Effect of Thermal Barrier Coating Thickness on Biofuel Operated CI Engine: A Comprehensive Study

Abstract:

The goal of engineers working on internal combustion engines has always been energy efficiency and conservation. In general, diesel engines use less fuel than their petrol counterparts. However, even after a diesel engine rejects approximately two-thirds of the fuel's thermal energy (with one-third going to the coolant and another third to the exhaust), only about one-third is converted into useful power. Theoretically, thermal efficiency would be maximized if the amount of heat rejection is minimized, at least as far as the second law of thermodynamics would allow. low heat rejection (LHR) engines aim to achieve this by minimizing the amount of heat lost to the coolant. Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) in diesel engines are designed to raise combustion chamber temperature, which in turn offers benefits such as increased power density, fuel efficiency and multi-fuel capability. Specifically, the application of TBCs can lead to an increase in engine power by approximately 7.8% and a reduction in specific fuel consumption by about 15% - 20% compared to uncoated baseline engines, with these effects depending heavily on coating material thickness and fuel blend utilized. Furthermore, the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) can increase by around 27%, with these effects varying based on the coating thickness typically ranging from 150 µm to 300 µm and the type of coating material used. To apply these coatings, engine combustion chamber components such as piston crown, cylinder head, valves and cylinder liners) can be coated using a variety of material deposition techniques. High-Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF), Air Plasma Spray (APS), Electron Beam Physical Vapour Deposition (EBPVD), Electrostatic Spray Assisted Vapour Deposition (ESAVD), and Direct Vapour Deposition (DVD) are examples of material deposition techniques. Plasma spraying is the leading method for applying thermal coating materials to diesel engines components. Due to voids and cracks, it typically exhibits a lamellar microstructure with 10–20% porosity.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1058)
• Pages: 203-217
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-XlF9IW
• Online since: June 2026
• Authors: Amit Kumar, Sarbjot Singh Sandhu*
• Keywords: Biofuels, CI Engine, Low Heat Rejection (LHR), Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC)

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