Experimental study on the effects of camphor ethanol petrol blends in a spark ignition engine: performance and emissions analysis

Abstract

This paper discusses a detailed study on the performance of a SI engine fuelled with camphor-ethanol-petrol blends. In this study, a mixture consists of camphor and ethanol in weight percentage (20:80) was blended with petrol in three different ratios: 10%, 20% and 30%. A performance test was conducted in the SI engine at constant speed with varying torque using an eddy current dynamometer in order to evaluate the performance between the blended fuel and the sole fuel, such as brake power, specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency and volumetric efficiency, among others. The study also includes viscosity measurements from a redwood viscometer, Calorific value measurements from a bomb calorimeter, density calculations and exhaust emission tests in a four gas analyser for both blended fuels as well as for pure petrol. It is inferred from the study that lesser specific fuel consumption, less emissions due to complete combustion of air fuel mixture and maximum volumetric efficiency were achieved in the blended fuel that results in efficient working of the spark ignition engine with less pollution. The main objective of this study is to increase the performance of SI engines, to reduce the emission rate and minimize the specific fuel consumption with the blended fuel to make the planet greener. KeywordsCamphor and ethanol mixture; Petrol; Spark ignition engine; Performance test; Exhaust emission test