Impact of Zirconium Oxide and Tantalum Carbide Powder Coatings by Plasma Spraying Techniques on Engine Performance

The emission released by diesel engines NOx, CO, CO2, and HC leads to human discomfort and environmental changes. Coating on the piston is an efficient method and innovative approach to decrease emissions in diesel engines. In this work, coating is carried out on the piston crown in a single-cylinder diesel engine and is compared with the uncoated piston. The percentage composition was coated on the piston crown namely, 95% ZrO2 + 5% TaC, 97% ZrO2 + 3% TaC, 98% ZrO2 + 2% TaC, and 100% ZrO2 using plasma spray coating. The brake thermal efficiency of the piston coated with a mixture of 95% ZrO2 and 5% TaC is 8.1% more than that of the uncoated piston. Similarly, the mechanical efficiency of the coated piston is 11.6% greater than that of the unprotected piston.