Study of Gasoline with 10% Ethanol Additive Under Different Fuel Supply Strategies

The widespread use of gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) has raised questions regarding engine performance and emissions under conditions where ethanol supply may be disrupted, and pure gasoline (E0) is temporarily used instead. This study experimentally investigates the effects of E0 and E10 fuels on fuel consumption and exhaust emissions in spark-ignition engines equipped with two different fuel supply systems: multi-point fuel injection (MPI) and carburetion (CARB). Chassis dynamometer tests were performed on two passenger vehicles under steady-state part-load conditions at vehicle speeds of 60, 90, and 120 km/h, as well as during full-throttle operation. E0 and E10 were tested separately under identical operating points. Fuel consumption, brake-specific fuel consumption, air–fuel ratio, and exhaust gas components (CO, CO2, HC, O2) were measured and analysed. The results show that the MPI-equipped vehicle exhibited consistently lower fuel consumption when operating on E0 compared to E10, primarily due to the lower volumetric heating value of ethanol. In contrast, the carbureted engine demonstrated a stronger sensitivity to fuel composition, with E10 leading to leaner mixture formation and pronounced changes in fuel consumption and emissions. CO and HC emissions were significantly lower in the MPI engine, mainly due to closed-loop stoichiometric control combined with the presence of a three-way catalytic converter, while E10 substantially reduced these emissions in the carbureted engine. CO and HC emissions were significantly lower in the MPI configuration, mainly due to closed-loop stoichiometric control combined with the presence of a three-way catalytic converter. In the carbureted configuration, E10 substantially reduced CO and HC emissions compared to E0, primarily as a result of leaner mixture formation. Overall, the findings indicate that modern MPI engines are less sensitive to whether the supplied fuel is E10 and E0, whereas carbureted engines may show notable changes in performance and emissions under the same operating conditions.