Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-020-04696-z RESEARCH ARTICLE-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING Experimental Analysis of Synergetic Efect of Part‑Cooled Exhaust Gas Recirculation on Magnetic Field‑Assisted Combustion of Liquefed Petroleum Gas Libin Panavelil Oommen 1  · Kumar Gottekere Narayanappa 1  · Shivaprasad Kumar Vijayalakshmi 2 Received: 30 January 2020 / Accepted: 8 June 2020 © King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2020 Abstract Magnetic feld-assisted combustion has been under the focus of research for the last three decades around the globe. The efects of strong uniform and gradient magnetic felds on fame development, behaviour and propagation have been studied, and their applications have been experimented on Internal Combustion Engines. The present work investigates the synergetic efect of part-cooled EGR on the magnetic feld-assisted combustion of liquefed petroleum gas in a multicylinder MPFI spark-ignited engine modifed for neat LPG operation. Sintered neo-delta magnets with radial magnetization pattern of four diferent magnetic intensities (0G, 3200G, 4800G and 6400G) are fastened to the fuel line near to the gas injector with a non-magnetic stainless steel integument to prevent any loss of magnetic intensities during the operation. A portion of the exhaust gas is channelled to an intercooler and an optimum percentage of the partially cooled gases are inducted into the inlet manifold for combustion. The experimental study concludes that the optimum fow rate of part-cooled EGR acts syn- ergistically with the applied magnetic felds to enhance the combustion characteristics of LPG emanating an improved fuel economy of 13.8% and brake thermal efciency of 3.9%. The increased emission of oxides of Nitrogen which is the major setback of LPG combustion can be addressed through the combined efect of part-cooled EGR and magnetic feld-assisted combustion. Moreover, the reduction in stability of combustion through the recirculation of exhaust can also be balanced by the applied magnetic feld. Keywords Combustion · Liquefed Petroleum Gas · Part-cooled EGR · Magnetic feld · Emission control Abbreviations NdFeB Neodymium iron boron permanent magnet MPFI Multipoint port fuel injection EGR Exhaust gas recirculation BP Brake power BTE Brake thermal efciency BSFC Brake-specifc fuel consumption NHRR Net heat release rate IMEP Indicated mean efective pressure COV Coefcient of variation CO Carbon monoxide CO 2 Carbon dioxide HC Hydrocarbon NO x Oxides of nitrogen 1 Introduction Liquefed Petroleum gas is a gas-phase mixture of hydro- carbons comprised primarily of butane and propane in varying proportions. Derived from crude oil or natural gas, it is being increasingly utilized as an alternative fuel due to its reputation as a clean burning fuel. LPG is preferred for automotive operations due to its lower carbon to hydrogen ratio, lower cost to the end users, non-corrosive nature and the absence of aromatic hydrocarbons [1]. Although the efective power output of an SI engine is expected to increase with the higher calorifc value of LPG, this is negated through a reduction in volumetric efciency [2]. The thermodynamic modelling of gasoline engine fuelled by LPG reported signifcant reduction in harmful exhaust * Shivaprasad Kumar Vijayalakshmi spkvnitk@gmail.com 1 IC Engine Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India 2 Department of Engineering, Durham University, Durham, UK