Study on the effect of 2-butoxyethanol as an additive on the combustion flame, performance and emission characteristics of a spark ignition engine

[Display omitted] This research work endeavours to study the effect of 2-butoxyethanol blended gasoline on the engine in-cylinder spatial flame propagation, performance, and emission characteristics of a twin-cylinder spark ignition engine at a constant speed of 2400 rpm. The four blends were prepared by adding 1%, 1.5%, 2%, and 2.5% 2-butoxyethanol by volume proportion to the sole gasoline. The visual characteristics of the spatial combustion flame propagation were studied by flame visualization technique using engine endoscope. The captured flame propagation images were analyzed by the combustion diagnostic tool and digital image processing method to compute the flame speed. The results show that the percentage increase in flame speed for 2BE10, 2BE15, 2BE20, and 2BE25 blends is 0.046%, 0.2%, 0.8%, and 1.4% respectively as compared with gasoline. The peak in-cylinder pressure and heat release rate of 2BE25 (97.5% gasoline + 2.5% butoxyethanol) fuel blend is higher by 1.9 bar and 5.06 kJ/m3deg when compared to the sole gasoline whose values are 31.35 bar and 74.322 kJ/m3deg. All the butoxyethanol blends showed a slight improvement in brake thermal efficiency. At full load condition, the CO and HC emissions of 2BE25 blend are decreased by about 15.6% and 9% respectively, whereas NOx emissions of 2BE25 are increased by 10% when compared to that of sole gasoline.