Effects of water-emulsified fuel on a diesel engine generator’s thermal efficiency and exhaust

Abstract

Water-emulsified diesel has proven itself as a technically sufficient improvement fuel to improve diesel engine fuel combustion emissions and engine performance. However, it has seldom been used in light-duty diesel engines. Therefore, this paper focuses on an investigation into the thermal efficiency and pollution emission analysis of a light-duty diesel engine generator fueled with different water content emulsified diesel fuels (WD, including WD-0, WD-5, WD-10, and WD-15). In this study, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and carbon dioxide were analyzed by a vehicle emission gas analyzer and the particle size and number concentration were measured by an electrical low-pressure impactor. In addition, engine loading and fuel consumption were also measured to calculate the thermal efficiency. Measurement results suggested that water-emulsified diesel was useful to improve the thermal efficiency and the exhaust emission of a diesel engine. Obviously, the thermal efficiency was increased about 1.2 to 19.9%. In addition, water-emulsified diesel leads to a significant reduction of nitric oxide emission (less by about 18.3 to 45.4%). However the particle number concentration emission might be increased if the loading of the generator becomes lower than or equal to 1800 W. In addition, exhaust particle size distributions were shifted toward larger particles at high loading. The consequence of this research proposed that the water-emulsified diesel was useful to improve the engine performance and some of exhaust emissions, especially the NO emission reduction. Implications: The accumulated test results provide a good basis to resolve the corresponding pollutants emitted from a light-duty diesel engine generator. By measuring and analyzing transforms of exhaust pollutant from this engine generator, the effects of water-emulsified diesel fuel and loading on emission characteristics might be more clear. Understanding reduction of pollutant emissions during the use of water-emulsified diesel helps improve the effectiveness of the testing program. The analyzed consequences provide useful information to the government for setting policies to curb pollutant emissions from a light-duty diesel engine generator more effectively.

Effect of Electrical Load On the Emulsification Methods of Inline Mixing System RTES Produced by The Static Mixer and Ultrasonic on Fuel Consumption and Emission Characteristics

“…The presence of water in fuel causes the peak temperature in the combustion chamber lower and contributes to the reduction of thermal NOx during combustion [6,26]. This result similar to studies reported by Badran et al, [27], Syu et al, [28] and Maji et al, [29]. Figure 8 revealed the CO emission under the engine condition of 2200rpm for 5 minutes.…”

The Effects of Nano Additives on Performance and Emission Characteristics of A VCR Diesel Engine Fuelled with Diesel-Water Emulsion

“…By adding water into diesel, it reduces NO x emissions because of lower combustion temperature which is due to the high latent heat of vaporisation of water, and also increases the brake thermal efficiency due to the increased ignition delay by addition of the lower amount of water to diesel [9]. The addition of water to diesel causes improved atomization and better mixing of air and fuel, as it enhances the combustion and lowers the formation of particulate matter (PM) [10]. It was also observed that by the addition of the higher amount of water to diesel causes a further increment in ignition delay and it lowers the brake thermal efficiency, as water carries no energy that increases the specific fuel consumption per unit power output [11][12][13].…”

Emission Reductions of Nitrogen Oxides, Particulate Matter and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Using Microalgae Biodiesel, Butanol and Water in Diesel Engine

“…Syu et al (2014) compared the emission performance of water-ethanol microemulsion (WEM) with the performance biodiesel and diesel fuel and noted that the CO emissions from the WEM were higher than that of biodiesel, but lower than those of diesel fuel as a result of larger quench layer created by higher latent heats of evaporation of water and ethanol resulting in cooling effects. Furthermore, according to Ithnin et al (2014), the increased number of OH radicals from water content results in more carbon in the fuel being oxidized to CO.…”