Mixture formation process in a spark-ignition engine with ethanol blended gasoline

In this study, fuel concentration measurements in a spark-ignition (SI) engine with ethanol blended gasoline were carried out using an optical sensor installed in the spark plug with laser infrared absorption technique. The spark plug sensor for in-situ fuel concentration measurement was applied to a port injected SI engine. The molar absorption coefficients of ethanol blended gasoline were determined for various pressures and temperatures in advance using a constant volume vessel with electric heating system. Ethanol blended gasoline with high volumetric ratios shows lower molar absorption coefficients due to lower molar absorption coefficients of ethanol. The molar absorption coefficients of ethanol blended gasoline can be estimated by considering the molar fraction of each component. Mixture formation processes of ethanol blended gasoline were investigated using spark-plug sensor installed in a spark plug in a port-injected SI engine with changing the fuel injection timing in an intake port. Delaying injection of ethanol blended gasoline caused a leaner fuel concentration around the spark plug and cycle-to-cycle fluctuation of combustion.