Performance and emissions of gasoline blended with terpineol as an octane booster

This study investigates the effect of using terpineol as an octane booster for gasoline fuel. Unlike ethanol, terpineol is a high energy density biofuel that is unlikely to result in increased volumetric fuel consumption when used in engines. In this study, terpineol is added to non-oxygenated FACE F gasoline (Research Octane Number = 94.5) in volumetric proportions of 10%, 20% and 30% and tested in a single cylinder spark ignited engine. The performance of terpineol blended fuels are compared against a standard oxygenated EURO V (ethanol blended) gasoline. It was determined that the addition of terpineol to FACE F gasoline enhanced the octane number of the blend, resulting in improved brake thermal efficiency and total fuel consumption. For FACE F + 30% terpineol, break thermal efficiency was improved by 12.1% over FACE F gasoline at full load for maximum brake torque operating point, and similar performance as EURO V gasoline was achieved. Due to its high energy density, total fuel consumption was reduced by 6.2% and 9.7% with 30% terpineol in the blend when compared to FACE F gasoline at low and full load conditions, respectively. Gaseous emissions such as total hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emission were reduced by 36.8% and 22.7% for FACE F + 30% terpineol compared to FACE F gasoline at full load condition. On the other hand, nitrogen oxide and soot emissions are increased for terpineol blended FACE F gasoline when compared to FACE F and EURO V gasoline.