Effect of Additives Including Nano Materials on Fuel Properties and Exhaust Emissions

This study compiled the results of various researches performed on the effects of the fuel properties, engine performance and exhaust emissions of diesel engines using nanomaterials additives in diesel engine fuels such as diesel, biodiesel, water or alcohol emulsified fuels and the various fuel blends. However, diesel engines have good reliability and performance characteristics; they emit the hazardous emissions like unburned hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matters and nitrogen oxides with the exhaust gases. Three different techniques are used the reduction of the harmful exhaust emissions of the diesel engines. The first technique for the reduction of the harmful emissions is improved the combustion by modification of the engine design and the fuel injection system, but this process is expensive and time consuming. The second technique for the reduction of the emissions is the using various exhaust gas devices like catalytic converter and diesel particulate filter. However, the use of these devices affects negatively diesel engine performance. The other technique to reduce the emissions and also improve diesel engine performance is the use of various fuel additives. The major pollutants of diesel engine are oxide of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). It is very difficult to reduce NOx and PM simultaneously in practice. The most researches declare that the best way to reduce the emissions and increase the engine performance is the use of nano material additives and water or alcohol emulsified fuels. The effects using of different nano material additives in various diesel engine fuels on the fuel properties and the exhaust emissions were investigated the based on the literature in this review. In this way, it has been purposed that the effects of the nano material additives was evaluated together.