Performance Emission and Combustion Characteristics of Neem Biodiesel with Acetylene Induction for C.I. Engine

Abstract

Renewable fuels are desirable as alternate fuels with ignition quality and its combustion parameters equivalent to diesel, but unsuitable for direct operation in the diesel engines as a fuel because of their higher viscosity and density. Hence, the fuel and engine-based modifications are being developed to improve the performance, emission and combustion characteristics of the compression ignition engines. The higher viscosity of fuel oil does not let it to vaporise even after it is being injected into the combustion chamber. Therefore, converting the higher viscosity of vegetable oil into biodiesel improves the atomization resulting in better combustion. The experimental works were carried out in a single-cylinder four-stroke C.I. engine run with neem oil methyl ester (NOME). In this research work, neem oil is used as a primary fuel and the effect of acetylene induction into the intake manifold with NOME as fuel in a single C.I. engine. Acetylene was inducted along with intake air into the inlet manifold at various mass shares with diesel and above mentioned biodiesel. The experiments were conducted at variable load conditions with a constant speed of 1500 rpm. The engine output was varied in steps from 25% to 100% loading under the single fuel mode. The engine output was kept at 50% and 100% load for the dual fuel mode with acetylene induction. At each load, acetylene induction was varied till the engine knocks. At the operating point, fuel flow rate, air flow rate, exhaust temperature, emissions of CO, HC, NO and smoke emission readings were recorded. Pressure crank angle data for an hundred consecutive cycles were recorded by the data acquisition system.