Comparative effects on fuel and exhaust back pressure for a diesel engine fuelled with biodiesel and biofuel blends

Abstract

Due to the rapid depletion of world petroleum reserves and the impact of environmental pollution of increasing exhaust emissions, there is an urgent need for suitable alternative fuels for use in diesel engines. In view of this, vegetable oil is a promising alternative because it has several advantages - it is renewable, environmentally friendly, and produced easily in rural areas, where there is no acute need for modern forms of energy. Hence biofuel and biodiesel are seen as alternatives to diesel in powering diesel engines. This study looks at the effects of fuel and exhaust back pressure on diesel engine performance when fuelled with biofuel and biodiesel blends. The overall results of the study show that there may be an opportunity for using certain biofuel blends in specific applications as there is no significant deterioration in overall engine performance.