Evaluation of Performance Improvement of Gasoline Fuels by Adding Propanol, Ethanol, and Diisopropyl Ether along with Metal Oxides of CeO2 and Fe2O3

Abstract

Many studies focusing on the composition of gasoline with any type of fuel additives have shown that the overall engine performance has a significant impact on reducing emissions. In this research work, ethanol, isopropanol, and diisopropyl ether as oxygenated additive with cerium oxide (CeO2) and iron(III) oxide (Fe2O3) as metal nanoparticles were combined with pure gasoline. Due to the more oxygen they have in their structure, these alcohol additives reduce pollutants and complete combustion. Metal nanoparticles also improve the performance of the engine due to the proper potential. To check the efficiency of the new fuel, a four-stroke engine connected to a dynamometer and an analyzer tested different conditions: speed of 1500 and 2000 rpm and loading percentage of 30 and 40%. Analyzed data include the engine power, and the amount of CO, CO2, HC, and NOx released. The power of the engine on gasoline fuel was 14.43 at 1500 rpm, and once the test was repeated with mixed fuel with additives, it increased to 17.5, which indicates an improvement in engine performance. The amount of CO emissions at 1500 rpm with gasoline fuel was 3.25, and once repeating the test with the same engine rpm with mixed fuel, it decreased to 1.68. The amount of CO2 at 1500 rpm with gasoline fuel was 3.8 and repeating the test with mixed gasoline, it was 5.7. The amount of HC emission with gasoline was 65, and it was 62 when tested with mixed fuel. The amount of NOx released in comparison of gasoline fuel with mixed fuel reached from 264 to 533. The performance improvement and pollutant emissions are fully described in the conclusion section. The analyzed data were calculated and transformed into a model. Among the additives used, isopropanol and CeO2 nanoparticles had better results in optimizing the fuel, reducing the pollutants, and increasing the engine performance. The optimization results show that the use of isopropanol (5%) and CeO2 (1.39 wt. %) as well as diisopropyl ether (4 wt. %) at high engine speed (1504.97 rpm) can be improved engine performance and reduce exhaust gas emissions.