Cycle assessment of a four-stroke spark-ignition ethanol fueled engine

A pathway that displaces current internal combustion engines (ICE) with more sustainable alternatives is required to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. A conceptual framework for an ICE was developed to understand this transition. The conceptual framework of this study was built by constructing a zero-dimensional two-zone model of an ICE cycle and computing it using MATLAB. This model is based on a Peugeot TU3JP-KFW engine operating with 100% ethanol, which is a biofuel. Quantitatively, the results obtained describe the throughput of an ICE in terms of its power and specific fuel consumption over ICE rotational speed and ignition timing. Quantitative and qualitative results for the pollutant emissions were also obtained. The main finding of this study is that while ICEs have high technological maturity, the underlying fuel and combustion technologies are at the start of a new era at the forefront of energy system development. Therefore, it is feasible that fuel and combustion technologies will become sustainable energy innovations, helping achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Future work will analyze how ICEs should adapt to energy innovations in fuel and combustion technologies.