Diesel Engine Performance with Oxygenated Fuel Additives
Summary
Diesel engines blended with oxygenated fuel additives such as alcohols (methanol, ethanol, butanol) and ethers (diethyl ether, ethyl-tert-butyl ether) exhibit enhanced combustion characteristics owing to the elevated oxygen content, reduced viscosity and modified ignition behaviour of the resulting fuels. By improving atomisation and reducing ignition delay, these additives drive up brake thermal efficiency while lowering brake-specific fuel consumption and emissions of carbon monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons and particulate matter. Changes in cetane number, latent heat of vapourisation and density also influence in-cylinder temperatures and reaction kinetics, offering a route to mitigate nitrogen oxides under various load and speed regimes. Practical applications range from light-duty transport to power-generation units, with particular relevance to regions enforcing stringent emission limits and seeking integration of renewable bio-oxygenates to decarbonise the transport sector.
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Diesel Engine Performance with Oxygenated Fuel Additives publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in diesel engine performance with oxygenated fuel additives across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Brake thermal efficiency (BTE): The ratio of useful mechanical work output to the chemical energy input from the fuel, expressed as a percentage.
Brake-specific fuel consumption (BSFC): The mass of fuel consumed per unit of power produced per hour, indicating fuel economy of an engine.
Cetane number: A standard measure of ignition quality in compression-ignition fuels; higher values correspond to shorter ignition delay and smoother combustion.
Oxygenated additives: Fuel components containing bonded oxygen (e.g. alcohols, ethers) that enhance combustion by improving mixing, reducing soot formation and lowering peak temperatures.
References
- Multi-objective RSM-based optimization of diesel-diethyl ether blends in diesel engine to achieve sustainable development goals. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2024).
- Performance and Emission Characteristics of Second-Generation Biodiesel with Oxygenated Additives. Energies (2023).
- Impact of Diethyl Ether/Rapeseed Oil Blends on Performance and Emissions of a Light-Duty Diesel Vehicle. Energies (2020).
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