Comparative study of different adsorbent materials in a charcoal canister

Abstract

Evaporative emissions account for 15-20% of total hydrocarbon emission from a gasoline engine. Evaporative emissions from the fuel tank and the carburettor are inevitable from gasoline or gasoline like fuel operating vehicle because of their highly evaporative nature. Evaporative emission control technique are introduced in S.I. engine vehicles in order to reduce the hydrocarbon emission. Charcoal canister is a fuel evaporative emission control device that is fitted between the space between the fuel tank, carburettor and the intake manifold. The design of the charcoal canister plays an important role for the maximum reduction of hydrocarbon. The present work aims to design a charcoal canister consisting of inlet tubes for fuel vapour from the fuel tank and the carburettor for introducing vapour into the charcoal canister and a bed of adsorbent, EPDM(ethylene-propylene-diene monomer) foam filter to trap liquid gasoline and heavy hydrocarbons that may spill from the fuel tank and the float of the carburettor. A vapour purge tube in the fluid communication with the bed of activated charcoal for purging fuel from the bed .A exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is used to enhance the desorption of the vapour fuels due to higher temperature and evaluate the performance of different adsorbent materials(activated carbon powder, charred wood powder) by experimentation with help of a fabricated charcoal canister.