Comparative Study on Methanol (M100) and Ethanol (E100) Fueled Otto Cycle Engine

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the combustion, performance, and emissions of an automotive spark ignition engine fuelled with ethanol (E100) and methanol (M100). The experimental tests were performed at the same engine speed and torque with both fuels. It was observed from the experimental results that In-cylinder peak pressure at all the speeds was higher with M100 than E100. The cumulative heat release curve indicated that the start of combustion advanced with M100. The crank angle for 10% and 50% mass fraction burnt occured earlier with M100 as compared to E100. Brake thermal efficiency of the engine increased by more than 30% with M100 as compared to E100. Volumetric efficiency of the engine increased marginally (5-9%) with E100 than that of M100. Carbonmonoxide (CO) emission decreased by 32.9%, 52.9 %, and 7.3% at 3500 rpm, 3800 rpm, and 4200 rpm respectively with M100 as compared to E100. Hydrocarbon (HC) emission with M100 decreased by 14.2, 60%, and 67% at 3500 rpm, 3800 rpm, and 4200 rpm respectively. NOx emission with M100 increased by 5 times than E100 at 3500 rpm while at 4200 rpm, it increased by 60%. It is concluded that the combustion, performance and emission characteristics of the engine was better with methanol (M100) than ethanol (E100).

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