An overview concerning the utilization of fusel oil as an alternative fuel in the engine applications


DOĞAN B., YEŞİLYURT M. K., Atak N. N.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering, 2024 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

Abstract

Diesel engines will continue to be discussed in the coming years because of their harm to the environment resulting from emitted pollutants. These engines are unrivaled in the transportation industry owing to the high power achieved at high compression ratios. In recent years, studies have been carried out on the use of alternative fuels instead of diesel in compression ignition engines. Fusel oil (FO) is a by-product acquired from several types of agricultural biomass by different techniques. To conclude, in the present paper, researches in the published literature for diesel engines using fuel blends containing FO as an alternative fuel have been reviewed in detail. FO's high octane number, high oxygen content, and low freezing point make it stand out as a fuel additive. In addition, the calorific value of FO is lower than diesel, and its density and viscosity are higher. When FO is infused at different concentrations to diesel fuel (DF) or DF-biodiesel mixtures, fuel consumption increases in compression-ignition engines while engine power decreases compared to reference DF. There is a noticeable decrease in CO and NOx pollutants in fuel blends using FO. The amount of water in the FO has an adverse effect on diesel engines. In the article, firstly, the production and properties of FO are reviewed and its fuel properties are summarized. Then, the effects of diesel/FO and diesel/biodiesel/FO mixtures on engine performance and emissions are discussed. Finally, the positive and negative aspects of FO for diesel engines are summarized.