Enhancement of Diesel Engine Performance and Emission Control Through Thermal Barrier Coating of Sm2Zr2O7 and Al2O3–13%TiO2 on the Piston

In this investigation, we examined how a thermal barrier-coated piston affects the performance and emission characteristics of a diesel engine operating on diesel fuel. We fully coated the piston crown's top surface with thermal barrier coating (TBC) materials Sm2Zr2O7 as the top coat (300 µm thick) and Al2O3-13%TiO2 as the bond coat (200 µm thick) using the plasma spray technique. We conducted experiments under varying load conditions using a four-stroke, single-cylinder diesel engine. Our results show that the coated engine achieved a 14% increase in brake thermal efficiency and up to a 27.03% reduction in brake specific fuel consumption compared to the uncoated engine. Additionally, the coated engine reduced carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) emissions by 50% and 66%, respectively, while carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions increased by 33% and 293 ppm due to improved combustion efficiency and higher in-cylinder temperatures.