Experimental study of the effect of intake oxygen concentration on engine combustion process and hydrocarbon emissions with n-butanol-diesel blended fuel

Abstract

This paper summarizes a study based on a modified, light, single-cylinder diesel engine and the effects of the physicochemical properties for n-butanol-diesel blended fuel on the combustion process and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions in the intake at a medium speed and moderate load in, an oxygen-rich environment (Coxy = 20.9–16%), an oxygen-medium environment (Coxy = 16–12%), and an oxygen-poor environment (Coxy = 12–9%). The results show that the ignition delay period is the main factor affecting the combustion process and it has a decisive influence on HC emissions. In an oxygen-medium environment, combustion duration affected by the cetane number is the main reason for the difference in HC emissions between neat diesel fuel (B00) and diesel/n-butanol blended fuel (B20), and its influence increases as the intake oxygen concentration decreases. In an oxygen-poor environment, in-cylinder combustion temperature affected by the latent heat of vaporization is the main reason for the difference in HC emissions between B00 and B20 fuels, and its influence increases as the intake oxygen concentration decreases. By comparing B20 fuel with diesel/n-butanol/2-ethylhexyl nitrate blended fuel (B20 + EHN), the difference in the ignition delay period caused by the difference in the cetane number is the main reason for the difference in HC emissions between B20 and B20 + EHN fuels in oxygen-poor environment, and the effect of this influencing factor gradually increases as the intake oxygen concentration decreases.