Affiliation:
1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike Ikwo, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
3. Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
Abstract
Reports on the optimum brake-power, surrogate fuel, engine emissions, and efficiency using hybrid model on high compression ratio diesel engines are very imperative for effective application of biodiesel in power and renewable energy generation. This study presents Dyacrodes edulis biodiesel engine performance and combustion release optimization using response surface methodology-genetic algorithm (RSM-GA) as well as the variation of key engine efficiency and exhaust release indices with brake power and fuel blend in a high compression ratio (CR) diesel engine. Combustion emission impacts of the blends with respect to petro-diesel decreased in values except for NOX. Brake thermal efficiency (BTE), brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake mean effective pressure (BMEP), volumetric efficiency, and exhaust temperature increased with brake power while specific energies decreased with load. Optimum conditions obtained using integrated RSM-GA were 40.03%, 0.05 kg/kW-h, 0.03%, 132.30 ppm, and 18.84 ppm for BTE, BSFC, CO, NOx, and HC respectively at low factor (engine load, engine speed, and fuel blend) conditions. At the optimum conditions, the experimental validation results were 44.01%, 0.05 kg/kW-h, 0.04%, 130.05 ppm, and 20.33 ppm for BTE, BSFC, CO, NOx, and HC respectively. The application of the feedstock in compression ignition engine is viable.