Fuel Additive Combustion Testing Programme

A fuel additive incorporating low dosages of metallic nanoparticles has been developed by Tuireann Energy Ltd. Hitherto, such nanofluid based fuels have incorporated relatively higher dosages of metallic nanoparticles and have been shown to improve the combustion processes when used in internal combustion engines. To investigate the effects of the fuel additives, T1 & T2, developed by Tuireann, upon the combustion of fuels in internal combustion engines, a series of preliminary engine performance tests were carried out using a production 3-cylinder engine at the Sir Harry Ricardo Laboratories at the University of Brighton. Evaluation of the test data was undertaken by Coventry University and the University of Brighton. The tests consisted of the measurement of fuel consumption and engine performance over a range of typical engine speeds and loads operating points, as well as combustion indicating analysis at these points. The results indicated that T1 and T2 additives injected at a post-throttle position can reduce the fuel consumption of the engine, particularly evident at part-load, throttled operating conditions. Generally, the addition of both additives significantly affected the combustion phasing resulting in higher net mean effective pressures and improved combustion stability. However, further work needs to be carried out to ascertain whether this effect was due to the presence of the T2 additive carried over from the pre-throttle cases into the post throttle studies as a result of the testing sequence. In addition, further work is required to determine how the residence time of the additives impacts performance over a longer time period.