Experimental studies on the impact of part-cooled high-pressure loop EGR on the combustion and emission characteristics of liquefied petroleum gas

Liquefied petroleum gas is preferred and adopted in automotive engines because of its efficient burning and cleaner emission characteristics. Since LPG contains less carbon molecules and higher carbon to hydrogen ratios than gasoline or diesel, it has a much higher emission reduction potential both in the cases of regulated and non-regulated emissions. A major disadvantage of deploying LPG widely is the amount of NOx generation owing to the higher temperatures developed in the combustion chamber. In this study, part-cooled EGR is applied in varying rates (12%, 18%, 24%) in order to analyze the effects produced in the performance and emission characteristics of a multicylinder MPFI engine fuelled by 100% LPG at four different loading conditions and four different operating speeds. It can be observed that the application of an optimum rate of cooled EGR reduces the NOx emissions drastically even though at the expense of hydrocarbon emissions. The fuel consumption of the test engine is reduced up to 12.28% with the application of 18% percentage of part-cooled EGR. It can be inferred from the experimental studies that 18% part-cooled EGR is the optimum flow rate of recirculation which is most effective during the part load operation of the engine (50-75%) and at higher engine speeds. However, the emission of oxides of nitrogen reduced by 7.8% at 24% recirculation. The statistical analysis of combustion shows a reduction in combustion stability with increased flow of recirculation.