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Experimental Investigation of Ethanol-Diesel-Butanol Blends in a Compression Ignition Engine by Modifying the Operating Parameters
Abstract:
The rapid utilization of fossil fuels has triggered the finding of alternative renewable fuel that replaces or reduces the consumption by alternative fuels for fueling compression ignition (CI) engines. One such renewable fuel is ethanol which can be manufactured from biomass. The present study details the utilization of an optimum amount of ethanol in CI engine by modifying the operating parameters. It was already published in the previous paper that 45% ethanol can be utilized along with diesel using 10% butanol as cosolvent. This fuel is also meeting the minimum requirement with respect to properties as per ASTM standards. This experimental study was performed to investigate the influence of modifying the engine operating parameters on the performance, combustion, and emission parameters fueled with the blend containing 45% ethanol under various load conditions. Taguchi method was used to find out the optimal parameters such as injection timing (IT), injection pressure (IP), compression ratio (CR), and intake air temperature (IAT) by deploying L9 orthogonal array. Testing has been conducted with and without modifying the engine operating parameters, and the results were compared with that of diesel. The test results showed that there was an improvement in the performance and emission parameters of diesel-ethanol-butanol blends fueled with modified engine parameters, namely, IP, 190 bar; IT, 29° before top dead center (BTDC); CR, 19:1; and IAT, 100°C, compared to normal operating parameters when fueled in CI engine. This experiment reduced 55% of diesel consumption and significant reduction in emissions compared to diesel. This experiment ensures better utilization of ethanol in diesel engine, thereby reducing the consumption of diesel (fossil fuel).