A numerical analysis of the characteristics of diesel-powered engines working on waste plastic oil blends: Base compromising

Abstract

The current study’s objective is to use Diesel-RK simulation software to numerically assess the effects of employing waste plastic oil blends on the thermal characteristics of diesel engines. Each autonomous zone’s governing equations are solved using the multi-zone combustion model. Six distinct volumetric mixes were used to analyze the engine’s characteristics of waste plastic oil (10%, 20%, 30%, 50%, 70% and 100%) as a comparison to the standard diesel case. The data collected showed a slight decrease in pressure and heat release for all waste plastic oil blends compared to pure diesel fuel. The Sauter mean diameter of droplets increased by 0.91%, 1.85%, 2.68%, 4.35%,5.74% and 7.1% for 10%, 20%,30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% waste plastic oil (WPO), respectively. The slightly lower cetane number of WPO compared to fossil diesel resulted in a longer ignition delay, resulting in a slightly later combustion start. Brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased by 2.2%, 4.1%, 5.86%, 9.23%, 15.14% and 15.960% for 10%, 20%,30%, 50%, 70% and 100% WPO, respectively, because of differences in density, viscosity, and heat content, respectively. A significant drop in the Bosch Smoke Number (BSN) was observed with 30% and 50% WPO, reporting reductions by 2.86% and 4.55%, respectively. The lowest increase in particulate matter was 1.96% and 2.87% for 30% and 50% WPO biodiesel blends. A higher biodiesel content resulted in lower NOx emissions compared to diesel. The findings suggest that 30% WPO is the optimal blend recommended for use in a diesel engine without alteration, which aligns with the results from other studies.