Effect of Ferrofluid on the Performance and Emission Patterns of a Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

Experimental tests were carried out to investigate the effects of adding water-based ferrofluid to diesel fuel in a diesel engine. These effects included the combustion performance and exhaust emission characteristics of the diesel engine. To this end, emulsified diesel fuels of 0, 0.4, and 0.8 ferrofluid/diesel ratios by volume were used in a four-stroke diesel engine, operating at 2200 rpm. The results indicate that adding ferrofluid to diesel fuel has a perceptible effect on engine performance, increasing the brake thermal efficiency relatively up to 12% and decreasing the brake-specific fuel consumption relatively up to 11% as compared to diesel fuel. Furthermore, from the analysis of gaseous species of engine exhaust, it was found that NOx emissions were lower than that of diesel fuel while the CO emissions increased. In addition, it was found that nanoparticles can be collected at the exhaust flow using a magnetic bar.