Performance Characteristics of a Single Cylinder Diesel Engine Fueled With Blends of Sal Seed Oil and Diesel
Abstract
The present work deals with an underutilized vegetable oil; Shorea Robusta (Sal) belongs to the family of Dipterocarpaceae. Sal has an important role in the economics of central states of India (i.e. Orissa, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh). These states cover about 45 % of forest area. Sal is a deciduous tree that reaches up to 50 m height. The pressure filtered Sal seed oil was transesterified into Sal seed oil Methyl Ester (SOME). The kinematic viscosity (5.85cSt), density (865 kg/m3) and calorific value (38349 KJ/kg) of the SOME were well within the ASTM/EN standard limits. Various test fuels were prepared for the engine trials by blending 10%, 20% and 30% of SOME in diesel on volumetric basis and designated as SOME10, SOME20 and SOME30 respectively. The BTE, in general, was found to be decreased with increased volume fraction of SOME in the blends. At full load, BSFC for SOME10, SOME20 and SOME30 were 0.18kg/kWh, 0.17kg/kWh and 0.15kg/kWh respectively as compared to 0.19kg/kWh in case of diesel. It may be concluded from the experimental investigations that Sal seed biodiesel is a potential alternative to diesel fuel for reducing dependence on crude petroleum derived fuels and also to reduce pollution significantly.
