The effect of ISO-Butanol additive in Methanol-Gasoline blends on engine performance and exhaust emission using spark ignition engine / Hazim Sharudin

The application of alcohol fuels on spark ignition (SI) engine has recently become an attraction as an alternative to gasoline fuel. This is due to the concerns on environmental pollution, depletion of fossil fuels, and stringent regulation. Alcohol fuel is indeed an attractive alternative fuel as it had been found to improve octane number, enhance oxygen content, and reduce carbon monoxide emissions. One of the well-known alcohol fuels is methanol fuel that can be blended with gasoline to produce better engine operation in spark ignition engine. Blended methanol-gasoline fuels can be improved further by adding higher carbon number alcohol, such as isobutanol, as they have higher energy content and they are able to displace more gasoline fuels than methanol-gasoline fuels. However, studies concerning the addition of iso-butanol in lower ratio methanol-gasoline fuels, specifically on fuel properties and engine operation, have not been investigated thoroughly. Therefore, this research looked into the feasibility of the iso-butanol additive (5, 10, 15%) into a lower ratio of 5% methanol-gasoline blended fuel (M5) on unmodified spark ignition engine. The performances of iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline blends were compared with base gasoline fuel. Experimental investigation on the characterization of the isobutanol additive on lower ratio methanol-gasoline blended fuel was first performed. The characterization of fuel involved was density, lower heating value, kinematic viscosity, latent heat of vaporization, Reid of vapour pressure and oxygen content. Other than that, engine testing was performed by using four-cylinder spark ignition engine to test all the blended fuel involved. The engine performance, such as brake power, brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), and exhaust gas temperature (EGT), had been determined. For exhaust emissions, the parameters, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and unburned hydrocarbon (HC), were also measured. From the test results, improvement was recorded at kinematic viscosity, density, latent heat of vaporization, and oxygen content for iso-butanol additive of 5%, 10%, and 15% with 5% of the methanol-gasoline fuel blends. On the other hand, a reduction was recorded for both heating value and Reid vapour pressure for all blended fuel with iso-butanol additive in comparison to that of base fuel. Moreover, as for engine performance, M5B15 displayed improvement in engine brake power, BTE, and EGT compared to other blended fuels. Nevertheless, higher fuel consumption was recorded for all methanolgasoline blended fuels with iso-butanol additive compared to base gasoline fuel. In terms of engine emissions, M5B15 exhibited the lowest CO and HC emissions compared to base gasoline fuel. However, the increasing trend projected by NOx and CO2 emissions had been recorded in all iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline fuels with M5B15 exerting the highest emissions. Thus, it can be concluded that isobutanol additives are indeed a viable option to be blended with the existing lower ratio methanol-gasoline as an alternative fuel for the operation of spark ignition engine

An Overview of Spark Ignition Engine Operating on Lower-Higher Molecular Mass Alcohol Blended Gasoline Fuels

This paper reviews the utilization of lower and higher molecular weight alcohols as fuel for spark ignition engine. As an alternative fuel for spark ignition engine, alcohol is widely accepted as comparable to gasolin. It is due to its ability that can be produced from biological matter through the current available and new processes. Moreover, alcohol is also considered as fuel additive due to its physical and chemical properties compatible with the requirements of modern engines. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of these fuels by highlighting on the fuel properties and spark ignition engine responses. The first part of this review explains the important of alcohol fuel properties related to the engine performance and emissions, and the difference of these properties for each type of alcohol. The second part discusses recent advancements in research involving lower and higher molecular weight alcohols mainly responses from spark ignition engine

Experimental investigation on physicochemical properties of Iso-Butanol additive in methanol-gasoline blends / Hazim Sharudin ...[et al.]

Alcohol fuels such as methanol are popular as an alternative fuel for internal combustion engine because of its economic and environmental advantages over fossil fuel. Blended methanol-gasoline fuels can be improved further by adding higher carbon number such as iso-butanol as they have higher energy content and are able to displace more gasoline fuel. However, the research on the addition of lower ratio iso-butanol in methanol-gasoline fuel properties is not investigated thoroughly. Therefore, this study will focus on investigating the physical and chemical properties of iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline blends. Different methanol-gasoline fuel blends were obtained with the addition of 5 vol%, 10 vol%, and 15 vol% iso-butanol into a lower ratio of 5 vol% methanol-gasoline blended fuel. The blended fuel properties determined are density, kinematic viscosity, lower heating value, latent heat of vaporization and Reid of vapour pressure. Characterization of the blends with iso-butanol additive was tested according to specific test standards. From the test results, improvement was recorded at density, kinematic viscosity, and latent heat of vaporization for iso-butanol additive of 5%, 10%, and 15% with 5% of the methanol-gasoline fuel blends. On the other hand, a reduction was recorded for both lower heating value and Reid vapour pressure for all blended fuels with iso-butanol additive in comparison to that of base fuel. No phase separation occurred and the blends were successfully blended in lower ratio volume at specific temperatures. Overall, a lower ratio of the iso-butanol additive on methanol-gasoline blends was found to improve the current existing methanol-gasoline blends

Investigation of the Emission Characteristics of Iso-Butanol Additives on Methanol-Gasoline Blends using Spark Ignition Engine / Hazim Sharudin ...[et al.]

Lower emissions of spark ignition engine can be achieved by using alcohol fuels such as methanol as it is more environmental advantage over fossil fuel. The methanol fuels can be further improved by added with iso-butanol as it have higher energy content and able to displace more gasoline fuel. Nevertheless, the research on the addition of lower ratio iso-butanol in methanol-gasoline blends specifically on exhaust emission is still not investigated thoroughly. Therefore, this study will focus on investigating the effect of iso-butanol additive on methanol-gasoline blends on the emission characteristics of spark ignition engine. The lower percentage (5%) of methanol-gasoline fuels was added with lower ratio of iso-butanol (5-15%) with 5% of volume increment. The experimental test were carried out on a 1.6-litre four-cylinder spark ignition engine at a fixed speed of 4000 rpm with increasing engine load form 10 Nm until 100 Nm. The results showed that the iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline blends was efficient to reduce the carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (HC) formation compared to base fuel. Among all tested fuels, M5B15 (Iso-butanol 15% + Methanol 5% + Gasoline 80%) blend gave lower CO and HC emissions by 12.45% and 16.18% at 100 Nm. Meanwhile, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were higher for all methanol-gasoline blends with iso-butanol additives compared with that base gasoline. M5B15 blends gives higher emissions of NOx and CO2 by 11.45% and 11.74% at 100 Nm. This study summarized that iso-butanol additives can be applied in low percentage methanol-gasoline blends without any modification on the current existing engine, therefore reducing any serious environment impact

Experimental Study on the Effects of Methanol and Ethanol on Gasoline Engine Performance and Exhaust Emissions / M. S. M. Zaharin...[et al.]

Increasing demands of energy sources in automotive sector have led to depletion of fossil fuels. In solving the problem of fuel supply, researchers have rapidly raised intentions on alternative fuels since the late 20th century, in which it is highly favourable over gasoline fuel due to its cost-efficiency and environmental friendly. This paper presented the effects of various alcohol-gasoline blends on engine performance and exhaust emissions. Four fuel blends; M5 (methanol 5% + pure gasoline 95%), M15 (methanol 15% + pure gasoline 85%), E5 (ethanol 5% + pure gasoline 95%) and E15 (ethanol 15% + pure gasoline 85%) were tested on a 4-cylinder, 4-strokes, 1.6L natural aspirated spark ignition (SI) engine under condition of wide open throttles and engine speed varied from 1000-4000 rpm. The results showed that methanol and ethanol fuels provide air-fuel charge cooling to increase the density of the charge. Thus, the fuel blends produced higher engine brake power than that of pure gasoline. In relation to brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), E15 presented the highest result due to the lower energy content compared to that of other blends. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE) produced by M15 was the highest, obtaining 5.17% increment from pure gasoline compared to other fuel blends which were 1.6%, 1.16% and 2.47% for M5, E5 and E15, respectively. The fuel blends emitted lower exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) gases due to the addition of oxygenated fuel that promoted better combustion process and reduced exhaust emissions of CO and HC. However, the blends have resulted in increase of NOx emissions in comparison to that of pure gasoline which can be attributed to the higher flame temperature of alcohol. Optimized blend ratios for methanol and ethanol with gasoline were found to be better than pure gasoline fuel in terms of fuel properties, combustion behaviour, engine performance and exhaust emissions with E15 producing the highest engine brake power of 60.3 kW and emitting the lowest CO and HC emissions at high engine speed with 0.566% and 114.2 ppm, respectively. Meanwhile, M15 provided the most thermal efficient fuel blend at all operating conditions

Physical and mechanical properties of light red meranti treated with boron preservatives

This study investigates the influence of varying concentrations of boric acid (BA) preservative on the physical and mechanical properties of light red meranti (LRM) found in Sarawak. LRM or Shorea leprosula samples were treated with various concentrations of BA via the dip diffusion method using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The physical property, particularly the retention rate and mechanical properties, bending strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), tensile and compression strength parallel to grain of impregnated and control samples were tested to determine the effects of BA preservative. The retention rate was found to increase with increasing BA concentration and higher surface area to volume ratio. The mechanical properties in terms of the MOE and tensile strength parallel to grain were found to be greater than those of the control samples, whereas the bending strength and tensile strength parallel to grain were lower. Amongst the results, only the retention rate and MOE showed significant interaction effects at 5% level of significance between all factors tested (samples size and BA concentration for retention rate and BA concentration for MOE)

Investigation of The Effects of Iso-Butanol Additives on Spark Ignition Engine Fuelled with Methanol-Gasoline Blends

Alternative fuels on internal combustion engine (ICE) recently has become an attention due to the concern for environmental protection, and needs on reducing dependency on fossil fuels and meeting the current stringent regulation. Alcohol fuel is one of the attractive alternative fuels as it can be produced from renewable resources and is oxygenated. Methanol fuel is a well-known alcohol fuel that can be blended at the lower blending ratio with gasoline and produce better engine operation in spark ignition engine. However, there is a problem related to its methanol properties, especially on its energy content and vapour lock characteristics. Alcohol with higher carbon number such as iso-butanol has high energy content and is able to displace more petroleum gasoline compared to the methanol-gasoline blended fuel. In this study, the focus on the effect of the iso-butanol additive in the methanol-gasoline fuel of unmodified spark ignition engines. A lower ratio of methanol-gasoline blends (M5) was blended with the iso-butanol additive for 5 to 15% with 5% increment compared with base gasoline fuel. Tests were conducted at constant load (100%) with a variable of lower engine speed range from 1000 rpm to 2500 rpm. The results indicate that as for engine performance, M5B15 displayed improvement in engine brake power, BTE (brake thermal efficiency), and EGT (exhaust gas temperature) compared to other blended fuels. Nevertheless, there is a higher fuel consumption was recorded for all methanol-gasoline blended fuels with iso-butanol additive compared to base gasoline fuel. In terms of engine emissions, M5B15 gives a significant reduction in CO and HC emissions compared to base gasoline fuel. However, the increasing trend projected by NOx and CO2 emissions had been recorded in all iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline fuels with M5B15 exerting the highest emissions. It can be concluded that iso-butanol additives are a viable option to be blended with existing lower ratio of methanol-gasoline for spark ignition engine operation as an alternative fuel

Investigation of the emission characteristics of iso-butanol additives on methanol-gasoline blends using spark ignition engine

Lower emissions of spark ignition engine can be achieved by using alcohol fuels such as methanol as it is more environmental advantage over fossil fuel. The methanol fuels can be further improved by added with iso-butanol as it have higher energy content and able to displace more gasoline fuel. Nevertheless, the research on the addition of lower ratio iso-butanol in methanol-gasoline blends specifically on exhaust emission is still not investigated thoroughly. Therefore, this study will focus on investigating the effect of iso-butanol additive on methanol-gasoline blends on the emission characteristics of spark ignition engine. The lower percentage (5%) of methanol-gasoline fuels was added with lower ratio of iso-butanol (5-15%) with 5% of volume increment. The experimental test were carried out on a 1.6-litre four-cylinder spark ignition engine at a fixed speed of 4000 rpm with increasing engine load form 10 Nm until 100 Nm. The results showed that the iso-butanol additive in methanol-gasoline blends was efficient to reduce the carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (HC) formation compared to base fuel. Among all tested fuels, M5B15 (Iso-butanol 15% + Methanol 5% + Gasoline 80%) blend gave lower CO and HC emissions by 12.45% and 16.18% at 100 Nm. Meanwhile, oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions were higher for all methanol-gasoline blends with iso-butanol additives compared with that base gasoline. M5B15 blends gives higher emissions of NOx and CO2 by 11.45% and 11.74% at 100 Nm. This study summarized that iso-butanol additives can be applied in low percentage methanol-gasoline blends without any modification on the current existing engine, therefore reducing any serious environment impact