Experimental Evaluation of the Impact on Turbo Engine’s Performance and Gaseous Emissions While Using n-Heptane Octanol/Jet-A Blends

Valentin Silivestru, Grigore Cican (), Radu Mirea, Sibel Osman and Razvan Ene ()
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Valentin Silivestru: Romanian Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines—COMOTI, 220D Iuliu Maniu, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Grigore Cican: Romanian Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines—COMOTI, 220D Iuliu Maniu, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Radu Mirea: Romanian Research and Development Institute for Gas Turbines—COMOTI, 220D Iuliu Maniu, 061126 Bucharest, Romania
Sibel Osman: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ovidius University of Constanta, 124 Mamaia Bld., 900527 Constanta, Romania
Razvan Ene: “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 8 Eroii Sanitari Blvd, 050474 Bucharest, Romania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-22

Abstract: This paper investigates how octanol, used as a renewable additive in Jet A fuel, influences the performance and emissions of aviation micro-turbo engines. Blends containing 10%, 20%, and 30% octanol, with an additional 5% n-heptane, were tested to closely replicate Jet A’s physical–chemical properties. Mathematical models validated using density and viscosity data achieved accurate predictions, with maximum absolute errors of 0.0018 g/cm 3 for density and 0.4020 mm 2 /s for viscosity. Performance assessments showed that fuel consumption increased due to octanol’s lower calorific value, requiring higher fuel flow to sustain engine speed. Combustion temperature variations ranged from a decrease of 5.38% in Regime 1 (30% octanol) to increases of up to 1.47% and 1.13% in Regimes 2 and 3, respectively, without compromising engine stability. Thrust variations were minimal, with decreases up to 0.72% observed at 30% octanol concentration. Emission analysis indicated significant reductions in CO and NO x levels with increased octanol content, attributed to enhanced combustion completeness and additional oxygen availability. SO 2 emissions also decreased slightly due to the lower sulfur content. Thermal efficiency marginally declined from 5.04% (Jet A) to approximately 4.92–4.97% for octanol blends. These findings support octanol as a viable sustainable additive, offering substantial emission benefits with only minor efficiency trade-offs.

Keywords: octanol; Jet A; fuel; turbo engine; sustainability; n-heptane (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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