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Effect of Biodiesel on Thermal NO Formation

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Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series C Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Biodiesel is an attractive alternative to diesel fuel which is renewable in nature. This fuel has excellent lubricity, low smoke and potential for replacement of fossil diesel without major engine modifications or requirement of any additives. However, a higher nitric oxide (NO) emission from biodiesel is widely cited as their undesired emission characteristics. The present study analyses and describes the various reasons for higher NO formation with biodiesel relative to diesel fuel. To explore this so called biodiesel NO penalty, experiments were conducted on a four cylinder compression ignition engine with neat Karanja biodiesel and fossil diesel. Neat Karanja implies an unblended pure biodiesel. The experimental NO concentration with biodiesel and diesel fuel is validated using extended Zeldovich mechanism. Results suggest that the increase in NO emission with biodiesel fuel could not be opined to a change in a single fuel property but rather, it is the result of a number of coupled pathways whose effects may dominate or cancel one another under different conditions, depending on biodiesel compositional characteristics.

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Abbreviations

BMEP:

Brake mean effective pressure

BSFC:

Brake specific fuel consumption

CA:

Crank angle

CI:

Compression ignition

CO:

Carbon monoxide

COMF:

Combustible oxygen mass fraction

FAME:

Fatty acid methyl ester

NOP:

Nozzle opening pressure

NOx :

Oxides of nitrogen

NO:

Nitric oxide

PM:

Particulate matter

SOI:

Start of injection

UBHC:

Unburned hydrocarbon

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to M/s. Kistler for providing dedicated engine instrumentation on the test engine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Internal Combustion Engine Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India

    J. Thangaraja & P. S. Mehta

Authors
  1. J. Thangaraja
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  2. P. S. Mehta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. S. Mehta.

Annexure

Annexure

Experimental uncertainty values estimated for the measured quantities involved in this study are provided in Table 6.

Table 6 Measurements uncertainty
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Thangaraja, J., Mehta, P.S. Effect of Biodiesel on Thermal NO Formation. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. C 96, 135–143 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40032-014-0117-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40032-014-0117-1

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