Investigation of Engine Oil Dilution by E100 Fuel Under Diverse Operating Conditions in Passenger Vehicles

The adoption of alternative fuels like Ethanol is increasing due to stricter emission regulations in various global regions. Indian government is also promoting to develop FFV¹ technology specifically for Indian driving conditions. The government moved up its goal of reaching a 20% blending rate from initial 2030 timeline to 2025. Plans are in place to bring E-85 and E-100 Vehicles into India in areas where there is an excess of ethanol.. However, there are challenges associated with this target. Using pure ethanol to power a vehicle can lead to various concerns, including deposition on engine parts, wear of critical components, and fuel contamination of engine oil, such as fuel dilution. Compared to gasoline, ethanol has lower calorific value resulting in less energy per gallon than gasoline during combustion, which means to produce same amount of energy 33% more ethanol injection is required. This higher fuel injection can result in higher oil dilution in comparison to gasoline injected engines. In the context of vehicle performance, the issue of fuel dilution is very sensitive to specific driving and ambient conditions. Through a series of controlled experiments, the research explores how different engine operating condition such as oil temperature, engine load and speed influence the extent of E100 fuel dilution in engine oil. This research presents the findings of experiments conducted to simulate such conditions in a laboratory. The extent of fuel dilution levels were assessed using the FDM 6001 series portable fuel dilution meter. It also touches upon the mechanism of fuel evaporation from diluted oil and its impact on engine deposits. Abbreviations1. FFV: Flex fuel technology