In a significant stride towards greener maritime operations, researchers have delved into the impacts of a ternary mixed fuel blend on marine diesel engines, offering promising insights for the industry. The study, led by Peng Geng from the Logistics Engineering College at Shanghai Maritime University, explores the combustion, emissions, and fault diagnosis of marine diesel engines using a mix of diesel, ethanol, and n-butanol.
The research, published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (or in English, Journal of Marine Science and Engineering), investigated how varying the ethanol content in the fuel blend affects engine performance and emissions. The findings reveal that as the ethanol ratio increases, the peak cylinder pressure decreases, ignition delay extends, and the peak instantaneous heat release rate rises. Notably, the D50E40B10 blend (50% diesel, 40% ethanol, 10% n-butanol) showed a substantial reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and soot emissions compared to pure diesel (D100), with NOx emissions dropping by 12.3% and soot emissions by 29.18%. However, carbon monoxide (CO) emissions saw a significant increase, rising by 5.7 times.
Peng Geng noted, “With the injection time advances, the peak values of cylinder pressure and heat release rate show an increasing trend, soot emissions gradually decrease, and NOx and CO emissions gradually increase.” This indicates that optimizing injection timing can further enhance engine performance and emissions control.
The study also tackled the challenge of fault diagnosis in fuel injectors, a critical component for engine efficiency and emissions control. By simulating injector faults and optimizing probabilistic neural network models, the researchers achieved impressive diagnostic accuracy. The WOA-PNN (Whale Optimization Algorithm-Probabilistic Neural Network) model, in particular, demonstrated an average accuracy of 95%, making it a robust tool for identifying and diagnosing injector faults.
For the maritime industry, these findings present substantial opportunities. The use of ternary mixed fuels can significantly reduce harmful emissions, helping shipping companies meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. Moreover, advanced fault diagnosis tools can enhance engine reliability and maintenance efficiency, reducing downtime and operational costs.
As Peng Geng’s research underscores, the path to greener and more efficient maritime operations lies in innovative fuel blends and smart diagnostic tools. With further development and industry adoption, these advancements could revolutionize the way ships power their voyages, benefiting both the environment and the bottom line.