Pyrolysis oil blended n-butanol as a fuel for power generation by an internal combustion engine

Abstract

The article discusses results from the investigation of the n-butanol-pyrolysis oil blend, which can be considered a potential fuel for the internal combustion spark-ignition engine operating in a power generation set. The n-butanol-pyrolysis oil blends were prepared at two ratios of 3:1 (25%) and 1:1 (50%) by volume, respectively. As reference fuels for combustion tests in the engine, regular gasoline (gasoline EU 95) and n-butanol were proposed. The combustion tests were conducted on the single-cylinder research engine at a compression ratio of 11:1 and an equivalence ratio of 1. The experimental analysis was focused on engine performance, combustion phases, knock occurrence, and exhaust emissions. As observed, combustion got slower for butanol-pyrolysis oil blends. CO emission was similar to tests with reference fuels. Unburnt hydrocarbons increased with pyrolysis oil increased to 50% in a blend. NO emissions were reduced. It was found that n-butanol blended pyrolysis oil at a ratio of 3:1 can be successfully applied as the fuel to the spark-ignition engine. Additionally, it was found that this blend is more resistant to combustion knock compared to regular gasoline 95. Hence, the engine can work at a higher compression ratio without any malfunctions caused by combustion knock.