Session: 08-05-01: Energy-Related Multidisciplinary I

Paper Number: 145871

145871 - Influence of Fuel Temperature on Performance and Emissions of Water-Emulsified Diesel Fuel 

Diesel engines are known for their unarguable efficiency, and their preference for a wide range of applications is not a coincidence [1-3]. With the growing demands for transportation and industrial activities, diesel fuel consumption is expected to rise steadily in the upcoming years [4].

Water-in-Diesel Emulsion (WiDE) is a fuel intended for use in compression-ignition (CI) engines, consisting of diesel as the continuous phase and water as the dispersed phase, bond together by surfactants of a specific hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value [5,6]. These stable mixtures [7] may be able to reduce the pollutants emissions resulting from the combustion of diesel engines, notoriously known for emitting significant levels of nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and smoke [8]. Its ability to be used as a drop-in fuel in the form of a stable blend or by an onboard mixing system mitigates the requirement for costly engine modifications [9].

As temperature directly affects the density and viscosity of the fuel leading to different spray characteristics and ignition behaviors, this work aims to show how differences in WiDE fuel temperatures may impact the combustion properties of emulsified fuels, and how it translates in terms of efficiency and pollutant emissions.  An 8% WiDE was developed and tested at temperatures of 40ºC and 50ºC in a Hatz 1B40 direct injection (DI) diesel engine at 75% of its maximum considered load in an eddy current dynamometer. AVL DiTest gas 1000 model 2301 and AVL DiSmoke 480 were used to measure exhaust gases (CO, CO₂, HC, O₂, NO) and opacity, respectively.

The findings indicate that increasing the emulsion temperature from 40ºC to 50ºC may lead to a decrease in NO_x and smoke emissions, however, compensated by a decrease in thermal efficiency.

 

 

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Presenting Author: Francisco Brójo Universidade da beira Interior

Presenting Author Biography: Francisco Miguel Ribeiro Proença Brojo is the Head of the Department of Aerospace Sciences of the University of Beira Interior (Portugal) and member of the C-MAST (Center for Mechanical and Aerospace Science and Technologies) research unit. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering (1991) at Coimbra University (Portugal), specialised in Energy (1996) at Beira Interior University (Portugal), and received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering (2004) from the Cranfield University (UK). His current research interests include Propulsion Systems and Fuels.

Authors:

Pedro Oliveira Universidade da Beira Interior
Francisco Brójo Universidade da beira Interior
Rafael Domingues University of Beira Interior