An Investigation of the Impacts of Ethanol-Diesel Blends on Emission and Combustion Parameters of Diesel Engine

An investigation was conducted to evaluate the impact of ethanol/diesel fuel blends on the diesel engine's performance and emissions. The objective of this study is to determine the optimum ethanol/diesel fuel blend percentage, in comparison to using diesel fuel alone, that achieves both improved performance and reduced emissions concurrently. A test is being carried out on five different ethanol/diesel fuel blends. One of them is pure diesel fuel and the others are blended with diesel fuel using 5% to 20% absolute ethanol in increments of 5%. Ethanol-diesel blends have garnered significant attention as an alternative fuel. Making it an environmentally sustainable choice. This fuel option is cleaner-burning, undergoing more complete combustion and resulting in reduced emissions of greenhouse gases linked to climate change. Additionally, ethanol possesses a higher octane rating than diesel, which enhances the performance of compression-ignition engines. By blending ethanol with diesel, engine efficiency, and power output can be improved while reducing issues like engine knock and noise levels. Moreover, it has positive economic implications, generating job opportunities in agriculture. The test measurements were carried out with engine torque ranging from 0 to 21 N.m. with an addition of 6 N.m, at a constant engine speed of 1,500 rpm, and with various compression ratios of 16, 17, and 18. In this study, the performance parameters of an engine were evaluated. These parameters included imep, bsfc, ribth, rim, and Tex. Also analyzed the engine's exhaust emissions, which included CO, NOx, HC, O2, and CO2. To measure these emissions, an exhaust gas analyzer was used, and the smoke opacity was measured using a smoke meter. The results indicated that the highest bsfc was recorded for E20 fuel and the lowest for E0. E0 diesel fuel exhibits the highest ribth, followed by E5, E10, E15, and E20 diesel fuel blends. The value of Tex for E5, E10, E15, and E20 is lower than that of E0, with values of 419 & DEG;C, 421 & DEG;C, 423 & DEG;C, and 424 & DEG;C respectively, under full load conditions. In comparison, the Tex of E0 is 426 & DEG;C. Using ethanol/diesel fuel blends results in reduced CO emissions and increased CO2 emissions under specific load conditions and decreasing the percentage of NOx emissions and increasing the emission of O2. Finally, according to the test results, the engine running on blends produced lower smoke opacity compared to the engine running on diesel.