Effect of Preheating and Fuel Injection Pressure on Performance Parameters of Diesel Engine Running with Biodiesel

Abstract

Biodiesels have relatively high values of kinematic viscosity and density, poor flow property, and lower calorific value compared with diesel fuel. The direct use in a diesel engine attains improper homogeneity of the charge and fuel atomization and predominately influences to the engine performance parameters. In this study, a fuel preheating device is integrated into a diesel engine to improve the fuel properties of pure biodiesel for enhancing fuel injection characteristic. Tests were executed with neat castor oil methyl ester (COME) and palm oil methyl ester (POME) biodiesel with diesel as baseline fuel. In this investigation, the effects of fuel preheating on fuel properties of biodiesel (mainly viscosity and density) were thoroughly assessed with reference to international biodiesel standards. The present analysis also targets at finding the engine performance of preheated biodiesel in a diesel engine at elevated temperature with a varying load and fuel injection pressures (IPs). It was seen that the fuel preheating temperature of 114 °C brings down the viscosity (5.02 and 3.74 mm2/s) and density (855 and 864 kg/m3) of COME and POME, respectively, within a standard range and close to that of diesel fuel. Overall, the effect of fuel preheating and IPs has improved engine performance parameters. It is observed that fuel injection pressure of 212 bar and preheating temperature 114 °C was found to be better with preheated COME B100 and POME B100 operated at full load.