Experimental on the effects of various air filter elements on spark ignition engine performance

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an investigation on the effect of air filter elements on the performance of spark ignition (SI) engine. Three different types of material; paper, cotton and foam were tested as filtering element in the air filter before the mixing process with fuel in the carburetor. In the experiment, a four-stroke single-cylinder engine was coupled to a 20 kW generator dynamometer to measure engine performance parameters; engine torque, engine power (B.P), brake thermal efficiency (BTE) and brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) at various engine speeds with maximum engine load. The results show correlation between engine performance and the qualities of filtered air as a function of type of air filter element/material used.