A Study of Spray Combustion for Ethanol Water Solution

Abstract

Bioethanol is well known that the oil-alternate fuel for automobiles as carbon neutral fuel adapted to environmental problem. Furthermore, ethanol water solution is thought effective to depletion problems of fossil fuel resources. The research so far shows that continuous combustion is archived in a wide range of air ratios using low concentration ethanol water solution. This study aims to examine that the influences on spray combustion characteristics by using a swirl burner. The exhaust gases and combustion temperature are measured in combustion chamber and exhaust pipe by using K type thermocouples. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) The combustion temperature decreases with increasing the air ratio for the ethanol water solution. 2) It is possible to achieve the over 90% combustion efficiency at the low concentration for ethanol water concentration(E45). 3) The CO emission decreases with increasing the air ratio at the low concentration for ethanol water concentration(E45). 4) The NOx emission decreases with decreasing the ratio of ethanol addition at any air ratios.