Alcohol fuel

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

Production, characterization and evaluation of castor oil biodiesel as alternative fuel for diesel engines

Abstract: In this study, the use of castor oil methyl ester as possible alternative fuel for diesel engines was investigated. The oil was extracted in a soxhlet extractor using normal hexane as solvent. To overcome the high kinematic viscosity of the neat oil, a high molar ratio of 6 : 1 was used to produce the methyl ester. The viscosity of the ester was high and further reduced by blending with diesel fuel to reduce it to within the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D6751-02 limits for biodiesel. The biodiesel was characterized and tested in a single cylinder diesel engine. The results obtained gave properties, torque outputs and specific fuel consumption that are close to those of diesel fuel thus confirming that it can be used as alternative fuel for diesel engines. Chromatography analysis of the methyl ester shows that it contains 90% ricinoleic acid which is a monounsaturated, 18-carbon fatty acid with a high polarity hydroxyl functional group at C12 and ester linkages that makes the fuel unsaturated and with a wide range of industrial applications.

Continuous dehydration of alcohol to ether and water used as fuel for diesel engines

Abstract: The present invention relates to an oxygenated fuel composition suitable for use in compression ignition internal combustion engines, equipped with inlet air heater, a catalytic alcohol dehydration equipment suitable for chemical equilibrium conversion of methanol and higher alcohol to their associated ether plus water. The generated fuels contain a synergetic combination of unconverted alcohol like methanol and ethanol and associated generated ether as dimethylether and diethylether and water. The generated fuel is injected as a liquid directly into the cylinders of the engine. The generated ether provides good ignition properties. The unconverted alcohol provides a stable single-phase fuel and the water results in a reduction in combustion temperature yielding very low concentration of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas. Another advantage associated with the obtained fuel compositions is very low formation of particulate matter. Experimental investigations have shown that high overall engine efficiency is obtained. The generated fuel compositions are used as main fuel for start and operation of the engine. Further the invention reduces the dependency of fossil liquid fuel as the alcohol feed used can be produced from natural gas and basically all carbon bearing substances like coal and renewable sources like wood.

Alternative fuel and fuel additive compositions

Abstract: Alternative gasoline, diesel fuel, marine diesel fuel, jet fuel, and flexible fuel compositions are disclosed. The compositions include an alcohol and/or a glycerol ether or mixture of glycerol ethers, which can be derived from renewable resources. When combined with gasoline/ethanol blends, the glycerol ethers can reduce the vapor pressure of the ethanol and increaseing the fuel economy. When added to diesel fuel/alcohol blends, glycerol ethers improve the cetane value of the blends. All or part of the diesel fuel in the compositions described herein can be biodiesel fuel and/or synthetic fuel derived from aFischer-Tropsch synthesis process. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis can also use feedstocks derived from sources other than crude oil, such as methane, methanol, ethanol, lignin and glycerol, which can further reduce reliance on foreign sources of crude oil. When used in jet fuel, glycerol ethers can replace all or part of conventional deicing additives, thus lowering skin toxicity, and glycerol ethers ability to reduce particulate emissions can lower the appearance of contrails. When used in marine diesel, the reduction in particulate emissions can be environmentally significant In another embodiment, the alternative compositions comprise gasoline, ethanol, and n-butanol, and in one aspect, the ethanol and/or n-butanol can be derived from renewable resources. Fuel additive compositions, including glycerol ethers and hydrocarbons and/or alcohols, are also disclosed.

A Single-Cylinder Engine Study of Methanol Fuel-Emphasis on Organic Emissions

Abstract: Exhaust emission and performance characteristics of a single-cylinder engine fueled with methanol are compared to those obtained either with gasoline or a methanol-water blend. Our measurements of engine efficiency and power, and CO and NO/sub x/ emissions agree with trends established in the literature. Consequently, the emphasis is placed on organic emissions (unburned fuel including hydrocarbons, and aldehydes), an area in which there is no consensus in the literature. In all cases with methanol fueling, the unburned fuel (UBF) emissions were virtually all methanol as opposed to hydrocarbon compounds. Without special measures to overcome methanol's large heat of vaporization, UBF emissions were four times greater with methanol than those with gasoline. Similarly, aldehyde emissions were an order of magnitude greater with methanol. These high levels of organic emissions with methanol were related to inadequate fuel-air mixture preparation, which was caused by methanol's large heat of vaporization. Modifying the single-cylinder engine intake system to improve vaporization reduced UBF emissions 80 to 90% with methanol and 30 to 50% with gasoline. Aldehyde emissions were also significantly reduced by improving mixture preparation, but remained three to four times greater for methanol than for gasoline. Blending 10% water with methanol resulted in: (1) reducedmore » engine efficiency and power, (2) increased UBF emissions, (3) no measurable effect on aldehyde and CO emissions, and (4) reduced NO/sub x/ emissions. Our tests indicate that the advantages of blending water with methanol are outweighed by the disadvantages.« less