Abstract:  2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) has been regarded as a potential sustainable alternative fuel for gasoline. The microscopic spray characteristics of DMF were studied using a Phase Doppler Particle Analyzer (PDPA). The engine performance and emissions were tested on a single cylinder direct injection spark ignition engine. By those tests, the adaptability of DMF as an alternative internal combustion engine fuel was investigated. As comparison, those of commercial gasoline and another alternative fuel, ethanol, were studied too. The results show that DMF is similar to gasoline in terms of spray characteristics, however ethanol has lower droplets velocity and higher droplet Sauter mean diameter. For engine performance, more advanced spark timing can be applied at high load for DMF to achieve better efficiency, but generally, DMF has similar fuel consumption to gasoline. In terms of emissions, DMF has higher NOx emission, and similar HC and CO emissions to gasoline.

Key words: vehicle engine, spray characteristics, fuel consumption, goseous emissions, 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), phase Doppler particle analyzer (PDPA)