Enhancement of engine performance with high blended diesel-biodiesel fuel using iso-butanol additive

Abstract

Biodiesel is one of the most common and familiar among the alternative fuels in many applications. It’s environment friendly, biodegradable as well as renewable source, to meet the future energy crises. Though blending of biodiesel with mineral diesel are suggested to operate diesel engine, it is approved as a commercial fuel at low blending ratios less than 30%. Fuel additives are the most viable option to implement the utilization of biodiesel at high bending ratio with diesel to operate un-modified diesel engine. Investigation of blended biodiesel-diesel fuel (B40) properties and engine performance with iso-butanol additives is conducted in this study at 5% and 10% additive ratio. The study results reveal that the viscosity of blended fuel is the highest which decrease with increasing additive ratio in the blend with better viscosity for B40IB10 compared to diesel fuel. On the other hand, the heating value of blended fuel is lower than that of mineral diesel and decreases with increasing additive ratio in the blend. Introducing iso-butanol additive with the blend at 5% results in significant increase in brake power compared to that of blended fuel B40. Further increase in iso-butanol additive to 10% leads to increase brake specific fuel consumption and brake thermal efficiency in which the higher value obtained. Engine test results show that introducing iso-butanol additive with the blended fuel B40 at 5% (B40IB5) can be suggested for better engine performance at high thermal efficiency.