Experimental study on evaporation characteristics of diesel/cerium oxide nanofluid fuel droplets

Diesel/cerium oxide nanofluid fuel was a high-energy-density fuel with addition of highly exothermic NPs, and its combustion performance was better than conventional fuels. The evaporation characteristics of diesel/cerium oxide nanofluid fuel droplets was investigated experimentally using the droplet suspension technique under ambient temperatures of 673 K and 873 K, normal gravity and pressure of atmospheric to ensure the accuracy data. The research date showed that diesel/cerium oxide nanofluid fuel and diesel had the same evaporation behaviors at 673 K. Diesel/cerium oxide nanofluid fuel and diesel both expanded and exploded at 873 K, but nanofluid fuel were easier to explore and had shorter evaporation duration. The reason was ceria nanoparticles and its aggregation had greater attraction near the surface of droplet, which lead to the partial surface tension exceeding decreased. That was why the expansion ratio of nanofluid fuel was less than diesel droplet. In a word, nanoparticles in the droplet film decreased the partial surface tension, promoted the microexplosion, reduced the evaporation time greatly.