Alcohol fuel

About: Alcohol fuel is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2030 publications have been published within this topic receiving 42757 citations.

Influence of gaseous fuel induction on the various engine characteristics of a dual fuel compression ignition engine: A review

Abstract: Currently, the unsustainable fossil fuels have been chiefly used for power generation in CI engines. From the standpoint of fossil fuels depletions and environmental concerns, it is imperative to hunt out alternative energy resources that could replace hydrocarbon fossil fuels in the existing engines. In this regards, enormous studies have focused on the utilization of renewable fuels along with conventional petroleum fuel in existing compression ignition (CI) engine. The induction of gaseous fuels under dual fuel mode have emanated as a potential energy carrier to address the environmental aspects related to CI engines. This review focussed to analyze the influence of gaseous fuels (like H2, biogas, syngas) addition to CI diesel engine under dual fuel mode with diesel/biodiesel as a pilot fuel. Various engine characteristics such as combustion, performance, and emission of the dual fuel CI engine using gaseous fuels as a secondary fuel were analyzed and compared with CI engine working under single fuel mode. Findings of some experimental studies have been presented in the form of graphs for selective important parameters as case studies. The overall impression from the review suggests that the performance of the dual fuel CI engine slightly deteriorates while enriching the gaseous fuel, but the improvement in environmental emissions have been reported. Furthermore, various approaches are discussed comprehensively in order to evaluate the performance of dual fuel CI engine along with a check on harmful emissions.

Ethanol and methanol from cellulosic biomass

Abstract: Cellulosic biomass includes agricultural and forestry wastes, municipal solid waste, and energy crops. Enough ethanol or methanol could be made from cellulosic biomass in countries such as the United States to replace all gasoline, thereby reducing strategic vulnerability and lowering trade deficits for imports. Direct alcohol blends and gasoline containing ethers of ethanol or methanol decrease emissions of carbon monoxide, and neat alcohols reduce smog. In addition, producing alcohol fuels from biomass that is grown sustainably does not contribute to the accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in the atmosphere. Significant progress has been made over the past few years in the technologies for converting biomass to ethanol or methanol. The simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) process is favored for producing ethanol from cellulose, because of its low cost potential. Technology has also been developed for converting hemicellulose into ethanol. Burning the remaining fraction -- predominantly lignin -- can provide enough heat and electricity for the conversion process and generate extra electricity for export. Developments in conversion technology have reduced the projected selling price of ethanol from about US $45 per gigajoule ($0.95 per liter) ten years ago to only about $13 per gigajoule ($0.28 per liter) today. For methanolmore » production, improved gasification technology has been developed, and more economical syngas cleanup methods are available. The projected cost of methanol has been reduced from about $16 per gigajoule ($0.27 per liter) to less than $15 per gigajoule ($0.25 per liter) at present. Technical opportunities have been identified that could reduce the costs of ethanol and methanol produced from cellulosic biomass to levels competitive with gasoline (%0.21 per liter) derived from oil at $25 per barrel. 110 refs., 3 figs., 15 tabs.« less

Alcohol-based fuels in high performance engines

Abstract: The paper discusses the use of alcohol fuels in high performance pressure-charged engines such as are typical of the type being developed under the ‘downsizing’ banner. To illustrate this it reports modifications to a supercharged high-speed sports car engine to run on an ethanol-based fuel (ethanol containing 15% gasoline by volume, or ‘E85’). The ability for engines to be able to run on alcohol fuels may become very important in the future from both a global warming viewpoint and that of security of energy supply. Additionally, low-carbon-number alcohol fuels such as ethanol and methanol are attractive alternative fuels because, unlike gaseous fuels, they can be stored relatively easily and the amount of energy that can be contained in the vehicle fuel tank is relatively high (although still less than when using gasoline). These fuels also have a much higher octane rating than gasoline which makes them attractive as a fuel for pressure-charged engines, which are frequently knock-limited in their ignition advance curves. The modifications made to the engine include the reconfiguration of the fuel system to investigate making best use of the high latent heat of vaporisation of alcohol by injection of a proportion of the fuel mass before the supercharger - the so-called ‘wet compressor’ technique. With this configuration, engine performance data on E85 with optimised engine management settings are presented and compared to the original gasolinefuelled performance. Discussion is made of the nature of the evaporative effect versus oxygen displacement, its effect on supercharger drive power and of the improvement of the spark advance curve as a result of the increase in octane rating of the fuel. To illustrate this response, curves when varying the percentage of fuel delivered upstream of the supercharger are presented. Some discussion of issues to be addressed on the fitment of such an engine to a vehicle is also made, together with how the wet compressor technique might be adopted with minimal impact on evaporative emissions. Conclusions as to the attractiveness of this approach in maximising ethanol-fuelled engine performance are drawn based on the results presented and the vehicle issues listed. There is also some discussion as to how to best configure an ‘omnivorous’ engine to make best use of a range of liquid fuels as they are introduced to the marketplace, with the best efficiency on each.