Study of the Effects of Ethanol Use on a Ford Escort Fitted with an Old Technology Engine 2008-01-2608

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects on the engine's efficiency and exhaust gas emissions by the use of ethanol/gasoline blends in conventional technology vehicles. The fuels E0, E10, E20 and E50 were tested in a 1300cc old technology vehicle without a catalytic converter. The measurements of the engine's brake torque, revolutions and fuel consumption were accomplished on a chassis dynamometer for different engine loads and with different gear ratios. Regarding the exhaust gas emissions, the concentrations of CO₂ , CO, HC and NO_x were recorded. The results have shown that increasing the ethanol percentage in the blend has decreased the CO and HC emissions but increased the NO_x emissions. For fuels E10 and E20 an increase on the engine's brake torque and power along with a decrease in fuel consumption were observed. For E50, both brake torque and power were reduced. The CO₂ emissions were increased as the ethanol concentration increased. The best overall results were obtained by using the E20 blend.