What is it about?

By optimizing spark timing control, performance of ethanol-gasoline blended fuel engine was improved in all test conditions. Especially, torque improvements of E30 and E50 fuels were 5.4% and 1.8%, respectively, without affecting combustion stability.

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Why is it important?

In the American continent, the most frequently used alternative fuel is ethanol. Especially in Brazil, various blends of gasoline–ethanol fuels are widely spread. The vehicle using blended fuel is called flexible fuel vehicle. Because of several selections for the blending ratios in gas stations, the fuel properties may vary after refueling depending on a driver’s selection. Also, the combustion characteristics of the flexible fuel vehicle engine may change. In order to respond to the flexible fuel vehicle market in Brazil, a study on blended fuels is performed. The main purpose of this study is to enhance performance of the flexible fuel vehicle engine to target Brazilian market.

Perspectives

The results of this study are expected to save the effort required for engine calibration when developing new flexible fuel vehicle engines and to be used as a basic strategy to improve the performance of other flexible fuel vehicle engines.

Prof. Yong-Seok Cho
Kookmin University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: An experimental study on optimal spark timing control for improved performance of a flex fuel vehicle engine, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D Journal of Automobile Engineering, August 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0954407019869773.
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