Energy and exergy analysis of a centrifugal pump driven by a diesel engine operating with passion fruit biodiesel and mixtures with diesel

Abstract

The present study is related with the analysis of energy and exergy of a centrifugal pump driven by a single cylinder diesel engine operating with passion fruit biodiesel and mixtures with diesel. Values of the useful work, the reversible work and the efficiency of the second law of thermodynamics were obtained. The passion fruit oil used to obtain the biodiesel was produced by mechanical extraction, filtration and degumming process from seeds discarded from the production process of passion fruit juice. The passion fruit biodiesel was produced by transesterification using ultrasound and methanol in the proportion of 40% v/v with a 1% of NaOH as a catalyst. The passion fruit biodiesel-diesel mixtures were prepared and classified as B0, B25, B50, B75 and B100. These mixtures were submitted to physical-chemical characterization and utilized in the centrifugal pump driven by a diesel engine. For the mixtures of passion fruit biodiesel with diesel, the maximum efficiency of the second law was 29.83% in the case of B25 mixture, at 9.45 m3/h and at maximum pump speed. When the centrifugal pump operated at maximum flow rate, the maximum efficiency of the second law was 31.78% in the case of passion fruit biodiesel (B100), at 2722 rpm.