https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9384-2757
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ABSTRACT
Alcohol fuels, primarily ethanol and methanol, have emerged as one of the important alternatives for sustainable transportation and power generation applications, due to the overall lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The higher octane number of alcohol makes it suitable for spark ignition (SI) engines while lower blend ratios can be used for compression ignition (CI) engines as well. Since significant work and exploration have already been performed for the application of alcohol in SI engines, the present study is primarily focused on alcohol utilization in CI engines. This review majorly consists of three parts: first, a discussion on the physical and chemical properties of ethanol and methanol from the fuel perspective, second, combustion, and engine performance of CI engines fueled with alcohol and lastly, emissions characterization of alcohol as fuel. A summary of this review is provided which highlights the potential of alcohol utilization in the form of blend or under dual-fuel combustion modes, as well as neat alcohol fueled CI engine. Alcohol-fueled CI engine improves the soot-NOx trade-off characteristic in comparison to conventional diesel combustion, this fuel could be an enabler to meet future emissions regulations. Overall lower CO2 emissions (up to 15% lower compared to diesel) by utilizing alcohol as fuel make it suitable for sustainable transportation.
Abbreviations
| ABE | = | Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol |
| ATDC | = | After Top Dead Centre |
| BSFC | = | Brake Specific Fuel Consumption |
| BTDC | = | Before Top Dead Centre |
| BTE | = | Brake Thermal Efficiency |
| BTEX | = | Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene |
| C/H | = | Carbon to Hydrogen Ratio |
| C2H2 | = | Acetylene |
| Ethanol | = | C2H5OH |
| C6H6 | = | Benzene |
| CAD | = | Crank Angle Degree |
| CH4 | = | Methane |
| CI | = | Compression Ignition |
| CN | = | Cetane Number |
| CO | = | Carbon Monoxide |
| COV | = | Coefficient of Variation |
| CO2 | = | Carbon Dioxide |
| CR | = | Compression Ratio |
| DI | = | Direct Injection |
| EGR | = | Exhaust Gas Recirculation |
| HC | = | Hydrocarbons |
| HCHO | = | Formaldehyde |
| HRR | = | Heat Release Rate |
| IC | = | Internal Combustion |
| IMEP | = | Indicated Mean Effective Pressure |
| LHV | = | Lower Heating Values |
| Butane | = | n-C4H10 |
| Pentane | = | n-C5H12 |
| NO | = | Nitric Oxide |
| NO2 | = | Nitrogen Dioxide |
| NOx | = | Nitrogen Oxides |
| PFI | = | Port Fuel Injection |
| PM | = | Particulate Matter |
| POME | = | Palm Oil Methyl Ester |
| SI | = | Spark Ignition |
| SOI | = | Start of Injection |
| VOCs | = | Volatile Organic Compounds |
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.