Performance of Waste Fried Oil based Biodiesel in a Stationary Diesel Engine

Abstract

The research activities related to alternative fuels has gained prominence, due to exhaustion of the present fossile fuels and rise in pollution levels. Any substitute to diesel will help mankind for safeguarding the environment due to redced usage of conventional fuels, as diesel consumption is high in goods transshipment sector and cultivation fields.Suitable replacement for diesel are Vegetable oils, because their cetane value is nearer to pure diesel. The combustion related issues with vegetable oils, either edible or nonedible can be resolved to a major extent by esterifying them.For this study the biodiesel extracted from used cooking oil, was used as fuel, in a 3.68 kW, 1500 RPM stationary diesel engine at distinct injection timings.The injection timings were changed by keeping copper shims between body of fuel pump and frame of diesel engine. The value of optimum injection timing(where maximum efficiency is obtained) was observed to be 310 forbiodiesel and diesel fuels. The performance parameters, combustion characteristics and pollution levels were recorded, at recommended and optimum timings of injection of 270 and 310 before the top dead centre(bTDC).Studies were conducted with pure diesel and biodiesel, made using waste fried vegetable oil (WFVOBD). The biodiesel showed equivalent performance at both manufacturer recommended and experimentally obtained optimum injection timings, but marginally increased levels of NOx