An investigation into a nano-fuel technology combustion enhancer for diesel engines to achieve increased combustion efficiency

Abstract

Modern day life would not be possible without the internal combustion engine and the fuel that provides them with the necessary energy. Unfortunately, there are a number of negative side effects to using these engines, such as the harmful greenhouse gases produced by the combustion process as well as the continuous increase in fuel price over the past 25 years. One solution to both of these issues would be to use a fuel additive designed to reduce fuel consumption and decrease the negative effects that the combustion of fossil fuels have on the environment. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects that a fuel additive called Naf-Tech has on the engine performance, fuel consumption and efficiency of an engine and whether or not it works primarily as a combustion enhancer as stated by its manufacturers. In addition to these requirements, a mathematical model will be designed to simulate the engine under consideration at the conditions used during tests. The method used to achieve the objectives of this study required the setting up of an engine test bench where it was possible to run tests on the engine both with and without the use of Naf-Tech. During these tests, measurements of parameters such as power, torque, fuel consumption as well as thermal, combustion and volumetric efficiency were taken to determine how the additive affected the various aspects of the engine’s performance. The mathematical model was written in a software package called Engineering Equation Solver (EES). The model was designed to simulate the thermodynamic cycle of the diesel engine using the same input values experienced by the engine on the test bench. From this, it was able to predict the required engine parameters. The results obtained from the tests carried out on the test bench indicated that although there was no difference in the output power and torque of the engine with the use of Naf-Tech, there was a 12.4% reduction in fuel consumption. It was also found that by using the additive, there was a 12.27% and 0.1% increase in thermal and combustion efficiency respectively. The results of the mathematical model were compared to those of the test bench as well as a separate Microsoft Excel model. By doing this, it was found that the model was able to predict the required parameters of the engine with a great degree of accuracy. From the results obtained by this research, it can be concluded that Naf-Tech does, in fact, work as a combustion enhancer that is capable of improving the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion engine by the amount stated by its manufacturers. The results also indicate that with the use of Naf-Tech, significant reductions in harmful exhaust gases will be experienced