Effect of ethanol content on fine soot particle emission from a diesel-ethanol blended fuel diesel engine

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect or ethanol content on the emission of nanosized particles from a diesel-ethanol blended fuel engine. The engine combustion and exhaust emission characteristics of a singlecylinder diesel engine were analyzed using an emission analyzer and an SMPS(scanning mobility particle size). The analysis revealed that soot emission increased with the ignition delay. When the ignition delay was fixed, an increase in the ethanol content caused a decrease in the soot emission. With an increase in the ethanol blending ratio, the number concentration and mass distribution of nanosized particles generally decreased. However, for 30% ethanol blending, large particles were observed because of the agglomeration of soot particles, and consequently, the particle mass increased.