Combustion dynamics and emission characteristics in diesel engines fueled with methyl tertiary butyl ether-diesel blends

The use of fuel additives for improving and making traditional diesel combustion cleaner has been one of the prominent techniques in recent years. Fuel additives, which can be used without requiring any modification to the engine and without the need for an additional injection system, can significantly affect combustion and emission formation behaviors. This study aims to investigate the use of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) as a new generation fuel additive in diesel engines. In this context, research was conducted under different engine loads corresponding to 25%, 50%, and 75% of the maximum engine load on a single-cylinder, four-stroke diesel research engine. Considering the thermochemical properties of MTBE, mixtures with conventional diesel fuel at ratios of 5%, 10%, and 15% were used to present a broad perspective. The study was conducted within diesel engine knocking limits with the mixture ratios used. According to the findings, the most pronounced increase in in-cylinder pressure was observed at 75% engine load and a 15% blending ratio, with an increase of 3.7%. Under the same operating conditions (75% load and 15% blending ratio), a significant reduction of 28.2% in CO emissions and a substantial decrease of 47.5% in HC emissions were recorded. Additionally, at 50% engine load and a 15% blending ratio, smoke opacity was reduced by 17.1%. The results obtained in this study examining the use of MTBE in diesel engines are considered promising in terms of the effectiveness of fuel additives.