Executive Summary

A series of tests were carried out by the Department of Mechanical Engineering for M.N. International Pvt. Ltd.  on a fuel additive named Soltron™.   These tests were at spaced during a period of four months ensuring the repeatability of results.

The fuels tested were Gasoline, Auto Diesel and Furnace oil marketed by Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.  In complying with ISO 1585 engine dynamometer tests were carried out with Gasoline and Diesel Engines. Furnace oil and auto diesel were tested on a redwood viscometer and flash point test unit.

Engine dynamometer tests were comprised of different loading (full load and part load) at specified engine rotational speeds with and without the additive Soltron™ for each fuel used for testing.  The performance parameters utilized with referenced to energy were, engine brake power, torque, and specific fuel consumption.  Moreover, opacity of the tail pipe emissions in the case of auto diesel were recorded.

The engine dynamometer tests carried out on gasoline does not show a significant difference in torque developed brake power and specific fuel consumption with and without the additive Soltron™ within the accuracy of the measurements.  The same trend was observed for the three compression ratios (5.5, 8.5 and 10).  In the case of auto diesel on engine dynamometer, only a single compression ratio was considered and the results did not show a significant difference in terms of the parameters considered with and without the additive Soltron™, in the case of full load.  The same trend was observed for the cases where the additive concentrations of 2500:1 and 5000:1.

However, in contrast to the full load tests, the part load test results a showed a significantly different trend.  A maximum increase of 50 % on the engine torque, 50 % on the engine brake power and a maximum decrease of 34 % on the specific fuel consumption were recorded when the additive Soltron™ was introduced to the auto diesel.  In addition, during the same regime of part load tests with auto diesel a maximum 37 % reduction in the opacity was observed when the additive Soltorn was used.

The results of the tests concerning viscosity shows a significant reduction in viscosity in the temperature range (60 ºC – 85 ºC) considered and there was a reduction in the flash point when the Soltron™ was introduced to the furnace oil. The maximum percentage reduction in viscosity was 25 %, at 70 ºC (for the 500 Sec oil sample) provided and the maximum percentage reduction in flash point was 5 % (for the 1500 Sec oil sample)

In conclusion, Soltron™ as a fuel additive has shown an improvement in repeatable manner in case of part load operation of an engine designed to run with auto diesel.

It is also found that the viscosity variation characteristic of a blend of 35% diesel and 65% furnace oil can be very well matched (to a precision of 3 Redwood Seconds) with a blend of 25% diesel and 75% furnace oil when the additive Soltron™ is added to furnace oil on a 1: 2500 ratio.   This is an important finding where diesel can be saved at the cost of furnace oil.