Investigations on N-Butanol and Biodiesel Blends Performance in Stationary Engine

Abstract

The experimental study described here evaluated the emission and performance characteristics of a stationary diesel engine fueled with different blends, including diesel, biodiesel, and n-butanol, across various loads. This work was conducted on a single-cylinder, four-stroke, direct ignition, water-cooled CI engine at a constant speed, indicated a reduction in brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) with an increase in the proportion of n-butanol in the fuel blend. Among the biodiesel blends, only the 10% blend showed lower BSFC compared to pure diesel, which was recorded at 0.25 kg/kWh. Moreover, it was observed that n-butanol combustion led to a significantly higher smoke density (HU) of approximately 33% compared to biodiesel, which showed around 15% at full load. Despite this, the But20 blend stood out by emitting lower levels of CO (~0.02%), CO2 (~3%), HC (~8 ppm), and NOx (~500PPM) at full load compared to diesel or any other blends. N-butanol blend resulted in higher smoke density. However, But20 blend offered a promising balance by emitting lower levels of harmful emissions compared to other blends and pure diesel.