Smoke Opacity and NOx Emissions from a Bioethanol-Diesel Blend during Engine Transient Operation

The work has been focused on the measurement and analysis of the smoke opacity and NOx emissions from an automotive Diesel engine fuelled with conventional fuel and a bioethanol-diesel blend. A commercial pure diesel fuel and a blend with 10% v/v of anhydrous ethanol (99.94 %) were used as test fuels. The engine was mounted in a test bench prepared for operating in different transient sequences. A smoke meter and gaseous emissions analyser allowed for the study of the effect of these fuels on the smoke opacity and NOx emissions under different operating transient sequences. The properties of the test fuels and time-recording of some engine parameters, such as fuel/air ratio or exhaust gas recirculation ratio, were used for the analysis and interpretation of the results. The obtained results suggested that the use of the e-diesel blend is an interesting alternative for a significant reduction in smoke opacity.