Investigation of the Influence of Different Vegetable Oils as a Component of Blended Biofuel on Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Diesel Engine for Agricultural Machinery and Commercial Vehicles

Abstract

Biofuels derived from renewable plant materials are considered promising alternative fuels to decrease emissions of ICEs. This study aimed to justify the possibility of using vegetable oils of different sources as a 10% additive in blended biofuel for diesel engines of agricultural machinery and commercial vehicles. Seven different vegetable oils were investigated. Experiments have been performed by fueling a diesel engine with blended biofuels of 90% petroleum diesel fuel and 10% vegetable oil. In the maximum power and maximum torque modes, the brake power drop was no more than 1.5%, and the brake-specific fuel consumption increase was less than 4.3%; NOx emissions were reduced by up to 8.3%, exhaust smoke—up to 37.5%, CO—up to 20.0%, and unburned HC—up to 27.9%. In the operating modes of the European 13-mode steady-state test cycle, the integral specific emissions of HC decreased by up to 30.0%, integral specific emissions of CO—up to 15.0%, and integral specific emissions of NOx—up to 16.0%. The results obtained show the feasibility and rationality of using the investigated vegetable oils as a 10% additive in blended biofuel for diesel engines of agricultural machinery and commercial vehicles.