Etanol: utilização do etanol como combustível: ignição a plasma de motores veiculares

Resumo

Petroleum oil is an important source of energy and a raw material that has been widely exploited by mankind. There is aconcern about its storage in nature, since it is a non-renewable source and will be exhausted in near future. The indiscriminate use of oil products produces serious consequences for environment, like carbon compound emissions. Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies to minimize emissions of air pollutants. The replacement of fossil automotive fuels by alternative and renewable fuels is increasing in order to reduce emission of toxic gases in the atmosphere. In this sense, the ethanol fuel, in Brazil, was implemented through National Alcohol Program (Pro-Alcool). More recently, the National Laboratory of Science and Technology of Bioethanol (CTBE) was also created in order to ensure Brazil leadership on sustainable production of sugarcane and bioethanol through development and innovation. The ethanol is undoubtedly cleaner than gasoline due to less toxic emission substances, such as benzene and butadiene. Furthermore, by having a simpler composition, bioethanol releases lower levels of complex substances into the atmosphere during its combustion. Ignition engines by spark discharges (or internal combustion engines) initiate their combustion mechanisms leaded through electrical discharges. For a fuel-air mixture ignites into an engine combustion chamber, an electric discharge which occur between the electrodes of spark plug, provides enough energy to the mixture to be completely burned, thus obtaining the maximum engine power. This project focuses on the investigation of processes occurring during the ignition of plasma and its consequences in post-discharge for an internal combustion engine, especially considering the spark plug discharge, aimed at finding the proper parameters to be applied in cars that operate on “poor mixtures” reducing pollutants released into the atmosphere. The research aims is to point out methods and materials to be used in order to provide an analysis of the processes occurring in plasma and combustion. (AU)