Emission Control in Diesel Engines by Alcohol Fumigation

摘要

The objective of the project was to investigate the use of alcohol fumigation to control the exhaust emissions from diesel engines. Previous testing by authors and others has shown that there is considerable potential for reduction of particulates and oxides of nitrogen using the technique. Specifically, the project was directed to address the questions of operating cost, formulation of alcohol-water mixture and the potential for producing increases in other emissions. Based on our test results, the authors determined that it is possible to reduce diesel emissions using alcohol fumigation. This is true even under transient conditions. Further testing is required to optimize the emission reduction but reductions of 12.7% in oxides of nitrogen and 28.3% in particulates have been observed. The engine used for the study was a four-stroke diesel engine that is characteristic of engines used for industrial and light truck use. It would be useful to conduct a similar study using a two-stroke engine typical of most bus engines. Although large differences from the results observed for four-stroke engines are not expected, the high scavenging air flow rates characteristic of two-stroke engines might cause higher levels of unburned hydrocarbon emissions when using alcohol fumigation.