TY - GEN
T1 - Electrorheology improves E85-engine performance and efficiency
AU - Huang, Ke
AU - Du, Enpeng
AU - Tang, H.
AU - Tao, R.
PY - 2011/12/1
Y1 - 2011/12/1
N2 - E85 is an alternative fuel with 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. However, it is widely reported that E85 vehicles have difficulties to start in winter and have poor performance. Here we report that with proper application of electrorheology, we can solve these issues. E85 vehicles all have port injected engines. The fuel is injected into cylinders as droplets. Before the ignition, the fuel evaporates. Because E85 is more viscous than gasoline, the injected E85 droplet size is not small. Especially, in winter the cold weather makes the viscosity even higher, leading the E85 droplets even bigger. Since evaporation starts from the droplet surfaces, large droplets are difficult to be evaporated before the ignition comes. When there are no enough fuel vapors, the engine cannot start. To solve this problem, we introduce a small device just before the fuel injection, which produces a strong electric field to reduce the fuel viscosity, leading to much smaller fuel droplets in atomization. The evaporation is much faster and the engine is easier to start. As the small fuel droplets produced by our device make the combustion fast and timely, engine efficiency and performance are also expected to be improved.
AB - E85 is an alternative fuel with 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. However, it is widely reported that E85 vehicles have difficulties to start in winter and have poor performance. Here we report that with proper application of electrorheology, we can solve these issues. E85 vehicles all have port injected engines. The fuel is injected into cylinders as droplets. Before the ignition, the fuel evaporates. Because E85 is more viscous than gasoline, the injected E85 droplet size is not small. Especially, in winter the cold weather makes the viscosity even higher, leading the E85 droplets even bigger. Since evaporation starts from the droplet surfaces, large droplets are difficult to be evaporated before the ignition comes. When there are no enough fuel vapors, the engine cannot start. To solve this problem, we introduce a small device just before the fuel injection, which produces a strong electric field to reduce the fuel viscosity, leading to much smaller fuel droplets in atomization. The evaporation is much faster and the engine is easier to start. As the small fuel droplets produced by our device make the combustion fast and timely, engine efficiency and performance are also expected to be improved.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84865618242&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84865618242&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84865618242
SN - 9814340227
SN - 9789814340229
T3 - Electro-Rheological Fluids and Magneto-Rheological Suspensions - Proceedings of the 12th International Conference
SP - 60
EP - 67
BT - Electro-Rheological Fluids and Magneto-Rheological Suspensions - Proceedings of the 12th International Conference
T2 - 12th International Conference on Electrorheological Fluids and Magnetorheological Suspensions, ERMR 2010
Y2 - 16 August 2010 through 20 August 2010
ER -