The Possibilities of Ethanol replacement within regular blends of gasoline with different biofuels

Abstract

This study aims to find the solution to whether or not novel biofuels (such as those highlighted in the Co-Optima program from the U.S. Department of Energy) can replace ethanol in mainstream vehicles by thermodynamically saving energy from production to combustion. Throughout research and investigation, it has been proven that fuels such as butyl-acetate and 2-methylfuran can be more thermodynamically efficient from processes regarding production to combustion, because of the extremely high enthalpy capacities that the production of these fuels could potentially take before matching the amount of energy that the production of 1 gallon of ethanol requires as compared to the rest of the biofuels. Limitations of the gasoline engine only can support a certain density which if passed can cause problems regarding clogging in fuel lines, incomplete combustion, and stalling. Therefore, only a 7-93 butyl-acetate gasoline blend and a 5-95 2-methylfuran gasoline blend can be used without needing significant modifications to the gasoline engine to ensure the problems previously mentioned do not occur. Cantera software was used to generate data regarding biofuels, which helped better understand the amount of energy used while the combustion process took place within a gasoline engine. The limited amount of biofuels that can be used in these blends poses a problem with efficiency regarding how much gasoline can be saved. The efficiency of the gasoline engine had to be 2x-3x better while using biofuels (regarding pre-ignition times and lower heating values), as compared to ethanol, which it is not. Although these fuels are thermodynamically more efficient from production to combustion, the practicality aspect of these fuels cannot permit the use of alternative blends in gasoline engines.