Engine tests with Aquasolve

INTRODUCTION

The report details a series of tests with the Ricardo E6 engine which comprised the first stage in determining the operational characteristics of hydrated modified fuels designed at City University. These fuels are made up of three basic components diesel oil (DERV), distilled water and a quantity of additive. Sufficient additive is included in this mix to achieve a clear, stable emulsion. Three marks of additive were tested, the 6.2, 3.24 and 3.21. The water content of the fuels ranged between 1 and 15% of the initial amount of diesel.
The aims were:
a) to observe the way in which the modified fuels influence power output gaseous
emissions, fuel flow, and rate of combustion, then to compare those results with
normal diesel;
b) to ascertain the effects of individual fuel components on operating parameters in
order that additive formulations can be optimised for a variety of applications.
The report describes the equipment used and outlines the experimental methods adopted for each test. Basic engine procedures remain standard for all tests and these are described in detail. The independent variables are load, speed or injection timing. A computer listing of each sequence is found in Appendix 1.
The Formulation section gives relevant information on the proportions of fuel/water/additive in each of the 12 modified fuels under test.
The results and graphs for additives 6.2, 3.24 and 3.21 are contained in Appendices 2, 3 and 4 respectively. These correspond to Observations sections for each fuel. Numerical values for individual parameters are stated where appropriate, but this section is mainly a qualitative description of the various observed trends.
A survey of all results was made in order to highlight the consistent phenomena.
The main observations are considered in the  Discussion section. Various hypotheses are put forward to account for aspects of the fuels behaviour.