Abstract:
Sustainable production of cost-effective, renewable, and clean energy sources has
become a globally discussed topic, as the current energy sources especially,
petroleum fuel, are facing a crisis and becoming a serious environmental threat. This
situation affects seriously the transportation sector, where currently no clear
solution instead than fossil fuels. Among many solutions, biodiesel seems like a
potential source and hence proper analysis should be done prior to application into
automobiles, and this became the main scope of the work reported herein.
Experimental tests have been carried out to evaluate the effect of biodiesel
originating from waste cooking oil on the performance and emission of a diesel
engine. 5%, 10%, 20%, and 30% biodiesel blends of petroleum diesel were applied
to the model diesel engine under a constant fuel compression ratio (16) and engine
speed (1500 rpm). Further. an exhaust gas analyzer was employed to measure CO
emissions in the line. More importantly, there is no performance reduction even up
to a 20% blend and the performance observed was similar to that of pure petroleum
diesel. Further, considering the engine economy, a biodiesel blend was observed
as a fuel with low specific fuel consumption, and hence, it is more economical than
that petroleum diesel. Furthermore, emission studies also showed significant
results, and a significant reduction in carbon monoxide emission was observed
under all operating conditions. Therefore, the study reveals the potential of the
biodiesel-petroleum diesel blend for existing diesel engines for successful and
smooth operation.
