Effect of ABE and butanol blends with n-dodecane in different volume ratios on diesel combustion and soot characteristics in ECN spray a conditions

This study investigates the feasibility of using Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol mixture (ABE) as a function of the volumetric ratios (20 %v, 30 %v, 40 %v, 50 %v blended with n-dodecane) in order to determine the most suitable ABE ratio for CI engines in comparison to a butanol/n-dodecane blend. The "New One Shot Engine" set-up was used to determine the lift-off length (LOL), ignition delay (ID) and soot concentration by means of OH* chem-iluminescence and Diffused Back Illumination imaging at an ambient pressure and temperature of 60 bar and 900 K corresponding to ECN Spray-A conditions. It was found that ID and LOL increased, while soot concen-tration was reduced with the increase in concentration of ABE and Butanol in dodecane blends. The blends with the smallest content (20%) of ABE or Bu exhibited similar combustion characteristics to n-dodecane with a considerable reduction in soot, indicating that these blends can be considered as a Diesel substitute without any engine modifications.