Ethanol effect as premixed fuel in dual-fuel CI engines: Experimental and numerical investigations

Dual fuel configurations in compression ignition engines are considered as a promising solution to rely on alternative fuels that allows to respect at the same time the strict regulations on pollutants emissions. Looking at ethanol as one of the future transport biofuels, the authors investigate on the use of ethanol as the premixed fraction in a dual fuel engine. The activity is specifically focused on a light duty engine, since the dual fuel concept application, already implemented in heavy duty vehicles, was recently taken into account for smaller engines in automotive applications too.