Performance and emission characteristics of a turbocharged si engine using petrol-ethanol fuel

Abstract

With the increasing consumption of fossil fuels along with the increasing number of automobiles, there is a definite need for finding a proper replacement for fossil fuels. Also, there is a need to reduce fuel consumption today. Alternative fuels which are renewable and eco-friendly reduce the dependency on fossil fuels and also help to preserve the atmosphere by reducing the emission levels. Ethanol (10%) blended with petrol (90%) is chosen as an alternative fuel to petrol in the present study. Also, usage of energy efficiently is very important to decrease the fuel consumption. In a conventional IC engine, exhaust gasses carry heat away and this energy is wasted. To recover waste heat in order to increase the efficiency of engine by reducing the fuel consumption, turbocharger is used with the engine. The present study uses 4-stroke 3-cylinder SI engine of a Maruthi Suzuki Omni vehicle, which has with a rated power of 35 BHP. ST-9403 is used as turbocharger attached to the engine by blow through type. Mileage test is conducted for fuel efficiency and emission test is conducted to determine the emission levels produced. Petrol shows better mileage compared to E10 alternative fuel, but E10 gives lower emissions (CO emissions decreased by 20.6%). With turbocharged engine using E10 fuel, there is increase in mileage and decrease in CO emission level by 11.2%.