mg/m3, and 2.17 μg/m3, respectively. These findings remain consistent across a range of robustness checks. The heterogeneity analysis further indicates that cities with larger populations and more congested traffic observe a more pronounced improvement in air quality due to the implementation of ethanol-blended gasoline policy. Moreover, the cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that the estimated health benefits derived from the adoption of ethanol-blended gasoline, amounting to 12.73 billion yuan, outweigh the associated costs incurred by the policy implementation. The findings provide compelling evidence that supports the promising role of ethanol-blended gasoline policy in enhancing air quality and highlight the potential benefits of such a policy in addressing the challenges posed by air pollution.

Experimental Study of the Impact of Ethanol Content on Partially Premixed Combustion With Ethanol-Gasoline Blends

Abstract As ethanol production increases and the demand for gasoline in spark ignition engines decreases over the next few decades, the use of these fuels in compression ignition systems is expected to increase. This raises the question of how much ethanol-in-gasoline is the right blend for compression ignition. This work experimentally studied E10, E30, E50, E75, and E100 in a split injection partially premixed compression ignition strategy. It was found that, separately, the cool flame reactivity of E10 and the high cooling potential of E75 and E100 enable heat release rate control in partially premixed combustion. E30 and E50 did not show the same control authority. E30 performed the worst due to having a small amount of cool flame reactivity and a low cooling potential. It was found that NOx emissions were not significantly impacted by ethanol content, but the smoke emissions were. E100 produced near zero smoke, but all the ethanol-gasoline blends produced some smoke. When 20% of the fuel was injected during the mid-dle of the compression stroke, E10, E30, E50, and E75 all produced low, but nonzero smoke emissions. When the second injection was moved near top dead center, the smoke emissions of E75 stayed low but the smoke emissions of E10, E30, and E50 all rose to a filter smoke number greater than 0.3. These results indicate that low- and high-ethanol content gasolines are both viable paths forward for partially premixed combustion systems, but medium-ethanol content gasolines should be avoided.

Impacts of ethanol blended fuels and cold temperature on VOC emissions from gasoline vehicles in China

The Chinese central government has initiated pilot projects to promote the adoption of gasoline containing 10%v ethanol (E10). Vehicle emissions using ethanol blended fuels require investigation to estimate the environmental impacts of the initiative. Five fuel formulations were created using two blending methods (splash blending and match blending) to evaluate the impacts of formulations on speciated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from exhaust emissions. Seven in-use vehicles covering China 4 to China 6 emission standards were recruited. Vehicle tests were conducted using the Worldwide Harmonized Test Cycle (WLTC) in a temperature-controlled chamber at 23 °C and −7 °C. Splash blended E10 fuels led to significant reductions in VOC emissions by 12%–75%. E10 fuels had a better performance of reducing VOC emissions in older model vehicles than in newer model vehicles. These results suggested that E10 fuel could be an option to mitigate the VOC emissions. Although replacing methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) with ethanol in regular gasoline had no significant effects on VOC emissions, the replacement led to lower aromatic emissions by 40%–60%. Alkanes and aromatics dominated approximately 90% of VOC emissions for all vehicle-fuel combinations. Cold temperature increased VOC emissions significantly, by 3–26 folds for all vehicle/fuel combinations at −7 °C. Aromatic emissions were increased by cold temperature, from 2 to 26 mg/km at 23 °C to 33–238 mg/km at −7 °C. OVOC emissions were not significantly affected by E10 fuel or cold temperature. The ozone formation potential (OFP) and secondary organic aerosol formation potential (SOAFP) of splash blended E10 fuels decreased by up to 76% and 81%, respectively, compared with those of E0 fuels. The results are useful to update VOC emission profiles of Chinese vehicles using ethanol blended gasoline and under low-temperature conditions.

Implementation of an Electric Turbocharger on A Single-Cylinder Spark Ignition Engine in an Effort to Use Ethanol Gasoline E40

This study delves into the impact of electric turbochargers on fuel efficiency and emissions in ethanol-gasoline blends. Informed by relevant literature, the research zeroes in on the positive influence of electric turbochargers, emphasizing their role in reducing fuel consumption and emissions while also addressing the trade-off between flame characteristics and NOx emissions. The experimental focus is on the injection modification of a single cylinder, with samples including engines equipped with and without an electric turbocharger. Statistical analysis utilizing percentage-based methods reveals that this technology leads to a substantial 94% reduction in CO emissions at idle speed, a 49% decrease in HC emissions at idle speed, and a 10% increase in CO2 at idle speed. Additionally, it also results in a notable 16.04% reduction in fuel consumption at 40 km/h. These outcomes underscore the potential of electric turbochargers to enhance automotive efficiency and sustainability while acknowledging the trade-off that necessitates further exploration for optimal emission control. The research provides concrete insights for refining electric turbocharger technology and optimizing its practical application.

Characterization of Flex-Fuel Prechamber Enabled Mixing-Controlled Combustion With Gasoline/Ethanol Blends at High Load

Abstract This numerical study focuses on the characterization of prechamber-enabled mixing-controlled combustion (PC-MCC) at ∼18 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) and 2200 rpm with 10% by volume ethanol-gasoline blend (E10) and pure ethanol (E100). Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of a stock and prechamber retrofitted single-cylinder Caterpillar C9.3B are carried out using CONVERGE. Prechamber equivalence ratio at spark timing, prechamber spark timing advance, and main chamber injection strategy are assessed with respect to their impact on ignition assistance performance and emissions characteristics relative to a diesel baseline at the same boundary conditions. Simulation results indicate that PC-MCC is flex-fuel capable and operates well for both E10 and E100 at the operating conditions considered. The results demonstrate that the use of a pilot-main injection strategy enables spark timing in the prechamber to be advanced and thus reduces spark plug firing pressure while maintaining robust ignition assistance. Results also indicate that the rich prechamber operation is favored for improved ignition assistance capabilities. The findings of this work suggest that a heavy-duty vehicle using a PC-MCC engine can utilize any blend of gasoline and ethanol, up to including pure ethanol, with no major sacrifices in performance relative to the diesel engine.

Experimental investigation, ANN modeling, and TOPSIS optimization of gasoline-alcohol blends for minimizing tailpipe emissions of a motorcycle

Two-wheelers contribute more than 32% of global pollution; particularly motorcycle idling and revving operations induce severe emissions in metropolitan cities. The current study conducts both experimental and modeling assessments of a motorcycle operated with alcohol fuel blends (10%, 20%, and 55% by vol.) with gasoline, to optimize the idling and revving emissions. An artificial neural network is modeled to predict the tailpipe emissions with blend percentage, and vehicle speeds as the model inputs. The measured and predicted data are used for optimizing the alcohol blends at various speeds using a multi-objective optimization based technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution. The experimental results reveal that the maximum HC and CO emissions are observed at higher speeds of 3000 rpm, whereas the peak NO is noted in the range of 3000–3500 rpm for gasoline operation. The maximum percentage error variation with the measured and predicted values is 12.5% for CO, 4.2% for CO2, 1.1% for HC, and 1.7% for NO emissions. The optimized blend varies from M15 to M50 for methanol-gasoline and E15 to E55 for ethanol-gasoline blend for the speed range of 1000–3500 rpm. Hence, the developed models provide a novel approach for the prediction and optimization of motorcycle tailpipe emissions for light alcohol fuel blends.

Effect of gasoline-ethanol blends on the performance of a four stroke engine using Ricardo Wave software

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of fuel blends containing ethanol and gasoline in spark ignition engines. The aim is to explore alternative fuels that can enhance performance while minimizing or eliminating adverse environmental impacts, particularly in the context of limited fossil fuel availability and the need for sustainable alternatives. Design/methodology/approach The authors used the Ricardo Wave software to evaluate the performance of fuel blends with varying ethanol content (represented as E0, E10, E25, E40, E55, E70, E85 and E100) in comparison to gasoline. The assessment involved different composition percentages and was conducted at various engine speeds (1,500, 3,000, 4,500 and 6,000 rpm). This methodology aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different ethanol-gasoline blends perform under different conditions. Findings The study found that, across all fuel blends, the highest brake power (BP) and the highest brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) were observed at 6,000 rpm. Additionally, it was noted that the presence of ethanol in gasoline fuel blends has the potential to increase both the BP and BSFC. These findings suggest that ethanol can positively impact the performance of spark-ignition engines, highlighting its potential as an alternative fuel. Originality/value This research contributes to the ongoing efforts in the automotive industry to find sustainable alternative fuels. The use of Ricardo Wave software for performance assessment and the comprehensive exploration of various ethanol-gasoline blends at different engine speeds add to the originality of the study. The emphasis on the potential of ethanol to enhance engine performance provides valuable insights for motor vehicle manufacturers and researchers working on alternative fuel solutions.

Experimental Investigation on Use of Ethanol-Gasoline Blend as Alternate Fuel on SI Engine Performance

Experimental Investigation on Use of Ethanol-Gasoline Blend as Alternate Fuel on SI Engine Performance