A Comparative Study of Performance and Emissions Characteristics under Pure Diesel and Blends of Alternative Fuels of a C I Engine

The upcoming stringent emission regulations and the depletion of oil resources have led to the development of alternate energy sources. In the present study the performance and emission characteristics of a singlecylinder directinjection diesel engine under neat diesel operation and blends of alternative fuels with pure diesel are examined. The hot outlet water from the engine was circulated in the heat exchanger and the final temperature was raised by heating coil inside the heat exchanger. Thus the use of heat exchanger improves the performance of the diesel engine under pure diesel mode as well as blends of alternative fuels. A net gain in brake thermal efficiency with heat exchanger was observed to be 7.33 percent. The results show that the variations in the peak cylinder pressures of all the blends at full load are marginal. The results also indicate that the alternative fuels have lower concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, although emissions of sulfur dioxide and carbon deposits are higher as compared to neat diesel. An increasing trend of emissions is also observed with an increase in brake mean effective pressure. A marginal variation in the engine speed was observed when the engine was run under blends of alternative fuels.