Comparative assessment of di-ethyl ether/diesel blends on the performance, and emission characteristics in acetylene dual fuel engine

Abstract

Many engine specialists have utilized various oxygenated blends such as methyl and ethyl esters, alcoholic fuels, and ether to boost the efficiency of dual fuel engine (DFE). However, there hasn’t been much study done to examine the effects of di-ethyl ether (DEE) in a gaseous fueled engine. Hence, in the present study, the author has examined the impact of the DEE/diesel mixture on the combustion, performance, and exhaust emissions in the acetylene-fueled customized engine. The acetylene is injected at 4 l/min (LPM) through the intake manifold while neat diesel, BD05, BD10, BD15, and BD20 blends are used as ignition sources at various engine loads. It is found that when the engine is operated with an ABD10 fuel combination the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) inclines by 1.7% as compared to standard diesel. The BTE is escalated due to an increased DEE proportion of up to 10% using BD10 pilot fuel at 80% load. However, further increasing the proportion of DEE results is a bit inferior in comparison to conventional diesel mode. Moreover, HC, CO, NOx, and smoke reduce considerably by 27%, 45%, 22%, and 43% respectively in comparison to neat diesel at 80% load while utilizing ABD10 fuel. This may be attributed to the superior physico-chemical properties of the pilot fuel blends permitting legitimate burning of the acetylene-air mixture. Additionally, it is also observed that consumption of neat diesel is decreased by 40% under high load using BD10 mixture as pilot fuel. Consequently, it is recommended to use DEE up to 10% with standard diesel in an acetylene-fueled engine for increasing BTE as well as to mitigate exhaust pollutants.