Bioethanol is produced by bio-chemical process that converts sugar or biomass feedstock into ethanol. After
bio-chemical process, the solution is distilled under controlled conditions of pressure and temperature, in
order to obtain an ethanol-water solution. However, the ethanol concentration analysis is generally performed
off-line and, sometimes, a re-distillation process becomes necessary. In this research, an optical apparatus
based on Fresnel reflection has been used in combination with artificial neural networks for determination of
bioethanol concentration in hydro-alcoholic solution at any temperature. The volumetric concentration and
temperature effect was investigated. This intelligent system can effectively detect and update in real-time the
correction of distillation parameters to reduce losses of bioethanol and also to improve the quality in a
production plant.
The high efficiency combustion of flexfuel engine depends on the precise determination of the alcohol-gasoline ratios.
Presently, commercial technique available uses the Lambda probe, a post-combustion sensor to analyze the exhaust
gases (after combustion). This ratio can be measured in real-time using an optical fiber sensor. In the present research,
different ratios of alcohol-gasoline blends were measured at temperatures in the range 0 to 50°C, by a Fresnel
reflectometer. The sensoring principle is based on the phenomenon of light reflectivity in the interface fiber-fuel. The
reflected intensity is proportional to the refractive index difference between the fiber sensor and the fuel, while the
refractive index of the mixture is a function of the volumetric ratio of the substances. The real time determination of the
mixture ratio of alcohol-gasoline concentrations by the reflected intensity can be used to optimize the combustion
efficiency of the flexfuel engine. It can be expected that this technology can reduce both, the pollutant emissions and
the fuel consumption.
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