6. Butanol Fuel in Internal Combustion Engines

Butanol is actively being researched by scientists for its suitability as a renewable fuel for internal combustion engines. Physical and chemical properties of butanol motivate researchers to use it as a fuel in internal combustion engine. Butanol is a four-carbon alcohol and has five isomeric structures. Butanol has a comparatively higher energy density and lesser vapor pressure compared to other alcohol such as ethanol, which makes it more attractive as fuel or blending agent. The objective of this chapter is to examine the potential of bio-butanol as a replacement for conventional fuels such as diesel/gasoline in internal combustion engine. To fulfill this objective, a literature review was performed and some important results were highlighted. In addition to literature review, experiments were performed in a single cylinder diesel engine to investigate the impact of diesel fuel blended in small proportion with butanol. In this regard, DB15 (15% v/v blend of butanol with diesel) was selected as a test fuel and results were compared with baseline diesel. Results pertaining to performance characteristics such as brake specific fuel consumption, brake thermal efficiency and brake specific energy consumption are discussed. The novelty in the current study is that numerous current and upcoming research directions are outlined in chapter. Research in ethanol/methanol fuel has increased since past few decades, but research on butanol is still limited.