Energy, exergy, environmental and economic analysis evaluation of boron addition to lubricating oil in gasoline engines using gasoline and natural gas fuels

Research into alternative fuels for use in internal combustion engines has attracted significant interest from researchers, with most studies focusing on engine performance and emission values. Within the scope of energy and exergy analyses, studies have investigated the effects of using various fuels in engine systems. This study examines the impact of gasoline and natural gas on engine performance and emissions using energy-exergy-based assessments. To this end, a spark-ignition gasoline engine capable of running on both gasoline and natural gas was tested under full load conditions. The experimental setup included a two-cylinder, naturally aspirated, water-cooled engine that was operated at four different speeds (3000, 3500, 4000, and 4500 rpm). Tests were conducted both with and without the addition of boron to the lubricating oil, using initial operating data as well as data collected after 50 h of operation. The results showed that the addition of boron significantly increased energy and exergy efficiency. In experiments with gasoline fuel, the boron-added version showed a 5% increase in initial experiments, but no significant difference was observed in the experiments after 50 h. In experiments with natural gas fuel, the boron-added version showed a 6% increase in initial experiments, but no significant difference was observed in the experiments after 50 h, even though the boron-added version showed an 11% increase. Exergy efficiency showed a similar trend. These results indicate that boron supplementation reduces internal friction and lowers cylinder temperatures, thus reducing thermodynamic losses while increasing energy and exergy efficiency.