Particulate bound trace metals and soot morphology of gasohol fueled gasoline direct injection engine

Direct injection spark ignition or gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are superior in terms of relatively higher thermal efficiency and power output compared to multipoint port fuel injection engines and direct injection diesel engines. In this study, a 500 cc single cylinder GDI engine was used for experiments. Three gasohol blends (15% (v/v) ethanol/methanol/butanol with 85% (v/v) gasoline) were chosen for this experimental study and were characterized to determine their important fuel properties. For particulate investigations, exhaust particles were collected on a quartz filter paper using a partial flow dilution tunnel. Comparative investigations for particulate mass emissions, trace metal concentrations, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) imaging of the particulate samples collected from different test fuels at different engine loads were performed. For majority of the experimental conditions, gasohols showed relatively lower trace metal concentration in particulates compared to gasoline. HR-TEM images showed that higher engine loads and presence of oxygen in the test fuels increased the soot reactivity. Multicore shells like structures were visible in the HR-TEM images due to growth of nuclei, and rapid soot formation due to relatively higher temperature and pressure environment of the engine combustion chamber. Researches world-over are trying to reduce particulate emissions from GDI engines; however there is a vast research gap for such investigations related to gasohol fueled GDI engines. This paper critically assesses and highlights comparative morphological characteristics of gasohol fueled GDI engine.