A new combustion engine developed by scientists at TU Wien in Austria has the potential to make truck transportation significantly more environmentally friendly. The engine uses a dual-fuel combustion process that allows it to use both diesel and bio-ethanol simultaneously, resulting in up to 39% lower CO2 emissions and a 99% reduction in particulate matter emissions. The use of bio-ethanol also increases the engine’s efficiency, which could make it a viable alternative to traditional diesel engines in the long run.
According to Prof. Bernhard Geringer from the Institute for Vehicle Drives and Automotive Technology at TU Wien, the use of bio-ethanol in gasoline has been common in many countries for some time, but it has not been possible to use it in diesel engines until now. This is because a mixture of bio-ethanol and diesel in the tank would prevent ignition in conventional vehicles. To overcome this issue, the scientists developed a dual-fuel combustion process that allows the diesel to ignite the bio-ethanol during operation.
During the experiment, the bio-ethanol content in the fuel was gradually increased to 70%, resulting in an efficiency increase of up to 6.1%. When combined with the fact that bio-ethanol has a significantly better CO2 balance than diesel due to its production from renewable resources, the engine’s CO2 emissions were reduced by up to 39%. The engine’s efficiency and lower CO2 emissions were observed in the 1500-3000 rpm range, with an average efficiency increase of 1.9% and a maximum increase of 6.1%. The use of bio-ethanol also reduced NOx emissions by up to 36% and particulate matter emissions by up to 99%.
The scientists hope that the dual-fuel technology could make diesel engines more environmentally friendly in areas such as truck transportation, where they cannot be replaced in the medium to long term. The results of the experiment show that bio-ethanol can be successfully used as an alternative fuel in a dual-fuel diesel engine, providing significant environmental benefits.
