Enhancing diesel engine performance and emissions with innovative Ethanol-Surfactant blends in Biodiesel: Unveiling insights through fractional factorial design

Abstract

The present work’s principal goal is to use a maximum ethanol dose range of 20 % and 40 % by volume instead of commercial diesel fuel in diesel engines. Biodiesel fuel has been utilized as a blend with a higher percentage, serving as a renewable fuel with the aid of using fuel blend surfactant additives. However, this goal has been pursued using a new surfactant material to improve the stability and solubility of ethanol/biodiesel/diesel fuel blends over time, known as Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP). This is because there have been limited efforts to replace commercial fuel using a sustainable and renewable energy source, such as biodiesel and ethanol. In this endeavor, a single-cylinder direct injection diesel engine fueled with a blend of 48.75 % biodiesel/48.75 % diesel + 2.5 % TBP by volume, combined with 20 % and 40 % ethanol, has been tested. The engine operating parameters, such as brake power with ethanol blend percentage, were enhanced by applying the central composite design method (CCD). The technical comparison of engine performance and emissions characteristics at different ethanol concentrations of 0 %, 20 %, and 40 % allowed for a thorough analysis. Among the findings, the ideal engine power was determined to be 1.93 kW at 0 % ethanol, using response surface methodology (RSM) optimizer data. At 20 % and 40 % ethanol concentration in the fuel blends by volume, BTE%, T °C, and NOx concentrations were determined to be approximately 14 %, 230 °C, and 380 ppm, respectively. This information provides insights into the impact of ethanol concentration by using TBP as a new surfactant material on BTE%, engine exhaust temperature, and NOx concentrations.