Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

Vol 29, Issue 1, 2023; Page No.(264-272)

INVESTIGATIONS ON POLLUTION LEVELS OF FOUR STROKECOPPER COATED SPARK IGNITION ENGINE WITH ALCOHOLBLENDED GASOLINE

K. Kishor, Ch.Indira Priyadarshini, Y. Nagini and M.V.S. Murali Krishna

Abstract

Alcohols are renewable fuels. They can be conveniently used in spark ignition engines. Theyhave octanenumber (a measure of combustion quality in spark ignition engine) higher than gasoline. Alcohols areimportant substitutes for gasoline, in the context of fast depletion of fossil fuels, ever increase of pollutionlevels with fossil fuels and increase of economic burden due to import of crude petroleum the search foralternative fuels has become pertinent. Investigations were carried out to determine pollution levels ofvariable speed, variable compression ratio, four- stroke, single cylinder, spark ignition (SI)engine havingcopper coated engine [CCE, copper-(thickness, 250 ìm) coated on piston crown and inner side of cylinderhead] provided with catalytic converter with sponge iron/manganese ore as catalyst with different testfuels of neat gasoline, gasohol (85% gasoline and 15% ethanol by volume) and methanol blended gasoline(85% gasoline and 15% methanol by volume) and compared with conventional engine (CE)with neat gasolineoperation. Exhaust emissions of carbon mono oxide (CO), un-burnt hydro carbons (UBHC) and nitrogenoxide (NOx) were varied with different values of brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of theengine withdifferent versions of the engine with test fuels with and without provision of the catalytic converter withsponge iron or manganese ore as catalyst. The engine was provided with catalytic converter with spongeiron and manganese ore as catalysts. There was provision for injection of air into the catalyticconverter. The performance of the catalyst was compared with one over the other. Methanol blended gasoline decreased exhaust emissions effectively in comparison with gasohol with both versions of the engine. Catalytic converter with air injection significantly reduced pollutants with different test fuels on both configurations of the engine.