Influence of ignition timing on performance and emission characteristics of an SI engine fueled with equi-volume blend of methanol and gasoline

Abstract

In the present investigation, experiments were conducted in wide open throttle condition (WOT) for different speed ranging from 1400 rpm to 1800 rpm at an interval of 200 on a single-cylinder four-stroke port-injected; spark-ignition engine. The engine fueled with equi-volume blend of methanol/gasoline was tested for different ignition timing and its effects on engine characteristics. The experiment results shown, retardation of ignition timing to 14⁰ BTDC exhibits excellent results compared to 24⁰ BTDC ignition timing. The results obtained show a good agreement of improvisation observed with M50 fuel in terms of BTE and BSEC at a speed of 1600 rpm when compared to gasoline fuel. The optimal ignition timing attributes to good combustion efficiency with increasing cylinder pressure and heat release rate. However, low carbon–hydrogen ratio and oxygen content in methanol aids to reduced NO<inf>x</inf>, HC, and CO emissions by 50%, 35%, and 40%, respectively. The small increase of 10% in CO<inf>2</inf> emission is observed; this is due to retardation of ignition time, which allows the M50 fuel to absorb sufficient energy and achieve complete combustion. © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.