Application of RSM for prediction and optimization of performance and emissions of diesel engine fuelled with butanol-diesel blends

This work investigated the impacts of butanol-diesel fuel blends used in a turbocharged six-cylinder heavy-duty diesel engine on engine performance and exhaust emission parameters. It evaluated their optimization by using response surface methodology. The engine's operational factors, such as engine speed and the proportion of butanol-diesel fuel blend, have been optimized to attain optimal engine performance and exhaust emissions. The model was designed by Central Composite Design using Minitab software (trial version) and confirmed by the experimental results. According to RSM, the optimum blend ratio of butanol-diesel fuel and engine speed were 5% and 1721.4 rpm, respectively. Optimum desirability is found as 0.6260 with a butanol- diesel fuel blend of 5% and 1721.4 rpm engine speed for the heavy-duty diesel engine. The responses obtained under optimal conditions were determined as 821.19 Nm for torque, 158.1 kW for power, 895.7 ppm for NOx, 104.05 ppm for CO, and 21.14 ppm for HC, respectively. The values for the R2 coefficient determination were 99.02%, 99.98%, 99.67%, 99.97%, and 99.95%, respectively.