Vegetable Oils as Fuel for Diesel Engines: An Overview

Author(s):  
A. K. Babu ◽  
G. Devaradjane

The intent of this paper is to summarize the state of knowledge on use of vegetable oils as diesel fuels. Fuel related properties are reviewed and compared with conventional diesel fuel. The use of neat vegetable oil (edible and/or nonedible), biodiesel and its blends in a diesel engine has been discussed. Performance and emission characteristics are highlighted. Suitability of different combustion chambers for diesel engine operation with vegetable oils is outlined. Techniques to decrease viscosities are discussed. An overview on current developments on the use of vegetable oils directly and indirectly in diesel engines is presented.

Author(s):  
Alex Y ◽  
Roji George Roy

Biodiesel has become more attractive recently, because of its environmental benefits and the fact that it is made from renewable resources. Over the past few decades, most of the countries depending on diesel engines for transportation. Some of its valuable advantages like highest thermal efficiency made it very popular. At the same time, the cost of diesel fuel is increasing, due to the depletion of fossil fuels. In this current scenario, we need an alternative fuel instead of diesel fuel. Many of the researchers have successfully placed several works on generating energy from different types of alternative sources including solar and some kind of conversion processes including renewable agricultural products into liquid fuel. One of the biggest challenges for developing countries in relation to energy consumption is to develop and implement technologies that help to improve efficiency of automobile engines, also to reduce the emissions of harmful gases and particulate matters. In order to avoid environmental impacts, emissions are reduced or eliminated by introducing renewable energy resources. The present research chronicles the production and testing of renewable biodiesel fuel derived from virgin coconut oil on a diesel engine, to analyses the engine performance and emission characteristics. In the first phase of work, production of biodiesel fuel from virgin coconut oil using transeterification process with two types of catalysts (homogenous and heterogeneous). The preliminary results shows that, with the addition of homogenous catalyst called Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) with methanol shows much higher activity than that of heterogeneous catalysts, and it shows more similar properties with diesel fuel. The results obtained from the chemical test and physicochemical properties of transesterified biodiesel fuel clearly proves the above-mentioned statement. The chemical tests such as GCMS and FT-IR clearly shows that the biodiesel fuel has sufficient amount of volatile components and functional groups. Then, physicochemical properties include, Fire point, Flashpoint, density, and viscosity were analyzed. Finally, Engine performance and Emission characteristics were analysed to confirm, whether this biodiesel fuel is suitable for diesel engines, without any engine modifications. It was found to be, the transesterified virgin coconut oil biodiesel has similar properties to that of the diesel fuel. From the physiochemical properties and engine performance clearly shows that, coconut oil biodiesel is suitable for diesel engine on blending, at a blending percentage level of 20% with conventional diesel fuel. Since the obtained transesterified biofuel can be used as an alternative fuel for diesel engines. The several journal reports and find outs from experimental investigation clearly depicts that the efficiency of the transesterified biofuel mainly depends upon the amount of catalyst adding and type of catalysts present in the biofuel, whether it is homogenous or heterogeneous catalyst is suitable with methanol. Finally, from the analysis made from biodiesel fuel. Coconut Oil Biodiesel fuel has less emission characteristics than that of the diesel fuels.


Author(s):  
N. V. Mahalakshmi ◽  
R. Karthikeyan

Pinus product (Turpentine) has been proposed as an alternate to petro fuels since the invention of S.I. engine. In general, due to higher volatility, turpentine has been used only in the S.I. engine. But the present work proves that based on the property of turpentine (Table – 1), it is a very good substitute for diesel fuel. The low cetane number of turpentine oil had prevented the use of 100% turpentine oil in diesel engine. The present work explores the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of turpentine diesel blends and its suitability with C.I. engine. The 20% turpentine 80% diesel blend has an equal combustion and performance characteristics with that of diesel fuel. The experimental results show that some of the toxic gases like CO, UBHC and soot are decreased compared to diesel baseline. In particular around 45% to 50% smoke reduction is obtained with higher turpentine blends. Also it proves that 20% addition of turpentine into conventional diesel fuel improve the performance, combustion, and emission to a considerable limit.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. G15-G20
Author(s):  
S. Nagendra ◽  
B. Santosh Kumar ◽  
A. V. N. S. Kiran ◽  
C. Ramanjaneyalu ◽  
K. Nagamani

A significant portion of the automobile and industrial sector is mostly dependent on the running of diesel engines as it is efficient and shifts a large of the goods around the globe and power various equipment. Also, as the use of energy as diesel fuel is increasing enormously with the expansion of industrial growth, diversification, this led to the accelerating global emissions, global climatic change, health issues, and exhaustion of fuels. To succumb this, alternative fuel is needed to fight against the ill effects and as a replacement to diesel fuel. Thus, vegetable oils as alternative fuels are drawing more attention as they are renewable and do not address the problem of greenhouse gas. In the present work, the cottonseed oil was chosen as the favorite among the vegetable oils due to its advantages like less pollutant level, excessive availability, etc. The transesterification process was used to produce the cottonseed oil biodiesel. This research aims to investigate efficiency, emission characteristics by using smooth diesel, cottonseed oil, and mixtures with varying composition from 20 % to 80 % in 20 % steps to identify sustainable fuel as a substitute for existing fuel and to overcome fuel demand and enviro effects. This test was conducted on single-cylinder four-stroke water-cooled diesel engines. From the results, it was revealed that cottonseed oil and its blends have a significant influence on performance and emission characters. Keywords: water-cooled diesel engine, emission character, cottonseed oil, sustainable fuel.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.N. Basavarajappa ◽  
N. R. Banapurmath ◽  
S.V. Khandal ◽  
G. Manavendra

For economic and social development of any country energy is one of the most essential requirements. Continuously increasing price of crude petroleum fuels in the present days coupled with alarming emissions and stringent emission regulations has led to growing attention towards use of alternative fuels like vegetable oils, alcoholic and gaseous fuels for diesel engine applications. Use of such fuels can ease the burden on the economy by curtailing the fuel imports. Diesel engines are highly efficient and the main problems associated with them is their high smoke and NOx emissions.  Hence there is an urgent need to promote the use of alternative fuels in place of high speed diesel (HSD) as substitute. India has a large agriculture base that can be used as a feed stock to obtain newer fuel which is renewable and sustainable. Accordingly Uppage oil methyl ester (UOME) biodiesel was selected as an alternative fuel. Use of biodiesels in diesel engines fitted with mechanical fuel injection systems has limitation on the injector opening pressure (300 bar). CRDI system can overcome this drawback by injecting fuel at very high pressures (1500-2500 bar) and is most suitable for biodiesel fuels which are high viscous. This paper presents the performance and emission characteristics of a CRDI diesel engine fuelled with UOME biodiesel at different injection timings and injection pressures. From the experimental evidence it was revealed that UOME biodiesel yielded overall better performance with reduced emissions at retarded injection timing of -10° BTDC in CRDI mode of engine operation.


Author(s):  
M P Ashok ◽  
C G Saravanan

Diesel engines are employed as the major propulsion power sources because of their simple, robust structure and high fuel economy. It is expected that diesel engines will be widely used in the foreseeable future. However, an increase in the use of diesel engines causes a shortage of fossil fuel and results in a greater degree of pollution. To regulate the above, identifying an alternative fuel to the diesel engine with less pollution is essential. Ethanol–diesel emulsion is one such method, used for the preparation of an alternative fuel for the diesel engine. Experimental investigations were carried out to compare the performance of diesel fuel with different ratios 50D: 50E (50 per cent diesel No: 2: 50 per cent ethanol –100 per cent proof) and 60D: 40E emulsified fuels. In the next phase, experiments were conducted for the selected emulsified fuel ratio 50D: 50E for different high injection pressures and the results are compared. The results show that for the emulsified fuel ratios, there is a marginal increase in torque, power, NO x, emissions, and decreasing values of carbon monoxide (CO), sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions at the maximum speed conditions, compared with diesel fuel. Also, it is found that an increase in injection pressure of the engine running with emulsified fuel decreases CO and smoke emissions especially between 1500 to 2000 r/min with respect to the diesel fuel.


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