Experimental Determination of Suitability of Algae Bio Diesel Blend as an Alternate to Diesel Fuel using Cylinder Pressure Variation with Respect to Crank Angle

Abstract

Scientific and engineering community of whole world is working day and night to develop an alternate of fossil fuel. This is not only due to continuous depletion of fossil fuel reserves but also for day by day increasing global warming. This global warming is mainly due to emission of harmful gases from manufacturing industries and vehicles used for transportation including aerial vehicles. In this paper, an experimental study has been performed in variation of mean cylinder pressure at crank angles divided into 4 categories for each stroke. 180 actual movement of crankshaft is taken as 90 for study. Further analysis is done for all the four strokes starting from power stroke at 0 and end of compression stroke as 360 (actually 720). The fuel used for the study is a 20% blend of biodiesel named as B20 in the paper. The experimental results obtained in a variable compression ratio engine are compared with the corresponding characteristics of fossil fuel. Diesel named as D100 which is a proved and widely used fuel at present. The comparative study has shown a clear indication that though biodiesel blend B100 may not be suitable in, as it’s condition but blend B20 may be suitable to be used in as is condition as the experimental results are not varying largely with that of pure diesel. Variation in power strokes and exhaust strokes were found to have larger deviation from linear trend whereas it followed linear variation in induction and compression stroke. The performance can be improved further by using suitable additive in further research works.