REDUCTION OF POLLUTANTS FROM COPPER COATED SPARK IGNITION ENGINE WITH ALCOHOL BLENDED GASOLINE

Exhaust emissions of carbon mono oxide (CO), ub0burnt hydro carbons (HC) emissions and nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels from spark ignition (SI) engine cause health hazards, environmental impact and green-house effect. Alcohols are important substitutes for gasoline, as their properties are comparable to gasoline fuel. If engine is run with alcohol, aldehydes, which are carcinogenic in nature, are also to be checked. Investigations were carried out to control pollutants from a four─ stroke, variable speed, variable compression ratio, single─ cylinder, spark ignition (SI) engine, with normal butanol blended gasoline (80% gasoline and 20% butanol by volume) and methanol blended gasoline ( 80% gasoline and 20% methanol by volume) having copper coated combustion chamber [CCE, copper-(thickness, 300 μm) coated on piston crown, inner side of cylinder head and on liner] provided with catalytic converter with copper as catalyst and compared with conventional SI engine (CE) with neat gasoline operation. Exhaust emissions of CO, HC, and NOxwere evaluated at different values of brake mean effective pressure of the engine. A microprocessor-based analyser was used for the measurement of nitrogen oxide levels and CO/HC in the exhaust of the engine. The engine was provided with catalytic converter with copper as catalyst along with air injection. Copper coated combustion chamber with butanol blended gasoline considerably reduced pollutants in comparison with CE with neat gasoline operation. Catalytic converter with air injection significantly reduced pollutants with test fuels on both configurations of the engine.