International Journal of Engineering Research

M. Srinivasnaik ¹, T. V. V. Sudhakar ², B. Balunaik ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, JNTUH Kukatpally, Hyderabad-500085, IN
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering DVR & HS MIC College of Technology, Kondlakoya, Vijayawada, IN
3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, JNTUH, Kukatpally, Hyderabad-500085, IN

Abstract

Alcohols posses low cetane numbers as compared to diesel fuel. Low cetane fuels delay the combustion. Conventional diesel engines with alcohol as fuel are associated with problems due to high self-ignition temperature of the fuel. The hot surface ignition method, where in a part of the injected fuel is made to touch an electrically heated hot surface (glow plug) for ignition, is an effective way of utilizing alcohol in conventional diesel engines. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of thermal insulation on methanol and ethanol fuelled compression ignition engine. One of the important alcohols properties to be considered in the high compression ratio engine is the long ignition delay of the fuel, normally characterized by lower cetane number. In the present study, the ignition delay was controlled by partial insulation of the combustion chamber (low heat rejection engine) by plasma spray coating of yttria stabilized zirconia. Additives play a major role in improving the performance and emission characteristics of a compression ignition (C.I) engine fuelled with alcohols. It is known that operating C.I engines with 100% alcohols. Innovative research revealed that certain additives have to be added to the alcohol fuels by carrying out combustion process in a combustion chamber using glow plug. Traditionally compression ignition combustion chambers were designed using cast irons. Cast iron combustion chambers are bulky so much of the heat generated by the combustion will be absorbed by the cylinder block. Cold start becomes difficult. In the present investigation a detailed literature review results have been presented, A four stroke CI engine is converted into hot surface ignition engine using a glow plug hot surface and tested by providing different piston crown materials. Methanol and Ethanol fuels are selected with an objective to find the best one in terms of performance, emissions and combustion parameters. It is planned to use this best piston crown material for further investigations such as the effect of additives and other operating parameters. It is also planned to investigate the use of these alcohols as fuels in a LHR engine. And the fuels with best additives are planned based on locally available technology.

Keywords

Methanol, Ethanol, Different Crown Materials, Surface Ignition, Glow Plug, Low Heat Rejection Engine, Additives.

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