Mägi, M; (2015) Effect of Gasoline Fuel Additives on Combustion and Engine Performance. Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Ever increasing emissions regulations and demand for fuel economy have brought about great advances in fuel and engine technologies. Improving engine efficiency through the use of fuel additives has been practiced for nearly a century but advances to direct injection gasoline engines have presented new obstacles that need to be overcome. With direct injection systems often suffering from reduced timescales allowed for combustion processes, atomisation and vaporisation characteristics have become of paramount significance. Present study aimed at adding to the field of knowledge by experimentally investigating commercial fuel additives of different functional iti es against their effects on fuel atomisation and combustion characteristics. Fuel atomisation was evaluated through the use of a laser diffraction system and measurement of fuel viscosity and surface tension. Additives from six functional groups were investigated. Additionally, effects of anti-knock and ignition promoting additives on gasoline combustion behaviour were studied in a constant volume combustion vessel and a single cylinder research engine. Flame speed, heat release rate and emissions output were compared for three commercially available combustion improvers. Investigation into the effect of fuel additives on the physical properties and therefore on fuel atomisation and sprays revealed that in commercially employed quantities, no significant change in recorded Sauter Mean Diameter could be observed. Combustion investigations in a combustion vessel demonstrated that the low temperature reactions initiated by ignition promoting additive reduced CO emissions up to 37.7 % which could be attributed to possible reduced flame quenching near combustion chamber walls. However, in high quantities this reduction in CO levels was not experienced. Addition of anti-knock additives resulted in increased NOx emissions, which was thought to result from increased combustion durations. Present work has clarified fuel additive function and interactions with combustion processes and has demonstrated that gasoline fuel additives do not interfere with combustion processes outside their intended functionality.

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