Reducing the Viscosity of Diesel Fuel with Electrorheological Effect

Improving engine efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions are extremely important. Here the authors report their finding, using electrorheology to reduce the viscosity of diesel fuel. Diesel is made of many different molecules, 75% small molecules and 25% large molecules. In addition, it contains...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of intelligent material systems and structures 2011-10, Vol.22 (15), p.1713-1716
Main Authors: Du, Enpeng, Tang, H., Huang, K., Tao, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Combustion
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Deformation
material flow
Diesel
Diesel fuels
Effects of electric and magnetic fields
Electric fields
Electro- and magnetorheological fluids
Engines
Engines and turbines
Exact sciences and technology
Internal combustion engines: gazoline engine, diesel engines, etc
Material types
Mechanical engineering. Machine design
Nanostructure
Physics
Rheology
Sulfur
Viscosity
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Improving engine efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions are extremely important. Here the authors report their finding, using electrorheology to reduce the viscosity of diesel fuel. Diesel is made of many different molecules, 75% small molecules and 25% large molecules. In addition, it contains other nanoscale particles, such as sulfur. Therefore, diesel can be regarded as a liquid suspension. Under a strong electric field, the large molecules aggregate into small clusters, yielding a lower viscosity. For high-sulfur diesel, the applied electric field is around 1 kV/mm. However, for ultra-low-sulfur diesel, the required electric field must be around 2 kV/mm. This viscosity reduction leads to finer mist in fuel atomization, improving the combustion, and engine efficiency.
ISSN:1045-389X
1530-8138
DOI:10.1177/1045389X11421819