Study on the Impact of Graphene Nanomaterials Applied to Engine Performance

ABSTRACT This study investigates the enhancement of engine performance and exhaust emissions using a coolant containing graphene nanopowder (GrNC). The testing procedure was divided into two parts: assessing the thermal dissipation of the radiator and evaluating engine performance. This newly designed experimental approach is reported for the first time. Notably, under constant speed mode, the best specific fuel consumption of 56.88 km/L was achieved with 0.07 wt.% GrNC. The concentrations of 0.01 and 0.07 wt.% GrNC yielded lower emissions of HC (2 260 000 and 1 320 000 ppm, respectively) and CO (33 912 and 16 412 vol.%, respectively) compared to the traditional coolant. In addition, this study introduces an application concept for nanofluid coolants and verifies its feasibility through comprehensive experimental validation. The findings have significant engineering and environmental implications for enhancing engine thermal efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions.