Title: Experimental investigations of the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a biodiesel (ethyl ester of fish oil) fuelled direct-injection diesel engine

Authors: G. Sakthivel; G. Nagarajan; M. Ilangkumaran

Addresses: Department of Mechatronics Engineering, K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode 637 215, Tamilnadu, India ' I.C. Engineering Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India ' Department of Mechatronics Engineering, K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Tiruchengode, 637 215, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract: The thirst for fuel is steadily increasing as technology continues to open new areas of exploration. At the same time, the indiscriminate extraction of fossil fuels may also result in pollutant emissions which cause major impacts on ecological systems. In order to overcome the above problems, a suitable biodiesel should be used to replace the diesel fuel. Hence, in this work, feasibility of using biodiesel prepared from fish oil was investigated. Experimental tests were carried out to evaluate the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a single cylinder, constant speed engine using several blends under variable load conditions. It was found that NOx, HC and CO emission was reduced for blends along with a marginal increase of brake thermal efficiency and smoke. The ignition delay and maximum heat release rate were reduced compared to diesel. Ultimately, fish oil can indeed become the appropriate source for biodiesel with environmental benefits.

Keywords: ethyl ester; fish oil; biodiesel; direct injection; DI diesel engines; vehicle performance; vehicle emissions; combustion; biofuels; brake thermal efficiency; smoke; ignition delay; heat release rate.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVP.2013.058278

International Journal of Vehicle Performance, 2013 Vol.1 No.2, pp.137 - 156

Received: 10 Jun 2012
Accepted: 13 Nov 2012
Published online: 12 Jul 2014 *

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