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The current market demand and ever tightening global legislation mandate automotive OEMs to improve vehicle fuel consumption and reduce carbon based emissions. One approach to do so is by downsizing of gasoline engines. The reduced engine displacement causes lesser pumping and frictional losses and lower gas to wall heat transfer making engine more efficient. While downsizing an engine can enhance fuel economy it also brings down the power output. The power lost can be compensated by integrating a turbocharger to the engine to increase the boost pressure however, this again may create an abnormal combustion event known as low-speed pre-ignition (LSPI). The increase of pressure and temperature inside the combustion chamber at high loads also leads to a pre-ignition induced super knock and in severe cases, LSPI leads to broken piston rings, damaged pistons and bent connecting rods.

In view of the depletion of energy and environmental pollution, dual fuel technology has caught the attention of researchers as a viable technology keeping in mind the increased availability of fuels like Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). It is an ecologically friendly technology due to lower particulate matter (PM) and smoke emissions and retains the efficiency of diesel combustion. Generally, dual fuel technology has been prevalent for large engines like marine, locomotive and stationary engines. However, its use for automotive engines has been limited in the past due to constraints of the limited supply of alternative fuels. CNG is a practical fuel under dual-fuel mode operation, with varying degree of success. The induction method prevents a premixed natural gas-air mixture, minimizes the volumetric efficiency and results in a loss of power at higher speeds.

Butanol is one of the potential alternative fuels that can be used in IC engines in the same way as gasoline. This paper investigates the application of butanol as a blending component for gasoline fuel used in single cylinder four stroke motorcycle engine. Different blending ratio of 5, 10, 20 & 30% butanol-gasoline prepared were used for the study. The motorcycle engine tested on the chassis dynamometer had displacement of 100 cm3. The performance testing under steady state were simulated by running the vehicle on road load simulation and wide open throttle test modes at steady speeds of 40, 50, 60 and 70 km/h. The fuels were also examined using transient Indian Driving Cycle. The test results indicated that butanol-gasoline blended fuel can be a promising alternate for automotive application.

Two Wheeler segment being the largest segment for consumption of Gasoline in India, a study was taken-up for establishing the effectiveness of 10% Ethanol in normal and branded gasoline for its use on 4 stroke engine powered two wheelers. This paper presents the test work done on four identical four stroke engine powered two wheelers, one each on neat normal and branded gasoline and their blends with 10% ethanol. Mileage build-up of 15,000 km was carried out on road as well as on chassis dynamometer with intermittent performance test at 5000 km interval, used engine oil sample analysis at regular interval and merit rating of engine components at the end of the trials.

Use of biofuels derived from biomass, bioethanol, biodiesel, etc., are being seriously viewed from multidimensional perspective of depleting fossil fuel resources, environmental health, energy security, agrarian economy and new avenues of gainful employment. For the best use of available biofuels in diesel, a new blend was prepared which constituted 85% diesel + 5% ethanol + 10% biodiesel and was evaluated on Light Commercial Vehicle. This paper discusses the systematic performance evaluation of blended fuels and is compared with neat diesel with respect to lubricity, fuel economy in the steady speed ranges of 40 - 70 km/hr, driving cycle fuel economy, exhaust emissions like CO, HC, CO₂, O₂, NOx, smoke and characterization of particulates including particle size distribution. Synergy of 5% ethanol + 10% biodiesel in diesel was compared with diesel when the fuel was used as individual blends.

Part substitution of alcohol in gasoline alters the composition and combustion characteristics leading to different particulates as emitted by individual fuel. This paper presents the test work done on characterisation of particulate number concentration emitted from four stroke engine powered two wheeler with neat Euro III gasoline and its blend with ethanol (5, 10, 20 & 30 %) using Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI). The characterisation of particulates was carried out under different operating conditions viz. Indian Driving Cycle (IDC), Road Load Simulation (RLS) and Wide Open Throttle (WOT) conditions on Chassis Dynamometer with the test fuels. It was observed from the study that for all the test fuels, the number concentration increases as the particulate size reduces. Further, it was observed that addition of ethanol in neat Euro III gasoline has reduced the particulate number concentration both in transient and steady speed conditions.

To meet the twin problems of Fuel scarcity and air pollution caused by the growing use of fossil fuels many countries are using alternative renewable, clean burning fuels in motor vehicles. Biodiesel is one of the most important alternative fuels. An attempt has been made in this paper to give an overview of the application of Pongamia biodiesel in CI Engines, by comparing its performance and smoke density with conventional diesel fuel.