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The purpose of this study is to investigate the startability characteristics of a single cylinder direct injection compression ignition engine fueled with ethanol and blended with ignition improvers. The engine is modified to increase the compression ratio from 18:1 to 23:1 and 28:1. In this study, glycerol ethoxylate and palm oil methyl ester (POME) are considered as the ignition improvers blended with ethanol in various concentrations. Engine speed is used as the key parameter to explain the startability characteristics and categorize them into four types. Type A has excellent engine startability similar to diesel. Type B has good engine startability. Type C has fair engine startability. Engine startability for Type D is unsuccessful. The results show that increasing the concentration of the ignition improver enhances engine startability and reduces the number of misfiring cycles due to improvements in combustion.

This work investigates the effects of ignition improvers on the ignition and combustion characteristics of hydrous ethanol with 5% by weight water and 1% by weight Lauric acid (Eh95) under simulated diesel engine conditions using the rapid compression and expansion machine (RCEM). Results indicate that hydrous ethanol with commercial additive (ED95) and hydrous ethanol with 5% by weight glycerol ethoxylate in hydrous ethanol exhibit a near identical rate-of-pressure-rise and heat release rate. Ignition delay of hydrous ethanol with 5% by weight glycerol ethoxylate is shorter, but hydrous ethanol with 1% by weight glycerol ethoxylate has longer ignition delay time and different combustion characteristics compared with hydrous ethanol with commercial additive (ED95). Hydrous ethanol with 1% by weight glycerol ethoxylate and hydrous ethanol with 5% by weight glycerol ethoxylate are considered suitable fuels for high compression-ratio diesel engines.