Investigations on Performance and Emission Characteristics of Diesel Engine with Biodiesel (Jatropha Oil) and Its Blends

This paper presents the performance of biodiesel blends in a single-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine. All experiments were carried out at constant speed 1500 rpm and the biodiesel blends were varied from B10 to B100. The engine was equipped with variable compressions ratio (VCR) mechanism. For 100% Jatropha biodiesel, the maximum fuel consumption was 15% higher than that of diesel fuel. The brake thermal efficiency for biodiesel and its blends was found to be slightly higher than that of diesel at various load conditions. The increase in specific fuel consumption ranged from 2.75% to 15% for B10 to B100 fuels. The exhaust gas temperature increased with increased biodiesel blend. The highest exhaust gas temperature observed was 430°C with biodiesel for load conditions 1.5 kW, 2.5 kW, and 3.5 kW, where as for diesel the maximum exhaust gas temperature was 440°C. The CO2 emission from the biodiesel fuelled engine was higher by 25% than diesel fuel at full load. The CO emissions were lower with Jatropha by 15%, 13%, and 13% at 1.5 kW, 2.5 kW, and 3.5 kW load conditions, respectively. The NOx emissions were higher by 16%, 19%, and 20% at 1.5 kW, 2.5 kW, and 3.5 kW than that of the diesel, respectively.