Experimental evaluation of diesel engine operating with A TERNARY BLEND (BIODIESEL-DIESEL-ETHANOL)

Abstract

Abstract The present investigation aims to study the future potential fuel of a non-edible tamanu oil (calophyllum inophyllum). The raw oil of tamanu oil was converted into biodiesel in two-step esterification process and different test fuel blends with biodiesel were prepared with conventional diesel and ethanol as an additive to evaluate its effect on engine characteristics such as BP, BTE, and BSFC, EGT and smoke density on a 4.4 kW rated power, single-cylinder four-stroke of constant rpm C.I. engineat different loads (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of rated power). The fuel blends were prepared with biodiesel in the ratio of 40%,100% coded as B40 and B100 respectively along with diesel fuel and ethanol as an additive in the fixed ratio of 10%, 15%, and 20%. It was found that B40E20D40 showed a reduction in smoke density and BSFC of 14.28% and 5.9% respectively, 18.3% increase in BTE and 3.73% reduction in exhaust gas temperature at full load whereas B100 showed a maximum reduction in smoke density of 15.97% with 4.53% increase in BSFC and a marginal increase in EGT of 0.53%. B40E20D40 gave a better performance in a diesel engine from the perspective of minimum BSFC, lower exhaust gas temperature and higher BTE among all other blends.