Cetane number and thermal properties of vegetable oil,biodiesel, 1-butanol and diesel blends

Vegetable oil derived fuels for diesel engines are becoming important as alternative to petroleum diesel fuels due to their environmental friendliness and availability. Ignition quality in compression ignition (CI) engines is influenced by thermal characteristics and fuel properties. In this study, the effects of vegetable oil transesterification and vegetable oil–1-butanol-diesel blends on fuel properties, cetane number (CN) and thermal characteristics were experimentally investigated. Methyl esters (biodiesel) and 10% vegetable oil–10% 1-butanol–80% diesel blends were prepared from croton oil (CRO), coconut oil (COO) and jatropha oil (JAO). CN was measured in a CFR F-5 engine, and a thermogravimetric analysis (TG), as well as the determination of fuel properties of vegetable oils, biodiesels and blends was carried out. It can be observed for vegetable oils that they possess low volatility characteristics, low CN and high viscosity different from those of biodiesels, blends and diesel fuel. It was observed that biodiesels and blends exhibit similarities with diesel in the fuel characteristics, CN and TG curves.     

Emission profile of rapeseed methyl ester and its blend in a diesel engine

Fatty acid methyl esters, also known as biodiesel, have been shown to have a great deal of potential as petro-diesel substitutes. Biodiesel comprise a renewable alternative energy source, the development of which would clearly reduce global dependence on petroleum and would also help to reduce air pollution. This paper analyzes the fuel properties of rapeseed biodiesel and its blend with petro-diesel, as well as the emission profiles of a diesel engine on these fuels. Fuels performance studies were conducted in order to acquire comparative data regarding specific fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, including levels of carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂), smoke density, and NO_x, in an effort to assess the performance of these biodiesel and blend. The fuel consumption amount of oil operations at high loads was similar or greater than that observed during petro-diesel operation. The use of biodiesel is associated with lower smoke density than would be seen with petro-diesel. However, biodiesel and its blend increased the emission of CO, CO₂, and nitrogen oxides, to a greater degree than was seen with petro-diesel. The above results indicate that rapeseed biodiesel can be partially substituted for petro-diesel under most operating conditions, regarding both performance parameters and exhaust, without any modifications having to be made to the engine.     

F-T柴油对电控高压共轨柴油机性能及排放影响的研究

在满足国Ⅲ排放的现代高压共轨柴油机上,研究了掺烧不同比例F-T柴油混合燃料对发动机性能和排放的影响。结果表明,随着掺烧比例的加大,发动机的动力性略有下降,在外特性上,与燃烧国Ⅲ柴油相比,燃用F-T柴油时,扭矩最大下降2.2%,而燃油消耗率最高下降7.1%,有效热效率提高了4.5%。在十三工况的排放上,碳氢化合物（HC）、氮氧化物（NO_{x）、一氧化碳（CO）和颗粒（PM）的比排放量较国Ⅲ柴油均有明星下降,其中尤以燃用F-T柴油下降的幅度最大,PM降低了25.5%、NOx降低了11.7%、HC降低了39.3%、CO降低了33.9%。F-T柴油是柴油机的优良替代燃料。}     

Effects of equivalence and fuel ratios on combustion characteristics of an RCCI engine fueled with methane/n-heptane blend

Rising fuel costs and efforts for reducing greenhouse gases have led researchers to propose optimized models of combustion which have high efficiency and low emissions. Reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) engines are attractive due to their high efficiency and low NO_x and soot emissions over a wide range of operating conditions. In this study, methane and n-heptane are used as low and high reactive fuels, respectively, to create suitable fuel stratification within the cylinder. Modeling is carried out by AVL FIRE coupled with a chemical kinetics solver to investigate the effects of fuel ratio, initial temperature and equivalence ratio on the combustion performance and emission characteristics. Methane/n-heptane ratios are varied according to the energy ratio of each fuel while total input energy and total equivalence ratios are fixed. By increasing methane energy ratio from 65% to 85% in the constant intake temperature and pressure, the mixture Octane number increases, which would lead to an increase in ignition delay up to 5 crank angles. As a result, IMEP would be enhanced and also NO_x emission decreases because of lower combustion temperature. By increasing intake temperature, the maximum in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate and NO_x emission would increase significantly while soot emission decreases, and also ringing intensity increases up to 10%. On the other hand, increasing intake temperature reduces volumetric efficiency; as a result, IMEP is reduced by 11%. Also by increasing equivalence ratio from 0.35 to 0.55 in a constant energy ratio, noticeable growth in the maximum amount of pressure and temperature could be achieved; consequently, NO_x emission would increase significantly, IMEP increases by 43%, and ISFC decreases by 30%. The results indicate that these parameters have significant effects on the heavy-duty RCCI engine performance and emissions.

     

Oxygen storage capacity of substituted YBaCo4O7+δ oxygen carriers

Depletion of non-renewable energy sources are at elevated manner due to the rapid growth of industrialization and transportation sector in last few decades and leads to further energy demand. Biodiesels especially second-generation fuels from non-edible oil resources are alternate sources for replacement of diesel fuel in CI engines due to their considerable environmental benefits. In the present work, non-edible feedstock of Calophyllum inophyllum seed oil (tamanu oil) is used for biodiesel production. Transesterification method is used for preparation of biodiesel in the existence of methanol with NaOH as catalyst. The copper nanoparticles are synthesized by electrochemical method, and it is characterized by using X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD and SEM results confirm the presence of copper nanoparticle and size of around 30 nm. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the copper additive nanoparticles with biodiesel blends on the engine performance, combustion and emission characteristics of single-cylinder direct-injection diesel engine and compared that with diesel fuel. The results showed that the addition of nano-additives enhances brake thermal efficiency and reduces specific fuel consumption compared to biodiesel blends but slightly lower than diesel. Combustion characteristics also are enhanced by improved oxidation reaction inside the combustion chamber which resulted in higher heat release rate. The emissions of HC, NO_x and O₂ are significantly reduced for nano-additive blends compared to diesel but increased CO₂ emission was observed. It is noticed that higher CO₂ emission and substantial reduction of unused O₂ emissions from engine fueled with nano-additive are evident for enhanced oxidation and better combustion. Energy and exergy analysis of the diesel engine is carried out to estimate the effect of using nanoparticle additive with biodiesel.

     

生物柴油替代混合物化学动力学模型构建及路径分析

以癸酸甲酯(C₁₁H₂₂O₂)和正庚烷(nC₇H₁₆)作为生物柴油替代混合物,通过相对分子质量、低热值以及含氧量与实际生物柴油对比确定两种组分按摩尔比1：1混合,并在此基础上构建了一个由691种组分、3226个基元反应组成的生物柴油替代混合物的化学动力学机理. 在激波管条件下该机理计算的着火延迟与实验数据吻合很好;在发动机条件下该机理计算的缸内压力与实验值吻合很好,CO、未燃碳氢和NOx与实验结果趋势一致.此外,本文还对替代混合物的低温反应动力学过程进行了分析,结果表明癸酸甲酯脱氢产物主要为MD2J和MDMJ. MD2J在低温阶段的主要消耗途径除了加氧之外,还有与正庚烷基(C₇H₁₅-1)第一次加氧产物(C₇H₁₅O₂-3)进行交叉反应;发生分解反应生成MP2D及与氧发生脱氢反应生成MD2D. 另一种主要脱氢产物MDMJ在低温阶段的主要消耗途径为通过同分异构转化为MD2J和MD3J.     

Evacuating liquid coatings from a diffusive oblique fin in micro-/mini-channels

The present work emphasis on to estimate the theoretical findings of energy and exergy analysis of biodiesel fueled with diesel on variable compression ratio engine at various combinations of fuel blend at different compression ratios. This study aims to identify the optimum engine settings based on compression ratio and biodiesel blends. The engine is operated with methyl esters of rubber seed oil and its 20, 40, 60 and 80% blends with diesel on volume basis. The compression ratio is varied from 18:1 to 22:1 at five compression ratios at 80% load in 3.5 kW, 1500 rpm, single cylinder water-cooled direct injection engine. The variables analyzed are energy and exergy potential of fuel input, shaft work, cooling water, maximum pressure, heat release rate, exergy destruction, brake-specific energy consumption, brake thermal efficiency, second law efficiency, entropy generation, exhaust gas temperature and various emissions. It is observed that the combination of CR 20, B20 and B40 at 80% load gives a better performance in thermodynamic analysis of methyl esters of rubber seed oil blended with diesel in VCR engine.

     

Comparison of GC stationary phases for the separation of fatty acid methyl esters in biodiesel fuels

The fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) content of biodiesel fuels has traditionally been determined using gas chromatography with a polar stationary phase. In this study, a direct comparison of the separation of FAMEs present in various biodiesel samples on three polar stationary phases and one moderately polar stationary phase (with comparable column dimensions) was performed. Retention on each column was based on solubility in and polarity of the phase. Quantitative metrics describing the resolution of important FAME pairs indicate high resolution on all polar columns, yet the best resolution, particularly of geometric isomers, is achieved on the cyanopropyl column. In addition, the separation of four C18 monounsaturated isomers was optimized and the elution order determined on each column. FAME composition of various biodiesel fuel types was determined on each column to illustrate (1) chemical differences in biodiesels produced from different feedstocks and (2) chemical similarities in biodiesels of the same feedstock type produced in different locations and harvest seasons.     

Thermal behavior study of biodiesel standard reference materials

Quality control of fuel-related properties of biodiesel, such as thermal stability, is needed to obtain consistent engine performance by fuel users, since biodiesel is susceptible to auto-oxidation when exposed to air, light, and temperature during storage. In this work two pure standard reference materials of biodiesels produced from soy oil and animal feedstocks were studied. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry measurements were performed and the analysis of the results revealed small temperature variations in the thermal events among the two standards, these differences are due mainly to their chemical composition, been highly influenced by the amounts of unsaturated esters.     

Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Biodiesel Exhaust from Jatropha curcas and Chlorella variabilis by Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detection

Biodiesel serves as a promising alternative to the conventional petroleum fuels and is considered to be a renewable source of energy which can be used in compression-ignition engines with minimum or no modifications. Two biodiesels derived from Jatropha curcas seeds and marine microalga Chlorella variabilis were substituted for petrodiesel and 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (United States Environmental Protection Agency) were targeted for quantification through gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector. For comparison, petrodiesel was selected as a control, and the analyte concentrations were calculated through calibration curves with correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9909 to 0.9999. The analytical figures of merit were determined for each analyte. The relative standard deviations for intra-day repeatability and inter-day reproducibility were in the range of 4.47–8.75%. The results indicated a significant decrease of around 77 and 68% in the overall polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in the particulate matter originating from J. curcas and microalga C. variabilis biodiesel, respectively. This study is perceived as an important step toward describing the green emission behavior of these biodiesels and their merits compared to the conventional petroleum-based fuels.     

Thermal decomposition of biodiesel fuels produced from rapeseed, jatropha, and coffee oils with different alcohols

Thermal behaviors and the effects of various alcohols on biodiesel fuel (BDF) derived from edible oil such as rapeseed oil and inedible oils such as coffee oil and jatropha oil, were studied. TG curves in air and N₂ of rapeseed BDF, jatropha BDF, drip coffee, and BDF espresso coffee BDF synthesized from the methanol presented similar results which exhibited only one mass loss step, which is attributed to vaporization or combustion of the methyl esters. The decomposition temperature (T _d) of rapeseed, jatropha and coffee Bt-BDF were high by about 30 °C compared with the standard, Me-BDF. The amount of decomposition residue at 400 °C was found to be related to the number of carbon atoms in the alcohol, with the residue becoming greater with more carbons in the alcohol. The oxidation stability of rapeseed BDF depended on the carbon chain of the alcohol. However, coffee and jatropha BDFs were stable in spite of the long chain alcohol.     

A study on the production and engine analysis of organic liquid fuel from jatropha and castor oil by catalytic cracking over solid acid catalysts

Catalytic cracking of non-edible oils such as jatropha and castor was done in fixed bed catalytic reactor. The microporous catalysts such as Hβ, HY and HZSM-5 and mesoporous catalyst like AlMCM-41 were synthesised and characterised by XRD and BET surface area analyzer. The reaction parameters such as temperature of reaction, WHSV (Weight hourly space velocity) and reaction time were optimised over Hβ catalyst using jatropha oil. Organic liquid products (OLP) comprising of green gasoline (GG), green kerosene (GK) and green diesel (GD) and gaseous products were found to be major products. The liquid products were analysed using gas chromatograph (Shimadzu GC-9A) fitted with Apeizon-L packed column and gaseous products were analysed using Poropak Q column. The % conversion, yield of OLP and selectivity towards GG, GK and GD were found to be higher at temperature of 400 °C, WHSV of 4.8 h^?1 and reaction time of 1 h. The cracking of jatropha oil was done over HY, HZSM-5 and AlMCM-41 at this optimised condition. Among the microporous materials HZSM-5 produced more OLP with more selectivity towards GG fraction (50%) but yielded higher % of gaseous products. While AlMCM-41 (Si/Al = 25) was selective towards middle distillates fraction like GK (45%) & GD (35%) and yielded low gaseous products. The mechanism of reaction proceeds via carbocation formation. The activity of HZSM-5 and AlMCM-41 were examined with castor oil. The OLP viability as a replacement fuel in a single-cylinder diesel engine under various loads was evaluated in an IC engine test. Here, we look at how different engine operating conditions affect fuel efficiency, Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), and emissions of Carbon Monoxide (CO), Carbon-di-oxide (CO2) and Nitrogen Oxide (NOx). Overall analysis indicates that OLP cracked from Jatropha oil serves as a best fuel in comparison with OLP obtained from Castor oil.     

Thermal characterization of the poultry fat biodiesel

Chemical composition of oils and fats used in the biodiesel synthesis can influence in processing and storage conditions, due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids. An important point is the study of the biodiesel thermal stability to evaluate its quality using thermal analysis methods. In this study the thermal stabilities of the poultry fat and of their ethyl (BEF) and methyl (BMF) biodiesels were determined with the use of thermogravimetry (TG/DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in different atmospheres. The TG/DTG curves of the poultry fat in synthetic air presented three decomposition steps while only one step was observed in nitrogen (N₂) atmosphere. The DSC results indicated four exothermic enthalpic transitions in synthetic air and an endothermic transitions in N₂ atmosphere attributed to the combustion process and to the volatilization and/or decomposition of the fatty acids, respectively. For both biodiesels the TG/DTG curves in air indicated two mass loss steps. In the DSC curves four exothermic transitions were observed in synthetic air besides an endothermic one in N₂ atmosphere.     

Atomic spectrometric methods for the determination of metals and metalloids in automotive fuels - A review

Gasoline, diesel, ethanol and more recently also biodiesel are the four types of fuel used for automobile, truck and other transportation vehicle. The presence of metallic and metalloid species in automotive fuels is undesirable, except in the form of additives in order to improve specific characteristics of the fuel. Metallic or metalloid elements may derive from the raw product, such as nickel and vanadium in petroleum-based fuel or phosphorus in biodiesel, or they may be introduced during production and storage, such as copper, iron, nickel and zinc in case of petroleum-based fuel and alcohol or sodium and potassium in the case of biodiesel. The most famous additive to fuel is undoubtedly lead, the use of which has been banned or drastically reduced now in many countries of the world. The problems related to the trace element content may be economic, such as fuel degradation and poisoning of automotive catalysts, and/or environmental, such as the emission of metal compounds to the atmosphere. The analytical methods that have been developed for metal and metalloid quantification in automotive fuel are reviewed in this article. The main atomic spectrometric techniques used for trace metal and metalloid determination in fuels, particularly atomic absorption spectrometry with flames, graphite furnaces and with chemical vapor generation, and inductively coupled plasma coupled with optical emission and mass spectrometry are presented, including the different sample preparation procedures proposed for these techniques.     

Flow properties of biodiesel: correlation between TMDSC and dynamic viscosity

Sustainable and renewable energy has become more attractive due to its environmental benefits. Among these alternative sources, biodegradable and low emission biodiesels have been gaining attention as compared to diesel. However, their performance at low temperatures affects their commercial viability, because of engine performance problems, and when starting. Cold Filter Plugging Point, Pour Point, and Cloud Point are employed to predict the limits of operability for biodiesel. However, dynamic viscosity and TM-DSC methods are also useful to assess these properties and can be correlated. Viscosity curves were obtained, and TM-DSC revealed that the start temperature (transition liquid–solid) exhibits an increase in flow resistance for soybean, colza, sunflower, corn, and babassu oil biodiesels. The nucleation processes which occur during cooling are unique for each type of biodiesel due to the presence of different ester compositions and the values for viscosity and flow at low temperatures varied accordingly.     

Investigation on the performance,emissions and combustion characteristics of CRDI engine fueled with tallow methyl ester biodiesel blends with exhaust gas recirculation

This paper demonstrates the study of performance, combustion and emission characteristics of a common rail diesel injection (CRDI) engine with the influence of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) (5, 15 and 25%) at various fuel injection pressures (400, 500 and 600 bar) under the effective load conditions (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%). The experiments were carried out in a controlled manner using the CRDI engine fuelled with 80% (D80) diesel (98% purity) blended with 20% (B20) tallow biodiesel. The engine has been operated at a rated speed of 1500 rpm on all load conditions, fuel injection timings of 10°, 15° and 20° bTDC, fuel injection pressures of 400, 500 and 600 bar, respectively. Combustion-influenced performance characteristics such as variation of in-cylinder pressure and net heat release rate in J deg^?1 are also studied with the above operating conditions. It was observed that the usage of 20% biofuel blend shows considerable improvement in combustion, and it further enhances with an increase in the injection pressures. Besides, EGR (up to 25%) reduced significant pollutants at higher operating pressures (600 bar) at higher load conditions. It was also observed that CO₂ emission increased with increase in the % EGR with an increase in the load conditions. However, for CO emission increased up to 50% load condition and subsequently tends to decrease due to improved combustion at higher load; hence higher temperature. NO_x, smoke opacity continue to increase with the increase in pressure and the percentage increase in EGR due to its attainment of adiabatic temperature, which leads to the pathway for the Zeldovich mechanism. The present work shows light on the usage of tallow methyl ester produced from the wastes in the tannery industry as alternate biofuel operating the CRDI engines without compromising its combustion and emission characteristics to deliver the same power as petro-diesel.

     

Thermal stability evaluation of methylic biodiesel obtained for different oilseeds

Biodiesel is defined as a mixture of mono- or di-alquil esters of vegetable oil or animal fats. During long-term storage, oxidation caused by contact with air (autoxidation) presents a legitimate concern in relation to monitoring and maintaining fuel quality. Extensive oxidative degradation may compromise the quality by adversely affecting kinematic viscosity, acid value, or peroxide value. The oxidation susceptibility of biodiesel, due to the presence of triacilglycerides of poly-unsaturated fatty acids, was evaluated in this study. Samples of sunflower, castor, and soybean biodiesels were obtained through the transesterification reaction, with the intention of achieving the thermal stability study through thermogravimetrical analyses and differential scanning calorimetry high pressure. It was furthermore observed through thermogravimetry and pressure differential scanning calorimetry curves that castor biodiesel exhibited the highest thermal and oxidative stability.     

Organic-resistant screen-printed graphitic electrodes: Application to on-site monitoring of liquid fuels

This work presents the potential application of organic-resistant screen-printed graphitic electrodes (SPGEs) for fuel analysis. The required analysis of the antioxidant 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol (2,6-DTBP) in biodiesel and jet fuel is demonstrated as a proof-of-concept. The screen-printing of graphite, Ag/AgCl and insulator inks on a polyester substrate (250 μm thickness) resulted in SPGEs highly compatible with liquid fuels. SPGEs were placed on a batch-injection analysis (BIA) cell, which was filled with a hydroethanolic solution containing 99% v/v ethanol and 0.1 mol L⁻¹ HClO₄ (electrolyte). An electronic micropipette was connected to the cell to perform injections (100 μL) of sample or standard solutions. Over 200 injections can be injected continuously without replacing electrolyte and SPGE strip. Amperometric detection (+1.1 V vs. Ag/AgCl) of 2,6-DTBP provided fast (around 8 s) and precise (RSD = 0.7%, n = 12) determinations using an external calibration curve. The method was applied for the analysis of biodiesel and aviation jet fuel samples and comparable results with liquid and gas chromatographic analyses, typically required for biodiesel and jet fuel samples, were obtained. Hence, these SPGE strips are completely compatible with organic samples and their combination with the BIA cell shows great promise for routine and portable analysis of fuels and other organic liquid samples without requiring sophisticated sample treatments.     

生物柴油-柴油混合燃料的理化及排放特性研究

对生物柴油-柴油混合燃料的表面张力、运动黏度、抗磨性、氧化稳定性以及碳烟排放等特性进行了测试和研究.结果表明,生物柴油-柴油混合燃料的表面张力随生物柴油含量的增加呈抛物线趋势变化,并随温度升高呈幂函数曲线下降.生物柴油的磨斑直径小于柴油,最大卡咬极限压力大于柴油.生物柴油的质量分数为40％-70％,混合燃料的氧化稳定性...     

Comparison of Chromatographic Methods for the Determination of Bound Glycerol in Biodiesel

An important fuel criterion for biodiesel is bound glycerol, which is a function of the residual amount of triglycerides and partial glycerides in the biodiesel. Either high-temperature gas chromatography or high performance liquid chromatography can be used for determining these minor but important components in biodiesel. In this paper we have conducted a statistical study on the accuracy of the two methods for ascertaining the bound glycerol in biodiesel fuels obtained from different feedstocks. Analysis of variance showed that with one exception, namely diacylglycerols in some soy oil based biodiesel, there was no statistical difference in bound glycerol for the biodiesel samples analyzed or a difference between methods. Operationally, the high performance liquid chromatographic method is superior to the high temperature gas chromatographic method in that it requires no sample derivatization, has shorter analysis times, and is directly applicable to most biodiesel fuels.