Effect of alcohol-based fuel on the performance, combustion and emission characteristics of spark-ignition engine: A review

Abstract

The spark ignition (SI) engine is a significant energy device. Alcohol-based alternative fuels have been used to investigate SI engines' performance, combustion, and emission. Using alternative fuels in SI engines, such as alcohol, natural gas, and biodiesel, aims to reduce air pollution and energy costs. Investigations into alternative fuels operating on SI engines have been carried out, and most of the research is focused on performance, combustion, and emission characteristics. This review intends to reveal SI engines' performance, combustion, and emission characteristics using alternative fuels, such as alcohol, natural gas, and biodiesel. The effects of alternative fuels on performance, combustion characteristics, and emissions, such as NOx, CO, and HC, were also investigated. The results presented here showed that the use of alcohol fuel blends such as butanol, n-butanol, tert-butanol, iso-butanol, bio-ethanol, isopropanol, propanol, and ethanol-methanol-gasoline can improve engine performance and NOx, CO, and HC emissions. Increased performance and emissions have reduced the combustion characteristics. On the contrary, when combustion increases, engine performance and emissions decrease. The engine combustion decreased due to the lower heating value (LHV), lower cetane number, and lower molecular weight of alcohol fuel than gasoline.