Optical diagnostics of the combustion process in a PFI SI boosted engine fueled with butanol–gasoline blend

Energy, Volume 45, Issue 1, September 2012, Pages 277–287
The 24th International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy, ECOS 2011
Optical diagnostics of the combustion process in a PFI SI boosted engine fueled with butanol–gasoline blend
Cinzia Tornatore , Luca Marchitto , Gerardo Valentino , Felice Esposito Corcione , Simona Silvia Merola,
Istituto Motori - CNR, Napoli, Italy
Abstract
Alcohol blends with hydrocarbon fuels for spark-ignition engine increase fuel octane rating and power for a given engine displacement and compression ratio. Authors report results of a study of the influence of butanol addition to gasoline.
Experiments were conducted in a ported fuel injection single cylinder SI engine with an external boosting device. The optically accessible engine was equipped with the head of a commercial SI turbocharged engine with the same geometrical specifications. The effect on the spark ignition combustion process of 40% of n-butanol blended in volume with 60% pure gasoline (BU40) was examined by cycle resolved visualization. Butanol blend allowed working in more advanced spark timing without occurrence of abnormal combustion. For the blend BU40, the duration of injection (DOI) was increased to obtain a stoichiometric mixture. BU40 granted performance levels similar to gasoline and in open valve injection allowed to minimize the abnormal combustion effects including the emission of ultrafine carbonaceous particles, NOx and HC.
Full Text Source (Subscription or Fee): http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544212001971