Performance Characteristics of Diesel Engine Operating with Preheated Palm Biodiesel

Abstract

Increase in price of diesel fuels, stringent emission regulation, and foreseeable future depletion of petroleum reserves forces us to research novel technologies to meet human demands for environment and energy. World’s petroleum supplies are getting constrained, attention has been directed to find out alternative sources of fuels for engines. The nonrenewable nature and limited resources of petroleum fuels have become a matter of great concern. The present reservation of fuels used in internal combustion engines including diesel will deplete within 40 years if consumed at an increasing rate estimated to be of an order of 3 % per annum. This work aims to find out the prospects and opportunities of using methyl esters of palm oil as fuels in an automobile. Thus suitability of such fuels in transportation vehicles will helps in saving foreign exchange. Tests were conducted on a four stroke, single cylinder, D.I diesel engine with Diesel, and various blends of Biodiesel at various preheating temperature. The results of performance tests are compared with various blends of palm oil biodiesel with that of neat diesel. The result indicates that at blend B20 with preheat temperature 60 °C, the brake thermal efficiency is maximum while minimum brake specific fuel consumption is observed as compare to other blends of biodiesel.