Engine Performance Using Butanol Fuel Blends

ABSTRACT THE increased use and rise in cost of petroleum fuels has stimulated interest in alcohol as a motor fuel. Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) has received attention since it can easily be produced from renewable resources such as grain. N-butyl alcohol (butanol) can also be produced by a fermentation process and compared to ethanol has several advantages as a fuel supplement. An analysis of gasoline and diesel engine performance was made as the percentage of butanol in the fuel was varied from 0 to 20 percent for the gasoline engine and from 0 to 50 percent for the diesel engine. Parameters measured were torque output and fuel consumption. The effect of butanol on octane rating of gasoline was also de-termined.