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Small displacement two-stroke engines are cheap and low-maintenance propulsion systems and commonly used in scooters, recreation vehicles and handheld power-tools. The restriction by emission legislation and the increasing environmental awareness of end users as well as decreasing energy resources cause a rethinking in the development of propulsion systems and fuels in these fields. Despite recent improvements of electric powertrains, two stroke engines are the challenged propulsion system in high performance handheld power tools at the moment. The reasons are the extraordinary high power to weight ratio of two-stroke engines, the high energy density of liquid fuels and the reliability of the product with respect to extreme ambient conditions. Nevertheless, further improvements on emissions and fuel consumption of small displacement two-stroke engines can be realized.

Small gasoline engines are used in motorcycles and handheld machinery, because of their high power density, low cost and compact design. The reduction of hydrocarbon emissions and fuel consumption is an important factor regarding the upcoming emission standards and operational expenses. The scavenging process of the two-stroke engine causes scavenging losses [1]. A reduction in hydrocarbon emissions due to scavenging losses can be achieved through a better understanding of the inner mixture formation. The time frame for fuel vaporization is limited using two-stroke SI engines by the high number of revolutions. With crank angle resolved optical methods it is possible to analyze the mixture formation behavior and combustion. A topic of these investigations is the use of alternative fuels such as alcohol- or butanol-blends and the analysis of their impact on the engine behavior.