Lifecycle-based environmental pollution cost analyses of a spark ignition engine fueled with a methanol-gasoline blend

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate lifecycle-based environmental pollution cost analyses of a spark ignition engine fueled with a methanol-gasoline blend. In this respect, the experiments are performed at partial loads such as 25 Nm, 50 Nm, 75 Nm, 100 Nm, and full load, whereas lambda and engine speed values are constant at lambda = 1 and 2000 rpm, respectively. According to calculated results, lifecycle-based environmental pollution cost analyses are considerably varying from each other. The lowest specific environmental pollution cost and total environmental pollution cost values are 3.893 US cent/kWh and $17,903.89 for methanol-gasoline test fuel at 50 Nm, respectively. In contrast to these, the lowest lifecycle specific environmental pollution cost and the lifecycle-based on total environmental pollution cost values are found to be 5.161 US cent/kWh and $13,786 for gasoline at 100 Nm and full engine load, respectively. The methanol-gasoline test fuel has higher values than gasoline in lifecycle-based specific and total environmental pollution cost at all engine loads. For instance, the average value of lifecycle-based specific and total environmental pollution cost for five loads increased by 11.63% and 11.54% because of methanol addition, respectively. Furthermore, the methanol-gasoline test fuel has longer payback, environmental payback and lifecycle-based environmental payback period values than gasoline at all engine loads. In this respect, the average value of payback, environmental payback, and lifecycle-based environmental payback period values increased by 6.65%, 6.70%, and 19.05% with the addition of methanol. The lowest system total payback period, environmental payback period and lifecycle-based environmental payback period periods are 11.66, 4.646, and 6.15 years for gasoline at full load, 50 Nm, and 100 Nm, respectively. In addition, the optimum engine load, lifecycle-based environmental pollution cost and payback period values found to be 56.48 Nm, $27,850.55, 6.42 year, for gasoline, while 54.95 Nm, $30,138.12, 7.71 year for the MG20, respectively. Interestingly, considering all the results, gasoline usually emerges as a more promising fuel in the lifecycle-based environmental pollution costs than the methanol-gasoline test fuel at all engine loads.