Comparative Study of Performance Characteristics of a Glow Plug Fired 2 Stroke Engine for Different Blends of Methanol, Castor Oil and Gasoline by Experimental and ANN Analysis 2007-01-0058

It is essential that glow plug fired engines especially those used for R/C Aircrafts possess the maximum power to weight ratio. This paper attempts to achieve the same by blending Gasoline with methanol. Since gasoline has a higher calorific value, blending gasoline with the methanol based fuel might produce an increased power output. This paper involves conducting a series of tests on a Fox .40 2 stroke glow plug fired engine used for R/C aircraft using a series of blends on Gasoline, methanol and castor oil in various proportions The propeller speed is observed for the different fuel blends for the range of throttle positions. The steady state engine surface temperature while running under each of these blends is measured using an infra red thermometer. By experimental investigation, it is found that the engine provides satisfactory performance for up to 15% addition of gasoline. The performance is improved at low throttle positions. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are employed to predict performance throughout the range of blends