Spray Characteristics of<i>n</i>-Butanol in a High-Pressure Common-Rail Injection System

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the spray characteristics of n-butanol, using a diesel spray for comparison. Spray tip penetration and spray cone angle were tested and analyzed. A high-speed photographic system was employed to observe the spray evolution, and a common-rail system and constant-volume chamber were used to change the pressure. The results show that the n-butanol spray penetrates faster than the diesel spray while under the same conditions. The experimental trend lines support the axial development model constructed by Hiroyasu and Arai on the grounds of a similar proportional relation to time after the start of injection, and the empirical equations provide reasonable approximations to the experimental measurements of the spray tip penetration.